cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Twinning, nonrighthandedness, and fusion malformations: Evidence for heritable causal elements held in common

Certain relatively common congenital malformations that are reported to be excessive in frequency among twins are also found in excess among first-degree relatives of twins. They are familially associated with each other. Like twinning, they are familially associated with nonrighthandedness (NRH). They also share the fact that they affect structures that are built by the fusion of bilateral embryonic halves and then remodeled under the influence of neural crest mesenchyme. This conjunction of associations suggests that twinning, NRH, and the fusion malformations share causal elements, some of which may be heritable. Determination of spatial relationships in embryogenesis ("embryonic body symmetry determination") and the functions of neural crest mesenchyme may be mechanisms unifying these effects.
The enhanced rate of transcription of methyl mercury-exposed DNA by RNA polymerase is not sufficient to explain the stimulatory effect of methyl mercur

Previous work demonstrated two stimulatory effects of methyl mercury on nucleic acid synthesis: (1) in isolated nuclei, methyl mercury stimulates RNA synthesis which is catalyzed by RNA polymerase II [Frenkel and Randles, J. Biol. Chem. 257, 6275-6279 (1982)]. (2) Brief exposure of purified DNA to methyl mercury increases the rate of its transcription by purified RNA polymerase II [Frenkel, Cain, and Chao, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 127, 849-856 (1985)]. The latter effect was considered as a possible mechanism of the former. Two lines of evidence are presented here which demonstrate that the latter effect is not a sufficient explanation for the former. (1) Mercuric perchlorate has been found to increase the rate of DNA transcription by purified polymerase and the template properties of the mercuric perchlorate-exposed DNA have been found to resemble those of methyl mercury-exposed DNA. Nevertheless, mercuric perchlorate has been shown not to stimulate RNA synthesis in isolated HeLa nuclei. (2) In isolated nuclei of the B50 rat neuroblastoma cell line, RNA synthesis has been found to be stimulated only minimally by methyl mercury. Nevertheless, RNA polymerase II purified from the B50 cells has been found to transcribe methyl mercury-exposed DNA at a higher rate than unexposed control DNA.
Fate of vanadium determined by nitrous oxide–acetylene flame atomic absorption spectrometry in unburned and burned Venezuelan crude oil

Abstract The use of nitrous oxide–acetylene flame atomic absorption spectrometry for the determination of vanadium in burned and unburned Venezuelan crude oil was demonstrated. Results from laboratory controlled experiments suggest that if the temperature typically obtained in the burning of oil as a form of re-mediation (∼1000 °C), then vanadium will not be removed from burning crude oil. This was found to be the case in an open container, on the surface of water, and on the surface of a fixed size sandy soil.
Complexity and the relaxation of hierarchical structures.

We solve exactly the problem of diffusion in an arbitrary hierarchical space. We prove that for a given "tree silhouette" $0lsl1$ the dynamic critical exponent $\ensuremath{\nu}$ ranges from $\frac{s}{(1\ensuremath{-}s)}$, for either uniformly or randomly multifurcating trees, to $s$ for the most diverse ones, in qualitative agreement with a static measure of the tree's complexity. We conclude that uniform trees are optimal for information diffusion, that in thermally activated processes the temperature dependence of $\ensuremath{\nu}$ varies with the underlying tree structure, and that thin elongated trees are the only ones capable of producing a $\frac{1}{f}$ spectrum.
Quark-hadron duality in the ’t Hooft model for meson weak decays: Different quark diagram topologies

The authors compare the effects of different quark diagram topologies on the weak hadronic width of heavy-light mesons in the large N{sub c} limit. They enumerate the various topologies and show that the only one dominant (or even comparable) in powers of N{sub c} to the noninteracting spectator ''tree'' diagram is the ''annihilation'' diagram, in which the valence quark-antiquark pair annihilate weakly. They compute the amplitude for this diagram in the 't Hooft model (QCD in 1+1 spacetime dimensions with a large number of colors N{sub c}) at the hadronic level and compare to the Born term partonic level. They find that quark-hadron duality is not well satisfied, even after the application of a smearing procedure to the hadronic result. A number of interesting subtleties absent from the tree diagram case arise in the annihilation diagram case, and are described in detail.
Factors Explaining Excess Stroke Prevalence in the US Stroke Belt

Background and Purpose— Higher risk and burden of stroke have been observed within the southeastern states (the Stroke Belt) compared with elsewhere in the United States. We examined reasons for these disparities using a large data set from a nationwide cross-sectional study. Methods— Self-reported data from the 2005 and 2007 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were used (n=765 368). The potential contributors for self-reported stroke prevalence (n=27 962) were demographics (age, sex, geography, and race/ethnicity), socioeconomic status (education and income), common risk factors (smoking and obesity), and chronic diseases (hypertension, diabetes, and coronary heart disease). Multivariate logistic regression was used in the analysis. Results— The age- and sex-adjusted OR comparing self-reported stroke prevalence in the 11-state Stroke Belt versus non-Stroke Belt region was 1.25 (95% CI, 1.19 to 1.31). Unequal black/white distribution by region accounted for 20% of the excess prevalence in the Strok...
Association of serum aryl hydrocarbon receptor activity and RBC omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids with flow-mediated dilation in healthy, young Hispanic cigarette smokers

Impaired flow-mediated dilation (FMD) occurs prior to clinical disease in young cigarette smokers. We investigated two potential biomarkers of FMD: serum aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) activity and RBC omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in healthy young Hispanic cigarette smokers. We recruited never (n = 16) and current (n = 16) Hispanic smokers (32 ± 7 years old), excluding individuals with clinical cardiovascular disease. We measured FMD with duplex ultrasound, RBC fatty acids and serum AHR activity using a luciferase reporter assay. FMD was significantly impaired in smokers (5.8 ± 4%) versus never smokers (12.3 ± 7.4%, p = 0.001). Serum AHR activity was significantly increased in smokers (1467 ± 358 relative light units (RLU)) versus never smokers (689 ± 251 RLU, p < 0.001), and correlated positively with FMD only in smokers (r = 0.691, p < 0.004). RBC percentage of α-linolenic acid (ALA%) was significantly increased in smokers (0.14 ± 0.03%) versus never smokers (0.11 ± 0.03%, p = 0.018), and correlated inversely with FMD only in smokers (r = −0.538, p = 0.03). The combination of serum AHR activity, ALA%, and systolic blood pressure significantly correlated with FMD in a multivariable regression model (r = 0.802, p < 0.008). These results suggest that serum AHR activity and RBC ALA% could serve as biomarkers of FMD in healthy, young Hispanic cigarette smokers.
Focusing on Positive Affect in Dance/Movement Therapy: A Qualitative Study

This qualitative study investigated how a small sample (n = 3) of dance/movement therapists consciously attended to and employed interventions to address positive affect within adult dance/movement therapy (DMT) groups. While there is anecdotal evidence of such a focus in the field, limited data regarding positive affect has emerged in the literature. A semi-structured interview methodology was used to collect data that was coded and analyzed, resulting in 13 themes across the four categories of therapeutic interventions, therapeutic intentions and goals, client attributes, and therapist attributes. Findings included interventions used and their apparent effects, as well as identifying therapeutic intentions and goals that seemed to lay the groundwork for positive affect. Data pointed to a need for development of positive affect in clients, including tolerance of it. Participants’ rationales for focusing on positive affect, participants’ relationship to positive affect, and the importance they placed on guarding against their bias toward positive affect were other themes. Lastly, the results lend support to a focus on positive affect in DMT and to the utility of a qualitative methodology for building an understanding of this topic.
Structural, magnetic, and electrical properties of thin film Pd/Co layered structures

Abstract We report on properties of layered coherent structures of Pd and Co, prepared by RF sputtering. X-ray diffraction analysis characterizes these films as having a well-ordered periodic structure (periods λ in the range 10A
Inside-out integrin signalling

Integrins are expressed by virtually all cells and play key roles in a range of cellular processes. Changes in the integrin surface repertoire provide a means of altering the strength and ligand preferences of cell adhesion. Recent research has examined the affinity modulation of integrins, a rapid and versatile mechanism of cell adhesion regulation. Studies with a prototype, alpha IIb beta 3, indicate that intracellular events influence the conformation and ligand-binding affinity of the extracellular domain of integrins. This 'inside-out' signal transduction appears to be mediated through the integrin cytoplasmic domains. In addition, in some cases affinity modulation of integrins may be cell-type specific. The clarification of the mechanisms of integrin affinity modulation should help explain rapid changes in cell adhesion that occur during cell migration, aggregation and the cell cycle.
Living Donation: The Global Perspective

Of 195 independent countries in the world, 83 have transplant programs. Some countries (areas) have emphasized living donation; others, decreased donation. As a consequence, rates of living donation vary widely between geographic areas and often between countries within the same geographic area. The major ethical issue in living donation is the risk to the donor. Internationally, numerous guidelines have been developed outlining acceptable donor evaluation and criteria for approval. An ongoing issue is that there remains considerable variation between countries (and programs within a country) in evaluation and in acceptance criteria. A major problem for most countries is the shortage of organs. As a consequence, illegal or quasi-legal unregulated markets have developed in some areas. These markets have not provided protection for either donor or recipient. The transplant community has taken a unified stand against these underground unregulated markets.
A row-action based L 1 -minimization approach to robust fluorescent tomography

We present a row-action method based on minimization of the L1 norm for improving the accuracy of fluorescent tomography in reconstruction of fluorescent objects. The method is validated using a CW system and milk-based phantoms.
Donor disposition and aliphatic conformation effects on structure in luminescent zinc dicarboxylate coordination polymers with isomeric dipyridylamide coligands

Hydrothermal reaction of zinc nitrate, a four-carbon chain dicarboxylic acid, and one of three isomeric dipyridylamide coligands has afforded a family of six new coordination polymers, which have been structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The binding modes and conformations of the dicarboxylate ligands and the nitrogen donor disposition within the dipyridylamide coligands provide crucial structure-directing roles in this system. {[Zn(fum)(3-pina)]·1.5H2O}n (1, fum = fumarate, 3-pina = 3-pyridylisonicotinamide) has a 4-fold interpenetrated 43628 sra topology. [Zn(fum)(4-pna)]n (2, 4-pna = 4-pyridylnicotinamide) possesses a 4-fold interpenetrated 66dia topology, while [Zn(fum)(4-pina)]n (3, 4-pina = 4-pyridylisonicotinamide) has a 2-fold interpenetrated 41263pcu topology with dimeric cluster nodes. [Zn3(mal)2(OH)2(4-pina)2]n (4, mal = maleate) has neutral [Zn3(mal)2(OH)2]n ribbons linked into a (3,6) triangular layer. [Zn(suc)(4-pina)]n (5, suc = succinate) displays an uncommon 6-connected self-penetrated 446108 mab topology, while instead [Zn(suc)(4-pna)]n (6) has a simple corrugated (4,4) grid structure. Thermal and luminescent properties of these new materials have also been investigated.
Relationships between Scores of Gifted Students on Stanford-Binet IV and the SRA Educational Ability Series

The purpose of this study was to determine the viability of the use of group ability scores to screen gifted students. Fifty gifted students (22 boys, 28 girls) were tested with the gifted identification battery from Stanford-Binet IV and the SRA Educational Ability Series (EAS). Several Pearson product-moment correlations, corrected for restriction of range, were statistically significant and appear to be sufficiently high for the EAS to serve adequately as a screening test. The discrepancies between the standard scores of the two tests were low and favored the EAS.
Psychological Reactions of Children with Malignancies

Abstract A study using projective techniques was designed to determine how children with malignancies experience themselves and the world around them. Questions were asked regarding the ability to handle stress based on age and sex and hypotheses were made on the basis of previous clinical experience. Contrary to expenations the older boys were found to be more realistic than the girls. whereas the young boys are more at risk psychologically. Other measures of fantasy. ego strength. and emotional responsiveness are described and statistically analyzed.
Thermal Convection Around a Heat Source Embedded in a Box Containing a Saturated Porous Medium

A study of the thermal convection around a uniform flux cylinder embedded in a box containing a saturated porous medium is carried out experimentally and theoretically. The experimental work includes heat transfer and temperature field measurements. It is observed that for low Rayleigh numbers, the flow is two dimensional and time independent. Once a critical Rayleigh number is exceeded, the flow undergoes a Hopf bifurcation and becomes three dimensional and time dependent. The theoretical study involves the numerical solution of the two-dimensional Darcy-Oberbeck-Boussinesq equations. The complicated geometry is conveniently handled by mapping the physical domain onto a rectangle via the use of boundary-fitted coordinates. The numerical code can easily be extended to handle diverse geometric configurations. For low Rayleigh numbers, the theoretical results agree favorably with the experimental observations. However, the appearance of three-dimensional flow phenomena limits the range of utility of the numerical code.
Successful non-operative management of a contained tracheal tear following iatrogenic endotracheal tube injury

We describe the case of a 5-year-old girl who was intubated in the field and sustained a severe tracheal injury resulting in a pneumothorax and extensive subcutaneous emphysema. She was treated without operative intervention and this tracheal tear was observed by serial bronchoscopy. After 6 weeks the trachea was well healed; in select cases non-operative management is a safe and effective strategy for contained tracheal injuries.
Designing multi-product lines: job routing in cellular manufacturing systems

An operation sequence-based method which integrates intra-cell layout cost with cell formation to minimize the total cost of the materials flow and machine investment is developed here for designing a cellular manufacturing system. The method comprises three distinct approaches: part-family formation, cell-formation, and layout configuration. In the first phase, an operation sequence-based similarity coefficient is applied in a p-median model to group the parts to form part families with similar operation sequences. In the second phase, machine assignment to part families is determined where a trade-off between potential inter-cell movement cost due to the. bottleneck machine and the potential benefit of assigning bottleneck machines to certain part-family is considered. In the third phase, intra-cell layout is determined for each cell so as to refine the initial layout of the cell further. Numerical examples are employed to demonstrate the mechanism of the procedure throughout all phases. A comparative s...
HETERO-ALKOXIDE GROUP (IV) AND (V) NEO-PENTOXIDE COMPOUNDS. SYNTHESES, CHARACTERIZATIONS, AND X-RAY STRUCTURES OF [Zr(μ-OCHMe2)(OCH2CMe3)3(HOCH2CMe3)]2 AND [Ta(μ-OCH2Me)(OCH2CMe3)4]2

Abstract The alcoholysis exchange between excess HONp and [Zr(OPri)4(HOPri)]2 or “Ta(OEt)5” led to isolation of the mixed-alkoxide compounds [Zr(μ-OPri)(ONp)3(HONp)]2 (1) and [Ta(μ-OEt)(ONp)4]2 (2), respectively. Compounds 1 and 2 were found to adopt an edge-shared bioctahedral geometry, [M(μ-OR')(OR)5]2, with the smaller ligands acting as the bridge between the two metal centers. For 1, the octahedral geometry around the metal center is completed by the coordination of a HONp solvent molecule. The solid state structure of 1 was retained in saturated solutions but at lower concentrations, dynamic behavior associated with a mononuclear-dinuclear equilibrium was observed. For 2, at low concentrations an equilibrium between mononuclear and dinuclear complexes was noted; however, at higher concentrations a dinuclear-higher-nuclearity equilibrium was noted.
Rich results from poor resources: NTCIR-4 monolingual and cross-lingual retrieval of korean texts using chinese and english

We report on Korean monolingual, Chinese-Korean English-as-pivot bilingual, and Chinese-English bilingual CLIR experiments using MT software augmented with Web-based entity-oriented translation as resources in the NTCIR-4 environment. Simple stemming is helpful in improving bigram indexing for Korean retrieval. For word indexing, keeping nouns only is preferable. Web-based translation reduces untranslated terms left over after MT and substantially improves CLIR results. Translation concatenation is found to consistently improve CLIR effectiveness, while combining a retrieval list from bigram and word indexing is also helpful. A method to disambiguate multiple MT outputs using a log likelihood ratio threshold was tested. Depending on the nature of the title or description queries, bigram only or a retrieval combination, or relaxed or rigid evaluations, direct bilingual CLIR returned an average precision of 71--79p (English-Korean) and 76--84p (Chinese-English) of the corresponding Korean-Korean and English-English monolingual results. Using English as a pivot in Chinese-Korean CLIR provides about 55--65p the effectiveness that Korean alone does. Entity/terminology translation at the pivot language stage accounts for a large portion of this deficiency. A topic with comparatively worse Chinese-English bilingual result does not necessarily mean that it will continue to under-perform (after further transitive Korean translation) at the Korean retrieval level.
Ascending afferents to the telencephalon of ranid frogs: An anterograde degeneration study†

Sources of telencephalic afferents were examined in two species of frogs, Rana catesbeiana and Rana pipiens, by study of anterograde degeneration resulting from hemisection of the brain at the isthmus or at the caudal border of the thalamus and from electrolytic lesions in various portions of the diencephalon. The results indicate that some telencephalic afferents arise from levels caudal to the isthmus, that some striatal afferents arise from the level between the isthmus and the caudal border of the thalamus, and that a projection to the ipsilateral striatum arises from the anterior and/or middle portions of the dorsal thalamus. Diencephalic projections to pallial portions of the hemisphere were also observed. These results demonstrate substantial non-olfactory afferent projections to the telencephalon in ranid frogs.
Arm Locking for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission is a planned gravitational wave detector consisting of three spacecraft in heliocentric orbit. Laser interferometry is used to measure distance fluctuations between test masses aboard each spacecraft to the picometer level over a 5 million kilometer separation. Laser frequency fluctuations must be suppressed in order to meet the measurement requirements. Arm-locking, a technique that uses the constellation of spacecraft as a frequency reference, is a proposed method for stabilizing the laser frequency. We consider the problem of arm-locking using classical optimal control theory and find that our designs satisfy the LISA requirements.
Ridge tillage effects on simulated water and heat transport

Abstract Ridged soil surface configurations are often used as a management tool to improve the plant root environment. Possible benefits for ridge tillage systems include warmer and dryer seed-zone soil conditions in the spring, better control of wheel-traffic patterns, and better crop residue management for erosion control. This study compared soil physical properties in the plant row, the untracked interrow, and the wheel-tracked interrow positions for a ridge tillage system on three soils. Soil property information was used to model the effects of soil variability and ridge height on subsurface water and heat transport. Simulated water and heat flow in a ridge seemed to be different from that of a flat surface. Taller ridges had a greater influence on water and heat movement than shorter ridges. There seems to be an optimum ridge height for fastest warming and drying. Variable soil properties affected predicted soil temperature distributions less than predicted matric potential distributions. The compacted zone had a lower matric potential deep in the profile and a higher matric potential near the surface than the uncompacted zone.
A study of rare earth element (REE)-SiO 2 variations in felsic liquids generated by basalt fractionation and amphibolite melting: a potential test for discriminating between the two different processes

The origin of felsic magmas (>63% SiO2) in intra-oceanic arc settings is still a matter of debate. Two very different processes are currently invoked to explain their origin. These include fractional crystallization of basaltic magma and partial melting of lower crustal amphibolite. Because both fractionation and melting can lead to similar major element, trace element and isotopic characteristics in felsic magmas, such lines of evidence have been generally unsuccessful in discriminating between the two processes. A commonly under-appreciated aspect of rare earth element (REE) solid–liquid partitioning behavior is that D REE for most common igneous minerals (especially hornblende) increase significantly with increasing liquid SiO2 contents. For some minerals (e.g., hornblende and augite), REE partitioning can change from incomptatible (D 1) at high liquid SiO2. When this behavior is incorporated into carefully constrained mass-balance models for mafic (basaltic) amphibolite melting, intermediate (andesitic) amphibolite melting, lower or mid to upper crustal hornblende-present basalt fractionation, and mid to upper crustal hornblende-absent basalt fractionation the following general predictions emerge for felsic magmas (e.g., ∼63 to 76% SiO2). Partial melting of either mafic or intermediate amphibolite should, regardless of the type of melting (equilibrium, fractional, accumulated fractional) yield REE abundances that remain essentially constant and then decrease, or steadily decrease with increasing liquid SiO2 content. At high liquid SiO2 contents LREE abundances should be slightly enriched to slightly depleted (i.e., C l/C o ∼ 2 to 0.2) while HREE abundances should be slightly depleted (C l/C o ∼ 1 to 0.2). Lower crustal hornblende-bearing basalt fractionation should yield roughly constant REE abundances with increasing liquid SiO2 and exhibit only slight enrichment (C l/C o ∼ 1.2). Mid to upper crustal hornblende-bearing basalt fractionation should yield steadily increasing LREE abundances but constant and then decreasing HREE abundances. At high liquid SiO2 contents LREE abundances may range from non-enriched to highly enriched (C l/C o ∼ 1 to 5) while HREE abundances are generally non-enriched to only slightly enriched (C l/C o ∼ 1 to 2). Hornblende-absent basalt fractionation should yield steadily increasing REE abundances with increasing liquid SiO2 contents. At high SiO2 contents both LREE and HREE are highly enriched (C l/C o ∼ 3 to 4). It is proposed that these model predictions constitute a viable test for determining a fractionation or amphibolite melting origin for felsic magmas in intra-oceanic arc environments where continental crust is absent.
Super-resolution based on low-resolution warped images

Super-resolution based on sequences of low-resolution images has many applications. Among these is improving the image quality of video images, particularly images of historical interest and images from security cameras. Successive frames have slightly different views, or projections, of the object. Not unlike the methods used in computerized tomography, these projections can be combined to produce an image with better resolution than any of the low-resolution views. We observe that in real images even the simplest objects are warped in successive frames. We estimate the warping parameters of each frame and then estimate the object by iterative deconvolution. This forces an appropriate match between a model for the data and the actual data. We show computer simulations of the method and we show some experimental results.
Risk stratification among diabetic patients undergoing stress myocardial perfusion imaging.

Previous studies have suggested that diabetic patients undergoing single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) are at greater risk for cardiac events than non-diabetic patients with both normal and abnormal imaging results. However, the impact of stress modality on outcomes in this patient group has not been examined. The data on all patients undergoing exercise stress or vasodilator stress SPECT MPI from 1996 to 2005 were reviewed. After excluding patients based on our predefined criteria, we subcategorized the study population into diabetic patients and non-diabetic patients. Among the diabetic patients, we identified patients with known coronary artery disease (CAD) and no known CAD. All studies were interpreted using the 17-segment ASNC model. The presence, extent, and severity of perfusion defects were calculated using the summed stress score (SSS), and patients were classified into normal (SSS 8) categories. The annualized cardiac event rate including cardiac death and non-fatal myocardial infarction was calculated over a mean follow-up period of 2.4 ± 1.4 years with a maximum of 6 years. The cardiac event rate was statistically significantly lower in diabetic patients undergoing exercise stress MPI when compared to the diabetic patients undergoing pharmacological stress MPI across all three perfusion categories (1.3% vs 3.4%, 2.3% vs 5.7%, 4.2% vs 10.7%, respectively). Diabetic patients with no known CAD, who underwent exercise stress MPI had significantly lower cardiac events across all three perfusion categories as compared to the remainder of the diabetic population. Ability to perform exercise stress test was the strongest multivariate predictor of favorable outcome, whereas ejection fraction < 50%, abnormal perfusion imaging on SPECT MPI, and increasing age stood out as independent predictors of adverse outcome in the diabetic patients. Within the abnormal perfusion category, the annualized cardiac event rate among patients undergoing exercise stress SPECT MPI was not statistically different between the diabetic and non-diabetic cohorts. Diabetic patients undergoing exercise SPECT MPI have a significantly better prognosis than those undergoing pharmacological stress, more similar to patients without diabetes. In patients with diabetes exercise stress test MPI identifies low risk patients and provides precise risk stratification.
Inflammatory ascending aortic disease: perspectives from pathology.

Inflammatory diseases of the aorta comprise a spectrum of disease with diverse clinical and histopathologic presentations. Broadly, they may be dichotomized into infectious and noninfectious varieties. Although uncommon, infectious forms, caused by bacteria, fungi, or mycobacteria, may result from hematogenous seeding of the aorta or direct spread from a contiguous infectious source. The noninfectious forms include a number of entities, the most common of which is atherosclerosis, a disease that primarily affects the aortic intima but has important secondary effects on the media and adventitia that may result in aneurysm formation. Other important noninfectious inflammatory diseases include giant cell arteritis, Takayasu arteritis, granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener granulomatosis), sarcoidosis, and lymphoplasmacytic aortitis. Importantly, there is increasing recognition that there is a subset of cases of lymphoplasmacytic aortitis perhaps better classified under the spectrum of so-called IgG4-related sclerosing disease, with important clinical and therapeutic ramifications. This review focuses on the variable and defining characteristics of the inflammatory aortopathies, specifically those affecting the ascending aorta, and discusses areas of important clinical and pathological distinction between them.
The use of hydroxyapatite cements in craniofacial surgery

Hydroxyapatite cements are a useful adjunct in treatment of deficiencies of the craniofacial skeleton. They provide a rapid and reliable method of correcting bony defects or contour deformities. Although they are alloplastic, their high degree of tissue tolerance and their demonstrated ability to incorporate within host bone make problems such as infection and extrusion rare. As with any alloplast, sound surgical principles should be used to avoid these complications. There should always be an acceptable overlying soft tissue envelope and minimal contamination of the operative site. Theoretical concerns about potential growth disturbance have not been borne out in experimental studies or by clinical experience.However, more extensive follow-up of patients will be needed to resolve these issues.
Progressive right ventricular functional and structural changes in a mouse model of pulmonary arterial hypertension

Right ventricle (RV) dysfunction occurs with progression of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) due to persistently elevated ventricular afterload. A critical knowledge gap is the molecular mechanisms that govern the transition from RV adaptation to RV maladaptation, which leads to failure. Here, we hypothesize that the recently established mouse model of PAH, via hypoxia and SU5416 treatment (HySu), captures that transition from adaptive to maladaptive RV remodeling including impairments in RV function and decreases in the efficiency of RV interactions with the pulmonary vasculature. To test this hypothesis, we exposed C57BL6 male mice to 0 (control), 14, 21, and 28 days of HySu and then obtained synchronized RV pressure and volume measurements in vivo. With increasing HySu exposure duration, arterial afterload increased monotonically, leading to a continuous increase in RV stroke work, RV fibrosis, and RV wall stiffening (P < 0.05). RV contractility increased at 14 days of HySu exposure and then plateaued (P < 0.05). As a result, ventricular–vascular coupling efficiency tended to increase at 14 days and then decrease. Our results suggest that RV remodeling may begin to shift from adaptive to maladaptive with increasing duration of HySu exposure, which would mimic changes in RV function with PAH progression found clinically. However, for the duration of HySu exposure used here, no drop in cardiac output was found. We conclude that the establishment of a mouse model for overt RV failure due to PAH remains an important task.
Liver Cancer and Alcohol

Annually, hepatocellular carcinoma is diagnosed in approximately a half-million people worldwide. Based on the association of alcohol with cancer, a International Agency for Research on Cancer working group recently deemed alcoholic beverages "carcinogenic to humans," causally related to occurrence of malignant tumors of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, colorectum, and female breast. Alcohol metabolism in the liver leads to reactive oxygen species production, induction of activity of cytochrome P450s, and reduction of antioxidants. This review analyzes the epidemiology and pathogenesis of alcohol in hepatocellular cancer.
Kerr–Schild structure and harmonic 2-forms on (A)dS–Kerr–NUT metrics

Abstract We demonstrate that the general (A)dS–Kerr–NUT solutions in D dimensions with ( [ D / 2 ] , [ ( D + 1 ) / 2 ] ) signature admit [ D / 2 ] linearly-independent, mutually-orthogonal and affinely-parameterised null geodesic congruences. This enables us to write the metrics in a multi-Kerr–Schild form, where the mass and all of the NUT parameters enter the metrics linearly. In the case of D = 2 n , we also obtain n harmonic 2-forms, which can be viewed as charged (A)dS–Kerr–NUT solution at the linear level of small-charge expansion, for the higher-dimensional Einstein–Maxwell theories. In the BPS limit, these 2-forms reduce to n − 1 linearly-independent ones, whilst the resulting Calabi–Yau metric acquires a Kahler 2-form, leaving the total number the same.
Review of dynamic burning of solid propellants in gun and rocket propulsion systems

Dynamic burning behavior in solid propellant combustion often occurs under a rapid pressure excursion and is caused by the finite relaxation times required for the solid and/or gas phases to adjust their temperature profiles. The instantaneous burning rate under transient conditions may therefore differ significantly from the steady-state value corresponding to the instantaneous pressure. The purpose of this review is: (1) to report the state-of-the-art on dynamic burning studies; (2) to explain the detailed mechanism of dynamic burning; (3) to classify the existing theories to facilitate more direct comparison; (4) to point out the limitations of each model and its general validity; (5) to summarize the important experimental observations and theoretical results; and (6) to describe the difficulties involved in the study of dynamic burning effects so that the technological gaps of information needed in this area are made clear.
Topic knowledge, cognitive interest, and text recall: A microanalysis.

AbstractIn a paper published in 1980, Kintsch argued that, everything else being equal, cognitive interest in a descriptive text is determined by how much a reader knows about the topic of the text. In the present study, a descriptive text on the topic of Stephen Hawking and his scientific work was partitioned into paragraphs, and then, for each paragraph, topic knowledge, cognitive interest, and text recall of a group of adult readers were measured. The three variables were highly associated. Of particular interest, given Kintsch’s argument, was the finding that whereas readers knowing nothing or everything about Hawking were more likely to be uninterested than interested in the paragraphs, readers knowing something were more likely to be interested than uninterested. Implications for learning from text are discussed.
Fabrication and Demonstration of Electrowetting Liquid Lens Arrays

Reported is the fabrication and demonstration of an array of >12 000 switchable liquid microlenses, each ~300 mum in diameter and switchable through plano-concave to plano-convex. Electrowetting is used to modulate the contact angle of an aqueous/oil liquid system over a range of 100deg, resulting in a switchable dioptric range of -360 m-1 to 230 m-1. Compared to previous reports of single 2-6 mm electrowetting lenses, the fabrication process reported herein reduces the individual lenslet size by ~10times. To dose liquids into large arrays of these small liquid lenslets, a scalable self-assembled dosing process was developed. The completed liquid lens array has a fill factor of 50% which can be extended to >80%.
Lesion nematode involvement in potato early dying disease

Ohio field studies in microplots in the past 6 years have demonstrated a synergistic interaction of the lesion nematodePratylenchus penetrans withVerticillium dahliae in potato early dying. Tests with various populations ofP. penetrans andV. dahliae, alone and in combinations, have shown that disease occurs when both pathogens are present at populations which individually have little or no effect. Yield loss is not necessarily associated with foliar symptom development, but occurs with the addition of high temperature stress during tuberization. Comparative studies with two other species ofPratylenchus commonly found in Ohio potato soils have shown thatP. crenatus does not interact withV. dahliae and thatP. scribneri interacts only slightly. Since all three species feed and reproduce well on potato,Verticillium interactions probably are not due to wounding. The involvement ofPratylenchus withV. dahliae in potato early dying is an important factor that must be considered in the development of future crop-loss predictive systems.
Using the Locus of Control Personality Dimension as a Predictor of Online Behavior

Since the 16th century, the availability of communication technology has advanced the level and accessibility of commerce and personal freedoms. The advent of the computer as a personal communication tool has given individuals new power in their ability to communicate, gain information, and make decisions. A major paradigm shift has been in the control that the individual now has in a consumer role. The internet has provided consumers a vehicle by which they can actively participate in the decision-making process – from need recognition to post-purchase evaluation. Little research has been done to explore the personality characteristics of internet users.This study examines one aspect of personality, locus of control, and internet behavior. Research findings reveal substantial differences in internet usage and attitudes between a consumer's internal or external locus of control orientation. Results and future research relative to this study are discussed.
Coherent structure formation, phase correlations, and finite-size effects in 2D turbulence

General conditions for the formation of long-lived coherent vortices in decaying and force-driven 2-D turbulence are investigated. It is shown by a series of numerical simulations that the emergence of closed streamlines leading to the trapped trajectories of vorticity is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for this phenomenon, so that these trapped trajectories may be considered only as “seed vortices.” Numerical experiments which demonstrate the relations between phase correlations, finite-size effects, and the formation of coherent vortices in 2-D decaying turbulence are presented. It is shown that there is a universal dimensionless time for the onset of intermittency in the flow which corresponds to the time of establishment of phase correlations. The stricter conditions for appearance of coherent vortices in forced turbulence in comparison with decaying turbulence are associated with phase mixing introduced by random forcing. The universal features of decaying turbulence are discussed in terms of phase portraits based on inviscid constants of motion and their decay rates.
A Note on the Preparation of Saturated Solutions at Constant Temperatures

An easily constructed apparatus for the uniform agitation of solute-solvent combinations is described. It can be used effectively in many laboratory mixing problems.
Numerical simulations of laser ablated plumes using Particle-in-Cell (PIC) methods

Laser ablation of graphite materials in the presence of an external magnetic field is studied with the use of the newly developed HEIGHTS-PIC particle-in-cell code and compared with both theoretical and experimental results. Carbon plumes behavior controlled by a strong magnetic field is of interest to evaluate the plume shielding effects to protect the original exposed target from further damage and erosion. Since intense power deposition on plasma facing components is expected during Tokamaks loss of plasma confinement events such as disruptions, vertical displacements event, runaway electrons, or during normal operating conditions such as edge-localized modes, it is critical to better understand the evolving target plasma behavior for more accurate prediction of the potential damage created by these high-energetic dumps which may not be easily mitigated without loss of structural and functional performance of the plasma facing components. Numerical experiments have been performed to provide benchmarking conditions for the HEIGHTS-PIC simulation package originally designed to evaluate the erosion of the Tokamak surfaces, splashing of the melted/ablated-vaporized material, and transport into the bulk plasma with consequent plasma contamination. Evolving target plasma temperature and density are calculated and compared with measured reported values available into literature for similar conditions and show good agreement with the HEIGHTS-PIC package predictions.
Deep brain stimulation for treatment-resistant depression.

Background Major depressive disorder is a common and disabling illness and is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Despite aggressive medical, behavioral, and electroconvulsive therapies, a significant number of patients remain refractory to treatment. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has proven efficacy in neurobehavioral disorders and, in a general sense, works by modulation of corticostriatopallidothalamocortical circuits implicated in these disorders. Methods Current data, treatment rationales, and future directions are presented. Results The two targets most commonly used for DBS in treatment-resistant depression are the subgenual cingulate gyrus and the ventral capsule/ventral striatum. Data on DBS of these regions are preliminary, with promise shown in early studies. Conclusions Early work suggests DBS may become a therapeutic option in treatment-resistant depression. Further study is justified given the immense burden of disease.
Epiphytic algae on eelgrass at Roscoff, France

Abstract Algae growing as epiphytes on eelgrass, Zostera marina L., at Roscoff were investigated during one year by examining the species richness and abundance. The abundance of the algae, expressed as cover values, appeared to be influenced by the characteristics of the substrate, especially the ephemeral status and growth rate of the leaves. Colonization of the seagrass leaves occurred primarily on tips and edges, subsequently spreading over the faces to the base. The pioneers appeared to be the dominant, persistent taxa, of which Audouinella virgatula (Harv.) Dixon, Fosliella lejolisii (Rosan.) Howe, Myrionema magnusii (Sauv.) Lois. and the diatoms were most prominent. The oldest parts of fully grown leaves showed the most diverse epiphytic vegetation. Though there was a form of succession, a climax community was not reached. On examining the spatial distribution of the epiphytes, a group of characteristic taxa was seen to be accompanied by a second group, whose variation in occurrence seemed to be correlated with the height in the littoral.
Use of a network model interface to build spreadsheet models of process systems: a productivity enhancement tool for risk management studies

Abstract Network model representations have been used extensively to define process systems, such as scheduling problems, transshipment problems, etc. These representations are attractive because they provide an effective visualization of the interaction between the various activities in the system. Furthermore, advanced graph-theoretic techniques and heuristics for networks can be used to enhance problem solving. In this paper, we will show how graph-theoretic techniques can be used to translate a probabilistic network model of a sequence of process activities into a spreadsheet model. By incorporation graph-theoretic concepts such as connectivity, cardinality, dependency, cycles, critical paths, etc. into a novel software tool, the tedious and time consuming process of building the spreadsheet model is reduced by allowing the user to build the spreadsheet model directly from the network model of the process. Editing the network model is fast and easy. Once the user is satisfied with the network model, the tool converts it into a spreadsheet, which preserves the precedence relationships and attributes of the activities including their uncertainties. To illustrate the utility of the concept, we will show how the tool has been used to translate probabilistic network models describing the process of new product development into a spreadsheet for managing risk. Various criteria such as robustness and reliability are used to compare the spreadsheet model created by the tool with spreadsheet models built in a traditional way. The results indicate a 20-fold increase in speed while simultaneously increasing the robustness.
Phase-amplitude solution of the Schrödinger equation with application to free-free absorption.

The phase-amplitude method for solving the Schrodinger equation is implemented for free-free absorption in a hot, dense plasma. The method is benchmarked against two independent direct Schrodinger calculations.
Analysis of nonlinear coupled circuits

The method of high-order phase planes1 or phase space is applied to the solution of nonlinear coupled circuits. Two simple examples are given to illustrate the application of this method. In the first example, a nonlinear resistance is introduced in the primary circuit. In the second example, a nonlinear inductance is used. It is possible to extend the application of the method to circuits with nonlinear capacitance and nonlinear mutual inductance. The method is applicable to any number of coupled circuits with nonlinear elements in any of the meshes or in the coupling between the meshes.
A goal programming model for planning the development of newly reclaimed lands

Abstract A large-scale, multi-objective single-time-period model for planning the development of reclaimed lands is proposed. The period considered is a typical year at the most developed stage of the agricultural complex. Given specific development goals and a set of resource constraints, the model determines the optimal land allocation for the integrated agricultural development of a region, including agricultural and livestock production as well as agriindustries. Linear Goal Programming is the multi-objective technique used for model formulation. The technique proposed for the solution is a multi-phase simplex algorithm which is based on the IBM-MPSX/370.
Peritoneal tuberculosis with elevated serum Ca-125 level mimicking advanced stage ovarian cancer: a case report.

Background Tuberculosis is still a common problem in immigrant population with peritoneal tuberculosis as the most common presentation of extrapulmonary disease.