cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ESTERIFICATION OF CHOLESTEROL BY CANINE ADRENAL CELL FRACTIONS.

SummaryCanine adrenal cell fraction (mitochondria, microsomes, and soluble fraction) were found to convert cholesterol-4-C14 to esters and adrenal steroids. The most active cell fraction was mitochondria; mitochondria also contained most of the adrenal cholesterol (as ester). The cholesterol esters synthesized by mitochondria and microsomes contained a high proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The esters synthesized were similar in composition to those present in mitochondria and microsomes.
Effects of Conversation Partners’ Gender-Language Consistency on References to Emotion, Tentative Language, and Gender Salience:

The study examined how a conversation partner’s gender and gender-language consistency influence communicators’ gender-based language (i.e., references to emotion and tentativeness) and gender iden...
The Networking Revolution: A Cui Bono Prspective

The proliferation of users of low unit cost networks like Internet, BITNET, SWIFT, EARN and hundreds of others has offered unusual leverage opportunities to those who develop skills in network use. Yet the statistics of network use, like double digit percentage rises in new nodes per month, may conceal a serious and all too familiar problem. Who benefits from networks? Apparently there is little demographic data to delineate a typical user or what benefits are received. Yet what data there is indicates that productive network users are those who are accustomed to information-rich environments — the traditional ‘haves’ of technology. Among the ‘have nots’ are two groups: developing nations and non-engineering disciplines. According to the current connectivity tables developed by the Internet Society, a small number of countries, representing about one-fifth of the world's population, have what could be called robust connectivity — to Internet, BITNET, UUCP, FIDONET and OSI. The remaining countries, representing an aggregate population of four billion persons, range in connectivity from poor to non-existent in network services and capacities.
NADH Oxidase Activity from Sera Altered by Capsaicin Is Widely Distributed among Cancer Patients

A cancer-specific form of NADH oxidase inhibited or stimulated by 1 or 100 microM capsaicin (8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-noneamide) is present in sera from cancer patients. The capsaicin-inhibited NADH oxidase activity appears to be absent from sera of individuals free of cancer. The capsaicin-inhibited activity is present both in freshly collected sera and in sera stored frozen for varying periods of time. For the latter, an assay was carried out under renaturing conditions in the presence of NADH and reduced glutathione followed by dilute hydrogen peroxide. Inhibition was half maximal at about 1 microM capsaicin. The capsaicin-inhibited activity was found in sera over a broad spectrum of cancer patients including patients with solid cancers (e.g., breast, prostate, lung, ovarian) as well as with leukemias and lymphomas.
Brief Variable gain parameter estimation algorithms for fast tracking and smooth steady state

Based on the ideas of the set-membership identification, we present in this paper variable gain least mean-square (LMS) and weighted recursive least-squares (WRLS) algorithms. It is shown that the proposed algorithms possess a fast tracking ability to the variations of the parameter and at the same time are less sensitive to noise leading to a smooth steady state.
Predictors of relaparotomy after nontrauma emergency general surgery with initial fascial closure.

Abstract Background Relaparotomy after emergency surgery for nontrauma intraabdominal catastrophes (NTIAC) is morbid. Our objective was to identify patients who likely will need on-demand relaparotomy after surgery for NTIAC. Methods A retrospective chart review of patients from 1998 to 2008 identified cases of NTIAC surgery with fascial closure. Demographics, comorbidities, intraoperative findings, morbidity, and mortality were analyzed. Relaparotomy was defined as any return to the operating room with surgical re-entry of the abdominal cavity. Results A total of 129 patients underwent NTIAC surgery with fascial closure. Twenty-nine patients (22%) required relaparotomy and 100 patients (78%) did not. Multivariate analysis identified the following predictors of relaparotomy: peripheral vascular disease ( P = .04), alcohol abuse ( P = .02), body mass index of 29 kg/m 2 or greater ( P = .04), the finding of any ischemic bowel ( P = .02), and operating room latency of 60 hours or longer ( P = .01). Patients with 2 or more of these predictors had a 55% risk of relaparotomy whereas patients with fewer than 2 of these predictors had a 9% risk ( P Conclusions Patients whose fascia is closed during NTIAC surgery do worse when they require relaparotomy. We have identified preoperative and intraoperative predictors that may help identify patients at high risk of on-demand relaparotomy.
The evaluation of self, allies, and enemies in the 1956 Suez Crisis

Blake and Mouton (1961), working with small groups in a laboratory situation, report data indicating a rather consistent pattern in the attitudes of group members toward their opponents and themselves when two groups are placed in a competitive situation. According to their data, members of competing groups tend to place a low evaluation on groups to whom they are opposed, while placing a very positive evaluation on their own group. This difference between ingroup and out-group evaluation has also been found bv numerous other investigators (Harvey, 1956; Kelley, 1951; Sherif and Sherif, 1953; Thibaut, 1950). Bass and Dunteman (1963), extending the work of Blake and Mouton, argue that competitive situations will not only influence one's evaluation of his own group and its opponents, but also of one's allies in the competition. Because they are an out-group, allies are rated lower than one's own group, but because they are more friendly, they are rated higher than opponents. Bass and
Measurement and Tailoring of Composite Electrical Properties

Deep dielectric charging and subsequent electrostatic discharge in composite materials are growing concerns as these materials are used ever more extensively in spacecraft. A previous study showed that electric properties are critical to this problem. The goals of the current investigation are 1 )experimental measurements of the continuum electrical propertiesof a carbon e ber/epoxy composite and 2 )the creation of a composite with electrical properties thatcanbetailored withoutaffecting itsmechanicalproperties.Themeasurementoftheconductivityanddielectric strength of carbon e ber/epoxy composites showed that these properties are dife cult to measure, are dominated by detailsofthecompositemicrostructure,and should notbetreatedascontinuumproperties.Conversely,a tailorable glass e ber/epoxy system was created by adding conductive carbon black to the epoxy. This material has consistent and measurable properties. It has conductivity variable over three orders of magnitude, and dielectric constant variable by a factor of 16, with good dielectric strength and mechanical properties. Nomenclature A = cross-sectional area, m 2 C = capacitance, F Emax = dielectric strength, V/m Emech = Young’ s modulus, MPa h = thickness, m hSL = surface layer thickness, m l = length,m
An algebraic approach to approximate evaluation of a polynomial on a set of real points

The previous best algorithm for approximate evaluation of a polynomial on a real set was due to Rokhlin and required of the order ofmu+nu 3 infinite precision arithmetic operations to approximate [on a fixed bounded setX(m) ofm+1 real points] a degreen polynomial $$p\left( z \right) = \sum\nolimits_{i = 0}^n {p_i x^i } $$ within the error bound $$2^{ - u} \sum\nolimits_{i = 0}^n {\left| {p_i } \right|} $$ . We develop an approximation algorithm which exploits algebraic computational techniques and decreases Rokhlin's record estimate toO(mlog2 u+nmin-u, logn}). For logu=o(logn), this result may also be favorably compared with the record boundO(m+n)log2 n) on the complexity of the exact multipoint polynomial evaluation. The new algorithm can be performed in the fields (or rings) generated by the input values, which enables us to decrease the precision of the computations [by using modular (residue) arithmetic] and to simplify our computations further in the case whereu=O(logn). Our algorithm allows NC and simultaneously processor efficient parallel implementation. Because of the fundamental nature of the multipoint polynomial evaluation, our results have further applications to numerical and algebraic computational problems. In passing, we also show a substantial improvement in the Chinese remainder algorithm for integers based on incorporating Kaminski's fast residue computation.
Single-channel SCAM Identifies Pore-lining Residues in the First Extracellular Loop and First Transmembrane Domains of Cx46 Hemichannels

Gap junction (GJ) channels provide an important pathway for direct intercellular transmission of signaling molecules. Previously we showed that fixed negative charges in the first extracellular loop domain (E1) strongly influence charge selectivity, conductance, and rectification of channels and hemichannels formed of Cx46. Here, using excised patches containing Cx46 hemichannels, we applied the substituted cysteine accessibility method (SCAM) at the single channel level to residues in E1 to determine if they are pore-lining. We demonstrate residues D51, G46, and E43 at the amino end of E1 are accessible to modification in open hemichannels to positively and negatively charged methanethiosulfonate (MTS) reagents added to cytoplasmic or extracellular sides. Positional effects of modification along the length of the pore and opposing effects of oppositely charged modifying reagents on hemichannel conductance and rectification are consistent with placement in the channel pore and indicate a dominant electrostatic influence of the side chains of accessible residues on ion fluxes. Hemichannels modified by MTS-EA+, MTS-ET+, or MTS-ES− were refractory to further modification and effects of substitutions with positively charged residues that electrostatically mimicked those caused by modification with the positively charged MTS reagents were similar, indicating all six subunits were likely modified. The large reductions in conductance caused by MTS-ET+ were visible as stepwise reductions in single-channel current, indicative of reactions occurring at individual subunits. Extension of single-channel SCAM using MTS-ET+ into the first transmembrane domain, TM1, revealed continued accessibility at the extracellular end at A39 and L35. The topologically complementary region in TM3 showed no evidence of reactivity. Structural models show GJ channels in the extracellular gap to have continuous inner and outer walls of protein. If representative of open channels and hemichannels, these data indicate E1 as constituting a significant portion of this inner, pore-forming wall, and TM1 contributing as pore-lining in the extracellular portion of transmembrane span.
Prenatal diagnosis of the fetus with hypoplastic left heart syndrome management and outcome.

Objectives: To review our 13-year experience with prenatally detected hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) of which management remains controversial. Material and Methods: Retrospective study of the management and outcome in all cases of HLHS diagnosed prenatally in a tertiary referral center for pediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery between January 1988 and July 2001. Results: The diagnosis of HLHS was made in 32 fetuses. One mother had two pregnancies associated with HLHS. In 16 cases parents opted for termination of pregnancy and in five for compassionate care. Four fetuses died in utero, and seven patients received a palliative reconstructive Norwood procedure. In seven fetuses, associated anomalies were detected: three chromosomal and structural and four only structural. In six fetuses, other associated intracardiac anomalies were detected.
An Analysis of Reconstituted Fluid Milk Pricing Policy

This analysis suggests that alteration of the reconstituted fluid milk pricing provisions of federal and state milk market orders would have a substantial impact on market equilibrium. A reactive programming model of the U.S. milk market was used to simulate the effects of altered reconstituted fluid milk pricing policy. The solutions indicate that reconstituted fluid milk, as a lower cost alternative to fresh fluid milk, would make up a substantial portion of the fluid milk consumption in some markets.
Segmentation of breast masses on dedicated breast computed tomography and three-dimensional breast ultrasound images

We present and evaluate a method for the three-dimensional (3-D) segmentation of breast masses on dedicated breast computed tomography (bCT) and automated 3-D breast ultrasound images. The segmentation method, refined from our previous segmentation method for masses on contrast-enhanced bCT, includes two steps: (1) initial contour estimation and (2) active contour-based segmentation to further evolve and refine the initial contour by adding a local energy term to the level-set equation. Segmentation performance was assessed in terms of Dice coefficients (DICE) for 129 lesions on noncontrast bCT, 38 lesions on contrast-enhanced bCT, and 98 lesions on 3-D breast ultrasound (US) images. For bCT, DICE values of 0.82 and 0.80 were obtained on contrast-enhanced and noncontrast images, respectively. The improvement in segmentation performance with respect to that of our previous method was statistically significant (p ¼ 0.002). Moreover, segmentation appeared robust with respect to the presence of glandular tissue. For 3-D breast US, the DICE value was 0.71. Hence, our method obtained promising results for both 3-D imaging modalities, laying a solid foundation for further quantitative image analysis and potential future expansion to other 3-D imaging modalities.©2014Society
On the integrated frameworks of species concepts: Mayden's hierarchy of species concepts and de Queiroz's unified concept of species

Richard L. Mayden and Kevin de Queiroz have devised and developed a hierarchy of species concepts and a unified species concept, respectively. Although their integrated frameworks of species concepts are rather different as to how to integrate the diverse modern concepts of species, the end result is that they are likely to agree on species recognition in nature, because they virtually share the same major components (i.e. evolutionary or lineage concept of species; same way of delimiting species), and have the same important consequences. Both the hierarchical and unified frameworks, however, are interpreted to have shortcoming regarding the way of integrating the modern species concepts. I reformulate these ideas into a framework of species concepts as follows: It treats the idea of species as population-level evolutionary lineages (sensu Wiley 1978) as the concept for species category, and it adopts the contingent biological properties of species (e.g. internal reproductive isolation, diagnosability, monophyly) as operational criteria in delimiting species. I also suggest that existing and revised versions of the integrated framework of species concepts all are not new species concepts, but versions of the evolutionary species concept, because they treat the evolutionary (or lineage) species concept as the concept for species category.
Performance Study of a Reconfigurable Microstrip Parasitic Array (RMPA) Phased Array

The pattern reconfigurable microstrip parasitic array (RMPA) has been reported and its radiation pattern can be switched in three variations using PIN diodes. In this work, the RMPAs are used as elements in a phased array and the electrical behavior of the array are compared to that of a normal patch antenna array. It is expected that the pattern reconfigurability of the RMPA will be able to improve the performance of the array with respect to the patch array, e.g., increase the scan angle and decrease the side lobe level, etc. Because the RMPA is pattern reconfigurable only in the H-plane, all of the arrays to be studied are all H-plane aligned
DynaFlexPro for Maple

DynaFlexPro (DFP), released in the middle of 2005 by MotionPro, Inc. is marketed by MapleSoft, Inc., of Waterloo, Ontario. DFP is a Maple toolbox that allows control engineers to symbolically create mathematical models for analyzing the dynamic behavior of large articulated multibody systems. DFP combines graph-theoretic modeling techniques with Maple's computer-algebra manipulation capabilities to automatically create the symbolic equations of motion (EOMs)
The management of information technology, governance, and managerial characteristics

. Using a sample of Fortune 500 industrial firms, this study hypothesizes that various infra-organizational factors, including those commonly associated with agency, governance and managerial characteristics of the firm, that affect the decision to create a top management executive position for a chief information officer (CIO). Statistically meaningful relationships were observed between the creation of a top executive CIO position and (1) top management's equity interests, (2) the number of outside directors on the board, (3) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) age, and (4) CEO Experience.
Nonverbal Communication and Telerehabilitation

The purpose of this chapter is to show the importance of nonverbal communication in the telerehabilitation field. Examples showing the relevance of nonverbal communication are provided for a number of nonverbal areas, particularly the monitoring of the patient’s vital signs (vitalics), the physical appearance of the patient (organismics, cosmetics, and costuming), touch (haptics), body movements and postures (kinesics), facial characteristics and expressions (personics), voice (vocalics), time (chronemics), and space (proxemics). Stressed in the chapter is that both verbal and nonverbal messages are important in the therapeutic endeavor. The verbal tells, while the nonverbal shows. The vigilant therapist is always looking for any contradictions between verbal and nonverbal messages during therapy sessions. It is stressed that many off-the-shelf gaming products have made telerehabilitation sessions more visible, more affordable, and more motivating for patients.
Crosniera wennerae, a new species of thalassinidean (Crustacea: Decapoda: Thomassiniidae) from the South Atlantic Bight

Crosniera wennerae sp. nov. is described from a depth of 318 m in the South Atlantic Bight off North Carolina, USA. The species, based on a female specimen 20 mm in length, is distinguished from the other four nominal species of the genus by a combination of characters, including smooth uropodal lateral margins, well-developed exopods on maxillipeds 2 and 3, the smooth inner margin of the merus of maxilliped 3, and the presence of long, simple setae on the uropods, telson, and posterior margin of sixth abdominal somite. Crosniera wennerae sp. nov. represents the second member of the genus described from the western Atlantic. A key is presented for the separation of the species of Crosniera.
Block-based web search

Multiple-topic and varying-length of web pages are two negative factors significantly affecting the performance of web search. In this paper, we explore the use of page segmentation algorithms to partition web pages into blocks and investigate how to take advantage of block-level evidence to improve retrieval performance in the web context. Because of the special characteristics of web pages, different page segmentation method will have different impact on web search performance. We compare four types of methods, including fixed-length page segmentation, DOM-based page segmentation, vision-based page segmentation, and a combined method which integrates both semantic and fixed-length properties. Experiments on block-level query expansion and retrieval are performed. Among the four approaches, the combined method achieves the best performance for web search. Our experimental results also show that such a semantic partitioning of web pages effectively deals with the problem of multiple drifting topics and mixed lengths, and thus has great potential to boost up the performance of current web search engines.
Fictive temperature dependence of subcritical crack growth rate of normal glass and anomalous glass

Abstract Subcritical crack growth rates of soda–lime–silicate glass, which is a typical normal glass, and silica glass, which is a typical anomalous glass, with different fictive temperatures were measured by the double-cleavage-drilled-compression (DCDC) fracture mechanics technique under both dry and humid atmospheres in order to clarify the effect of the fictive temperature on mechanical strength and fatigue. In the humid atmosphere, the soda–lime–silicate glass with a higher fictive temperature showed a slower crack growth rate than the same glass with a lower fictive temperature while the silica glass with a higher fictive temperature showed a faster crack growth rate than the silica glass with a lower fictive temperature. These results imply that normal glass with a higher fictive temperature is expected to show a higher mechanical strength compared with the same glass with a lower fictive temperature and anomalous glass with a higher fictive temperature is expected to show a lower mechanical strength than the same glass with a lower fictive temperature when tested in ambient air if the flaw size is the same. In the dry atmosphere, the fictive temperature effects on the crack growth rate in both glasses were small and within the experimental error.
Parental karyotype may reveal the source of a pregnancy loss even in the presence of a reportedly euploid fetal karyotype

Objective To present a case of a fetal loss in which a normal fetal karyotype was obtained by banding studies. Identification of an abnormal maternal karyotype prompted subsequent reanalysis using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Design Case report. Setting University-affiliated IVF center. Patient(s) A 32-year-old woman, G1 P0, underwent a fetal loss at 8 weeks, and a suction curettage was performed. The patient had a previous first-trimester loss. Intervention(s) The fetal tissue was evaluated by banding studies and found to be normal. Parental karyotyping was performed, and the fetal tissue was reanalyzed by FISH. Main Outcome Measure(s) Analysis of fetal karyotype by targeted FISH. Result(s) Maternal karyotype demonstrated a translocation [46,XX, t(8;10)(q24.3:q25.2)]. The fetal tissue was reanalyzed by FISH, and a segment of chromosome 10 was found on chromosome 8. Conclusion(s) A normal fetal karyotype, as measured by banding, does not exclude a genetic etiology for pregnancy loss. In this case, maternal translocation prompted the genetics laboratory to search for a small segment of translocated extra chromosomal material. This demonstrated that despite the finding of a normal fetal karyotype, in some cases parental karyotyping may have value.
Integrating Acupuncture in an Inpatient Setting

Acupuncture, a licensed health care profession in the United States, is poorly integrated into the American health care system, despite the evidence of its effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to offer a phenomenological description of the experience of acupuncturists who delivered acupuncture care in a tertiary teaching hospital in New York City. We analyzed data using methodology proposed by Colaizzi and identified four major clusters of themes: (a) acupuncturists' excitement about practicing in a hospital setting and frustration about organizational obstacles to effective acupuncture integration; (b) pride in being holistic practitioners; (c) attempts to preserve the holism and effectiveness of acupuncture while adjusting to the limitations of an inpatient setting, and (d) acupuncturists' realization that the medical staff knew very little about acupuncture and "it's all about trust." Practitioners of other healing traditions and therapies might find our study helpful in their own efforts toward similar integration.
Vector field resampling using local streamline approximation

In this paper, we propose an algorithm to resample coarse vector fields in order to obtain vector fields of a higher density. Unlike the typical linear interpolation scheme, our algorithm attempts to identify streamline characteristics in the flow field, and uses local polynomial parameterization of the flow to perform interpolation. Quantitative validation of the streamline oriented algorithm indicate that the Mean Square Error of the flow field obtained is more accurate than those obtained by bilinear interpolation schemes.
EXORCISM-MV-2: minimization of exclusive sum of products expressions for multiple-valued input incompletely specified functions

A cube operation, EXORLINK, and its application to the minimization of multiple-valued input, multi-output exclusive sums of products (ESOPs) for incompletely specified Boolean functions, are presented. EXORLINK generalizes all cube operations, such as crosslink, unlink, and X-merge. The authors' program, EXORCISM-MV-2, gives efficient results for functions that are incompletely specified and have an arbitrary number of values for each of the input variables. This allows realization of a wider class of circuits that implement the multiple-valued input ESOP expressions. Evaluation on benchmark functions is also given and proves the superiority of the program to those known from the literature. >
An image analyzer quantitation of type 2 pneumocytes.

An automated image analyzer was used to count lactate dehydrogenase positive alveolar wall cells (type 2 pneumocytes) in the lungs of a group of control guinea pigs and guinea pigs exposed to 2 ppm of nitrogen dioxide. The results from each of 141 photographic slides of the microscopic fields were compared with hand-counts derived from a previous study of the same slides. A high coefficient of correlation was obtained (r > 0.8; P < 10−6), and the time required for counting was greatly reduced from several weeks to less than 1 hour. The analysis, in conjunction with counts of alveoli, is a potential means of expediting and amplifying the quantitation of hyperplasia of type 2 pneumocytes secondary to a variety of noxious insults to the lung.
Adeno-associated virus Type 2 Rep proteins mediate integration of lentiviral vectors

Aims: Adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV2) is a naturally defective human parvovirus that is being developed as a gene therapy vector. In dividing cells, AAV2 DNA persists by integration into the host chromosomes. AAV2 is unique among mammalian viruses in its ability to integrate preferentially into a particular locus within human chromosome 19, designated AAVS1(also known as Mbs 85). The AAV2 Rep68 and Rep78 proteins mediate this integration. Recent data suggest that Rep68 and Rep78 can mediate integration of nonAAV2 DNA with free ends. To test this hypothesis, we targeted insertion of different lentiviral vectors to AAVS1. Methods: Cells were co-infected with wild-type AAV2, and integraseproficient or integrase-deficient lentivirus vectors. A highly specific PCR-based assay was used to detect lentivirus integration at AAVS1. Similar experiments were performed using lentiviral vectors containing the AAV2 rep gene. Results: All lentiviral vectors tested integrated at AAVS1, if the rep gene was present either within the lentiviral vector or supplied in trans. All that was required for integration at AAVS1 was the amino acid sequence shared between Rep68 and Rep78. The results were similar with integrase-proficient or integrasedeficient lentiviral vectors. Conclusions: The inclusion of the rep gene with lentiviral vectors may produce more predictable integration patterns.
Supplemental Vitamin C Alleviates the Negative Effect of High Sulfur on Meat Quality

The data support the conclusion that vitamin C (VC) supplemented to feedlot cattle consuming high sulfur (S)diets may increase tenderness of the beef longissimus dorsi by protecting the protease µ-calpain. Additionally, VC supplementation improved the fatty acid profile of meat products by increasing omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids(FA) and decreasing saturated fatty acids (SFA).
What Kind of Life? Why the Canadian Charter's Guarantees of Life and Security of the Person Should Include the Right to a Healthy Environment

This is an exciting time for the environmental and human rights movements. A growing majority of countries are recognizing the international human right to a healthy environment, and Canada is poised to join them. Two members of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation Community are arguing in a Canadian court that the government, by granting permission for increasing pollution in their community, is violating their Canadian Charter rights to life and security of the person. Thus, there is a real possibility that in the next year or so, a Canadian court will recognize for the first time that the Charter includes a right to a healthy environment. This article uses Canada’s international human rights obligations and domestic Charter law to demonstrate why Canadian courts should find that the Charter rights to life and security of the person include the right to a healthy environment.
An Overview of the NIH Biorisk Management Program

Biosafety and biorisk management are emerging areas of safety that are not well understood by the general public. With recent headlines questioning the safety practices and procedures at federal ag...
Innovation and the Durable Goods Monopolist: The Optimality of Frequent New-Version Releases

When an improvable durable good (such as packaged software) saturates the market, the seller could be tempted to release new versions too frequently, hurting her profit. A novel contractual device, which we term as a Free New Version Rights warranty (Free NVR warranty), can help the seller overcome this temptation. In a two-period game-theoretic model involving a monopolist firm facing heterogeneous consumers, we derive conditions under which a rational monopolist can act suboptimally: she could face a commitment problem and offer the new version, even if doing so lowers her overall profit. Profit is hurt because when consumers expect a new version, (a) fewer consumers buy the initial version, and (b) the monopolist is forced to charge a lower price for the initial version. We show how the free NVR warranty, which requires the monopolist to offer consumers the right to receive the new version for free for a limited period, can solve her commitment problem. This is a new, surprising finding: by bundling new-version rights with the initial version, the monopolist at first appears to be denying herself future revenue. We derive conditions under which this apparently unprofitable action is optimal, which is our main contribution. When free NVR is offered, consumer surplus decreases and social surplus increases. This work extends prior literature on durable goods and the Coase conjecture to innovative durable goods with network externalities. The findings have important practical implications for firms selling new versions of innovative durable goods subject to network effects, as well as for their consumers.
Do Consumers’ Ethical Beliefs Vary with Age? A Substantiation of Kohlberg’s Typology in Marketing

According to Kohlberg’s cognitive moral development typology, people’s beliefs and judgments of right or wrong may change as they move through stages of moral development. This is due to personal and life experiences. To test this typology in marketing, three age-groups of consumers (adults, teenagers, and children), consisting of 1019 respondents, were compared in terms of their ethical perceptions, Machiavellianism, relativism, and idealism. MANOVA analysis indicated that children were the most tolerant to questionable practices, most Machiavellian and relativistic, and least idealistic, than teenagers and adults. Adults were the most conservative group. Adults, such as family members, school teachers, television stars, and professionals may serve as role models and assist children and teenagers in shaping their behaviors toward veracity and integrity.
Peculiar Morphological, Cytochemical, Biochemical and Immunophenotyping Features in One Case of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia at the Onset.

Abstract On July 28th 2005, a 53-year old woman was admitted to our Hematology Dpt. with fever (37.5 C), fatigue, marked gingiva hypertrophy, mild hepatomegaly and absence of lymphoadenopaty and splenomegaly. Laboratory tests showed high leukocyte count of 182 x109/L, moderately increased platelet count (438 x109/L), normocytic anemia (10,9 g/dl, MCV 84 fl). Biochemical parameters, including lysozyme, were in the normal range except for high level of lactate dehydrogenase (2524 UI/l). Peripheral blood (PB) smear showed the presence of 94% of blasts, without evident granules. At the cytochemical myeloperoxidase staining blast cells revealed the presence of single or multiple Auer rods, while cytoplasmic granules were positive to the α-naphtyl butyrate esterase. In the bone marrow (BM) aspirate blasts were 80% showing same morphological and cytochemical features as in peripheral blood, while the granulocytic maturating series was 14%. No evidence of morphologically identifiable monocytic series in PB neither in BM. Megakariocytes were slightly increased and there was trilineage dysplasia. Blast immunophenotyping in PB and in BM was as follow: CD45, CD33, CD13, CD7 and HLA-Dr positive, 36% MPO positive and 48% co-express CD11c an CD117. Moreover blasts were CD14, CD19 and CD56 negative. FAB diagnosis was AML-M4. Interphase Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH) for detection of AML1/ETO and bcr/abl gene rearrangements was negative. After treatment with 2 g hydroxyurea and leucapheresis, the WBC count was still high (140 x109/L) while after 1g of aracytin, WBC count decreased to 31000/mm3. Patient is presently enrolled into the GIMEMA protocol AML-12. This case shows at the onset following abnormalities: - an increased platelet count is a rare evenience in an AML at the onset; - negativity for lysozyme; - absence of CD14; - presence of Auer rods in quite all the blast population, which is a very rare evenience associated with monocytic subtypes of acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML); - atypical homogenous cytochemical pattern of blasts, showing Auer rods MPO positive and granules ANBE positive; - absence of any morphological differentiation of monocytic series. S4479
Russia and Energy Transactions in Northeast Asia

In Northeast Asia, Russia is a significant supplier of energy resources to neighbouring regional states, such as China, Japan, and South Korea, which have become net importers of energy resources. Under the Russian plan to develop the Russian Far East, the country has begun to increase its oil, gas, and coal exports to Pacific-rim countries. While Russia seeks to expand its energy exports, which forms a foundational part of its Far East economy, Russia’s energy exports are not always as competitive against other suppliers in Northeast Asia, especially when taking into account such issues as logistics and infrastructure. Additionally, there are also factors operating in the East Asian states that may not seamlessly facilitate the increase of import of energy resources from Russia. This chapter seeks to examine the weaknesses in Russia’s plans as an energy exporter, and what domestic political and economic actions the three Northeast Asian countries need to undertake with regard to their energy consumption.
Blur identification based on higher order spectral nulls

The identification of the point spread function (PSF) from the degraded image data constitutes an important first step in image restoration that is known as blur identification. Though a number of blur identification algorithms have been developed in recent years, tow of the earlier methods based on the power spectrum and power cepstrum remain popular, because they are easy to implement and have proved to be effective in practical situations. Both methods are limited to PSF's which exhibit spectral nulls, such as due to defocused lens and linear motion blur. Another limitation of these methods is the degradation of their performance in the presence of observation noise. The central slice of the power bispectrum has been employed as an alternative to the power spectrum which can suppress the effects of additive Gaussian noise. In this paper, we utilize the bicepstrum for the identification of linear motion and defocus blurs. We present simulation results where the performance of the blur identification methods based on the spectrum, the cepstrum, the bispectrum and the bicepstrum is compared for different blur sizes and signal-to-noise ratio levels.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Utilization of network graph connectivity to evaluate complications of inpatient medical and surgical populations as a method to prioritize quality improvement efforts

Network graphs can provide a quantitative framework for identifying complications with significant volumes and strong relationships to other complications, as a method for prioritization of quality improvement work. Here we examine the application of network graphing techniques to acute care inpatient complications on acute care medical-surgical units of a quaternary care center. The 3M PPC software identified 66 complications among 106 unique patients with two or more complications during an inpatient hospital stay. The network graph highlighted renal failure without dialysis and septicemia and severe infections as highly connected complications in this population.
“There’s Beauty in Brokenness”: Teaching Empathy Through Dialogue with Art

ABSTRACTEmpathy, a core element of helping skills training, is vital to the development of the therapeutic alliance and positive counseling outcomes. This article presents a classroom exercise developed to increase students’ empathy. The exercise features imaginative dialogue by members of a counselor education beginning skills class with art works in an exhibit curated by a museum educator. Presented are the details of the teaching exercise, student and faculty reflections on the exercise, and suggestions for further research.
Semipolar (202̅1̅) GaN and InGaN Light-Emitting Diodes Grown on Sapphire.

We have demonstrated growing uniform and purely nitrogen polar semipolar (2021) GaN epilayers on 2 in. patterned sapphire substrates. The as-grown surface of (2021) GaN is composed of two stable facets: (1010) and (1011). A chemical mechanical polishing process was further used to planarize the surface with a final surface root-mean-square roughness of less than 1.5 nm over an area of 10 × 10 μm2. InGaN light-emitting diodes were grown on a polished (2021) GaN/sapphire template with an electroluminescence emission at around 490 nm. Our work exhibits the potential to produce high-quality nitrogen-polar semipolar GaN templates and optoelectronic devices on large-area sapphire substrates with economical feasibility.
XPG: its products and biological roles

Xeroderma pigmetosum patients of the complementation group G are rare. One group of XP-G patients displays a rather mild and typical XP phenotype. Mutations in these patients interfere with the function of XPG in the nucleotide excision repair, where it has a structural role in the assembly of the preincision complex and a catalytic role in making the incision 3' to the damaged site in DNA. Another set of XP-G patient is much more severely affected, displaying combined symptoms of xeroderma pigmentosum and Cockayne syndrome, referred to as XP/CS complex. Although the molecular basis leading to the XP/CS complex has not yet been fully established, current evidence suggests that these patients suffer from a mild defect in transcription in addition to a repair defect. Here, the history of how the XPG gene was discovered, the biochemical properties of the XPG protein and the molecular defects found in XP-G patients and mouse models are reviewed.
PHOX2B reliably distinguishes neuroblastoma among small round blue cell tumours.

Aims Neuroblastoma shows considerable histological overlap with other small round blue cell tumours. PHOX2B, a transcription factor that is essential for autonomic nervous system development, has been reported as an immunohistochemical marker for neuroblastoma. The aim of this study was to validate the specificity and diagnostic utility of PHOX2B for peripheral neuroblastic tumours. Methods and results We evaluated 240 cases (133 in whole-tissue sections; 107 in tissue microarrays), including 76 peripheral neuroblastic tumours (median age 2 years; including four adults) and 164 other tumours: 44 Wilms tumours; 20 Ewing sarcomas; 10 each of CIC-rearranged round cell sarcomas, poorly differentiated synovial sarcomas, lymphoblastic lymphomas, alveolar rhabdomyosarcomas, embryonal rhabdomyosarcomas, mesenchymal chondrosarcomas, Merkel cell carcinomas, olfactory neuroblastomas, and melanomas; and five each of NUT midline carcinomas and desmoplastic small round cell tumours. Immunohistochemistry for PHOX2B was performed with a rabbit monoclonal antibody. PHOX2B positivity was defined as the presence of nuclear immunoreactivity in ≥5% of cells. PHOX2B was positive in 70 (92%) peripheral neuroblastic tumours, including 68 of 72 (94%) paediatric and two of four (50%) adult cases. Furthermore, PHOX2B was consistently negative in all non-peripheral neuroblastic tumours, with staining being absent in 160 cases and limited in four cases. Conclusion PHOX2B is a highly sensitive and specific immunohistochemical marker for peripheral neuroblastic tumours, including neuroblastoma. PHOX2B reliably distinguishes neuroblastoma from histological mimics such as Wilms tumour, Ewing sarcoma, and CIC-rearranged round cell sarcoma. PHOX2B negativity in two of four adult neuroblastoma cases raises the possibility that some adult neuroblastomas are of a different lineage than paediatric cases.
A decision support tool for energy efficient synchromodal supply chains

Abstract The industrial supply chain is a significant consumer of limited energy resources worldwide. Companies have been encouraged to reduce energy costs by restructuring their logistics network, improving their transportation asset fuel efficiency, and reducing travel distance. The recent evolution of synchromodal supply chains has focused on flexible transportation modes as a new option for supply chain managers to reduce the total energy cost. Illustrating the monetary advantages of such reconfigurations will guide decision makers to get the most from all available options. In this paper, the process of modeling and developing a user-friendly, customizable tool for supply chain decision makers called the Synchromodal Supply Chain Energy Analysis tool (SySCEA) is presented. SySCEA enables the analysis of the overall environmental and economic effects due to supply chain fuel consumption and changing network configuration as it relates to order quantity, demand quantity, product size, packaging, mode and transportation assets. Currently, SySCEA supports up to five arc/routes, plus the first and last mile, for a synchromodal supply chain. However, due to the modular nature of the tool it is simple to extend it to larger networks.
Cross-sectional association between sugar-sweetened beverage intake and cardiometabolic biomarkers in US women

Few studies have evaluated the relationships between intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and intermediate biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk. Associations between artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) and fruit juice with cardiometabolic biomarkers are also unclear. We investigated habitual SSB, ASB and fruit juice intake in relation to biomarkers of hepatic function, lipid metabolism, inflammation and glucose metabolism. We analysed cross-sectional data from 8492 participants in the Nurses' Health Study who were free of diabetes and CVD. Multivariate linear regression was used to assess the associations of SSB, ASB and fruit juice intake with concentrations of fetuin-A, alanine transaminase, γ-glutamyl transferase, TAG, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol, C-reactive protein (CRP), intracellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion protein 1, adiponectin, insulin and HbA1c as well as total cholesterol:HDL-cholesterol ratio. More frequent intake of SSB was significantly associated with higher concentrations of fetuin-A, TAG, CRP, ICAM-1, adiponectin and insulin, a higher total cholesterol:HDL-cholesterol ratio, and a lower concentration of HDL-cholesterol (P trend ranges from <0·0001 to 0·04) after adjusting for demographic, medical, dietary and lifestyle variables. ASB intake was marginally associated with increased concentrations of CRP (P trend=0·04) and adiponectin (P trend=0·01). Fruit juice intake was associated with increased concentrations of TAG and HbA1c and a lower concentration of adiponectin (P trend ranges from <0·0001 to 0·01). In conclusion, habitual intake of SSB was associated with adverse levels of multiple cardiometabolic biomarkers. Associations between ASB and fruit juice with cardiometabolic risk markers warrant further exploration.
Roughness Scattering Models

This chapter deals with models that predict the scattering cross section (Sect. 2.3.2) in terms of statistical information on seafloor roughness. Most research in this area has assumed that seafloor relief can be described by a continuous function of the two horizontal coordinates, that is, roughness is the type of microtopography discussed in Ch. 6. This work is the primary subject of this chapter, but recent work on scattering due to discrete roughness features, such as shell fragments lying on the sediment-water interface, will be treated briefly.
High-Performance Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Cycle for Next-Generation Nuclear Reactors

Supercritical carbon dioxide cycles are a promising power conversion option for future nuclear reactors operating with a reactor outlet temperature in the range of 550 to 650°C. The recompression c...
Noise and Efficiency of Semiconductor Devices

We now treat the two basic semiconductor photodetectors—the photoconductor and the photodiode. In the latter case, we also discuss the avalanche photodiode, which is the semiconductor analog of the photomultiplier. The photoconductor is a device composed of a single uniform semiconductor material; the incident optical power is measured by monitoring the conductance. The change of conductance is produced by creation of free carriers in the material by the presence of the radiation. In contrast, the photodiode is a p-n junction, in which photoinduced carriers in the vicinity of the junction modify the current-voltage characteristic so that the radiation level may be measured. In the case of the reverse-biased semiconductor photodiode, the behavior is almost identical to that of the vacuum photodiode.
Using Entertaining Metaphors in the Introduction of the Case Method in a Case-Based Course

This chapter shows one way of using entertaining metaphors in the introduction of the case method in the introductory session of a case-based course. The use of entertaining metaphors is based on the idea that academicians should incorporate entertainment in the teaching and learning environment. Students are often easily attracted to the rapidly progressing world of amusement and entertainment, and away from the often rigid and dry world of education. For the long-term benefit of society, teachers should make the world of education more attractive. Academicians can accomplish this by incorporating entertaining material in their courses. Entertaining material, as well, plays an important role in education, as the emotion evoking qualities of such stimuli have a profound impact on learning. This approach also enhances visualization, motivation, and association in student learning.