cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The quest for thermonuclear power

The reasons for and the extent of the worldwide effort to harness light element fusion reactions for power production are described. A discussion of the physical problems to be surmounted and the different approaches being pursued in various world laboratories is presented. Future possibilities are considered.
Retiming for DSM with area-delay trade-offs and delay constraints

The concept of improving the timing behavior of a circuit by relocating registers is called retiming and was first presented by Leiserson and Saxe [1991]. They showed that the problem of determining an equivalent minimum area (total number of registers) circuit is polynomial-time solvable. In this work we show how this approach can be reapplied in the DSM domain when area-delay trade-offs and delay constraints are considered. The main result is that the concavity of the tradeoff function allows for a casting of this DSM problem into a classical minimum area retiming problem whose solution is polynomial time solvable.
Does transfer of training help children learn juggling

The effectiveness of four different learning sequences in teaching juggling to 5th grade students was investigated. Practice schedules using combinations of scarves, weighted scarves, beanbags, and balls allowed both identical task elements and learners' time-on-task to be varied during a 3-wk. practice period. The exclusive use of beanbags for practice, prior to testing with balls, resulted in significantly better juggling scores than did the other combinations. While transfer of training occurred for other groups, the amount of students' time-on-task during practice appeared to be a strong influence on final performance.
Sonar doppler spectra analysis

This study deals with the numerical analysis of the sonar doppler return spectra from the ocean surface. It is assumed that signal is backscattered from the small scale roughness superimposed upon the long crest waves of the ocean. Helmholtz integral approach is used for the plane wave case and Kirchhoff's approximations are employed. A carrier frequency of 50 kilohertz is used. For each surface roughness and fixed azimuth angle of 20\deg , variations in the shape and -3 dB bandwidth of the spectra are studied for incident angles of 20\deg, 30\deg, 45\deg , and 60\deg It is found that bandwidth parameter F_{D} varies exponentially with the angle of incident. Also, F_{D} varies linearly with the roughness parameter \sigma_{xy} . The results are plotted and are believed to provide a useful information to the system designer.
Molecular markers in the diagnosis and staging of breast cancer.

Considerable advances have been made in understanding the molecular events that accompany the development of breast cancer. Although our knowledge of these genetic alterations has greatly outpaced clinical applications, many new advances are beginning to have an impact on the diagnosis and staging of breast cancer. Clinical evaluation of estrogen and progesterone receptors and HER2/neu status has become routine. The increasing use of these and other molecular markers promises to help refine diagnoses, define disease subsets, and provide more accurate information about the probable biologic outcome of a given tumor. Studies of molecular markers are also likely to lead to the identification and development of new therapeutic targets. I review the molecular markers currently used in the clinical diagnosis and staging of breast cancer, and discuss other potentially useful markers and assays.
Controlling photons in mesoscopic systems: Precision measurements in frequency combs and optomechanics

Recent advances in sub-wavelength nanoscale platforms have afforded the control of light from first principles, with impact to optoelectronics and high-density secure communications. In this talk I will highlight two coherent examples where emerging mesoscopic systems can make a difference. Firstly, I will report on chip-scale Kerr frequency comb oscillators, where we have recently observed one of the shortest (74-fs) pulse mode-locking till date (Figure 1a) [1]. The frequency comb dynamics, evolution and coherent nature will be described. The CMOS-compatible frequency combs [2-5], including solitary pulses, have potential to link the RF and optical domains with low phase noise, with implications to precision optical clocks and ultrashort pulse generation.
Pretesting students to improve teaching and learning

The focus of this paper is on developing ways to evaluate teaching performance on a regular basis as a means of improving teaching effectiveness and increasing student learning in the classroom. In particular, this paper shows how an instructor-developed pretest, when given at the start of an introductory economics course as part of a pre- and post-test strategy, can be used as a diagnostic and developmental tool for instructors to assess and improve teaching effectiveness. Evidence of students' deficiencies in basic economic and math or graphing skills has led to making changes in content and delivery to increase students' chances of success in the economics course. In addition, pre- and post-test results can be used to determine which economic concepts are being taught effectively and which areas need improvement.
Comparative Effects of n-3, n-6 and n-9 Unsaturated Fatty Acid-Rich Diet Consumption on Lupus Nephritis, Autoantibody Production and CD4+ T Cell-Related Gene Responses in the Autoimmune NZBWF1 Mouse

Mortality from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a prototypical autoimmune disease, correlates with the onset and severity of kidney glomerulonephritis. There are both preclinical and clinical evidence that SLE patients may benefit from consumption of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) found in fish oil, but the mechanisms remain unclear. Here we employed the NZBWF1 SLE mouse model to compare the effects of dietary lipids on the onset and severity of autoimmune glomerulonephritis after consuming: 1) n-3 PUFA-rich diet containing docosahexaenoic acid-enriched fish oil (DFO), 2) n-6 PUFA-rich Western-type diet containing corn oil (CRN) or 3) n-9 monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA)-rich Mediterranean-type diet containing high oleic safflower oil (HOS). Elevated plasma autoantibodies, proteinuria and glomerulonephritis were evident in mice fed either the n-6 PUFA or n-9 MUFA diets, however, all three endpoints were markedly attenuated in mice that consumed the n-3 PUFA diet until 34 wk of age. A focused PCR array was used to relate these findings to the expression of 84 genes associated with CD4+ T cell function in the spleen and kidney both prior to and after the onset of the autoimmune nephritis. n-3 PUFA suppression of autoimmunity in NZBWF1 mice was found to co-occur with a generalized downregulation of CD4+ T cell-related genes in kidney and/or spleen at wk 34. These genes were associated with the inflammatory response, antigen presentation, T cell activation, B cell activation/differentiation and leukocyte recruitment. Quantitative RT-PCR of representative affected genes confirmed that n-3 PUFA consumption was associated with reduced expression of CD80, CTLA-4, IL-10, IL-18, CCL-5, CXCR3, IL-6, TNF-α and osteopontin mRNAs in kidney and/or spleens as compared to mice fed n-6 PUFA or n-9 MUFA diets. Remarkably, many of the genes identified in this study are currently under consideration as biomarkers and/or biotherapeutic targets for SLE and other autoimmune diseases.
Flashlamp-Induced Thermal Distortion In An Active-Mirror Nd:glass Laser Amplifier

Measurements of the thermally induced optical distortion of an active-mirror laser amplifier are presented along with a comparison of measured and calculated distortion. A discussion of a means for compensation for these distortions is also presented.
Obesity in infants, children, and adolescents in the united states II. causality

Abstract Investigations of the causality of obesity are broadly divided into host and environmental categories. Among host characteristics, age, sex and race appear to have no consistent effect on the prevalence of obesity among children in the United States. Reduced thermogenesis may enhance susceptibility to obesity, but the onset of the disease reflects energy intakes in excess of expenditure. Clinical conditions causing impaired regulation of energy balance are rare. The multiple environmental variables associated with obesity, primarily those within families, suggest that the factors that promote excessive energy intake for expenditure are behavioral. Although definitive proof of a causal relationship is lacking, these data suggest that the origins of obesity are environmental.
Witt vectors and the algebra of necklaces

where ,U is the classical Mobius function; M(a, n) is called a necklace polynomial. We shall be concerned with some remarkable identities satisfied by the polynomials M(a, n), which apparently have not been previously noticed. Specifically, we prove that M(a/?, n) can be expressed as a quadratic polynomial in M(a, i) and Mj that M(a’, n) can be expressed linearly and integrally in terms of M(a, i). The proofs given below of these identities are entirely combinatorial (Theorems l-6).
Evolution of coherent structures in shear flows: A phase dynamics approach

Abstract A general amplitude evolution model is proposed to describe the development of instability waves in parallel free shear flows which are invariant under both space translations and Galilean transformations. It is argued that temporal and spatial modulations of finite-amplitude states are strongly coupled with a marginally unstable large-scale horizontal velocity field. As a result, an array of spatially periodic coherent structures is shown to exhibit two distinct types of phase instabilities: an Eckhaus-like modulational instability dominated by two-dimensional disturbances and a fully three-dimensional secondary instability generated by coupling between pattern deformation and advection by the large scale field. Anisotropic phase waves can also travel on the basic array, the global velocity field acting as a restoring force. Applications of these concepts to the phase dynamics of Kelvin-Helmholtz vortices are briefly considered.
The role of glial membrane ion channels in seizures and epileptogenesis

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders, but the cellular basis of human epilepsy remains largely a mystery, and about 30% of all epilepsies remain uncontrolled. The vast bulk of epilepsy research has focused on neuronal and synaptic mechanisms, but the hypersynchronous firing that is the hallmark of epilepsy could also result from the abnormal function of glial cells by virtue of their critical role in the homeostasis of the brain's extracellular milieu. Therefore, increasing our understanding of glial pro-epileptic and epileptogenic mechanisms holds promise for the development of improved pharmacological treatments for epilepsy. Reactive astrocytes, a prominent feature of the human epileptic brain, undergo changes in their membrane properties and electrophysiology, in particular in the expression of membrane K(+) and Na(+) channels, which result in pro-epileptic changes in their homeostatic control of the extracellular space. Nonetheless, a causal role for reactive astrocytosis in epilepsy has been difficult to determine because glial reactivity can be induced by a wide range of central nervous system insults, including epileptic seizures themselves. A complicating factor is that different insults to the central nervous system result in reactive astrocytes with different membrane properties. Therefore, most animal models of epilepsy preselect the properties of the reactive glia studied. Finally, a causal role for reactive glia in epilepsy cannot be firmly established by examining human epileptic tissue because of its chronic and pharmacoresistant pathological condition that warranted the surgical intervention. Therefore, the development of clinically relevant models of reactive astrocytosis, and of symptomatic epileptogenesis, is needed to investigate the issue. A recently developed model of post-traumatic epileptogenesis in the rat, where chronic spontaneous recurrent seizures develop after a single event of a clinically relevant form of closed head injury, the fluid percussion injury, offers hope to help understand the role of reactive glia in seizures and epileptogenesis and lead to the development of improved therapies.
The association of cardiorespiratory fitness and physical activity with incidence of hypertension in men.

BACKGROUND Few prospective studies have simultaneously investigated the relationship between physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and the development of hypertension in initially normotensive individuals. In the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study (ACLS), we examined this association among initially healthy normotensive men. METHODS Participants were 16,601 men aged 20-82 years who completed a baseline examination during 1970-2002 and were followed for hypertension incidence. Physical activity was self-reported and CRF was quantified from the duration of a maximal treadmill test. RESULTS A total of 2,346 men reported hypertension during a mean 18 years of follow-up. Event rates per 10,000 man-years adjusted for age and examination year were 86.2, 76.6, and 66.7 across physical activity groups of sedentary, walker/jogger/runner (WJR), and sport/fitness, respectively, and 89.8, 78.4, and 64.6 for low, middle, and high CRF, respectively (trend P < 0.0001). These associations persisted after further adjustment for body mass index (BMI), smoking, alcohol intake, resting systolic blood pressure, baseline health status, family history of diseases, and survey response patterns. CONCLUSION Both physical activity and CRF are associated with lower risk of developing hypertension in a graded fashion. These findings provide a basis for health professionals to emphasize the importance of participating in regular physical activity to improve fitness for the primary prevention of hypertension in men.
Les types de délinquantes : une étude longitudinale des causes et des conséquences

L’existence de differences sexuelles sur le plan du comportement antisocial est un fait largement repandu et accepte en criminologie, et ce, depuis la naissance de cette discipline. Bien que depuis une trentaine d’annees les chercheurs se soient interesses plus que jamais a la recherche theorique et empirique du comportement antisocial des femmes, force est de constater que les criminologues n’ont pas encore pleinement explore la diversite des types de delinquance feminine. Notre examen des causes et des consequences de la delinquance feminine s’appuie sur trois postulats de base : 1) la population delinquante est heterogene 2) l’existence de types distincts de delinquantes est le produit de processus causaux qui sont a la fois communs et distincts et 3) les consequences a long terme de la delinquance varient selon le type de delinquantes. Les donnees autorapportees ont ete recueillies a partir d’un echantillon de repondantes interrogees en 1982, alors qu’elles etaient adolescentes, et subsequemment en 1992, alors qu’elles avaient atteint l’âge adulte. Nos analyses ont decele des facteurs etiologiques uniques et communs a l’ensemble des types de delinquantes, ainsi que des evenements de vie variant en fonction d’une diversite de dimensions comportementales, personnelles et interpersonnelles. Nos resultats font ressortir qu’une consommation de drogues durant l’adolescence a des effets particulierement deleteres chez les femmes lors du passage de l’adolescence a l’âge adulte.
Establishing Smoking Cessation Programs in Dental Offices

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States. Because dental personnel treat millions of patients who are cigarette smokers, they have a unique opportunity to help persons quit the smoking habit. Effectively designed, office-based programs should involve all or most dental team members and contain the following components: a procedure that identifies smokers and records changes in their smoking status, a personal evaluation of each smoker's motivation to quit, an assessment of the degree of nicotine dependence experienced by potential quitters, the prescription of nicotine polacrilex therapy for appropriate candidates, personalized counseling commensurate with each patient's level of quitting readiness and, an effective system that ensures consistent patient follow-up and support.
Occupational Segregation, Teachers' Wages, and American Economic Growth

National, state, and individual-level data are used to explore the implications of the crowding of educated women into the teaching profession in nineteenth-century America. It is found that the more young women attended school, the lower were teacher wages and the price of educational services. Through this mechanism young women paid for their own education and, by lowering the price of educational services, helped America develop the best-educated population in the world by the century's end.
Immunobiological function of normal rabbit synovial cells

The ability of enzyme-dissociated primary cultures of synovial cells (Sy) to present antigen was investigated. Adult rabbits were immunized in foot pads with bovine serum albumin (BSA) in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) or with CFA alone. Four to six weeks later draining popliteal lymph node cells (LNC) and synovial cells were obtained. Synovial cells were cultured overnight with or without antigen. About 20% of these synovial cells had Fc receptors and 15% C3 receptors. As a positive control splenic adherent cells (SAC) were similarly treated. Next day, autologous lymph node cells were added to the extensively washed and irradiated synovial cells or splenic adherent cells. Lymphocyte proliferation was measured by [3H]thymidine uptake. Synovial cells as well as splenic adherent cells induced mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) and autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction (AMLR) and effectively presented antigen for specific immune response to the priming antigen. Thus, the synovium contains macrophage-like cells that can effectively interact with lymphocytes and participate in the immune phenomena in the joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Breit-Pauli lifetimes and transition probabilities for Si I

Spectrum calculations have been performed in the Breit-Pauli approximation for all levels in $\mathrm{Si}\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}I$ up to $3{s}^{2}3p3d\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}$$^{3}D^{o}$. Included are energy levels and transition probabilities for E1 and some E2 and M1 transitions between these levels from which lifetimes were determined. All lifetimes are within experimental error bars except for the high-lying $3{s}^{2}3p3d\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}$$^{1}P^{o}$ and $^{3}D^{o}$ levels. The lifetime for $3s3{p}^{3}\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}$$^{3}D^{o}$, however, does not agree with the most accurate experimental value. Detailed correlation studies are performed for the $3{s}^{2}3{p}^{2}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\text{to}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}3{s}^{2}3p3d$ allowed transitions. The resulting length and velocity forms of the weighted oscillator strength are in excellent agreement. For $3s3{p}^{3}$ the effect of core polarization was investigated. The final results are compared with experiment and other theory.
Oxygen tension regulates preosteocyte maturation and mineralization.

Abstract Oxygen availability is a critical signal for proper development of many tissues, however there is limited knowledge of its role in the maturation of bone cells. To test the hypothesis that low pO 2 regulates bone cell mineralization, MLO-A5 and MLO-Y4 cells were cultured in monolayer and three-dimensional alginate scaffolds in hypoxia (2% O 2 ) or normoxia (20% O 2 ). Hypoxia reduced mineralization and decreased alkaline phosphatase activity of preosteocyte-like MLO-A5 cells in both monolayer and alginate cultures. Similar changes in osteogenic activity were seen when the were subjected to chemical hypoxia. Likewise, Osteocyte-like MLO-Y4 cells also exhibited reduced osteogenic activity in hypoxia relative to normoxic controls. Based on these observations, it is concluded that a low pO 2 decreased the mineralization potential of bone cells at both early and late stages of maturation. Since the oxemic state is transduced by the transcription factor, HIF-1α, experiments were performed to determine if this protein was responsible for the observed changes in mineral formation. It was noted that when HIF-1α was silenced, mineralization activities were not restored. Indeed, in hypoxia, in relationship to wild type controls, the mineralization potential of the knockdown cells was further reduced. Based on these findings, it is concluded that the osteogenic activity of preosteocyte-like cells is dependent on both the O 2 tension and the expression of HIF-1α.
Analyses of the mRNA transcription processes of Punta Toro phlebovirus (Bunyaviridae).

Abstract The time course of the syntheses of Punta Toro (PT) phlebovirus (Bunyaviridae) small (S)-size viral RNA (S vRNA), viral complementary RNA (S vcRNA), and messenger RNA (S mRNA) species has been analyzed using single-stranded DNA probes representing the two S-coded gene products. The data obtained support the conclusion that PT S RNA has an ambisense coding strategy (T. Ihara, H. Akashi, and D. H. L. Bishop, Virology136, 293–306, 1984) with the viral nucleocapsid protein, N, encoded in a viral-complementary, subgenomic, mRNA species and a putative nonstructural protein, NSs, encoded in a viral-sense, subgenomic, second S mRNA species. In the absence of puromycin (or cycloheximide) full-length S vRNA, S vcRNA, and subgenomic N mRNA and putative NSs mRNA species were identified in PT virus-infected cell extracts. In the presence of inhibitors of protein synthesis (puromycin or cycloheximide) newly synthesized N mRNA species were detected, but not full-length S vcRNA, nor S vRNA, nor the S coded NSs mRNA species. The mRNA species recovered from drug-treated cells have been translated in vitro to synthesize viral N protein. Analyses of the 5′ ends of the N and NSs mRNA species have shown them to be heterogeneous in sequence and some 11–18 bases longer than the ends of the genomic RNA species, indicating that they represent nonviral primer sequences like those identified for bunyavirus mRNA species (D. H. L. Bishop, M. E. Gay, and Y. Matsuoka, Nucleic Acids Res.11, 6409–6418, 1983). The presence of such additional sequences on mRNA derived from representatives of two Bunyaviridae genera appears by these analyses to be a more conserved feature than the S RNA coding arrangement of the respective viruses.
In Vitro Studies of a Novel Antimicrobial Luer-Activated Needleless Connector for Prevention of Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infection

BACKGROUND We report in vitro studies of a commercially available novel antimicrobial Luer-activated connector with the inner surface coated with nanoparticle-silver to prevent contaminants from forming biofilm and causing catheter-related bloodstream infection. METHODS Sterile control nonmedicated connectors and antimicrobial connectors were filled with approximately 1 x 10(5) cfu/mL of Staphylococcus epidermidis, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, Enterobacter cloacae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, or Candida albicans; after 24 h of incubation, the numbers of remaining viable microorganisms were quantified and compared with the concentration in control connectors ( approximately 1 x 10(7) cfu/mL). In trials simulating clinical use, septal membranes of connectors were inoculated with E. cloacae, were allowed to dry, and were then actuated and infused with lactated ringer's solution for 72 h, with sampling for microorganisms in downstream efferent fluid and for biofilm in the connector. RESULTS Microorganisms suspended in the intraluminal fluid path of antimicrobial connectors were rapidly killed. For 5 species, there was a 5.23-6.80 mean log(10) reduction (>99.999%), and with C. albicans, there was a 99.9% reduction. In clinical simulation trials, heavy contamination of downstream fluid was detected at all time points with control connectors, reaching approximately 1 x 10(5) cfu/mL at 72 h, and heavy biofilm was uniformly present; with the antimicrobial connectors, there was complete prevention of downstream fluid contamination and total absence of biofilm formation. CONCLUSIONS These simulation experiments show that needleless connectors readily acquire an internal biofilm when microorganisms gain access to the internal fluid path and that biofilm formation allows an exponential buildup of internal contamination, with shedding back into the fluid path and downstream sufficient to cause bacteremia. Incorporation of nanoparticle silver into the lining surfaces of the novel connector kills microorganisms in the fluid pathway and prevents internal biofilm formation, even with high levels of introduced contamination and continuous fluid flow. This technology deserves to be evaluated in a prospective, randomized clinical trial to determine its capacity to prevent catheter-associated bloodstream infection.
Optical emissions from the mid-day aurora

Intensities of various optical emissions from mid-day auroras and spectral profile of N2(+) ING bands measured aboard a jet aircraft are presented. The data are compared with simple calculations based on present knowledge of the types and energy distributions of particles precipitating in the mid-day auroral region and the available cross-sections for the excitation of various optical emissions in air. The analysis concerns the interaction of magnetosheath protons with the atmosphere, electron interaction with the atmosphere, resonant scattering of sunlight by N2(+) ions, and auroral emissions around 3886 A. It is shown that most of the OI red and green line emissions in the mid-day aurora are excited by the low-energy electrons precipitating in the cusp region, but only part of the N2 and N2(+) emissions can be so accounted, while precipitating protons excite the rest of N2 and N2(+) emission. The emission feature around 3886 A observed in mid-day aurora is most likely He 3888 A blended with N2(+) ING(1, 1) band.
Ranking servers based on energy savings for computation offloading

Offloading may save energy for battery-powered devices by migrating computation to grid-powered servers. Offloading can be provided as a service and the servers charge the devices' users based on the consumed resources. In this paper, we propose a scheme to rank the servers based on the amounts of energy savings. The ranking depends on two factors: (1) the energy saved due to offloading and (2) the energy consumed while waiting for the results. We instrument the offloaded programs to estimate the amounts of computation performed by the servers, and use this information to determine the amounts of saved energy. When the servers perform the offloaded computation, the battery-powered devices wait for the results and consume energy. The ratio of the two factors determines the rank of a server. If a server performs more computation within a shorter duration, the server is ranked higher. We implement our method on an HP iPAQ and demonstrate that our method can effectively rank servers based on energy savings.
Tracing misalignment and unequal crossing over during evolution of the repetitive region of the SM50 gene in sea urchins.

The location of misalignment and unequal crossover involved in concerted evolution of tandemly repetitive sequences is difficult to document owing to the homogeneity of sequences that are subject to this process. However, the repetitive domain of the SM50 gene in sea urchins contains variation, within the gene itself, between alleles, and between species that has allowed us to determine where misalignment and unequal crossing over occurred during evolution of this gene. We have therefore analyzed the SM50 repeat regions in a variety of species to determine where recent changes in repeat numbers have occurred, and from this have deduced the mechanisms that lead to these changes. We next tried to determine whether recent misalignment and unequal crossover has produced allelic variation in current populations of sea urchins. We found SM50 alleles within three species that have different numbers of repeats. This marks the first reported documentation of allelic variation in the number of repeats in the SM50 gene. We also show how a single unequal crossover event could have produced the allelic variation. We have found that substitutions and small deletions in the sequences within the repeats can substantially affect how misalignment occurs, resulting in different patterns of repeats after concerted evolution. J. Exp. Zool. 311A:143–154, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The Cost and Incidence of Prescribing Errors Among Privately Insured HIV Patients

Background: With the rapid growth in the volume of HIV-related studies that address drug interactions, appropriate medication regimens, and when and how to alter drug regimens, it is challenging for physicians to stay informed. Physicians require knowledge about all drugs taken by HIV patients in order to assess accurately the benefits and risks of various drug combinations. Objective: To examine the cost and frequency of antiretroviral prescribing errors among a sample of privately insured patients with HIV disease. Methods: Data were obtained fromthe MarketScan® Commercial Claims and Encounter Database created by the Medstat Group Inc. The MarketScan® database contains claims data for inpatient care, outpatient care, physician services and prescription drugs in benefit plans sponsored by >50 large employers in the US. This study compared data from the 1999–2000 MarketScan® database with those from the 2005 MarketScan® database. The 2005 MarketScan® database includes 12 226 HIV enrollees who received antiretroviral drugs. This study compared the claims experience of HIV patients who filled a prescription for a drug combination that is not recommended by the US Department of Health and Human Services Panel on Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents with the claims experience of patients who did not receive such a prescription. Results: In the 1999–2000 database the most common inappropriate drug combination involved the co-administration of a protease inhibitor (PI) and the lipidlowering drug simvastatin, and 1% of patients experienced this type of error. In the 2005 database, only 0.4% of patients (46 of 12 226) experienced an inappropriate combination of simvastatin and a PI while 5.3% of patients (644 of 12 226) received atazanavir and tenofovir without ritonavir (referred to herein as ‘boosting errors’). Patients who experienced a boosting error incurred higher annual costs than patients who took ritonavir along with tenofovir and atazanavir ($US20 927 vs $US16 704). Because atazanavir was approved by the US FDA in June 2003, medication errors involving atazanavir were not relevant in 1999 and 2000. Overall, it was found thatHIV patients were three times as likely to experience an inappropriate drug combination in 2005 than they were in either 1999 or 2000 (5.9% vs 1.9%), and that this increase is attributable to boosting errors. In addition, the prevalence rate of HIV in the 2005 MarketScan® database was almost triple that in the 1999 MarketScan® database (0.14% vs 0.05%). Conclusion: This study indicates that those who provide care to HIV patients must be vigilant in their efforts to provide patients with a drug therapy regimen that minimizes the chance of an adverse reaction and maximizes the potential to control viral replication.
An algorithm for vertex detection

Abstract Optical pattern recognition is playing an ever increasing role in the automation of manufacturing processes. Machine vision systems have emerged as an alternative for part qualification (the optical pattern recognition of objects) in manufacturing system. Routine tasks of the vision system are those of identification and determination of position and angular orientation in relation to reference coordinates. A PC based vision system was used to acquire the 2D image of flat parts (of polygonal geometry). The edges of this image were identified using a boundary encoding technique. Valid intersections of the edges were defined by using a bounding box, to decipher the co-ordinates of the vertices. Thus the identification of the object was done totally in software.
Effects of dietary yeast culture supplementation of lactating mares on the digestibility and retention of the nutrients delivered to nursing foals via milk

Summary Eight pregnant Thoroughbred mares were randomly allotted to 2 diets, 4 weeks prior to their anticipated dates of foaling. The diets consisted of 30% timothy hay, 20% alfalfa hay, 17.5% whole corn, 17.5% oats, 9% barley, 2.5% molasses, 2.5% soybean mean and 1% calcium carbonate, with or without 20 g/day of a commercial yeast culture preparation. The digestibilities of dietary energy, crude protein, hemicellulose, cellulose and phosphorus were significantly greater in the supplemented mares. The supplemented mares produced 12% more milk during the third week of lactation (p
Non-t(6;9) and Non-Inv(3) Balanced Chromosomal Rearrangements Are Associated With Poor Survival Outcomes in Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Abstract Background Cytogenetics is an important predictor of survival in patients with myeloid malignancies including myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). The roles of balanced chromosomal rearrangements (BCR) specifically balanced translocations and inversions in MDS are less established. We hypothesized that BCR are commonly found in MDS and might confer important prognostic and therapeutic effect. Patients and Methods Cytogenetic, hematologic, clinical, and survival data from a total of 302 MDS patients seen at the Cleveland Clinic between the years 2002 and 2011 were collected. Direct sequencing for genes relevant in MDS pathophysiology was performed on patients with BCR. Categorical data were analyzed using the χ2 test and survival outcomes were analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method. Results Twenty-three patients (8%) carried non-t(6;9) and non-inv(3) BCR. These patients had short overall survival (OS) similar to patients with poor risk cytogenetics, defined according to the International Prognostic Scoring System, which was not altered by new single-nucleotide polymorphism arrays or acquired somatic uniparental disomy lesions. Among the detected somatic mutations, only patients harboring mutations in the RNA splicing gene serine/arginine-rich splicing factor 2 ( SRSF2 ) conferred worse outcomes in this group of patients. Therapeutically, patients who received allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantations had better OS compared with patients treated with pharmacologic therapies or best supportive care only. Conclusion BCR are not common in MDS and are associated with poor survival, which might be influenced by the presence of SRSF2 mutation.
Hybrid Theory: What is Learned in Classical Conditioning?:

5t~mmary.-Experimental evidence can be interpreted to imply an S-S associative process in classical (Pavlovian) conditioning and an S-R associative process in higherorder conditioning. The evidence comes from the differential effects of changing the value/significance of the US after conditioning. I-Iowever, all results can be attributed to S-S associations if anticipatory response-produced feedback is included in the analysis. This analysis also has implications for the relation of the CR to the UR and equipotentiality of associability. Like most theoretical issues, the question "What-is-learned?" continues to rekindle interest whenever new ideas appear. Almost 40 yr. ago, Spence (1950) &chotomized the existing learning theories into two general classes, cognitive/perceptual (S-S) and behavioristic (S-R). Many people thought that the issue had been put to rest by Kendler (1952) when he argued that all theories are response-inferred from the same data and that it is basically a matter of which theory gives an individual the greatest intuitive sense of understanding the data. Although Campbell (1954) countered that the issue could be resolved empirically by transposition-type tests after learning, Restle (1957) argued that the empirical answer to "What-is-learned?" depends importantly on procedural details. Subsequently, even the notion of associative learning came under attack by those intent upon staging what proved to be a "cognitive rebellion." In the midst of these many crosscurrents, Rescorla (1980) has provided a series of provocative findings leading back to the original controversy.
Enzymatic microreactor-on-a-chip: protein mapping using trypsin immobilized on porous polymer monoliths molded in channels of microfluidic devices.

Enzymatic microreactors have been prepared in capillaries and on microfluidic chips by immobilizing trypsin on porous polymer monoliths consisting of 2-vinyl-4,4-dimethylazlactone, ethylene dimethacrylate, and acrylamide or 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate. The azlactone functionalities react readily with amine and thiol groups of the enzyme to form stable covalent bonds. The optimized porous properties of the monoliths lead to very low back pressures enabling the use of simple mechanical pumping to carry out both the immobilization of the enzyme from its solution and the subsequent analyses of substrate solutions. The Michealis−Menten kinetic characteristics of the reactors were probed using a low molecular weight substrate: N-α-benzoyl-l-arginine ethyl ester. The effects of immobilization variables such as the concentration of trypsin in solution and percentage of azlactone functionalities in the monolith, as well as the effect of reaction time on the enzymatic activity, and of process variables such as sub...
Demonstration of Feline Leukemia Virus Antibody in Cats by Passive Hemagglutination

SummaryTwo FeLV fractions from Se-phadex G-150 gel filtration were used to sensitize RBC for the PHA test. When the cells were coated with the fraction from the second peak consisting mostly of a major gs antigen of FeLV, no antibodies could be detected either in hyperimmunized cat sera or sera from leukemic cats, whereas antibodies were readily detectable in immunized rabbits. Using cells coated with the first peak eluants or Tween-ether disrupted FeLV, PHA antibodies were detected in cat sera. There existed, however, one significant exception that a cat with the diagnosis of mast cell leukemia showed antibody against the second peak fraction. Little or no antibodies could be detected in cat sera by CF or gel-diffusion. There was some correlation between hemagglutinating antibodies and con-glutinating complement absorbing antibodies, but these antibodies did seem to differ from neutralizing antibody.This research was supported by NIH Grant No. CA-13085 and in part by Contract No. NIH-NCI-71-2508 within t...
Effective Compressibility of a Bubbly Slurry.

Bubbles trapped within the slurry at the bottom of waste tanks at the Hanford Site expand and contract in response to ambient pressure changes. These bubbles contain hydrogen and other flammable gases that can pose a safety hazard. Determining the effective compressibility of bubbles in the slurry could allow one to make improved estimates of the quantity of gas trapped in the slurry from changes in slurry volume with ambient pressure changes. More broadly, the diffusive growth and mechanical properties of bubbles in a porous medium are important issues in a number of applications. Numerical calculations based on a one-dimensional biconical-pore-network model show that the effective compressibility of a population of bubbles shows hysteresis with pressure increase and decrease. This hysteresis is caused by the sudden jumps of interfaces from pore throat to throat during a pressure decrease and from pore body to body during a pressure increase. Snap-off may occur during these jumps but does not significantly alter the effective compressibility of the population of bubbles.
6x6 UGV: Stochastic Dynamics Fundamentals for Mobility Estimation

Stochastic modeling for mobility estimation has vastly improved through recent research and the advancements in technology, but those advancements haven’t fully been applied to full vehicle mobility control and on-line (real time) analysis of each driving wheel’s contribution and influence.This paper presents an analysis of fundamental mobility dynamics implemented into advanced stochastic estimation methodologies. Based on this analysis, the paper formulates: (i) developed on-line mobility criteria in stochastic conditions from one wheel to full vehicle with six driving wheels in which the contribution of every wheel can be estimated, and (ii) terrain characterization and agile vehicle dynamics information to estimate UGV mobility in real time.This analysis enables on-line mobility estimation for UGVs to make control changes as the event of poor terrain conditions occur (or before it) rather than after the event, causing the vehicle to then optimize its reaction to regain control. These fundamental applications for mobility control in stochastic conditions enable today’s one wheel modeling solutions to be applied to the full vehicle.© 2014 ASME
Commentary on “Childhood Leukemia Survivors and Their Return to School: A Literature Review, Case Study, and Recommendations”

This commentary pertains to the article, “Childhood Leukemia Survivors and Their Return to School: A Literature Review, Case Study, and Recommendations” by D. Scott Hermann, Jill R. Thurber, Kenneth Miles, and Gloria Gilbert in this issue (2011) regarding pediatric leukemia. The authors present a literature review regarding leukemia in childhood, an illustrative case study to demonstrate the psychoeducational effects of the disease, and best practice recommendations for school psychologists when working with children with cancer. This companion article offers additional considerations regarding the implementation of the authors’ recommendations and how school psychologists can expand their current roles.
Effects of breathing on blood volume, energy dissipation and resistance in the pulmonary circulation of the dog☆

Abstract An analysis is made of respiratory changes in pulmonary arterial and venous pressures and flows in unanesthetized dogs in terms of energy and volume changes. Fluctuations in pulmonary blood volume and energy due to breathing are separated from variations associated with the pulsatile output of the heart. The results indicate that during quiet breathing pulmonary blood volume (PBV) fluctuated about ± 2%; the PBV begins to increase during inspiration but often does not reach a maximum until early expiration. Changes in strain energy associated with this volume change also are small (about ± 5 %) compared with the fluctuations in net energy. There is an inspiratory increase in net energy which parallels the increase in transmural pulmonary arterial pressure and vascular resistance. Net kinetic energy input tends to be a nerariy constant fraction (about 10%) of the net energy available. These results imply that the principle effect of respiration on the hemodynamics of the pulmonary circulation is to vary the resistance to blood flow.
Effects of ionizing radiation on some vegetable fats.

The volatile compounds produced by irradiation, under vacuum at 6 megarads, in five vegetable fats were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. A series of compounds,n-alkanes, 1-alkenes, internally unsaturated alkenes, alkadienes, alkatrienes, alkanals and methyl and ethyl esters of fatty acids, were identified in each of the fats studied. A wide variation occurs in the amounts of the volatiles produced from each fat. The major radiolytic products were few in number and were found to depend largely on the fatty acid composition of the fat. These compounds were essentially the hydrocarbons containing one or two carbon atoms less than the component fatty acids. This relationship was found consistent if radiolytic products of fats with different fatty acid compositions are compared or if the fatty acid composition of the same fat is altered by hydrogenation. The results correlate well with those of earlier studies on simple triglycerides.
The measure of classroom stress and burnout among gifted and talented students

The development of the Student Stress Inventory (SSI) and the cross-validation of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) are presented. First, gifted student data (n = 311) were subjected to factor analyses for both the SSI and the MBI to assess factorial validity; five stress and three burnout factors were evident. Second, the construct validity of both the stress and burnout constructs was examined in relationship to classroom tedium and the quality of school life. Also, 14 child stress experts assisted in analyzing content validity; the majority of these rated SSI items as being relevant to very relevant to student stress. With respect to SSI reliability, alphas ranged from .63 to .85; similarly, MBI alphas ranged from .63 to .86. Additionally, most of SSI and MBI scales and subscales were moderately to strongly interrelated. Finally, an inspection of the concurrent validity of the stress and burnout constructs revealed significant relationships between stress, burnout, tedium and, to a degree, quality of school life variables.
Re-sorption of soil phosphate during fractionation.

Summary Studies with 32P on six soils showed that considerable re-sorption of phosphate occurred during the Chang and Jackson fractionation procedure. This re-sorption resulted in an underestimate of the NH4Cl-extractable phosphate and an overestimate of‘occluded’ phosphate, with less consistent but significant changes in the other fractions. The corrections necessary to allow for re-sorption varied between soils.
Inflation, interest rates, and the balance of payments during a financial reform: The case of Argentina

Abstract In order to evaluate the impact of recent financial reforms on the Argentine economy, this paper presents the results of estimating a small, monthly structural model of the Argentine economy which emphasizes the linkages between the financial system, inflation and the balance of payments. The results are used to examine the portfolio interest rate elasticities of both the financial and non-financial sectors, the determinants of the real levels of and spread between the loan and deposit interest rates, and the responsiveness of inflation and the balance of payments to various policy measures.
Sparse matrix methods for equation-based chemical process flowsheeting. I

Abstract Four new sparse matrix reordering algorithms, varying in degree of sophistication, are described. These and five other algorithms, including the P4 and hierarchical partitioning algorithms, are compared on the basis of reordering time and performance. Two of the new techniques offer overall improvement on randomly generated matrix structures, while another performs extremely well on flowsheeting matrices.
Studies on the biochemical actions of 6-selenoguanine and 6-selenoguanosine

Abstract Survival studies were performed in mice bearing Sarcoma 180 ascites tumor treated with 6-thio and 6-seleno analogs of guanine and guanosine. The selenium-containing analogs were somewhat superior to the sulfur-containing compounds in antitumor activity and therapeutic index. The formation of 6-SeGMP from 6-seleno-guanine (6-SeG) was demonstrated in Sarcoma 180 ascites cells. Guanine, 6-thioguanine (6-TG) and 6-SeG show comparable substrate activity whereas 8-azaguanine is a much poorer substrate for hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase from Sarcoma 180 cells. Both 6-TG and 6-SeG are good substrates for purine nucleoside phosphorylase from Sarcoma 180 cells. Chemically and enzymatically synthesized 6-SeGMP behaved as a competitive inhibitor ( K i 1 × 10 −4 M) of erythrocytic and Sarcoma 180 guanylate kinases. Weak substrate activity was demonstrated in the presence of large amounts of erythrocytic guanylate kinase.