cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interventional cardiology: Antithrombotic drug and stent choices in primary PCI.

The final report from the HORIZONS-AMI trial in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction shows that the early benefits of bivalirudin and paclitaxel-eluting stents are sustained at 3 years. Bivalirudin, thrombus aspiration, and drug-eluting stents might be the new standard of care for primary percutaneous coronary intervention.
Light chain amyloidosis - current findings and future prospects.

Systemic light chain amyloidosis (AL) is one of several protein misfolding diseases and is characterized by extracellular deposition of immunoglobulin light chains in the form of amyloid fibrils [1]. Immunoglobulin (Ig) proteins consist of two light chains (LCs) and two heavy chains (HCs) that ordinarily form a heterotetramer which is secreted by a plasma cell. In AL, however, a monoclonal plasma cell population produces an abundance of a pathogenic LC protein. In this case, not all of the LCs pair with the HCs, and free LCs are secreted into circulation. The LC-HC dimer is very stable, and losing this interaction may result in an unstable LC protein [2]. Additionally, somatic mutations are thought to cause amyloidogenic proteins to be less stable compared to non-amyloidogenic proteins [3-5], leading to protein misfolding and amyloid fibril formation. The amyloid fibrils cause tissue damage and cell death, leading to patient death within 12-18 months if left untreated [6]. Current therapies are harsh and not curative, including chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplants. Studies of protein pathogenesis and fibril formation mechanisms may lead to better therapies with an improved outlook for patient survival. Much has been done to determine the molecular factors that make a particular LC protein amyloidogenic and to elucidate the mechanism of amyloid fibril formation. Anthony Finks work, particularly with discerning the role of intermediates in the fibril formation pathway, has made a remarkable impact in the field of amyloidosis research. This review provides a general overview of the current state of AL research and also attempts to capture the most recent ideas and knowledge generated from the Fink laboratory.
Tissue-specific expression and temporal regulation of the rice glutelin Gt3 gene are conferred by at least two spatially separated cis-regulatory elements.

The rice glutelin Gt3 promoter was fused to a β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene and its expression evaluated in transgenic tobacco plants. Histochemical analysis revealed that the expression of the introduced Gt3 promoter/GUS (β-glucuronidase) chimeric gene was confined to endosperm tissue of developing seeds. 5′-promoter deletion analysis revealed that two domains of the Gt3 promoter, -346 to -263 bp (domain I) and -945 to -726 bp (domain II) from the transcriptional start site, were essential for optimum expression of the GUS reporter gene. Removal of 5′ sequences upstream of -726 resulted in a reduction in overall promoter activity and a shift in temporal expression from a maximum of 16–20 days after flowering to 24 days. Removal of DNA sequences from the 5′ end to -346 yielded a promoter fragment that was still able to confer endosperm-specific expression, although a further deletion to -263 abolished promoter activity. These data suggest that at least twocis-regulatory elements are required for endosperm specificity and temporal regulation of glutelin Gt3 gene expression.
Treatment of mature striae with the pulsed dye laser

INTRODUCTION: Striae are a common cosmetic problem with no effective treatment options. A recent study has shown improvement in the appearance of mature striae following a single 585-nm pulsed dye laser (PDL) treatment at low fluence. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of treating mature striae with the 585-nm PDL. METHODS: Five patients with mature striae on the abdomen were prospectively treated with the 585-nm PDL at 2-month intervals for 1-2 years. The response of the striae to laser treatment was evaluated in each patient through sequential clinical, photographic, textural, and histologic assessment. RESULTS: All five patients reported a slight overall improvement in the appearance of the striae following multiple PDL treatments. Comparison of pre- and post-treatment photographs, however, failed to reveal improvement in any patients. Optical profilometry performed on striae impressions showed mild improvement in the surface texture of striae in three patients. Histologic comparison of pre- and ...
Personality, Negative Interactions, and Mental Health.

Research suggests that an individual’s personality traits may mediate the relationship between social support and mental health. This study uses two national data sets to test a conceptual model that integrates personality, social support, negative interactions, and psychological distress. Results suggest that, beyond the influence of personality, social support is negatively associated with psychological distress, and negative interactions are positively associated with such distress. The findings also suggest that personality has direct and indirect effects, through social support and negative interactions, on psychological distress. Findings specify how positive and negative facets of relationships and personality influence mental health outcomes.
Performance of Forage Soybean in the Southern Great Plains

Pasture for livestock in the southern Great Plains is often in short supply during the late summer. This study compared seasonal patterns in forage production, forage quality, and seed yield of three recently developed forage soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cultivars (Donegal, Derry, and Tyrone) to the seed cultivar Hutcheson. Inoculated seeds were planted at 60 kg ha -1 in rows (20 m long) with 60-cm spacing, in June 2001, 2002, and 2003, after harvest of no-till winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Whole plant samples were collected on six sample dates from approximately 52 to 120 d after seeding (DAS). At 120 DAS, forage soybeans Derry, Donegal, and Tyrone leaf and stem accumulations were 15, 46, and 47% and 43, 69, and 126% greater than that of Hutcheson, respectively. Seed soybean initiated flowering 15 d earlier than forage soybeans, resulting in lower leaf and stem yield. Forage quality of whole plants (N concentration and dry matter digestibility) of whole plant was similar across cultivars. Seed yield of Tyrone was lowest (690 kg ha -1 ), as compared to Donegal (1180 kg ha -1 ), Hutcheson (985 kg ha -1 ), or Derry (939 kg ha -1 ). Nitrogen concentration and digestible dry matter (DDM) of seed for all cultivars were similar. We concluded that forage soybean cultivars could provide greater leaf and stem biomass for livestock in the southern Great Plains during late summer and early fall when perennial warm-season grasses are less productive.
A simple unified field equation and hypothesis by

Abstract A unified field equation of force, that is, Fu = me2c3/hae2 = me2c4ϵo/e2ae = 0.5 me3C5/ERh = hcSe2/Mb2me2 = hc/Lm2 = mro3ωo2ωe2/ωp2Ba2 = mreωe3ωn3/ωp2Ba2 = G/μb2 = 1.23163 × 1023 g cm/sec4 gauss2 = 3.981 × 108 dynes has been developed from well-known physical quantities such as electronic mass (me) ; the light velocity constant (c) ; the angular momentum constant (h = h/27π) ; the electronic fine structure constant (ae) ; the dielectric constant (ϵo = 1.0) ; the electronic charge (e) ; the Rydberg energy (ER) ; electronic spin (h/2); the Bohr magneton (Mb) ; the electron's “classical radius” (Lm); the Earth's mass (m) ; the moon's average orbital radius (re) and angular velocity (ωo) ; the rotating Earth's angular velocity (ωe), radius (re), polar magnetic intensity (Ba), angular velocity of nutation (ωn), angular velocity of precession (wp) ; the gravitation constant (G) ; and a proposed proportionality constant of terrestrial and stellar magnetism (μb = reBa/mωe = 7.359 × 10−16 cm sec gauss/g = 1.2943 × 10−8 cm/g, where one gauss unit is considered equal to 1.7589 × 107/sec). The fact that hcμb2/GLm2 is equal to 1.000 suggests that μb and Lm are, respectively, universal constants of macroscopic and submicroscopic particle magnetism, and that the equation Fu prescribes a single universal physical law governing the action-reaction of all particles and fields, whether astronomic or submicroscopic in character.
Professionals' attitudes towards men in early childhood education: A national study

Abstract A national sample of women and men working in early childhood education was drawn from the membership of the National Association for the Education of Young Children in order to assess their attitudes toward the suitability, professional practice, and administrative capabilities of men in early childhood education. Men and women were found to hold similar views toward the capabilities and roles of male preschool teachers across all these areas. The general lack of polarity of attitudes between men and women on many popularlyheld beliefs about men in the early childhood field is discussed in relation to previous alleged stereotyped attitudes toward male preschool teachers.
Phylogeny of Basal Iguanodonts (Dinosauria: Ornithischia): An Update

The precise phylogenetic relationships of many non-hadrosaurid members of Iguanodontia, i.e., basal iguanodonts, have been unclear. Therefore, to investigate the global phylogeny of basal iguanodonts a comprehensive data matrix was assembled, including nearly every valid taxon of basal iguanodont. The matrix was analyzed in the program TNT, and the maximum agreement subtree of the resulting most parsimonious trees was then calculated in PAUP. Ordering certain multistate characters and omitting taxa through safe taxonomic reduction did not markedly improve resolution. The results provide some new information on the phylogeny of basal iguanodonts, pertaining especially to obscure or recently described taxa, and support some recent taxonomic revisions, such as the splitting of traditional “Camptosaurus” and “Iguanodon”. The maximum agreement subtree also shows a close relationship between the Asian Probactrosaurus gobiensis and the North American Eolambia, supporting the previous hypothesis of faunal interchange between Asia and North America in the early Late Cretaceous. Nevertheless, the phylogenetic relationships of many basal iguanodonts remain ambiguous due to the high number of taxa removed from the maximum agreement subtree and poor resolution of consensus trees.
Niaspan treatment induces neuroprotection after stroke.

Abstract Introduction Niaspan, an extended-release formulation of Niacin (vitamin B3), has been widely used to increase high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and to prevent cardiovascular diseases and stroke. In this study, we tested whether Niaspan administered acutely after stroke is neuroprotective. Methods Adult male rats (n = 8/group) were subjected to 2 h of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) and treated with or without different doses of Niaspan (20, 40 or 80 mg/kg) at 2 and 24 h after MCAo. A battery of functional outcome tests was performed, and serum HDL and triglycerides were measured. Rats were sacrificed at 7 days after MCAo and lesion volumes were measured. The optimal dose of Niaspan treatment of stroke was chosen for immunostaining: deoxynucleotidyl transferase–mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL), cleaved caspase-3, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and phosphorylated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (p-PI3K). Another set of rats (n = 4/group) were killed at 7 days after MCAo for Western blot assay. Results Niaspan dose-dependently reduced infarct volume and improved functional outcome after stroke. No significant difference in HDL and triglyceride levels was detected between Niaspan treatments and MCAo control groups. Niaspan treatment significantly decreased the number of TUNEL-positive cells (105 ± 17) and cleaved caspase-3 expression (381 ± 33) in the ischemic brain compared to MCAo control (165 ± 18; 650 ± 61, respectively; p ≤ 0.05). Niaspan treatment significantly reduced the expression of TNF-alpha (9.7 ± 1.1% vs. 16 ± 2.2%; p ≤ 0.05) and negative correlations were observed between the functional tests and the expression of TNF-alpha (r = −0.71, p ≤ 0.05). Niaspan treatment also significantly increased the expression of VEGF (5.2 ± 0.9%) and PI3K/Akt (0.381 ± 0.04%) in the ischemic brain compared with non-treated MCAo control (2.6 ± 0.4%; 0.24 ± 0.03, respectively; p ≤ 0.05). The functional outcome was positively correlated with p-PI3K (r = 0.7, p ≤ 0.05). Conclusions Treatment of stroke with Niaspan at 2 h after MCAo reduces infarct volume and improves neurological outcome and provides neuroprotection. The neuroprotective effects of Niaspan were associated with reduction of apoptosis and attenuation of TNF-alpha expression. VEGF and the PI3K/Akt pathway may contribute to the Niaspan-induced neuroprotection after stroke.
Triple pathology in epilepsy: Coexistence of cavernous angiomas and cortical dysplasias with other lesions

Coexistence of cortical dysplasias (CD) with cavernomas has rarely been reported. We reviewed our surgical specimens from patients who underwent surgery for pharmacoresistant epilepsy between 2003 and 2008, and identified seven cases with cavernoma, of whom two had overlying CD. In addition, each of these patients had a third form of a potentially epileptogenic lesion: hippocampal sclerosis in one, and venous angioma in the other. We conclude that CD is heterogeneous, with milder forms appearing to co-exist with other pathologies, including vascular abnormalities and hippocampal sclerosis.
Testing Assumptions of the Totality-of-the-Circumstances Test An Analysis of the Impact of Structures on Black Descriptive Representation

The effect of each element of the Voting Rights Act's totality-of-the-circumstances test on black city council membership is analyzed in 946 cities with 1980 populations exceeding 25,000. Several s...
The evolution of resistant Candida species in cancer centers: Implications for treatment and prophylaxis

T he incidence of invasive candidiasis caused by azole-resistant Candida species has increased in the U.S. over the past 10 years. Candidemia is the fourth leading cause of blood stream infection and disproportionately affects those with serious illnesses, such as hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, those who have received an organ transplant, and those who require intensive care unit management. With an estimated crude mortality rate of 40% in some studies, invasive candidiasis is a significant problem. The management of this infection has been complicated by the emergence of infection with Candida species that are resistant to the most commonly used agent for initial treatment, fluconazole. In this issue of Cancer, Hachem et al. seek to further define the incidence of infection with fluconazole-resistant Candida species in a cancer hospital and document risk factors for infection with these organisms. The study by Hachem et al. is an extension of a surveillance study that occurred from 1988 to 1992 at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and, as such, reflects the current practices of prophylaxis and management of fungal infections in patients who have hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. In the prior study, there was a decrease in the incidence of invasive C. albicans infections beginning in 1990, after fluconazole prophylaxis became commonplace for patients with leukemia. From 1990 to 1992, the rate of infection with C. glabrata remained relatively constant, but the rate of invasive C. krusei infection increased to 7%. In their current study, which encompasses 1993 to 2003, Hachem et al. report a continuation of this trend, demonstrating dramatic increases in the rates of C. krusei infection (from 7% to 24%) and C. glabrata infection (from 12% to 31%) in patients with hematologic malignancies. C. albicans accounted for only 14% of all candidemias in this population in their study. It is interesting to note that patients with solid tumors who did not receive fluconazole prophylaxis routinely had significantly lower See referenced original article on pages 2493 9, this issue.
Cytotoxic Amyloid Peptides Inhibit Cellular 3‐(4,5‐Dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide (MTT) Reduction by Enhancing MTT Formazan Exocytosis

Amyloid beta peptide (A beta) neurotoxicity is believed to play a central role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. An early indicator of A beta toxicity is the inhibition of cellular 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) reduction to MTT formazan, a widely used assay for measuring cell viability. In this report we show that A beta and other cytotoxic amyloid peptides such as human amylin dramatically enhance MTT formazan exocytosis, resulting in the inhibition of cellular MTT reduction. Only the amyloid peptides that are known to be cytotoxic enhanced MTT formazan exocytosis. Basal MTT formazan exocytosis and amyloid peptide-enhanced MTT formazan exocytosis are blocked by several drugs with diverse known effects. These and other data suggest that MTT formazan exocytosis is a multistep process and that cytotoxic amyloid peptides enhance MTT formazan exocytosis through an intracellular signal transduction pathway.
Evolution of Teacher Perceptions Regarding Effective Instruction for English Language Learners

The number of students who speak languages other than English continues to grow in both rural and urban public schools in the United States. Teachers are challenged to accommodate the diverse needs of English language learners (ELLs). This exploratory study investigated the perceptions of eleven teachers from a rural public elementary school in North Carolina and how these perceptions affect the learning experiences of ELLs. This article discusses pedagogical implications for in-service teachers educating ELLs.
The Measured Energy Impact of Infiltration in an Outdoor Test Cell

Air infiltration energy consumption was investigated in an outdoor test cell with different leakage configurations and air flow rates under both infiltration and exfiltration. Measurements showed that under heating conditions, the air infiltration energy consumption ranged from 55% less than to 15% greater than the classically calculated values, depending on the air flow rate and direction (infiltration or exfiltration), solar radiation, and air leakage configurations.
Free and total insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I levels decline during fasting: relationships with insulin and IGF-binding protein-1.

We have previously demonstrated that IGF-binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) levels rise steadily during fasting, following an inverse relationship with insulin. The function of the IGFBP-1 rise is unknown, but it has been hypothesized that IGFBP-1 serves as a glucose counterregulatory hormone during fasting and hypoglycemia by binding free IGFs, thus inhibiting IGF interactions with IGF receptors. Our objective in this study was to determine levels of free and total IGFs during fasting together with their interrelationships with simultaneous IGFBP-1, insulin, and glucose levels. Our patient population consisted of 22 children, aged 6 months to 15 yr, who underwent diagnostic fasting studies in the General Clinical Research Center. Blood was sampled at baseline and at 6-h intervals for glucose, IGFBP-1, free and total IGF-I, and insulin. The fasting studies lasted 14 – 40 h and were terminated at a glucose concentration of less than 50 mg/dl (n 11) or for the completion of the allotted fasting duration (n 11). Of the children studied, 11 had ketotic hypoglycemia, 8 had no disorder, 2 had steroid-induced adrenal suppression, and 1 had recovered transient hyperinsulinism. During fasting, IGFBP-1 levels rose above mean initial levels of 27.1 13.4 ng/ml to a mean of 318.4 29.9 ng/ml at the end point (P < 0.001). Insulin levels declined from a mean initial level of 7.4 1.3 mU/ml to a mean level of 1.4 0.4 mU/ml at the end point (P < 0.001). Concomitantly, free and total IGF-I levels declined from initial levels of 0.48 0.08 and 180.3 27 ng/ml, respectively, to mean levels of 0.10 0.02 ng/ml (P < 0.001) and 119.3 22 ng/ml (P 0.001), respectively, at the end point. Levels of free IGF-I were inversely associated with IGFBP-1 over the course of fasting (P 0.002). Similarly, total IGF-I was negatively associated with IGFBP-1 (P 0.01). We conclude that free and total IGF-I levels decline steadily over the course of fasting. This decline in free IGF-I appears to be the result of the steady rise in IGFBP-1 that occurs as insulin declines. We speculate that the decline in IGF levels, controlled by the rise in IGFBP-1, serves to protect against possible insulin-like activity of the IGFs during fasting. (J Clin Endocrinol Metab 87: 2978 –2983, 2002)
An autonomous control system for boiler-turbine units

Achieving a more autonomous power plant operation is an important part of power plant control. To be autonomous, a control system needs to provide adequate control actions in the presence of significant uncertainties and/or disturbances, such as actuator or component failures, with minimum or no human assistance. However, a reasonable degree of autonomy is difficult to obtain without incorporating intelligence in the control system. This paper presents a coordinated intelligent control scheme with a high degree of autonomy. In this scheme, a fuzzy-logic based supervisor monitors the overall plant operation and carries out the tasks of coordination, fault diagnosis, fault isolation, and fault accommodation.
Localized acquired resistance to plant virus infection in hypersensitive hosts.

Abstract A high degree of resistance to tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) developed in a 1- to 2-mm zone surrounding each TMV-induced local lesion on the hypersensitive host, Nicotiana tabacum L. var. Samsun NN. No lesions, or at most a few tiny ones, developed in this area following subsequent challenge inoculation with TMV. The resistant zones increased in size and in degree of protection for about 6 days, a period coinciding with that during which the original lesion was enlarging. Development of the resistant zone was not affected by relative humidity or by exclusion of light before or after challenge. Resistance was not detectable at temperatures near 30°C nor in leaves also infected by potato virus X (PVX). The resistance was not virus specific; zones around a TMV lesion were also resistant to tobacco necrosis virus (TNcV), tobacco ringspot virus, and tomato ringspot virus, but not to turnip mosaic virus. TNcV, but not turnip mosaic virus, induced localized resistance to TMV. Areas around TMV or TNcV lesions are resistant to TNcV in leaves also infected by PVX. The results are interpreted as indicating that the resistance developing in cells beyond those infected eventually acts as a barrier to further cell-to-cell spread of the virus, thus localizing the virus in the lesion.
James Baldwin's message for white America

For almost two decades, James Baldwin has struggled earnestly to communicate to white Americans an understanding of the racial problem with which they must come to terms. Sometimes Baldwin the literary artist strives to provide psychological insights by probing the rawest emotions of both the black man and the white. Sometimes Baldwin the humanist and moralist pleads for brotherly love. Sometimes the angry black man who is Baldwin threatens “the fire next time.”
Study of multibody aerodynamic interference at transonic Mach numbers

A wind tunnel experiment involving single, double, and triple combinations of mutually interfering generic, unfinned aircraft stores has been conducted. Each combination of stores was tested at Mach numbers from 0.60 to 1.20 and at angles of attack from 0 to 25 deg for the single store and from 0 to 6 deg for the double and triple store configurations. Extensive axial and circumferential pressure and flow visualization data at each store location were obtained. Euler solutions for each configuration at 0 deg incidence have been generated and compared with experimental data. This comparison indicates an Euler flow solver can yield accurate predictions of the location and magnitude of multibody interference provided an appropriate grid is used and the viscous effects associated with these configurations remain small. The data indicate multibody interference in the transonic region increases as the freestream Mach number approaches 1 from either direction, and subsides as the Mach number moves away from sonic conditions. This interference is characterized by a large, localized reduction in pressure on the inboard surfaces of the bodies which results in forces that draw the configuration closer together.
Etiology of Pancreatic Cancer, With a Hypothesis Concerning the Role of N-Nitroso Compounds and Excess Gastric Acidity

In the United States, pancreatic cancer is the fourth most frequent cause of cancer death in males as well as females, after lung, prostate or breast, and colorectal cancer. Each year, approximately 30 000 Americans are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and about the same number die of it. Germline mutations in a few genes including p16 and BRCA2 have been implicated in a small fraction of cases, as has chronic pancreatitis. The one established risk factor for pancreatic cancer is cigarette smoking: current smokers have two to three times the risk of nonsmokers. Studies of dietary factors have not been entirely consistent but do suggest associations of higher risk with consumption of smoked or processed meats or with animal foods in general and lower risk with consumption of fruits and vegetables. Colonization by Helicobacter pylori appears to increase risk, and a history of diabetes mellitus may also increase risk. The purpose of this epidemiologic review is to consider the possibility that risk of pancreatic cancer is increased by factors associated with pancreatic N-nitrosamine or N-nitrosamide exposures and with chronic excess gastric or duodenal acidity. Host genetic variation in inflammatory cytokine mechanisms may also be involved in this process. Many features of the evidence bearing on the pathophysiology of pancreatic cancer appear to support connections with N-nitroso compounds and with gastric acidity.
Optimizing Inverse-Mode SiGe HBTs for Immunity to Heavy-Ion-Induced Single-Event Upset

Inverse-mode (collector-up) operation is proposed as a solution to the single-event-upset susceptibility observed in commercially available bulk silicon-germanium heterojunction bipolar transistors. Inverse-mode performance optimization techniques, which require no process changes or added lithographic masks, are demonstrated, yielding inverse-mode transistor performance capable of supporting gigabit-per-second digital logic needed in space-based communication systems.
Rethinking the Design of Presentation Slides: The Importance of Writing Sentence Headlines

Presentation slides are often used for teaching engineering classes, presenting engineering research, and explaining engineering designs. For those presentations in which the presenter desires to communicate and defend results, using a succinct sentence headline for all slides but the title slide has three advantages over relying on a phrase headline. The first is that a sentence headline not only can identify the topic, but also can state an assertion about the topic. Emphasizing the assertions in an engineering presentation is advantageous, because audiences are more inclined to believe an argument if they realize the assertions and sub-assertions. Also, for a presentation that serves as a classroom assignment, having the student write sentence headlines provides a written record for the faculty member of that student’s assertions in the presentation. A second advantage of using sentence headlines, rather than phrase headlines, is that a sentence headline can clarify much more effectively the role of the slide in the presentation. Such a clarification not only helps the audience during the presentation, but also serves the audience reviewing the slides days or weeks later. Yet a third advantage, and perhaps the most important, is that a sentence headline forces the presenter to come to grips with the main purpose of each slide. If the presenter cannot create a sentence headline that states the slide’s main purpose in the presentation, then the presenter should consider cutting that slide from the presentation. For engineering presenters who have used this design, the result has been that significantly fewer slides are presented, thus helping the presenters avoid a frenetic pace, which undermines so many engineering presentations. This paper uses several examples from the Mechanical Engineering Department at Virginia Tech to show these three advantages. The paper also analyzes why faculty and students are reluctant to use sentence headlines. Finally, the paper includes a preliminary assessment on the effectiveness of these sentence headlines in engineering presentations.
Mechanistic links between climate and fisheries along the east coast of the United States: explaining population outbursts of Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus)

Climate has been linked to variation in marine fish abundance and distribution, but often the mechanistic processes are unknown. Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) is a common species in estuarine and coastal areas of the mid-Atlantic and southeast coasts of the U.S. Previous studies have identified a correlation between Atlantic croaker abundance and winter temperatures in Chesapeake Bay, and have determined thermal tolerances of juveniles. Here we re-examine the hypothesis that winter temperature variability controls Atlantic croaker population dynamics. Abundance indices were analyzed at four life history stages from three regions along the east coast of the U.S. Correlations suggest that year-class strength is decoupled from larval supply and is determined by temperature-linked, overwinter survival of juveniles. Using a relation between air and water temperatures, estuarine water temperature was estimated from 1930 to 2002. Periods of high adult catch corresponded with warm winter water temperatures. Prior studies indicate that winter temperature along the east coast is related to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO); variability in catch is also correlated with the NAO, thereby demonstrating a link between Atlantic croaker dynamics, thermal limited overwinter survival, and the larger climate system of the North Atlantic. We hypothesize that the environment drives the large-scale variability in Atlantic croaker abundance and distribution, but fishing and habitat loss decrease the resiliency of the population to periods of poor environmental conditions and subsequent weak year classes.
Framework for SaaS Management Platform

Software-as-a-service (SaaS) is becoming a popular software delivery model. Especially for enterprise software, the shift to SaaS model is happening rapidly. This triggers more complex SaaS ecosystems come into being, and demands more supporting and enabling functions accordingly, including service lifecycle management, business relationship and process management, charging and billing for all the roles in ecosystem and so on. This paper describes our research on SaaS management platform, and proposes a framework to support different business models as well as multiple application architectures. The framework covers both technical and business requirements in a separate while interconnected way, and takes non-functional considerations into accunt, such as availability, security, scalability and performance. As a validation of our framework, a case study is presented which addresses a couple of typical SaaS management scenarios.
Clinical utilization of high-resolution single nucleotide polymorphism based oligonucleotide arrays in diagnostic studies of pediatric patients with solid tumors

High-resolution single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays have been effectively implemented as a first tier test in clinical cytogenetics laboratories for the detection of constitutional chromosomal abnormalities in patients with suspected genomic disorders. We recently published our experience utilizing SNP array analysis of bone marrow aspirates as a clinical test for patients with suspected leukemia or lymphoma in the Clinical Cancer Cytogenetics Laboratory at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. In the present report we summarize our clinical experience using the Illumina HumanHap610 BeadChip array (Illumina, San Diego, CA) for whole genome analysis of pediatric solid tumors. A total of 168 DNA samples isolated from a variety of solid tumors, including brain tumors, sarcomas, neuroblastomas, and Wilms tumors, as well as benign neoplasms and reactive processes, were analyzed over a 2 1/2 year period. One hundred thirty-seven of 168 (82%) specimens had at least one copy number alteration or region of loss of heterozygosity detected by the SNP array. Thirty-three of 168 (20%) of cases had a normal karyotype or targeted fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) study, but had an abnormal finding by the array analysis. Sixty-three of 168 (37%) samples for which cytogenetic studies were unsuccessful or not performed demonstrated an abnormal array result. In 44 of 168 cases (26%) the array and karyotype or FISH were abnormal, but each demonstrated alterations not detected by the other methodology. Based on our experience in the last 2 1/2 years, we suggest that SNP array analysis can be used as a first tier clinical test for the majority of pediatric solid tumors.
Organized Labor's Political Spending: The Law and Its Consequences

In 1936 organized labor dramatically leaped into the political arena by investing some three-quarters of a million dollars in Franklin Roosevelt's first re-election campaign. John L. Lewis' United Mine Workers contributed or lent $469,000 to the Democratic cause, and two other CIO affiliates added $141,000 more. The Mine Workers' expenditure alone was five times greater than the total amount the AFL reported raising for political purposes in the preceding thirty years. One-third of labor's total expenditure in 1936 went directly into the coffers of the Democratic National Committee, and more than one-half went to Labor's Non-partisan League (a special organization set up by those AFL and CIO unions benefiting most from the New Deal) and to the League's New York State offspring, the American Labor Party.' Labor's political contributions in 1936 were impressive-so much so that the excitement generated by the Landon-Roosevelt battle had barely subsided before suggestions for restricting labor's political spending echoed through Congressional chambers. In the turbulent years that succeeded, three pieces of legislation affecting labor's political spending were written onto the statute books: the second Hatch Act in 1940,2 the War Labor Disputes Act (SmithConnally) in 1943,3 and the Labor Management Relations Act (Taft-Hartley) in 1947." It is the purpose of this article to examine the development of the law and to assess the impact it has had on the Dolitical activities of organi7pd Tshbr
An Explicit Simulation of Tropical Cyclones with a Triply Nested Movable Mesh Primitive Equation Model: TCM3. Part II: Model Refinements and Sensitivity to Cloud Microphysics Parameterization*

Abstract It has been long known that cloud microphysics can have a significant impact on the simulations of precipitation; however, there have been few studies so far that have investigated the effect of cloud microphysics on tropical cyclones. In the most advanced simulation of tropical cyclones by numerical models, the use of explicit cloud microphysics becomes more and more attractive with cumulus parameterization bypassed at very high resolutions. In this study, the sensitivity of the simulated tropical cyclone structure and intensity to the choice and details of cloud microphysics parameterization is investigated using the triply nested movable mesh tropical cyclone model TCM3 described in Part I but with several refinements. Three different cloud microphysics parameterization schemes are tested, including the warm-rain-only cloud microphysics scheme (WMRN) and two mixed-ice-phase cloud microphysics schemes, one of which has three ice species (cloud ice–snow–graupel; CTRL) while the other has hail in...
Comparative study of La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3, Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.2Fe0.8O3 and Sm0.5Sr0.5Co0.2Fe0.8O3 cathodes and the effect of Sm0.2Ce0.8O2 block layer in solid oxide fuel cells

Abstract In the pursuit for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cathode materials which can perform better at 800 °C, perovskite structure materials La 0.6 Sr 0.4 Co 0.2 Fe 0.8 O 3 (LSCF), Ba 0.5 Sr 0.5 Co 0.2 Fe 0.8 O 3 (BSCF), and Sm 0.5 Sr 0.5 Co 0.2 Fe 0.8 O 3 (SSCF) are studied. Their electrochemical performance as the cathodes is compared by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) at 800 °C for 100 h through an AISI 441 interconnect/cathode/yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte half-cell structure. SSCF cathode has the smallest polarization resistance and is the most desired cathode at 800 °C while BSCF cathode has the largest one. SrCrO 4 phase forms on the LSCF and SSCF cathodes near the interconnect, but not on the BSCF cathode. With the spin coating of ∼3 μm thick Sm 0.2 Ce 0.8 O 2 (SDC) block layer on the YSZ electrolyte, the polarization resistances of the three cathode materials all decrease. The SDC layer can effectively decrease the mismatch of the thermal expansion coefficients (TECs) between BSCF and YSZ.
Assessment of N-terminal prohormone B-type natriuretic peptide as a measure of vascular and ventricular function in pediatric pulmonary arterial hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive disease that puts excessive mechanical loads on the ventricle due to a gradual increase in pulmonary vascular impedance. We hypothesize that the increase in right ventricular (RV) afterload is reflected in the concentration of circulating biochemical markers of ventricular strain and stress (B-type natriuretic peptide [BNP] and N-terminal prohormone BNP [NT-proBNP]). We retrospectively analyzed right heart catheterization (RHC) and serum biochemical analysis data ([Formula: see text]) for a pediatric PAH cohort with no sign of left ventricular dysfunction. Using RHC data, we computed an estimate of pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), compliance, and ventricular-vascular coupling. We also compared how the early onset of interventricular decoupling (characterized as septal flattening) impacts serum NT-proBNP concentrations. Our data revealed correlated NT-proBNP expression with both the resistive and reactive components of RV afterload, an estimate of ventricular-vascular coupling, and a significant increase in biomarker expression in patients with a flattened interventricular septum. Furthermore, the strong correlation between PVR and NT-proBNP appears to break down under flat septum morphology. Over 80% of resistive RV afterload variance is reflected in serum NT-proBNP concentration in pediatric patients with PAH with no sign of left ventricular dysfunction. Reactive afterload appears to contribute to myocardial NT-proBNP release at advanced stages of PAH. Therefore, in mild-to-moderate PAH, resistive afterload is likely the greatest contributor to RV wall stress. These findings could also be used to estimate invasive RHC measurements from serum biochemical analysis, but more work is needed to improve correlations and overcome the issue of interventricular decoupling.
Voice, tone, and the rhetoric of narrative communication:

The essay argues for a rhetorical view of narrative communication as an author’s deployment of particular resources in order to generate certain responses in readers, and then examines the nature and possible functions of voice as a resource. It defines voice as the synthesis of style (diction and syntax), tone (a speaker’s attitude toward an utterance) and values (ideological and ethical), and then turns to analyzing the role of voice—and more particularly, the role of tone—in narrative communication. With George V Higgins’s The Friends of Eddie Coyle as Exhibit A, the essay examines the functions of voice and tone in fictional dialogue, and with Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking as Exhibit B, it examines their role in nonfictional narration. The essay concludes with a call for further analyses of voice and tone, even as it cautions that their roles may be more or less important as we move from one narrative to another.
Health-Related Quality of Life, Functional Status, and Cardiac Event-Free Survival in Patients With Heart Failure.

BACKGROUND Health-related quality of life (HRQOL), functional status, and cardiac event-free survival are outcomes used to assess the effectiveness of interventions in patients with heart failure (HF). However, the nature of the relationships among HRQOL, functional status, and cardiac event-free survival remains unclear. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to examine the nature of the relationships among HRQOL, functional status, and cardiac event-free survival in patients with HF. METHODS This was a prospective, observational study of 313 patients with HF that was a secondary analysis from a registry. At baseline, patient demographic and clinical data were collected. Health-related quality of life was assessed using the Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire and functional status was measured using the Duke Activity Status Index. Cardiac event-free survival data were obtained by patient interview, hospital database, and death certificate review. Multiple linear and Cox regressions were used to explore the relationships among HRQOL, functional status, and cardiac event-free survival while adjusting for demographic and clinical factors. RESULTS Participants (n = 313) were men (69%), white (79%), and aged 62 ± 11 years. Mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 35% ± 14%. The mean HRQOL score of 32.3 ± 20.6 indicated poor HRQOL. The mean Duke Activity Status Index score of 16.2 ± 12.9 indicated poor functional status. Cardiac event-free survival was significantly worse in patients who had worse HRQOL or poorer functional status. Patients who had better functional status had better HRQOL (P < .001). Health-related quality of life was not a significant predictor of cardiac event-free survival after entering functional status in the model (P = .54), demonstrating that it was a mediator of the relationship between HRQOL and outcome. CONCLUSION Functional status was a mediator between HRQOL and cardiac event-free survival. These data suggest that intervention studies to improve functional status are needed.
Freedom from Want: Famine Relief in the Horn of Africa

OF THESIS: FREEDOM FROM WANT: FAMINE RELIEF IN THE HORN OF AFRICA The United States, during both the Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan administrations, pursued humanitarian relief in the Horn of Africa and East Africa with an eye towards Cold War politics. During the Carter administration the focus was on Ethiopia and the regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam, while during the Reagan administration the United States’ efforts were mainly targeted towards Sudan and the regime of Gaffar Nimeiry. In both instances, the United States was concerned with the politics of the Cold War, trying to create a more positive image of the U.S. abroad by relieving world hunger, while also propping up governments that supported U.S. interests during the Cold War against the Soviet Union.
ROBUST INVERSION OF SINGULARITY OF ROBOT MANIPULATORS

The singularity problem is inherent in controlling articulated robot manipulators. In this paper, we de-termine the required joint motion of the end effectors by evaluating their accuracy and feasibility. The ro-bust inversion of singularity of the Jacobian matrix provides a motion approaching to the desired cartesiantrajectory at or in the neighborhood of singular points for the end effector, even when the inversekinematic solution represented by Jacobian matric inversion or pscudo inversion is infeasible.
Rights as an Administrative Tool: An Appeal to State and Local Bureaucrats

On March 12, 1939, W. B. Hayes wrote a letter to Indiana congressman George Gillie. The letter began with personal touches, meant to signal Hayes's standing and trustworthiness: Hayes recalled a time when the two men had met at the Shrine Temple in Fort Wayne, and noted his own government service as a local postmaster in Garrett. Then on to business: Hayes's mother-in-law, Lulu Brown, had recently applied for Old Age Assistance in DeKalb County and had been rejected, on account of the fact that she now lived periodically with her adult children in neighboring states (Hayes himself resided in Beulah, Michigan). Yet DeKalb County had been her home from 1900 until her husband died in 1937, Hayes explained; she would live there still were it not for her poor health and utter destitution. Invoking the well-established image of the despised foreign pauper – which surely Mrs. Brown was above – Hayes urged Gillie to ensure that she not be treated “as an alien.” It was a letter from a disappearing era, when patronage politics and community reputation played a decisive role in who received aid. The reply, three days later, suggested the broad changes afoot: Congressman Gillie reported that he had consulted with no less than the assistant general counsel of the federal Social Security Board and learned that public assistance was Mrs. Brown's legal right. As a technical matter, residence was mostly a matter of intent, the federal lawyer had explained to Gillie, so Mrs. Brown's travels outside the state did not disqualify her from receiving benefits; she was “entitled” to assistance from Indiana. For Mrs. Brown, in other words, poor relief was no longer a matter of discretion, dependent on community understandings of deservingness and conditioned on rigid adherence to community norms. It was her right. Gillie urged Hayes to pass this message directly to the county authorities and to appeal to Indiana's state welfare agency (a process to which Mrs. Brown was also now entitled) if they did not come around. Whether Lulu Brown ultimately received the aid she sought, these records do not say, but they do reveal an even more important phenomenon. From the Social Security Board down to the residents of DeKalb County, a new concept was circulating: for large groups of Americans, government assistance was the legal right of all those who met basic eligibility requirements.
Production of Aromatic Hydrocarbons via Catalytic Pyrolysis of Biomass over Fe-Modified HZSM-5 Zeolites

Iron-modified HZSM-5 catalysts were prepared by partial ion exchange of NH4ZSM-5 with Fe(II) at three different loadings (1.4, 2.8 and 4.2 wt %), and their effectiveness for producing aromatic hydrocarbons from cellulose, cellobiose, lignin and switchgrass by catalytic pyrolysis was screened using a microscale pyrolysis reactor coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (py-GC/MS). Two different catalyst to biomass ratios of 10/1 and 5/1 (w/w) were studied to determine the varying effects at full and partial conversion of the primary oxygenated pyrolysis vapors. Among the four catalysts screened (including the parent HZSM-5), the one loaded with iron at 1.4 wt % Fe [Fe-HZSM-5 (1.4)] produced the largest increase in production of aromatic hydrocarbons from cellulose, cellobiose and lignin. From cellulose, a carbon yield of selected aromatics (benzene, toluene, o,p-xylenes, ethylbenzene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, naphthalene and 2-methylnapthalene) of ∼18% was achieved with Fe-HZSM-5 (1.4), and for cel...
Workplace Climate and STEM Faculty Women’s Job Burnout

ABSTRACTWe examine aspects of the workplace climate associated with job burnout among STEM university faculty: access to information, faculty influence in decision-making, scholarly isolation, coworker social support, and interpersonal conflict. Data were taken from a survey of faculty in STEM departments at a midsized Midwestern university (N = 117). While controlling for rank and tenure status, STEM faculty—particularly women—who reported less access to information needed to do their jobs and greater interpersonal conflict reported higher job burnout. Implications for universities, as well as therapeutic interventions for professionals working with STEM faculty or as consultants with faculty groups, are discussed.