cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Emotional distress among adult survivors of childhood cancer.

The purposes of this study were to estimate the prevalence of emotional distress in a large cohort of adult survivors of childhood cancer and to evaluate the interrelationship of risk factors including cancer-related late effects. Adult survivors of childhood cancer (N = 1,863), median age of 32 years at follow-up, completed comprehensive medical evaluations. Clinically relevant emotional distress was assessed using the Brief Symptom Inventory 18 and was defined as T-scores ≥63. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using multivariable logistic regression models to identify risk factors for distress. Path analysis was used to examine associations among identified risk factors. Elevated global distress was reported by 15.1 % of survivors. Cancer-related pain was associated with elevated distress (OR 8.72; 95 % CI, 5.32–14.31). Survivors who reported moderate learning or memory problems were more likely to have elevated distress than survivors who reported no learning or memory problems (OR 3.27; 95 % CI, 2.17–4.93). Path analysis implied that cancer-related pain has a direct effect on distress symptoms and an indirect effect through socioeconomic status and learning or memory problems. Similar results were observed for learning or memory problems. Childhood cancer-related morbidities including pain and learning or memory problems appear to be directly and indirectly associated with elevated distress symptoms decades after treatment. Understanding these associations may help inform intervention targets for survivors of childhood cancer experiencing symptoms of distress. A subset of long-term childhood cancer survivors experience significant emotional distress. Physical and cognitive late effects may contribute to these symptoms.
Exertional syncope caused by left main coronary artery spasm

showed a patent right subclavian vein and superior vena cava (Fig. 3). Thrombolysis in the left subclavian vein was not attempted. Bleeding from a duodenal ulcer necessitated transfusion of two units of packed red cells during the thrombolytic therapy. Rapid resolution of facial and upper body swelling was noted over the next 3 days following thrombolysis. A year later, the patient is asymptomatic and is taking warfarin to maintain the prothrombin time at 15 seconds. Attempts at treatment of superior vena cava syndrome with anticoagulation alone, surgical repair, or thrombolysis followed by anticoagulation have met with variable success.3 Residual stenosis in the superior vena cava after successful thrombolytic therapy is often present and may be a factor in rethrombosis. 4* 5 Balloon angioplasty following thrombolytic therapy has several advantages. (1) It reduces the fibrotic stenosis that may serve as a nidus for rethrombosis. (2) It may potentially decrease the duration and dosage of the thrombolytic therapy by mechanical dissolution of clot locally. (3) A large initial lumen may aid in faster resolution of signs and symptoms of venous obstruction.
Computerizing Guidelines to Improve Care and Patient Outcomes: The Example of Heart Failure

Increasing amounts of medical knowledge, clinical data, and patient expectations have created a fertile environment for developing and using clinical practice guidelines. Electronic medical records have provided an opportunity to invoke guidelines during the everyday practice of clinical medicine to improve health care quality and control costs. In this paper, efforts to incorporate complex guidelines [those for heart failure from the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR)] into a network of physicians' interactive microcomputer workstations are reported. The task proved difficult because the guidelines often lack explicit definitions (e.g., for symptom severity and adverse events) that are necessary to navigate the AHCPR algorithm. They also focus more on errors of omission (not doing the right thing) than on errors of commission (doing the wrong thing) and do not account for comorbid conditions, concurrent drug therapy, or the timing of most interventions and follow-up. As they stand, the heart failure guidelines give good general guidance to individual practitioners, but cannot be used to assess quality or care without extensive "translation" into the local environment. Specific recommendations are made so that future guidelines will prove useful to a wide range of prospective users.
History of Temporomandibular Joint Surgery

This article reviews past surgical treatments for TMJ and their rationale. Because of poor outcomes with alloplastic materials in the 1980s, many experts believed TMJ surgery had failed. Those who advocated nonsurgical treatment condemned the entire discipline without recognizing the benefits of many surgical approaches. Only after 20 years of "good science" has TMJ surgery reemerged with many procedures proven highly effective.
DEVELOPMENT OF METHODS FOR SELECTION AND EVALUATION IN UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION

The purposes of this study were (1) to develop and validate measures of diagnostic problem solving that might be useful in the selection of medical students and in evaluating performance during training, and (2) to improve our understanding of the cognitive processes involved in such problem solving. The study involved three kinds of measures. (1) Criterion tests were paper-and-pencil simulations of the salient aspects of medical diagnostic situations. Three such problems used a free-response format that required examinees to think of ideas for themselves, while three employed a structured-response (expanded multiple-choice) format. (2) Experimental selection tests were paper-and-pencil simulations of situations that present problems of a nonmedical nature and that could presumably be solved by methods like those used for medical problems. Both free-response and structured-response problems were included. (3) Process measures were selected from existing test batteries to measure cognitive abilities and personality characteristics thought to be involved in carrying out problem-solving activities. All three kinds of measures were administered to 122 fourth-year medical students. The selection tests and the process variables were given to 97 first-year students. Finally, a small number (30) of advanced residents took the criterion tests only. Data from student records, such as MCAT and National Board scores, were also obtained as appropriate.
Efficient discrete optimization via simulation using stochastic kriging

We propose to use a global metamodeling technique known as stochastic kriging to improve the efficiency of Discrete Optimization-via-Simulation (DOvS) algorithms. Stochastic kriging metamodel allows the DOvS algorithm to utilize all information collected during the optimization process and identify solutions that are most likely to lead to significant improvement in solution quality. We call the approach Stochastic Kriging for OPtimization Efficiency (SKOPE). In this paper, we integrate SKOPE with a locally convergent DOvS algorithm known as Adaptive Hyperbox Algorithm (AHA). Numerical experiments show that SKOPE significantly improves the performance of AHA in the early stage of optimization, which is very helpful for DOvS applications where the number of simulations for an optimization task is severely limited due to a short decision time window and time-consuming simulation.
Large numerical linear algebra in 1994: the continuing influence of parallel computing

The note covers two aspects of the state of the art of large numerical linear algebra problems. Firstly, we look at the current records for sparse and dense linear systems and eigenvalue problems on a variety of machines. The second subject matter is perhaps more of a question than an answer; we explore why network topologies of a parallel machine are hardly ever used in ways that perhaps a graph theorist might envision, especially given that linear algebra, particularly dense linear algebra, consists of many very regular predictable operations. >
Allele Frequency Distribution Under Recurrent Selective Sweeps

The allele frequency of a neutral variant in a population is pushed either upward or downward by directional selection on a linked beneficial mutation (“selective sweeps”). DNA sequences sampled after the fixation of the beneficial allele thus contain an excess of rare neutral alleles. This study investigates the allele frequency distribution under selective sweep models using analytic approximation and simulation. First, given a single selective sweep at a fixed time, I derive an expression for the sampling probabilities of neutral mutants. This solution can be used to estimate the time of the fixation of a beneficial allele from sequence data. Next, I obtain an approximation to mean allele frequencies under recurrent selective sweeps. Under recurrent sweeps, the frequency spectrum is skewed toward rare alleles. However, the excess of high-frequency derived alleles, previously shown to be a signature of single selective sweeps, disappears with recurrent sweeps. It is shown that, using this approximation and multilocus polymorphism data, genomewide parameters of directional selection can be estimated.
POTENTIATION OF THE VASOCONSTRICTOR ACTION OF TOPICAL NOREPINEPHRINE ON THE HUMAN BULBAR CONJUNCTIVAL VESSELS AFTER TOPICAL APPLICATION OF CERTAIN ADRENOCORTICAL HORMONES

ABSTRACT Studies were undertaken to estimate whether adrenocortical steroids can directly potentiate the vasoconstrictor activity of norepinephrine in the intact human being and whether this property is shared equally by various adrenal steroids. Most of the 21 subjects were in good health; 5 had migraine. Under direct visualization with a slit-lamp microscope the bulbar conjunctival capillary beds were inspected for basal activity and measurement of the thresholds for vasoconstriction following topically administered serial dilutions of norepinephrine. A 2.5 per cent ophthalmic suspension of either cortisone, hydrocortisone, Δ1-cortisone, compound A, compound S or DCA was then instilled into one eye and basal activity and norepinephrine thresholds estimated again fifteen minutes later. The other eye served as control. It was demonstrated that hydrocortisone and cortisone consistently induced a threefold increase in sensitivity to norepinephrine, and Δ1-cortisone induced a tenfold increase. Compounds A an...
BROMUS TECTORUM INVASION ALTERS NITROGEN DYNAMICS IN AN UNDISTURBED ARID GRASSLAND ECOSYSTEM

The nonnative annual grass Bromus tectorumhas successfully replaced native vegetation in many arid and semiarid ecosystems. Initial introductions accompanied grazing and agriculture, making it difficult to separate the effects of invasion from physical dis- turbance. This study examined N dynamics in two recently invaded, undisturbed vegetation associations (C3 and C4). The response of these communities was compared to an invaded/ disturbed grassland. The invaded/disturbed communities had higher surface NH4 1 input in spring, whereas there were no differences for surface input of NO3 2 . Soil inorganic N was dominated by NH4 1 , but invaded sites had greater subsurface soil NO 3 2 . Invaded sites had greater total soil N at the surface four years post-invasion in undisturbed communities, but total N was lower in the invaded/disturbed communities. Soil d 15 N increased with depth in the noninvaded and recently invaded communities, whereas the invaded/disturbed com- munities exhibited the opposite pattern. Enriched foliar d 15 N values suggest that Bromus assimilated subsurface NO3 2 , whereas the native grasses were restricted to surface N. A Rayleigh distillation model accurately described decomposition patterns in the noninvaded communities where soil N loss is accompanied by increasing soil d 15 N; however, the invaded/ disturbed communities exhibited the opposite pattern, suggesting redistribution of N within the soil profile. This study suggests that invasion has altered the mechanisms driving nitrogen dynamics. Bromus litter decomposition and soil NO3 2 concentrations were greater in the invaded communities during periods of ample precipitation, and NO3 2 leached from the surface litter, where it was assimilated by Bromus. The primary source of N input in these communities is a biological soil crust that is removed with disturbance, and the lack of N input by the biological soil crust did not balance N loss, resulting in reduced total N in the invaded/disturbed communities. Bromus produced a positive feedback loop by leach- ing NO3 2 from decomposing Bromus litter to subsurface soil layers, accessing that deep- soil N pool with deep roots and returning that N to the surface as biomass and subsequent litter. Lack of new inputs combined with continued loss will result in lower total soil N, evidenced by the lower total soil N in the invaded/disturbed communities.
Writing into the 21st Century: An Overview of Research on Writing, 1999 to 2004

This study charts the terrain of research on writing during the 6-year period from 1999 to 2004, asking “What are current trends and foci in research on writing?” In examining a cross-section of writing research, the authors focus on four issues: (a) What are the general problems being investigated by contemporary writing researchers? Which of the various problems dominate recent writing research, and which are not as prominent? (b) What population age groups are prominent in recent writing research? (c) What is the relationship between population age groups and problems under investigation? and (d) What methodologies are being used in research on writing? Based on a body of refereed journal articles (n = 1,502) reporting studies about writing and composition instruction that were located using three databases, the authors characterize various lines of inquiry currently undertaken. Social context and writing practices, bi- or multi-lingualism and writing, and writing instruction are the most actively studied problems during this period, whereas writing and technologies, writing assessment and evaluation, and relationships among literacy modalities are the least studied problems. Undergraduate, adult, and other postsecondary populations are the most prominently studied population age group, whereas preschool-aged children and middle and high school students are least studied. Research on instruction within the preschool through 12th grade (P-12) age group is prominent, whereas research on genre, assessment, and bi- or multilingualism is scarce within this population. The majority of articles employ interpretive methods. This indicator of current writing research should be useful to researchers, policymakers, and funding agencies, as well as to writing teachers and teacher educators.
Palaeohydrology of the Southwest Yukon Territory, Canada, based on multiproxy analyses of lake sediment cores from a depth transect:

Lake-level variations at Marcella Lake, a small, hydrologically closed lake in the southwestern Yukon Territory, document changes in effective moisture since the early Holocene. Former water levels, driven by regional palaeohydrology, were reconstructed by multiproxy analyses of sediment cores from four sites spanning shallow to deep water.Marcella Lake today is thermally stratified, being protected from wind by its position in a depression. It is alkaline and undergoes bio-induced calcification. Relative accumulations of calcium carbonate and organic matter at the sediment/water interface depend on the location of the depositional site relative to the thermocline. We relate lake-level fluctuations to down-core stratigraphic variations in composition, geochemistry, sedimentary structures and to the occurrence of unconformities in four cores based on observations of modern limnology and sedimentation processes. Twenty-four AMS radiocarbon dates on macrofossils and pollen provide the lake-level chronology. Prior to 10 000 cal. BP water levels were low, but then they rose to 3 to 4 m below modern levels. Between 7500 and 5000 cal. BP water levels were 5 to 6 m below modern but rose by 4000 cal. BP. Between 4000 and 2000 cal. BP they were higher than modern. During the last 2000 years, water levels were either near or 1 to 2 m below modern levels. Marcella Lake water-level fluctuations correspond with previously documented palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic changes and provide new, independent effective moisture information. The improved geochronology and quantitative water-level estimates are a framework for more detailed studies in the southwest Yukon.
Effect of Inlet Skew on Heat/Mass Transfer From a Simulated Turbine Blade

Heat (mass) transfer experiments are conducted to study the effect of an inlet skew on a simulated gas-turbine blade placed in a linear cascade. The inlet skew simulates the relative motion between rotor and stator endwalls in a single turbine stage. The transverse motion of a belt, placed parallel to and upstream of the turbine cascade, generates the inlet skew. With the freestream velocity constant at approximately 16 m/sec, which results in a Reynolds number (based on the blade chord length of 0.184 m) of 1.8 × 105 , a parametric study was conducted for three belt-to-freestream velocity ratios. The distribution of the Sherwood number on the suction surface of the blade shows that the inlet skew intensifies the generation of the horseshoe vortex close to the endwall region. This is associated with the development of a stronger passage vortex for a higher velocity ratio, which causes an earlier transition to turbulence. Corresponding higher mass transfer coefficients are measured between the mid-height of the blade and the endwall, at a mid-chord downstream location. However, a negligible variation in transport properties is measured above the two-dimensional region of the blade at the higher velocity ratios. In contrast, the inlet skew has a negligible effect on the distribution of the Sherwood number on the entire pressure surface of the blade. This is mainly because the skew is directed along the passage vortex, which is from the pressure surface of the airfoil to the suction surface of the adjacent airfoil.© 2011 ASME
Algorithm for Time-Cost Tradeoff Analysis in Construction Projects by Aggregating Activity-Level Singularity Functions

Construction projects often encounter challenges during their execution that require careful mitigation – construction managers must optimally accelerate selected critical activities to still meet the deadline, but at an increased cost. The objective of a time-cost tradeoff is to identify options that balance these two counteracting factors. The dependency structure of schedules combined with often non-linear timecost relationships of their activities make tradeoff a complex problem. It eludes direct solution, but can be addressed algorithmically. Previous approaches could only model discrete relationships of activities and costs for network schedules. Linear schedules facilitate short project durations, but lack such methodology. This paper thus explores how versatile singularity functions, which capture changes in output for given ranges of input, can be used to enable tradeoff in linear schedules. It examines if it is feasible to establish the tradeoff curve for the overall project from the individual cost slopes at the activity level and illustrates its newly developed algorithm in a worked example.
On the testing of microprogrammed processor

In this paper a testing procedure is given for a microprogrammed processor. The conventional procedure to generate test vectors is used instead of C-testability for bit-slice microprocessor. The minimal complete test sequences are calculated for the micro-sequencer and the ALU, and stored in the micro-memory. Micro-memory is implemented by an electrically erasable PLA which has the capability to test itself using a universal test set. A one-bit wide processor section has been assumed in this paper. However, the method can be extended to a processor of any word length. The tests for the microsequencer and the ALU are applied from the micromemory. The response is compared against precalculated signature stored in the system memory. A parity bit is generated to indicate a fault.
The disinfection efficacy of a point-of-use water treatment system against bacterial, viral and protozoan waterborne pathogens

Abstract A point-of-use (POU) water treatment system (WTS), comprised of a presed activated carbon block filter followed by an ultraviolet (UV) light reactor, was evaluated for microbial disinfection efficacy following the general guidelines of the United States Environmental Protection Agency Guide Standard and Protocol for Testing Microbiological Water Purifiers. The POU WTS was challenged against bacterial, viral and protozoan waterborne pathogens including Vibrio cholerae, Shigella dysenteriae serotype 2, Escherichia coli 0157:H7, Salmonella typhi, hepatitis A virus strain HM 175, poliovirus type 1 strain Lsc2ab, simian rotavirus SA11, Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts, Giardia lamblia cysts and coliphage MS2. The POU WTS was tested for the removal/inactivation of each challenge organism in separate 16- to 20-day test periods under various conditions of water quality, at the system's maximum recommended flow rate and at 70% of the lamps normal UV intensity. For each organism tested, microbial challenges were conducted over the course of the test period at 0, 50, 100 and 150% of the system manufacturer's rated water treatment capacity. Each microbial challenge consisted of 30 L of influent water containing approximately 105 bacterial cfu/mL, 104 viral pfu/mL or 103 protozoan cysts/mL. Influent and effluent water samples were taken during the challenges and assayed for the particular pathogen and the percent reduction calculated. Effluent water samples were also taken and assayed for the possible presence of the pathogens following two 60-h stagnation periods. The POU WTS was found to effectively remove and/or inactivate greater than 99.9999% of the bacterial pathogens, greater than 99.99% of the viruses and greater than 99.9% of the protozoan cysts and oocysts tested to 150% of the water treatment capacity of the POU WTS. These findings suggest that a properly designed and operated POU WTS may be a practical approach to removing microbiological waterborne pathogens from drinking water.
Design of a Test Loop for the Evaluation of Magnetic Water Treatment Devices

A test rig for the evaluation of magnetic water treatment devices in scale control is described. The rig employs a bank of six laboratory stills which are operated simultaneously from the same treatment loop so that statistical analysis of the data can be obtained. A key feature of the rig is the ability to maintain a continuous, rapid flow of fluid through themagnetic treatment device even though the stills require very low flows to maintain constant volume during distillation. The performance of the rig was evaluated using naturally occurring river water and artificially prepared hard water which contained no magnesium. The magnetic device employed in this study was found to reduce scale by 22% using artificially prepared hard water, but had no significant effect on Brazos River water.
Constant time steepest descent local search with lookahead for NK-landscapes and MAX-kSAT

A modified form of steepest descent local search is proposed that displays an average complexity of O(1) time per move for NK-Landscape and MAX-kSAT problems. The algorithm uses a Walsh decomposition to identify improving moves. In addition, it is possible to compute a Hamming distance 2 statistical lookahead: if x is the current solution and y is a neighbor of x, it is possible to compute the average evaluation of the neighbors of y. The average over the Hamming distance 2 neighborhood can be used as a surrogate evaluation function to replace f. The same modified steepest descent can be executed in O(1) time using the Hamming distance 2 neighborhood average as the fitness function. In practice, the modifications needed to prove O(1) complexity can be relaxed with little or no impact on runtime performance. Finally, steepest descent local search over the mean of the Hamming distance 2 neighborhood yields superior results compared to using the standard evaluation function for certain types of NK-Landscape problems.
Adsorption and diffusion of Ru adatoms on Ru(0001)-supported graphene: Large-scale first-principles calculations

Large-scale first-principles density functional theory calculations are performed to investigate the adsorption and diffusion of Ru adatoms on monolayer graphene (G) supported on Ru(0001). The G sheet exhibits a periodic moire-cell superstructure due to lattice mismatch. Within a moire cell, there are three distinct regions: fcc, hcp, and mound, in which the C6-ring center is above a fcc site, a hcp site, and a surface Ru atom of Ru(0001), respectively. The adsorption energy of a Ru adatom is evaluated at specific sites in these distinct regions. We find the strongest binding at an adsorption site above a C atom in the fcc region, next strongest in the hcp region, then the fcc-hcp boundary (ridge) between these regions, and the weakest binding in the mound region. Behavior is similar to that observed from small-unit-cell calculations of Habenicht et al. [Top. Catal. 57, 69 (2014)], which differ from previous large-scale calculations. We determine the minimum-energy path for local diffusion near the center of the fcc region and obtain a local diffusion barrier of ∼0.48 eV. We also estimate a significantly lower local diffusion barrier in the ridge region. These barriers and information on the adsorption energy variation facilitate development of a realistic model for the global potential energy surface for Ru adatoms. This in turn enables simulation studies elucidating diffusion-mediated directed-assembly of Ru nanoclusters during deposition of Ru on G/Ru(0001).
The Ligand Binding Domain Controls Glucocorticoid Receptor Dynamics Independent of Ligand Release

Ligand binding to the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) results in receptor binding to glucocorticoid response elements (GREs) and the formation of transcriptional regulatory complexes. Equally important, these complexes are continuously disassembled, with active processes driving GR off GREs. We found that cochaperone p23-dependent disruption of GR-driven transcription depended on the ligand binding domain (LBD). Next, we examined the importance of the LBD and of ligand dissociation in GR-GRE dissociation in living cells. We showed in fluorescence recovery after photobleaching studies that dissociation of GR from GREs is faster in the absence of the LBD. Furthermore, GR interaction with a target promoter revealed ligand-specific exchange rates. However, using covalently binding ligands, we demonstrated that ligand dissociation is not required for receptor dissociation from GREs. Overall, these studies showed that activities impinging on the LBD regulate GR exchange with GREs but that the dissociation of GR from GREs is independent from ligand dissociation.
The NLC IR and e+ e-/e- e- Compatibility Issues

This paper collects and summarizes information presented at previous e-e- workshops. First, the various options for reconfiguring magnets and power sources to convert the NLC to e-e- operation are discussed. Second, the expected backgrounds from pair creation at the interaction point are presented. Lastly, beam loss in the extraction line is discussed.
Forced convection in three-dimensional flows: II. Asymptotic solutions for mobile interfaces

Boundary-layer solutions are given for heat and mass transfer at mobile interfaces. The results are asymptotically valid for small thermal and material diffusivities, or for short exposure times. Phase breakup and coalescence are formally included, but Marangoni effects are not. Effects of rapid mass transfer, chemical reactions, and variable boundary conditions are evaluated. The treatment is a generalization of the penetration and surface-renewal theories.
Surgery for primary supratentorial brain tumors in the United States, 1988 to 2000: the effect of provider caseload and centralization of care.

Contemporary reports of patient outcomes after biopsy or resection of primary brain tumors typically reflect results at specialized centers. Such reports may not be representative of practices in nonspecialized settings. This analysis uses a nationwide hospital discharge database to examine trends in mortality and outcome at hospital discharge in 38,028 admissions for biopsy or resection of supratentorial primary brain tumors in adults between 1988 and 2000, particularly in relation to provider caseload. Multivariate analyses showed that large-volume centers had lower in-hospital postoperative mortality rates than centers with lighter caseloads, both for craniotomies (odds ratio [OR] 0.75 for a tenfold larger caseload) and for needle (closed) biopsies (OR 0.54). Adverse discharge disposition was also less likely at high-volume hospitals, both for craniotomies (OR 0.77) and for needle biopsies (OR 0.67). The annual number of surgical admissions increased by 53% during the 12-year study period, and in-hospital mortality rates decreased during this period, from 4.8% to 1.8%. Mortality rates decreased over time, both for craniotomies and for needle biopsies. Subgroup analyses showed larger relative mortality rate reductions at large-volume centers than at small-volume centers (73% vs. 43%, respectively). The number of U.S. hospitals performing one or more craniotomies annually for primary brain tumors decreased slightly, and the number performing needle biopsies increased. There was little change in median hospital annual craniotomy caseloads, but the largest centers had disproportionate growth in volume. The 100 highest-caseload U.S. hospitals accounted for an estimated 30% of the total U.S. surgical primary brain tumor caseload in 1988 and 41% in 2000. Our findings do not establish minimum volume thresholds for acceptable surgical care of primary brain tumors. However, they do suggest a trend toward progressive centralization of craniotomies for primary brain tumor toward large-volume U.S. centers during this interval.
Metrics for Architecture-Level Lifetime Reliability Analysis

This work concerns metrics for evaluating microarchitectural enhancements to improve processor lifetime reliability. A commonly reported reliability metric is mean time to failure (MTTF). Although the MTTF metric is simpler to evaluate, it does not provide information on the reliability characteristics during the relatively short operational life of commodity processors. An alternate metric is nTTF, which represents the time to failure of n% of the processor population. nTTF is a more informative metric for the (short) portion of the lifetime that is relevant to the end- user, but determining it requires knowledge of the distribution of processor failure times which is generally hard to obtain. The goals of this paper are (1) to determine if the choice of metric has a quantitative impact on architecture-level reliability analysis and modern superscalar processor designs and (2) to build a fundamental understanding of why and when MTTF- and nTTF- driven analysis result in different designs. We show through an in- depth analysis that, in general, the nTTF metric differs significantly from the MTTF metric, and using MTTF as a proxy for nTTF leads to sub-optimal designs. Additionally, our analysis introduces the concept of relative vulnerability factor (RVF) for different processor components to guide reliability-aware design. We show that the difference between nTTF- and MTTF-driven design largely occurs because the relative vulnerabilities of the processor components change over the processor lifetime, making the optimal design choice dependent on the amount of time the processor is expected to be used.
Overexpression of macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1 (MIC-1) in human prostate adenocarcinomas

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 45, 2004 1766 Identifying the molecular mechanisms underlying the transition from androgen-sensitive to hormone-refractory prostate cancer will provide us with information in developing novel therapeutic treatments for advanced cancers. Using microarray approach and a LNCaP cell model in which different LNCaP cells closely resemble different stages of clinical prostate cancer, we have identified macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1 (MIC-1), a member of the TGF-β superfamily, as one of the differentially-expressed genes between androgen-sensitive C-33 and androgen-independent C-81 LNCaP cells. To investigate the biological significance of differential expressions of MIC-1 in different LNCaP cells, MIC-1 expression was analyzed in 53 human prostate carcinoma archival specimens by immunohistochemical staining. The results showed a weak staining of MIC-1 with an intensity score of 1.71±0.16 in the benign glandular region, while the immunoreactivity was significantly higher in the cancerous tissue with a score of 3.69±0.34 (p<0.05). The MIC-1 secretion is elevated upon passage in LNCaP cell model, and the same phenomenon was observed in MDA PCa2b cells, another androgen-sensitive human prostate cancer cell line. In investigating the functional role of MIC-1, we found that MIC-1-overexpressed LNCaP C-33 subclone cells exhibit higher cell proliferation rates and more clongenic cell growth than control cells. The data taken together indicate that expression of MIC-1 may be associated with the progression of prostate cancer.
Loan Officer Confidence, Continuous Reporting, And The Loan Approval Process

This study explores the issue of loan officers’ confidence in making loan approval decisions across different loan monitoring types. Loan officers were asked to assign loan approval probabilities given a traditional loan monitoring capability or a continuous reporting capability. We find that the higher the level of confidence the loan officer had in his/her loan approval decision, the higher the loan approval probability assigned to the loan application. However, that effect was not consistent across monitoring types (traditional vs. continuous reporting). Our results suggest that loan officer confidence only impacts the loan approval probabilities for the traditional monitoring cases. Confidence did not significantly influence loan approval probabilities for the continuous reporting cases; although, the loan approval probabilities for the continuous reporting, low confidence cases exceeded 50 percent.
BAY K 8644 modifies Ca2+cross signaling between DHP and ryanodine receptors in rat ventricular myocytes

The amplification factor of dihydropyridine (DHP)/ryanodine receptors was defined as the amount of Ca2+ released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) relative to the influx of Ca2+ through L-type Ca2+ channels in rat ventricular myocytes. The amplification factor showed steep voltage dependence at potentials negative to -10 mV but was less dependent on voltage at potentials positive to this value. In cells dialyzed with 0.2 mM cAMP in addition to 2 mM fura 2, the Ca2+-channel agonist (-)-BAY K 8644 enhanced Ca2+-channel current (ICa), shifted the activation curve by -10 mV, and significantly delayed its inactivation. Surprisingly, BAY K 8644 reduced the amplification factor by 50% at all potentials, even though the caffeine-releasable Ca2+ stores were mostly intact at holding potentials of -90 mV. In contrast, brief elevation of extracellular Ca2+ activity from 2 to 10 mM enhanced both ICa and intracellular Ca2+ transients in the absence or presence of BAY K 8644 but had no significant effect on the amplification factor. BAY K 8644 abolished the direct dependence of the rate of inactivation of ICa on the release of Ca2+ from the SR. These findings suggest that the gain of the Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release in cardiac myocytes is regulated by the gating kinetics of cardiac L-type Ca2+ channels via local exchange of Ca2+ signals between DHP and ryanodine receptors and that BAY K 8644 suppresses the amplification factor through attenuation of the Ca2+-dependent inactivation of Ca2+ channels.
Effects of tape and exercise on dynamic ankle inversion.

Objective: To compare the effects of tape, with and without prewrap, on dynamic ankle inversion before and after exercise. Design and Setting: Doubly multivariate analyses of variance were used to compare the taping and exercise conditions. Subjects were randomly assigned to a fixed treatment order as determined by a balanced latin square. The independent variables were tape application (no tape, tape with prewrap, tape to skin) and exercise (before and after). The dependent variables were average inversion velocity, total inversion, maximum inversion velocity, and time to maximum inversion. Subjects: Thirty college-age male and female students (17 males, 13 females; mean age 5 24.9 6 4.3 years, range, 19 to 39 years) were tested. Subjects were excluded from the study if they exhibited a painful gait or painful range of motion or had a past history of ankle surgery or an ankle sprain within the past 4 weeks. Measurements: We collected data using electronic goniometers while subjects balanced on the right leg on an inversion platform tilted about the medial-lateral axis to produce 15° of plantar flexion. Sudden ankle inversion was induced by pulling the inversion platform support, allowing the platform support base to rotate 37°. Ten satisfactory trials were recorded on the inversion platform before and after a prescribed exercise bout. We calculated total inversion, time to maximum inversion, average inversion velocity, and maximum inversion velocity after sudden inversion. Results: We found no significant differences between taping to the skin and taping over prewrap for any of the variables measured. There were significant differences between both taping conditions and no-tape postexercise for average inversion velocity, maximum inversion, maximum inversion velocity, and time to maximum inversion. The total inversion mean for no-tape postexercise was 38.8° 6 6.3°, whereas the means for tape and skin and for tape and prewrap were 28.3° 6 4.6° and 29.1° 6 4.7°, respectively. After exercise, inversion increased by 1.0° 6 2.8° for the no-tape condition, whereas the tape-toskin and tape-over-prewrap inversion increased by 2.1° 6 3.2° and 1.7° 6 2.2°, respectively. Conclusions: There was no difference in the amount of inversion restriction when taping with prewrap was compared with taping to the skin. Tape and tape with prewrap significantly reduced the average inversion velocity, maximum inversion, maximum inversion velocity, and the time to maximum inversion. Both taping conditions offered residual restriction after exercise.
The efficacy of X-ray doses on murine norovirus-1 (MNV-1) in pure culture, half-shell oyster, salmon sushi, and tuna salad

Abstract In this investigation, we determined the efficacy of X-ray doses on reducing a human norovirus (HuNoV) surrogate [murine norovirus-1 (MNV-1)] in pure culture, half-shell oyster, salmon sushi and tuna salad. The pure culture (phosphate-buffer saline, pH 7.4), half-shell oyster, salmon sushi and tuna salad were inoculated with propagated MNV-1 virus stock solution. Half-shell oyster, tuna salad, and salmon sushi samples were then air-dried at 22 °C for 30 min (to allow viral attachment) in the biosafety cabinet and then packaged, separately, in sterilized bags prior to X-ray treatments. Samples were treated with 0.0, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 kGy X-ray. The results of plaque assays demonstrated a high susceptibility of MNV-1 to X-ray treatments. Treatments with 4.0 kGy X-ray achieved the reductions of 3.7 log PFU ml−1 in pure culture or 2.7, 2.2, and 2.0 log PFU g−1 in half-shell oyster, salmon sushi and tuna salad, respectively. Treatment with 5.0 kGy X-ray reduced the MNV-1 from, approximately, 5.5 to 2.9 log PFU g−1 in tuna salad or to below detection limit (
The Relationship of Cardiovascular and Psychological Impairments to the Health Status of Patients Enrolled in Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs

Background and Purpose. Understanding the causes of differences in disability among individuals is an important research focus for rehabilitation professionals. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between health status and the impairments commonly associated with cardiovascular pathophysiology. Subjects. The subjects were patients (N=789) enrolled in 13 cardiac rehabilitation programs in Massachusetts. Methods. Data were collected on psychological and physiological impairments, demographic characteristics, and health status. Multivariate analyses were used to determine which measures of impairment and patient characteristics were related to health status. Results. Psychological impairment was related to all scales of the MOS 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Very few measures of physiological impairment and individual characteristics were related to SF-36 scores. The models accounted for 16% to 57% of the variability of the instrument's scales. Conclusion and Discussion. In patients entering cardiac rehabilitation, psychological distress is related to poor health in both the physical and psychological dimensions. Variability in health status is not well explained by traditional measures of impairment or demographic characteristics. Physical therapists working to address their patients' health needs must consider collecting data, setting goals, and devising interventions that address psychological impairment.
Mortality, structure, and regeneration in whitebark pine stands impacted by mountain pine beetle in the southern Sierra Nevada

Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.) is vulnerable to mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) attack throughout western North America, but beetle outbreaks in the southwestern portion of the range (i.e., Sierra Nevada) have been spatially limited until recently. We examined patterns of mortality, structure, and regeneration in whitebark pine stands impacted by mountain pine beetle in the southern Sierra Nevada. Mortality was greatest in medium to large diameter (>10–20 cm dbh) trees, resulting in declines in mean and maximum tree diameter and tree size class diversity following an outbreak. Severity of beetle attack was positively related to mean tree diameter and density. Density of young (<3 years old) whitebark pine seedling clusters was positively related to severity of beetle attack on mature stands. All sites showed a stable production of whitebark pine regeneration within at least the past 30–40 years, with a pulse of new seedlings in the past 3 years in beetle-impacted stands. ...
Campaign Strategy and Party Loyalty: The Electoral Relevance of Candidate Decision-Making in the 1964 Congressional Elections

The analyst of campaign strategy in American elections is usually confronted by the apparent impossibility of demonstrating that campaign behavior actually matters. Although candidates possess numerous options in strategy and tactics, it is clear that incumbent members of the majority party (commonly joint phenomena) usually win and opposition candidates of the minority party usually lose. Lewis Froman has even argued that “ … the behavior of the candidates during the campaign is one of the least influential factors in determining electoral outcomes. The effects, if any, of campaign behavior are the residue to be examined after the partisan distribution of the electorate, the nature of the times, the power of incumbency and any number of variables beyond the ready control of the candidates themselves have been employed to explain or predict the popular vote distribution. The perceived general ineffectiveness of candidate strategy and tactics is usually explained by the low public saliency of the typical election contest, in which most voters are unlikely to be aware even of the names of the candidates, much less their policy positions or, presumably, any other of their behaviors. But this circumstance may change when “ordinary” election contests are connected to contests of much higher saliency, especially that for the Presidency. It is at this time, at least, when the strategic decisions and behaviors of certain classes of candidates may attract the attention of voters otherwise preoccupied with that more dramatic battle for power.
Collective phenomena in cold indirect excitons

Due to their long lifetimes, indirect excitons can cool to below the temperature of quantum degeneracy. This gives an opportunity to experimentally study cold composite bosons. Both theoretically predicted phenomena and phenomena that have not been anticipated were observed in a cold gas of indirect excitons. In this contribution, we overview our studies of cold indirect excitons over the past decade, presenting spontaneous coherence and condensation of excitons, spatially modulated exciton state, long-range spin currents and spin textures, and exciton localization–delocalization transitions.
Complement: an unfinished symphony.

The current issue reports that, when hypertension was induced in mice (using infusion of angiotensin II and with NaCl in the drinking water), the absence (knockout) of the first receptor for C5a (C5aR1) resulted in reduced albuminuria but increased amounts of interstitial collagen deposition in the heart. The role of the second C5a receptor (C5aR2) in responses to hypertension was not examined, but should be. Such patterns suggest that mice lacking C5aR1 express different outcomes during hypertension in the heart and in the kidneys. We review different strategies for blockade of complement activation products in order to prevent organ injury due to complement activation. We also emphasize the need to extend the new studies to define the outcomes in hypertensive mice that lack the second C5a receptor, C5aR2. Finally, we describe recent studies demonstrating that in CD4+ T cells intracellular C3 present and is activated (cleaved) by cathepsin enzyme L, resulting in generation of C3a and C3b, which appear to be essential for robust T cell function. Such observations suggest a new pathway of complement activation, namely, intracellular activation of complement, which represents an entirely new aspect of the complement system, with substantial implications.
Inhibition of Normal B-Cell Function by Human Immunodeficiency Virus Envelope Glycoprotein, gp120

Despite the occurrence of hypergammaglobulinemia in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, specific antibody production and in vitro B-cell differentiation responses are frequently impaired. In this study, we have examined the effects of HIV envelope glycoprotein gp120 on T-helper cell function for B cells. In the culture system used, B-cell functional responses were dependent on T-B-cell contact, since separation of T and B cells in double chambers by Transwell membranes rendered the B cells unresponsive in assays of antigen-induced B-cell proliferation and differentiation. Cytokines secreted by T cells were also essential, since anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (mAb)-activated, paraformaldehyde-fixed T-cell clones failed to induce B-cell proliferation and differentiation. Pretreatment of the CD4+ antigen-specific T cells with gp120 was found to impair their ability to help autologous B cells, as determined by B-cell proliferation, polyclonal IgG secretion, and antigen-specific IgG secretion. The gp120-induced inhibition was specific in that it was blocked by soluble CD4. Furthermore, only fractionated small B cells (which are T-cell-dependent in their function) manifested impaired responses when cultured with gp120-treated T cells. Antigen-induced interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-4, but not IL-6, secretion were markedly reduced in gp120-treated T-cell clones. Addition of exogenous cytokines failed to compensate for defective helper function of gp120-treated T cells. The findings in this study indicate that gp120 impairs helper functions of CD4+ T cells by interfering with T-B-cell contact-dependent interaction; the inhibitory effects of soluble envelope proteins of HIV may contribute to the immunopathogenesis of the HIV-associated disease manifestations.