cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CoDA: Contrast-enhanced and Diversity-promoting Data Augmentation for Natural Language Understanding

Data augmentation has been demonstrated as an effective strategy for improving model generalization and data efficiency. However, due to the discrete nature of natural language, designing label-preserving transformations for text data tends to be more challenging. In this paper, we propose a novel data augmentation framework dubbed CoDA, which synthesizes diverse and informative augmented examples by integrating multiple transformations organically. Moreover, a contrastive regularization objective is introduced to capture the global relationship among all the data samples. A momentum encoder along with a memory bank is further leveraged to better estimate the contrastive loss. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed framework, we apply CoDA to Transformer-based models on a wide range of natural language understanding tasks. On the GLUE benchmark, CoDA gives rise to an average improvement of 2.2% while applied to the RoBERTa-large model. More importantly, it consistently exhibits stronger results relative to several competitive data augmentation and adversarial training base-lines (including the low-resource settings). Extensive experiments show that the proposed contrastive objective can be flexibly combined with various data augmentation approaches to further boost their performance, highlighting the wide applicability of the CoDA framework.
Effect of Intermediate Network Systems on Remote Power Data Collection in Smart Grid

This paper investigates impact of intermediate switches on remote collection of power consumption data in Smart Grid. Advance metering infrastructure (AMI) is one of the important components in the overall architecture of the Smart Grid. Implementation of AMI has been a topic of research lately as there are many different implementations being used in today’s Smart Grid. One of the AMI network is Ethernet based infrastructure for the access of remote power consumption from the customer premises. In this paper, we are investigating impact of Ethernet switches on the power consumption data reported to the utility companies. This paper investigates the impact on the customer power consumption by utilizing commonly used Ethernet switches from different companies. Power consumption data in the presence of Ethernet switch is compared with the baseline Power consumption data when no switches were used. Experimental work as discussed in this paper shows a clear impact on customer power consumption due to the Ethernet based Advanced Metering Infrastructure.
Penetrating Thoracoabdominal Trauma With a Cryptic Diaphragmatic Injury in a 23-Year-Old Male

Traumatic diaphragmatic injuries are a rare entity and can occur in relation to penetrating thoracic and abdominal trauma. The most common clinical features of diaphragm rupture include chest or abdominal bruising, decreased breath sounds, and signs of bowel obstruction. However, the classic signs and symptoms of diaphragmatic injury are not always present and can be obscured even in the highest resolution imaging. This highlights the importance for maintaining a high index of suspicion to make the diagnosis and properly manage these patients. Here, we present a rare case of a 23-year-old male who experienced a laceration to his left thorax and was later discovered to have concurrent diaphragmatic injury despite an initially noncontributory physical exam and imaging findings. The patient subsequently underwent robotic repair of the injury and reduction of herniated contents.
Identifying the Link Between Chemical Exposures and Breast Cancer in African American Women via ToxCast High Throughput Screening Data

Among women, breast cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer worldwide and has the second highest mortality rate of any cancer in the United States. The breast cancer related death rate is 40% higher in African American women compared to European American women in the US. The incidence of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), an aggressive subtype of breast cancer for which there is no targeted therapy, is approximately three times higher in non-Hispanic Black women (NHBW) compared to non-Hispanic White women (NHWW). The drivers of these differences in breast cancer incidence and mortality are still poorly understood, and likely lie in an interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Here, we aimed to identify chemical exposures which may play a role in breast cancer disparities. Using chemical biomonitoring data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and biological activity data from the EPAs ToxCast program, we assessed the toxicological profiles of chemicals with higher biomarker concentrations in US NHBW. We conducted a literature search to identify a gene set of breast cancer targets included in ToxCast to analyze the response of prioritized chemicals in these assays. Forty-four chemical biomarkers are significantly higher in NHBW. Investigation of these chemicals in ToxCast resulted in a total of 33,645 assays for analysis, 5,301 of which contained nonzero values for ACC (modl_acc: the concentration at which the dose-response fitted model reaches the cutoff considered "active") and modl_tp (scaled top value of dose response curve) data. Of these chemicals BPA, PFOS, and thiram are most comprehensively assayed. 2,5-dichlorophenol, 1,4-dichlorobenzene, and methyl and propyl parabens had higher biomarker concentrations in NHBW and moderate testing and activity in ToxCast. The distribution of active concentrations for these chemicals in ToxCast assays are comparable to biomarker concentrations in NHBW. Through this integrated analysis, we have identified that multiple chemicals, including thiram, propylparaben, and p,p DDE, with disproportionate exposures in NHBW, have breast cancer associated biological activity at human exposure relevant doses.
Prostate laser vaporization in men with urinary retention.

Study Type – Therapy (cohort) Level of Evidence 2b OBJECTIVE • To evaluate the safety and efficacy of laser vaporization of the prostate (LVP) with several different wavelengths for urinary retention. PATIENTS AND METHODS • A cohort study of patients undergoing LVP from 2005 to 2009 at a single institution was performed. • Outcomes were compared in those patients with urinary retention versus those without, using t-tests, Mann–Whitney U-test, chi-squared test and Fisher’s exact test as appropriate. RESULTS • During the study period, 122 patients underwent LVP, of which 39 (32%) presented with refractory urinary retention requiring indwelling or intermittent catheterization. • The mean ± SD period of postoperative follow-up was 11.2 ± 9.6 months. Comparing patients with and without urinary retention, there were no significant preoperative differences in median body mass index (25.6 versus 26.4 kg/m2; P= 0.40) or prostate-specific antigen (2.3 versus 2 ng/mL; P= 0.27). • Patients with urinary retention were significantly more likely to be diabetic (33% versus 12%; P= 0.01), have heart disease (36% versus 15%; P= 0.01) and be taking anticoagulants (61% versus 31%; P= 0.003). • Following LVP, retention patients were more likely than non-retention patients to fail an initial voiding trial (28.2% versus 7.2%; P= 0.002). • In total, 36 of 39 (92%) retention patients no longer required catheterization after postoperative recovery. No patients required perioperative transfusion. • Compared to those without preoperative retention, retention patients had a longer median duration of postoperative catheterization (3 versus 1 days; P= 0.01). • There were similar rates of low- and high-grade complications (P= 0.275 and 1.000, respectively) and no significant difference in median hospital stay (1 versus 0 days; P= 0.212). CONCLUSIONS • In the present study cohort, LVP was an effective and safe therapy for urinary retention. • Compared to patients without retention, those with retention had a higher prevalence of heart disease, diabetes and anticoagulant use. • Because the morbidity of LVP is low, and the prevalence of co-morbid disease high, LVP should be considered for the surgical management of refractory urinary retention.
Arvida and the Planned Sprawl of West Boca

Less is known and discussed about Arvida, whose name was an acronym for Arthur Vinning Davis. Arvida Corporation set the pattern of development for Boca Raton and for southeast Florida over most of the last 40 years. The practice of building prestige gated planned unit developments was introduced to Boca Raton by Arvida. Like Flagler, Davis started his career in land development very late in life as a second Delahunty, Roberts, & Breary career. Like Mizner's Boca Raton Resort and Club, Arvida Corporation's name would be sullied by criminal conduct and scandal. Yet Arvida's model of land development would become the dominating feature of post 1980 suburban sprawl in Boca Raton and Palm Beach County.
Political Control of Administrative Officials

Elected officials cannot make all policy decisions themselves. Simple limits on time suggest that, in all but the tiniest governments, they must delegate some of their decisionmaking authority to administrative officials. Although elected officials delegate such authority out of necessity, they generally seek ways to monitor and control how bureaucrats exercise this authority. Their aim is to ensure that administrative decisions remain as close as possible to those which they would otherwise make themselves. Of course, monitoring and influencing bureaucrats' behavior also takes time and resources. The same limits on time which necessitate delegation in the first place also severely restrict the ability of elected officials to monitor and control administrative decisions. All of these statements apply equally to elected executives and elected legislators. Each delegates authority to administrative officials and then seeks ways to control what they do with that authority. There is a large literature on how executives monitor and control their subordinates' behavior. Much of the literature on public administration, for example, deals with these issues, as does the broader literature on public and private management. At least conceptually the issues remain relatively simple when one confines one's attention to the executive branch, because a hierarchical form of organization suggests who are the superiors and who the subordinates for every type of decision. The issues become considerably more complex when one begins to think
Higher Dimensional Enrichment

Lyubashenko has described enriched 2-categories as categories enriched over V-Cat, the 2-category of categories enriched over a symmetric monoidal V. I have generalized this to the k-fold monoidal V. The symmetric case can easily be recovered. The introduction of this paper proposes a recursive definition of V-n-categories and their morphisms. Then I consider the special case of V-2-categories and give the details of the proof that with their morphisms these form the structure of a 3-category.
1-[3-(Naphthalen-1-yl)phen-yl]naphthal-ene.

The title compound, C26H18, consists of a benzene ring with meta-substituted 1-naphthalene substituents, which are essentially planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.039 and 0.027 A). The conformation is mixed syn/anti, with equivalent torsion angles about the benzene–naphthalene bonds of 121.46 (11) and 51.58 (14)°.
Regulation of Nitrogen Fixation in Klebsiella pneumoniae: Evidence for a Role of Glutamine Synthetase as a Regulator of Nitrogenase Synthesis

Mutations causing constitutive synthesis of glutamine synthetase (GlnC(-) phenotype) were transferred from Klebsiella aerogenes into Klebsiella pneumoniae by P1-mediated transduction. Such GlnC(-) strains of K. pneumoniae have constitutive levels of glutamine synthetase. Two of three GlnC(-) strains of K. pneumoniae studied, each containing independently isolated mutations that confer the GlnC(-) phenotype, continue to synthesize nitrogenase in the presence of NH(4) (+). One strain, KP5069, produces 30% as much nitrogenase when grown in the presence of 15 mM NH(4) (+) as in its absence. The GlnC(-) phenotype allows the synthesis of nitrogenase to continue under conditions that completely repress nitrogenase synthesis in the wild-type strain. Glutamine auxotrophs of K. pneumoniae, that do not produce catalytically active glutamine synthetase, are unable to synthesize nitrogenase during nitrogen limited growth. Complementation of K. pneumoniae Gln(-) strains by an Escherichia coli episome (F'133) simultaneously restores glutamine synthetase activity and the ability to synthesize nitrogenase. These results indicate a role for glutamine synthetase as a positive control element for nitrogen fixation in K. pneumoniae.
Introduction of a surface charge analysis instrument into the microelectronic engineering curricula at the Rochester Institute of Technology

A SCA-2000 Surface Charge Analyzer has been loaned to the Microelectronic Engineering Department at RIT for use in undergraduate laboratories and research projects. To illustrate the process monitoring capability of the SCA, a designed experiment was performed to study the effects of variations in post-oxidation anneal and pull temperature on total oxide charge (Q/sub o/x). The SCA measurements on the as grown oxide were compared to C-V results from capacitors fabricated on the same films. Although absolute values of Q/sub o/x did not match, an overall correlation between the two sets of data was observed. It is hypothesized that the lower Q/sub ox/ values observed with C-V are the result of hydrogen passivation of Q/sub it/.
Experimental study of nonlinear Rayleigh wave propagation in shot-peened aluminum plates—Feasibility of measuring residual stress

Shot-peening is widely used in the aerospace industry to enhance the resistance of structural components to fatigue damage and stress corrosion by putting the outside layer of a component under an initial, residual compressive stress. The ability to measure these near-surface residual stresses is useful from a quality control and certification perspective, and can help predict the fatigue life of shot-peened components. This paper presents experimental results to examine the feasibility of measuring near-surface residual stresses using nonlinear Rayleigh surface waves. Experiments are conducted on aluminum alloy (AA 7075) samples shot-peened at different peening intensities and thus with different levels of residual stresses. The surface roughness of these samples is also measured. The nonlinear ultrasonic results show a large increase in the acoustic nonlinearity parameter, indicating the potential of nonlinear ultrasonics for the in situ measurement of near-surface residual stresses. The effects of surface roughness and the driving frequency on the measured acoustic nonlinearity parameter are briefly discussed. Finally, a preliminary model is used to interpret some experimental results. Future work to evaluate the separate contributions of cold work, residual stress and surface roughness to the total measured nonlinearity is also discussed.
The effect of different light intensities on pineal melatonin content

Summary In Syrian hamsters, elevated night-time pineal melatonin levels are quickly reduced to low daytime levels by exposing the animals to light. The purpose of this study was to determine the lowest light intensity capable of causing a large reduction in night-time levels of pineal melatonin in the male hamster. During the dark phase of the light: dark cycle, groups of hamsters were exposed to one of 8 different intensities of white fluorescent light: 5380, 2798, 151, 20.44, 5.38, 1.08, 0.11 and 0.01 lux. For each light intensity, pineals were collected from 8 hamsters each at 2 min before and at 2, 8 and 32 min after the lights were turned on. Pineal melatonin content was determined by radioimmunoassay. Light intensities of 1.08 lux or greater depressed pineal melatonin content significantly ( P
Plasma zinc concentrations of mothers and the risk of oral clefts in their children in Utah

BACKGROUND The role of maternal zinc nutrition in human oral clefts (OCs) is unclear. We measured plasma zinc concentrations (PZn) of case- and control-mothers to evaluate the associations between PZn and risk of OCs with and without other malformations.
Influence of Reticulocytosis on the Course of Infection of Plasmodium chabaudi and P. berghei

SYNOPSIS. Reticulocytosis, stimulated by the destruction of red blood cells by phenylhydrazine, altered the course of infection of both Plasmodium chabaudi and P. berghei in the mouse. P. chabaudi, lacking a preference for reticulocytes, was adversely affected when young cells were present in abundance. Parasitemias diminished and most of the animals survived the otherwise fatal infection. P. berghei preferentially invaded reticulocytes to the extent that the parasitemia became contained largely in the reticulocyte population. This was accompanied by a delay in time to death.
MLL-AF4 driven leukemogenesis: What are we missing?

Infant pro-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) harboring MLL-AF4 fusion proteins instigated by chromosomal translocation t(4;11), represents an aggressive, high-risk type of childhood leukemia, characterized by a very brief disease latency and undisputedly originates in utero. Despite of recent advances and multiple important breakthroughs, MLL-AF4-driven leukemogenesis remains difficult to model and mouse models that accurately recapitulate the disease phenotype and latency are still lacking. Among several remarkable studies recently published, Montes et al. 1 demonstrated that enforced expression of MLL-AF4 in cord blood-derived hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) increased the clonogenic potential of CD34+ progenitors and promoted proliferation, but appeared insufficient to induce leukemia. This study undeniably questions whether MLL-AF4 fusion proteins are capable of driving leukemogenesis on their own or whether additional genetic events are required such as RAS mutations 2. However, recent whole genome sequencing analysis in primary MLL-rearranged infant ALL samples revealed the presence of remarkably few somatic mutations 3. Contributing to the complexity of the matter, Bursen et al. 4 recently showed that introducing the reciprocal fusion protein AF4-MLL (resulting from the same balanced t(4;11) translocation), but not MLL-AF4, into murine hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells induced ALL in mice without the requirement of MLL-AF4. Nonetheless, these experiments have not yet been performed in human HSCs. Moreover, MLL-AF4 and AF4-MLL knockdown experiments have shown that t(4;11)-positive cell lines display addiction to MLL-AF4 (which appeared essential for leukemic cell proliferation and survival), but not to AF4-MLL 5. Thus, the AF4-MLL fusion protein may well be important or essential in the early transformation process and the MLL-AF4 fusion is certainly required for the maintenance of the leukemia. However, although the studies by Montes et al. 1 and Bursen et al. 4 seem to support that MLL-AF4 by itself is not sufficient to induce leukemogenesis in HSCs, others were able to induce lymphoid leukemias using MLL-AF4 knockin models in mice 2, 6. Yet, in these latter studies both the disease phenotye and latency of the observed leukemias appeared to deviate from the highly immature pro-B cell phenotype characteristically found in humans.
Utilising Zn segregation at InP/InGaAs interface for as-deposited ohmic contact formation for photonic and electronic device applications

An approach based on Zn segregation at the semiconductor heterointerface in Zn diffusion is proposed for beneficial use in photonic and electronic device fabrication. It is shown that Zn segregation at the semiconductor heterointerface can lead to a substantial increase in surface hole concentration making it possible to fabricate as-deposited ohmic contacts for improved product uniformity and yield.
Intrinsic local constituents of molecular electronic wave functions. I. Exact representation of the density matrix in terms of chemically deformed and oriented atomic minimal basis set orbitals

A coherent, intrinsic, basis-set-independent analysis is developed for the invariants of the first-order density matrix of an accurate molecular electronic wavefunction. From the hierarchical ordering of the natural orbitals, the zeroth-order orbital space is deduced, which generates the zeroth-order wavefunction, typically an MCSCF function in the full valence space. It is shown that intrinsically embedded in such wavefunctions are elements that are local in bond regions and elements that are local in atomic regions. Basis-set-independent methods are given that extract and exhibit the intrinsic bond orbitals and the intrinsic minimal-basis quasi-atomic orbitals in terms of which the wavefunction can be exactly constructed. The quasi-atomic orbitals are furthermore oriented by a basis-set independent method (viz. maximization of the sum of the fourth powers of all off-diagonal density matrix elements) so as to exhibit clearly the chemical interactions. The unbiased nature of the method allows for the adaptation of the localized and directed orbitals to changing geometries.
Fe(III) extraction equilibria in the system: Fe2(SO4)3(NH4)2SO4 vs primene JM-T sulfate-toluene☆

Abstract Distribution coefficients for Fe(III) have been determined in the liquid-liquid extraction system Primene JM-T-toluene vs aqueous ammonium sulfate (and sodium sulfate) as a function of sulfate, acid, Fe(III) and amine sulfate concentrations. A study of loading equilibria as a function of time for this system indicates that equilibrium was largely achieved in 1 hr although some changes, possibly in the nature of the extracted species, occur up to approx. 20 hr. Extraction isotherms show a slope of 1 at low loadings, indicating the same degree of self association in both organic and aqueous phases, while the amine sulfate/iron ratio appears to approach 2.5 ± 0.25 at saturation loading. Results obtained by varying the sulfate concentration matrix indicates the formation of an aqueous complex of ferric ammonium sulfate which depresses iron distribution to the organic phase. The degree of aggregation of the amine sulfate, derived from iron distribution coefficient dependence on amine sulfate concentration data, is shown to be approx. 10.
Update on Evaluation and Management of High-Risk Squamous Cell Carcinomas

High-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas have multiple adverse clinical and pathological features associated with increased risks of recurrence, metastasis, and death. Evaluation includes a thorough clinical and lymph node exam, proper identification of high-risk features, and appropriate imaging studies to evaluate the extent of spread. Multidisciplinary management focuses on local control with aggressive and complete surgical resection, with adjuvant radiation mostly reserved for tumors with perineural invasion, multiple high-risk features, or nodal disease. Chemotherapy options for distant and recurrent disease remain limited and understudied.
Questions about inhaled β2-adrenoceptor agonists in asthma

The safety of the most widely prescribed antiasthma drugs, beta 2-adrenoceptor agonists, has recently been questioned. Issues such as their suitability for long-term and regular prophylactic use are addressed in this Comment article by Peter Barnes and Fan Chung, who examine the possibility that the beta 2-agonists themselves contribute to worsening symptoms in asthma patients, thus setting up a vicious circle with greater use of the drugs. They conclude that it would be prudent to restrict the use of beta 2-agonists in asthma to on-demand immediate symptom control.
Galápagos flora: The threat of introduced plants

Abstract A wide variety of cultivated plants has been introduced to the Galapagos Islands since settlements were first established there in the 1830s. Through poor management, many of these plants have escaped to the wild and are taking over extensive areas of native forest. Two endemic species, Scalesia pedunculata Hook.f. and Miconia robinsoniana Cogn., are especially endangered by farming practices. Some measures for the control and use of cultivated plants must be enforced to save the Galapagos flora from further damage.
The Late Pennsylvanian Midcontinent Sea of North America: A review

Abstract The Late Pennsylvanian Midcontinent Sea (LPMS) of North America reached its greatest extent (~ 2.1 × 106 km2) during glacioeustatic highstands from the Middle Pennsylvanian to the Early Permian. At these times, the sea was strongly stratified, with a subpycnoclinal layer that was anoxic and intermittently sulfidic. The development of widespread benthic anoxia in the LPMS was due to a combination of factors, including some found in most modern epicontinental seas, e.g., relatively shallow bathymetry, elevated runoff into a largely landlocked basin, a strong pycnocline, and estuarine-type circulation. However, two factors that contribute significantly to the development of benthic anoxia in such settings, i.e., a shallow marginal sill to limit deepwater renewal, and high marine primary productivity rates to stimulate benthic oxygen demand, were absent in the LPMS. Rather, a key factor controlling benthic redox conditions was lateral advection of “preconditioned” intermediate waters from Panthalassa. As in the modern eastern tropical Pacific, the oxygen-minimum zone (OMZ) may have risen to depths
Fold geometry at Sheep Mountain anticline, Wyoming, constructed using airborne laser swath mapping data, outcrop-scale geologic mapping, and numerical interpolation

[1] Constraints available at the Earth's surface on the geometry of geologic folds often are discontinuous, consisting of scattered bedding surface outcrops representing the position and orientation of different stratigraphic surfaces. For this reason, characterization of fold geometry from surface data, by methods such as sequential balanced cross sections, remains a subjective and interpretive process. We present a new method for modeling the geometry of kilometer-scale folds using dense, precise topographic data available from airborne laser swath mapping (ALSM), outcrop-scale geologic mapping, and a reproducible numerical interpolation method that is free of subjectivity. Geologic mapping at Sheep Mountain anticline, Wyoming, enables the association of hundreds of thousands of ALSM data points with 14 weathering-resistant bedding surfaces from seven different stratigraphic units ranging in age from Mississippian to Cretaceous. These data, supplemented by several hundred strike and dip measurements constraining local orientation of folded strata, are projected to the stratigraphic position of a single surface and used as constraint for a smoothed minimum curvature spline interpolation to generate a continuous representation of fold geometry. Both strengths and weaknesses of the new method are discussed in the context of comparison between the new surface model and an existing model constructed by traditional methods.
Sequential Analysis of the Releasing and Fuel Function of Glucose in Isolated Perifused Pancreatic Islets

Isolated islets were continuously perifused with glucose to test their secretory capacity in a dynamic fashion, and were subsequently transferred to an incubation vial to measure their capacity for metabolizing glucose. Insulin release was measured by radioimmunoassay and metabolism of glucose by determining the rate of 3H2O formation from glucose tritiated on carbon atom 2 or 5 and by lactate accumulation. Insulin release was induced by glucose at a threshold of 5 mM, was half maximal at 8 mM, maximal at 15 mM and showed biphasic kinetics, which is consistent with published data. However, in contrast to most previous reports, utilization of glucose and lactate formation showed hyperbolic concentration dependency curves. Maximal and half maximal rates of glucose use were obtained at 30 and 8 mM, respectively, and lactate formation reached highest rates at 8 mM glucose. Physiological changes of glucose levels (from 5 to 10 mM) increased hormone release 4-fold (from 0.49 to 1.94 /μ, U/islet/min) whereas glu...
The Goethean Concept of World Literature and Comparative Literature

In his article, "The Goethean Concept of World Literature and Comparative Literature," Hendrik Birus presents a new reading and understanding of Goethe's famous dictum: "National literature does not mean much at present, it is time for the era of world literature and everybody must endeavour to accelerate this epoch" (Eckermann 198, 31 January 1827). According to Birus, this dictum is not to be taken at face value today and argues that Goethe's concept of world literature ought to be understood in the sense that today it is not the replacement of national literatures by world literature we encounter; rather, it is the rapid blossoming of a multitude of European and non-European literatures and the simultaneous emergence of a world literature -mostly in English translations -as two aspects of one and the same process. The understanding of this dialectic, Birus argues, ought to be one of the main targets of comparative literature today. Hendrik Birus, "The Goethean Concept of World Literature and Comparative Literature” page 2 of 8 CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 2.4 (2000):
Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia in a patient with a familial t(6;16)(q13;q22) translocation

A 75-year-old man with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia was found to have a constitutional t(6;16)(q13;q22) translocation, as did his healthy daughter. Chromosomal in situ hybridization studies of the daughter's lymphocytes did not indicate translocation-mediated interruption of the metallothionein gene cluster, at 16q22, although this locus has been reported to be involved in the eosinophilic variant of acute myelomonocytic leukemia. Lymphocytes from the daughter and from the patient's brother (who had a normal karyotype), had no increased fragility at 16q22. The findings do not provide evidence for an association between the familial chromosome abnormality and this patient's leukemia.
The neutrino sky at very high energies

Abstract Neutrino astronomy opens a new window for the observation and study of high-energy phenomena in our Universe. The emission of high-energy neutrinos in extragalactic sources or the cosmic environment is intimately related to that of γ - rays and cosmic rays. We will review the various indirect neutrino limits that arise from this cosmic connection and compare this to the present direct limits of neutrino observatories. Specific models of extragalactic TeV to PeV neutrino sources are already testable by large volume neutrino observatories like IceCube. At the EeV energy scale the flux of cosmogenic neutrinos associated with the propagation of ultra-high energy cosmic rays in the cosmic radiation background seems to be the most promising contribution to the diffuse neutrino background. We will discuss its model dependence w.r.t. chemical composition and evolution of the sources and provide simple bolometric scaling relations.
Advances in treatment of venous disease

Approximately 25 million Americans have venous disease, and it is 10 times more prevalent than arterial disease. Manifestations of venous disease are not limited to varicose veins and spider veins. Other debilitating symptoms include tired and achy legs, burning and itching skin, swelling of the lower extremities, discoloration of the skin, ulcerations, and, occasionally, amputation. It is estimated that more than 2 million workdays are lost annually to this disease and that more than 1 billion dollars are spent each year in its management. Conservative treatments such as compression therapy and elevation are often hampered by compliance issues. Past surgical options have been generally unacceptable to patients because of poor cosmetic outcomes and associated morbidity. The presenter discussed cause, diagnosis, and treatment options to include occlusion of the greater saphenous vein using modalities such as endovenous radiofrequency energy and laser energy. These procedures can be done in an ambulatory setting with patients returning to normal activity within a few days. Preoperative and postoperative care were discussed as well as the role of the vascular nurse. Case studies were included.
Microbial Power House: Design and Optimization of A Single Chamber Microbial Fuel Cell

Microbial Fuel cells (MFCs) are batteries driven by bacteria. MFCs have the potential of powering small sensors in remote areas and disposing of organic waste safely as they harvest the energy stored in the waste products. From previous research in this field, a few important factors for MFC performance have been identified. These include the internal resistance of MFC, the surface area of anode with catalyst for the biofilm development, the type and number of bacteria, and the abundance of nutritional supplies to the bacteria. With internal resistance as the focus of this MFC research, this experiment uses previous discoveries to develop and optimize the single chambered fuel cell for large-scale applications. A variety of methods were applied to improve MFC efficiency. Mainly, the researchers employed design techniques to increase the surface area of the electrodes, so that more of the generated electrons could be transported to the anode. In addition to that, several other measures were implemented to reduce the internal resistance, namely, adding ionic content, as well as introducing conductive particles such as carbon powder. These resulted in findings crucial to MFC technology.
Joint equivalence of means and variances of two populations.

Clinical equivalence has almost exclusively been treated from the view of average equivalence. However, as in bioequivalence there has been recent interest in more general definitions of clinical equivalence. In particular, Bauer and Bauer (1) have investigated the possibility of the use of a pair of tests for the equality of means and variances taking account of the multiplicity issues involved. In bioequivalence a number of authors have considered a Bayesian approach; in this article we generalize these previous Bayesian approaches to this more general problem. We investigate the operating characteristics of a decision procedure based on the posterior probability that the parameters lie within a prespecified region of equivalence.
TOPICS IN THE PHYSICS OF PARTICLE ACCELERATORS

High energy physics, perhaps more than any other branch of science, is driven by technology. It is not the development of theory, or consideration of what measurements to make, which are the driving elements in our science. Rather it is the development of new technology which is the pacing item.
Toothache, Paresthesia, and Horner Syndrome: An Unusual Presentation of Disseminated Burkitt’s Lymphoma

the telogen phase, with resultant loss of hair months later. This is an example of delayed anagen release. Examples of immediate anagen release are multiple. Major surgery, febrile illnesses, infections, trauma, chronic illness (such as systemic lupus erythematosus and malignancy), crash dieting, and medications such as heparin, beta-blockers, and retinoids may cause early transformation of hair follicles to the telogen phase. Clinically, patients with telogen effluvium may claim that their hair is falling out and they may even bring bags of shed hair to demonstrate the quantity of the loss. Patients are emotionally distraught and assume that they are going bald. The hair loss is diffuse and there is often a positive pull test. A history should be obtained, including an investigation for possible triggering events. A triggering event, which occurs 1 to 3 months earlier, cannot be identified in 30% of cases. The treatment of acute telogen effluvium involves constant patient reassurance with resolution of hair loss, usually within 6 months of the diagnosis. Chronic telogen effluvium lasts greater than 6 months. There are no medications that have been shown to shorten the clinical course. The patient in the above case exhibited many of these findings and her hair loss resolved within 2 months. The orthognathic surgery patient is at risk for telogen effluvium because he/she is subject to many physiologic and psychologic stressors. The stress of a major surgery,
Farm management optimization using chance constrained programming method

This paper presents a stochastic optimization model to determine the optimal number of acres of hay a farm should harvest for their own horses’ consumption, as well as how much hay to purchase and sell to maximize the total profit of the farm. This research is motivated by horse farmers who must make yearly decisions concerning the management of feeding horses. These decisions are affected by the cost to grow their own hay, the cost to buy hay, the cost associated with selling hay, and the stochastic nature of crop yield due to different weather conditions. The uncertainty of weather conditions is included in the mathematical model by including random variables in the model constraints. Optimal policies are obtained for a real world case study provided by a Kentucky horse farmer by applying chance constrained programming method. A sensitivity analysis is performed to show the effectiveness of the approach.
Age determinations of eastern Pacific seamounts (Henderson, 6 and 7) — Implications for near-ridge and intraplate volcanism

Abstract We report 40Ar/39Ar stepwise heating ages for basalt samples from three seamounts in the eastern Pacific. The first, Henderson seamount, is located on Pacific lithosphere that is ∼22 Ma old while an alkalic basalt sample dredged from near its summit yields a good age about 7.8 Ma. This suggests that Henderson (not a member of a linear hotspot chain) probably did not form at the East Pacific Rise but rather is an intraplate volcano. Henderson is the first well-dated volcano of this type to be identified in the eastern Pacific. Seamounts 6 and 7 are located on the Cocos Plate upon lithosphere 3–4 Ma old. Samples from these seasmounts yield poor isochrons with individual data points scattering between 0 and 3 Ma. These data are consistent with geologic observations, in-situ magnetic gradiometer measurements and modeling of the total magnetic fields indicating that seamounts 6 and 7 formed near but not on the axis of the East Pacific Rise. The data from Henderson seamount confirm that some isolated volcanoes represent non-hotspot intraplate volcanism as suggested earlier by the abundance and distribution of seamounts.
THE MINIMUM VITAMIN REQUIREMENTS OF THE L AND HELA CELLS IN TISSUE CULTURE, THE PRODUCTION OF SPECIFIC VITAMIN DEFICIENCIES, AND THEIR CURE

SEVEN VITAMINS HAVE TO DATE PROVED ESSENTIAL FOR THE SURVIVAL AND MULTIPLICATION OF A MOUSE FIBROBLAST (STRAIN L) AND A HUMAN CARCINOMA CELL (STRAIN HELA) IN TISSUE CULTURE: choline, folic acid, nicotinamide, pantothenic acid, pyridoxal, riboflavin, and thiamin. It was necessary to cultivate the cells for 5 to 15 days in a medium lacking the specific vitamin before the deficiency became apparent in the cessation of multiplication and the development of specific cytopathogenic effects. In their early stages these changes could be reversed by the addition of the missing vitamin, an in vitro, "cure" of a vitamin deficiency. The maximally effective concentrations were in the range 10(7) to 10(8) gm. per ml. The probability that additional vitamins not demonstrably essential under the conditions of the present experiments are nevertheless required for survival and growth is discussed in the text.
Characterization of Defects in Proton-Implanted GaAs

Studies have been made of n+-GaAs implanted with 300 keV protons to fluences of 1014−1016/cm2. Electrical studies included I–V analysis, DLTS, and thermally stimulated current measurements made on implanted FET-like structures fabricated from MBE GaAs epi-layers. Optical infrared reflectance spectra and high resolution transmission electron micrographs were obtained for as-implanted material and for specimens annealed at 300 °C and 500 °C. Results show as-implanted material can be characterized by a band of traps lying about 0.2 eV below the conduction band with a relatively uniform distribution throughout the implanted region. Thermal processing causes a significant alteration in the density and distribution of these defects.
Seasonal changes in bacterial numbers and plant nutrients in point and non-point source ponds

The numbers of bacteria (total coliforms (TC), faecal coliforms (FC) and total aerobic bacteria (TAB) and nutrients (NH4+, NO3− and PO4−) in ponds receiving runoff from point and non-point sources were monitored at different seasons. Turbidity, BOD, pH and dissolved solids were measured. Neutral pH range (6·0–8·0) was observed in all the samples. In both ponds available nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were significantly (p<0·05) higher in sediment than in water. Lower temperatures in the winter correlated significantly (p<0·05) with TAB, TC and FC bacteria. Nitrogen, especially NO3, was also correlated (p<0·05) with all bacterial (TAB, TC and FC) counts. However, PO4 correlated negatively with the TC and FC in sediments and TC in surface water of both ponds. Faecal coliform numbers in the winter exceeded the recommended water quality standards.
Teaching robust programming

Robust programming aims to prevent abnormal termination or unexpected actions and requires code to handle bad (invalid or absurd) inputs in a way that is consistent with the developer's intent. For example, if an internal error occurs, the program might terminate gracefully rather than simply failing, providing enough information for the programmer to debug the program and avoiding giving the user additional access or information. This article focuses on teaching these principles.
Development of a measure of adolescent leisure interests

Objective Two studies examined the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the Adolescent Leisure Interest Profile (ALIP), an 86-item measure of adolescent leisure activity interest, leisure participation, and feelings about leisure. In addition, leisure activity interests and participation of adolescents with and without disabilities were described, and the ability of the ALIP to discriminate among four groups of adolescents was examined. Method After preliminary item development, two separate reliability studies of the ALIP were conducted. The ALIP was administered twice to 88 adolescents with psychiatric, learning, and physical disabilities and to 28 adolescents without disabilities. In both studies, the second administration took place from 7 days to 14 days after the first. In addition, data from the first administration in both reliability studies were combined to examine the ability of the ALIP to discriminate among adolescents with and without disabilities. Results Using Cronbach's alpha to estimate internal consistency and Pearson product-moment correlations to examine test-retest reliability, acceptable levels of reliability for total scores derived from the ALIP were found in both studies. Virtually all test-retest reliability coefficients for the six total scores exceeded .60 for all participants except those with learning disabilities. Internal consistency estimates for a total score of overall level of interest in the activities exceeded .90 in both studies. Although there were few differences among the four study groups in terms of activity leisure interests or participation, there was some evidence that total scores on the ALIP can discriminate among adolescents with and without disabilities. Conclusion The ALIP appears to have good reliability and may be useful as a clinical and research tool.
Plasmin, Substilisin-like Endoproteases, Tissue Plasminogen Activator, and Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Are Involved in Activation of Latent TGF-β1in Human Seminal Plasma☆

We reported previously that TGF-beta 1 is a major immunosuppressive agent in human seminal plasma. TGF-beta 1 in seminal plasma is so abundant that it may represent the highest physiologic concentration of TGF-beta 1 reported for a biological fluid. The in vitro activation of TGF-beta 1 is detected at acidic pH. The acidic environment of the vagina is suggested as an in vivo physiological condition for the activation of seminal plasma latent TGF-beta 1. The present study demonstrates that Pefabloc [4-(2-aminoethyl)-benzenesulfonyl fluoride AEBSF]-inhibitable serine proteases are involved in the activation of latent TGF-beta 1. Pefabloc inhibits latent TGF-beta 1 activation in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The use of other protease inhibitors and specific antibodies reveals that, in addition to plasmin, substilisin-like endoproteases and tissue- and urokinase-type plasminogen activators participate in the activation of latent TGF-beta 1 in human seminal plasma.
EPR and ENDOR evidence for a 1-his, hydroxo-bridged mixed-valent diiron site in Desulfovibrio vulgaris rubrerythrin

Key features differentiating the coordination environment of the two irons in the mixed-valent (Fe2+,Fe3+) diiron site of Desulfovibrio vulgaris rubrerythrin (Rbrmv) were determined by continuous wave (CW) and pulsed ENDOR spectroscopy at 35GHz. 14N ENDOR evidence indicates that a nitrogen is bound only to the Fe2+ ion of the mixed-valent site. Assuming that this nitrogen is from His131Nδ, the same one that furnishes an iron ligand in the crystal structure of the diferric site, the ENDOR data allow us to specify the Fe2+ and Fe3+ positions within the molecular reference frame. In addition, the 1,2H ENDOR on Rbrmv indicates the presence of a solvent-derived aqua/hydroxo ligand bound either terminally or in a bridging mode to Fe3+ in the mixed-valent site. The relatively large g anisotropy of Rbrmv and weak antiferromagnetic coupling, J ∼ −8 cm-1 (in the 2JS1•S2 formalism), between the irons is more consistent with a bridging than terminal hydroxo ligand. γ-Irradiation was used to cryoreduce Rbr at 77 K, th...
Epidemiologic implications of changes in the influenza virus genome

Among the molecular maneuvers that enable the influenza virus to survive are antigenic variation and functional alterations. Two kinds of minor antigenic variations, producing new strains within type A virus subtypes, have been discovered: antigenic drift, in which the amino acid sequences of the antigens are changed; and antigenic camouflage, in which the antigens are glycosylated. Both kinds of variation are caused by mutations in the viral genome. These mutations produce slightly changed antigens, which many existing antibodies cannot recognize. Major antigenic variations (so-called antigenic shift) are produced by gene reassortment. Two subtypes, coinfecting a host, can reassort their eight ribonucleoprotein gene segments into as many as 256 different combinations. Such recombinations can produce new viruses with the potential for transmission in humans, but whose surface antigens are completely unmatched by antibodies in the population, permitting a pandemic to occur. Functional changes, caused by mutations, alter the interactions between the virus and the host, including virus binding to host receptor sites and fusion of viral and host membranes. All these mechanisms allow the influenza virus to survive in humans, probably perpetually.
An adolescent case of sulfhemoglobinemia associated with high-dose metoclopramide and N-Acetylcysteine

We describe the case of an adolescent girl who received high-dose metoclopramide in combination with oral N-acetylcysteine therapy for acute acetaminophen toxicity. Whole blood-sample analysis for abnormal hemoglobin pigments established the diagnosis of sulfhemoglobinemia. Metoclopramide has been shown to cause sulfhemoglobinemia, particularly when used in repeated high doses. Although N-acetylcysteine alone has not been associated as the cause, we suggest that sulfhemoglobinemia is a potential complication in patients treated with metoclopramide for the nausea that often accompanies oral N-acetylcysteine therapy for acetaminophen toxicity. Cyanosis without respiratory distress should suggest this diagnosis.