cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High Performance Computing: Challenges for Future Systems

From the Publisher: High performance computing, from PCs to supercomputers, is in a confused state. Which architecture, how much parallelism, which software, and when to innovate are all commonly heard questions. The confusion ranges across industry, government, and academia, and all are closely linked to technical difficulties and policy issues. High Performance Computing clarifies a number of these technical points and policy directions in proposing steps toward practical parallel processing. Because hardware technology appears unable to provide continuing speed increases, and because parallel architectures and software are not sufficiently developed to provide the practical solutions that have seemed tantalizingly close for some time, computing as a whole is at a crossroads. Even after more than a decade of commercial development, no standard or widely accepted systems have emerged. However, this text defines practical parallelism tests and suggests how they can be passed by giving specific technical suggestions and outlining policy steps that should be taken. Also suggested are methods for evolving better systems from those already in use and applying the definitions of what is needed as rules of selection. Students in high performance computing courses, who are dealing with these problems now and in the future, will benefit greatly from the text's discussion of these major issues.
Electrochemical Control of Lithium-Ion Batteries [Applications of Control]

While advanced batteries have enabled great improvements in society's mobility and energy efficiency, the high cost of batteries hampers further market penetration. Battery technology improvements are most often sought in electrochemical laboratories. But control engineers have an important role to play in advancing this technology. As a first step, the battery community must begin to merge the knowledge base of control theorists and practitioners with that of electrochemists and materials scientists. Robust integration of a battery into a high-power system is an experimentally burdensome process, with significant capital resources devoted to cycling batteries under a variety of power profiles and temperatures for several years to ensure reliability. A physics-based approach to battery integration offers the opportunity for streamlining control validation by setting physical limits that are accurate for all possible temperatures and operating scenarios. By introducing electrochemical state algorithms to existing Li-ion technology, usable power increases in the range of 20-50% seem possible for the entire family of Li-ion chemistries. Performance improvements may also be possible for Ni-MH chemistries with extensions to the method. In the end, improved accuracy and less conservative control limits mean more usable power and energy can be achieved for any given battery system. The outcome is that a smaller battery can provide the same capability, reducing both cost and weight.
Private equity investment decisions in family firms: The role of human resources and agency costs

Abstract This study examines decision making criteria that are employed by private equity (PE) investors selecting family firms. Hypotheses test the likelihood of investment based on family firm characteristics. Findings show that PE professionals take into account family-specific criteria, including human resources and opportunities to reduce agency costs. Furthermore, PE professionals prefer family firms that are already professionalized. This research contributes to the family firm literature on both a theoretical and a methodological level, exploring nonfamily succession routes and employing techniques— conjoint analysis for data collection and multilevel models for data analysis— that have seldom been used in this context.
Identification of p38β as a Therapeutic Target for the Treatment of Sézary Syndrome

Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCLs) represent a group of hematopoietic malignancies that home to the skin and have no known molecular basis for disease pathogenesis. Sezary syndrome (SS) is the leukemic variant of CTCL. Currently, CTCL is incurable, highlighting the need for new therapeutic modalities. We have previously observed that combined small-molecule inhibition of protein kinase C-β (PKCβ) and glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) causes synergistic apoptosis in CTCL cell lines and patient cells. Through microarray analysis of a SS cell line, we surveyed global gene expression following combined PKCβ–GSK3 treatment to elucidate therapeutic targets responsible for cell death. Clinically relevant targets were defined as genes differentially expressed in SS patients that were modulated by combination-drug treatment of SS cells. Gene set enrichment analysis uncovered candidate genes enriched for an immune-cell signature, specifically the T-cell receptor and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways. Further analysis identified p38 as a potential therapeutic target that is overexpressed in SS patients and decreased by synergistic-inhibitor treatment. This target was verified through small-molecule inhibition of p38, leading to cell death in both SS cell lines and patient cells. These data establish p38 as a SS biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of CTCL.
Long-term supplementation with melatonin delays reproductive senescence in rats, without an effect on number of primordial follicles.

The primary objective of the present experiment was to determine if lifelong supplementation with melatonin delayed reproductive senescence through decreased loss of ovarian primordial follicles. Holtzman rats were divided into three treatments on Day 10 after pupping (Day 0 = day of pupping). Treatment 1 pups had access to water, whereas Treatment 2 and 3 pups had access to water containing 10 microg/ml melatonin only at night (Treatment 2) or continuously (Treatment 3). Estrous cycles and weights of pups were monitored at selected times during the experiment; ovaries were removed for histology at 75 and 380 days of age. Vaginal opening in Treatment 2 was delayed (P 0.05) among treatments in percentage of normal length estrous cycles from vaginal opening to 75 days of age. There were fewer (P 0.05) on number of primordial follicles. In conclusion, nighttime, but not continuous supplementation with melatonin, delayed puberty and reproductive senescence without any effect on number of primordial follicles.
Volume Homeostasis During Pregnancy in the Rat

This article reviews alterations in volume and sodium handling during rat pregnancy, noting similarities and contrasts to events in human gestation. Gravid rodents undergo extracellular and plasma volume increases of 50% to 70%, and these changes accompany a marked cumulative sodium retention shared by both dam and fetuses. Pregnancy alters several factors, with opposing effects on renal salt handling; however, mechanisms by which gestational sodium accumulation and volume expansion are achieved remain obscure. Furthermore, despite substantial increases in absolute blood volume, considerable uncertainty exists as to how this volume is sensed, particularly during the final gestational week when a rapid increase in volume is associated with decreases in peripheral resistance and BP. Attempts to assess "effective" intravascular volume by measuring responses to intravenous (IV) or oral sodium loading or to chronic mineralocorticoid administration indicate that pregnant and nonpregnant rats respond similarly, suggesting that such animals sense their volume as normal. In contrast, when salt-restricted, gravid rats fail to expand their plasma volume normally; this relative hypovolemia activates mechanisms leading to free water retention and pathologic hyponatremia, responses not observed in virgin animals.
Vibrational frequencies and structural determination of dicyanoacetylene

The vibrational frequencies and corresponding normal mode assignments of dicyanoacetylene are examined theoretically using the gaussian98 set of quantum chemistry codes. All normal modes were successfully assigned to one of five types of motion (CN stretch, C–C stretch, CC stretch, C–CN bend, and CC–C bend) utilizing the D∞h symmetry of the molecule. Calculated infrared intensities and Raman activities are reported. The molecular orbitals and bonding of dicyanoacetylene are examined.
Toward a Locational Definition of State Systems of Settlement

Recent information indicates that urbanism is only one of several options providing the means to consolidate, concentrate, and organize the coercive power necessary for state formation. Central Place Theory (CPT) is a model of urban settlement frequently chosen to approach the broader problem of state formation, but its universal applicability is in doubt. In this paper, spatial and functional definitions of urbanism and other concepts (functional center, functional lattice) related to state systems of settlement are derived using locational analytic approaches other than CPT, and their implications are discussed. A typology of state-level settlements is introduced. Advantages of a locational approach to the investigation of settlement systems are suggested.
Treatment of primary limited cutaneous extramammary Paget's disease with topical imiquimod monotherapy: Two case reports

We present two cases of primary limited cutaneous perineal and genital extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD) that were successfully treated with imiquimod 5% cream. Clinical and histologic cure was confirmed after 7.5 to 12 weeks of monotherapy. Treatment-associated morbidity is minimal compared with more invasive therapies, and self-application by the patient improves convenience and appeal. Imiquimod may offer a minimally invasive and promising therapeutic option for the treatment of limited cutaneous EMPD. The diagnosis and management of EMPD and the current literature regarding imiquimod therapy are reviewed.
Tracking N-Acetyllactosamine on Cell Surface Glycans in vivo

The glycome, the totality of glycans produced by a cell, is a dynamic indicator of the cell's physiology.[1] Changes in the glycome reflect a cell's developmental stage and the transformation state of a cell. Recently, imaging glycans in vivo has been enabled using a bioorthogonal chemical reporter strategy by treating cells or organisms with azide- or alkyne-tagged monosaccharide precursors.[2, 3] The modified monosaccharides, when taken up by cells, are activated in the cytoplasm to form nucleotide sugars, substrates of glycosyltransferases that generate complex glycans in the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi. Once incorporated into cell surface glycoconjugates, the bioorthogonal chemical tags allow covalent conjugation with fluorescent probes for visualization,[2] or with affinity probes for enrichment and glycomic analysis.[4] This approach has been successfully used for the detection and imaging of mucin O-linked glycans,[2] sialylated[2] and fucosylated glycans,[5] and cytosolic O-GlcNAcylated proteins.[2] However, only monosaccharides are tracked by this strategy, and each monosaccharide is usually found on a plethora of glycans.[6] Higher order glycans, i.e. disaccharides or trisaccharides, of specific composition cannot be uniquely labeled by hijacking their biosynthetic pathways with unnatural monosaccharides (Figure 1a). Here we report a rapid and highly specific chemoenzymatic method for labeling cell surface glycans bearing a ubiquitous disaccharide—N-acetyllactosamine (LacNAc, Galβ1,4GlcNAc)—with biophysical probes for imaging or glycomic analysis.
Stabilization of Influenza Vaccine Enhances Protection by Microneedle Delivery in the Mouse Skin

Background Simple and effective vaccine administration is particularly important for annually recommended influenza vaccination. We hypothesized that vaccine delivery to the skin using a patch containing vaccine-coated microneedles could be an attractive approach to improve influenza vaccination compliance and efficacy. Methodology/Principal Findings Solid microneedle arrays coated with inactivated influenza vaccine were prepared for simple vaccine delivery to the skin. However, the stability of the influenza vaccine, as measured by hemagglutination activity, was found to be significantly damaged during microneedle coating. The addition of trehalose to the microneedle coating formulation retained hemagglutination activity, indicating stabilization of the coated influenza vaccine. For both intramuscular and microneedle skin immunization, delivery of un-stabilized vaccine yielded weaker protective immune responses including viral neutralizing antibodies, protective efficacies, and recall immune responses to influenza virus. Immunization using un-stabilized vaccine also shifted the pattern of antibody isotypes compared to the stabilized vaccine. Importantly, a single microneedle-based vaccination using stabilized influenza vaccine was found to be superior to intramuscular immunization in controlling virus replication as well as in inducing rapid recall immune responses post challenge. Conclusions/Significance The functional integrity of hemagglutinin is associated with inducing improved protective immunity against influenza. Simple microneedle influenza vaccination in the skin produced superior protection compared to conventional intramuscular immunization. This approach is likely to be applicable to other vaccines too.
Synthesis and renal effects of Ala-Gly-[Arg8]-vasopressin

Abstract A new neurohypophyseal hormone analogue, Ala-Gly-[Arg 8 ]-vasopressin, was synthesized by the stepwise solution techniques and its effect on systemic blood pressure and renal function was examined in nondiuretic Sprague-Dawley rats. Clearance of inulin was used to study glomerular filtration rate. Intravenous administration of 50 pmole/100 g. b. wt. Ala-Gly-[Arg 8 ]-vasopressin caused diuresis and natriuresis without significant change of mean arterial blood pressure. The fractional excretion of sodium was increased by 225% within 10 min after the analogue administration. The present study suggests that this analogue has a direct effect on renal tubular transport of electrolyte independent of affecting systemic circulation.
Dirofilaria immitis : effect of fluoromethyl ketone cysteine protease inhibitors on the third- to fourth-stage molt

Abstract D. immitis third-stage larvae (L3) were cultured with fluoromethyl ketone cysteine protease inhibitors. By Day 5 in culture, none of the larvae cultured with 0.1, 0.2, 0.6, or 1.0 mM benzyloxycarbonyl–Phe–Ala–CH2F (Z– Phe–Ala–CH2F) has molted, while 63.2% of larvae in media without inhibitor had molted. At the two lower concentrations of inhibitor more larvae had initiated, but not completed, the molt. In addition to Z–Phe–Ala–CH2F, four other fluoromethyl ketone derivatives, Z–Phe– Arg–CH2F, amorpholine urea–(Mu)–Leu–Phe–CH2F, Mu–Tyr–Phe–CH2F, and Mu–Phe– Phe–CH2F, were tested to determine their effects on L3 in culture. All fluoromethyl ketones tested except Z–Phe–Arg–CH2F inhibited molting. Larvae cultured in inhibitors were determined to be alive as judged qualitatively by motility and quantitatively by reduction of 3-(4,5-diethylthiazol-2-yl)-2.5-diphenyltetrazolium. Electron microscopy demonstrated that L3 which were unable to molt after being cultured in a fluoromethyl ketone derivative had synthesized the new fourth-stage (L4) cuticle but had not shed the L3 cuticle. The same fluoromethyl ketone derivative that did not inhibit molting, Z–Phe–Arg–CH2F, was a slightly less effective inhibitor of larval extract-initiated hydrolysis of the synthetic peptide substrate, Z–Val–Leu–Arg–7-amino-4-methyl coumarin. L3 were also cultured through the molt in media containing the synthetic peptide substrate Z–Val–Leu–Arg–4-methoxy-B-naphthylamide to examine cysteine protease activity in situ. Fuorescence as seen on Days 0–4 during the molting process was first observed on the anterior tip of the larvae, and subsequently in the pharynx, with progression down the L4 as it shed the L3 cuticle.
Hundert Jahre Saengerkrieg: Ethnographie eines Dorfes in Hessen

Hundert Jahre Saengerkrieg: Ethnographie eines Dorfes in Hessen. Gertrud Huewelmeier. Berlin: Dietrich Reimer Verlag, 1997.188 pp., bibliography.
The role of polymer nanolayer architecture on the separation performance of anion‐exchange membrane adsorbers: Part II. DNA and virus separations

The surface-initiated polymerization protocol developed in part I was used to prepare strong anion-exchange membranes with variable polymer chain graft densities and degrees of polymerization for DNA and virus particle separations. A focus of part II was to evaluate the role of polymer nanolayer architecture on DNA and virus binding. Salmon sperm-DNA (SS-DNA) was used as model nucleic acid to measure the dynamic-binding capacities at 10% breakthrough. The dynamic-binding capacity increases linearly with increasing poly ([2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride) chain density up to the highest chain density used in this study. The new membranes yielded threefold higher SS-DNA-binding capacity (30 mg/mL) than a leading commercial membrane with the same functional group chemistry. Elution of bound DNA yielded a sharp peak, and resulted in a 13-fold increase relative to the feed concentration. This concentration effect further demonstrates the highly favorable transport properties of the newly designed Q-type membranes. However, unlike findings in part I on protein binding, SS-DNA binding was not fully reversible. Minute virus of mice (MVM) was used as model virus to evaluate the virus clearance performance of newly designed Q-type membranes. Log reduction of virus (LRV) of MVM increased with increasing polymer chain density. Membranes exhibited >4.5 LRV for the given MVM impurity load and may be capable of higher LRV values, as the MVM concentration in the flow-through fraction of these samples was below the limit of detection of the assay. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2011;108: 2654–2660. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Investigating psychopathological consequences of a disaster in children: a pilot study incorporating a structured diagnostic interview.

ABSTRACT This paper reports on a pilot study examining the reactions of children to a disaster of severe flooding in a circumscribed area of rural Missouri. Both parents and children were interviewed separately approximately 1 year after the flood using parallel versions of a structured diagnostic interview designed to identify children with DSM-III diagnoses. The results document the importance of interviewing children directly. Children reported more anxiety symptoms than parents reported for their children. Although symptoms of posttraumatic stress were reported, none of the children met full criteria for the disorder. Children most likely to be adversely affected were those with a preexisting disorder and those with parents who also reported a high number of symptoms in themselves.
Applied anthropology and the concept of the underdog: Implications for community mental health planning and evaluation

Medical anthropologists have long been involved in health-program evaluation and have studied factors related to program acceptance in target communities. However, assessing the reasons for the success or failure of a program should not be an end in itself, but should be a process that generates guidelines for the development of similar programs elsewhere and more general suggestions about the appropriate roles that applied anthropologists can fulfill. This paper briefly summarizes the research of an anthropological team who investigated the apparent failure of a respite home facility for retarded children in a suburban neighborhood to generate requisite community support. The team was able to develop a series of recommendations in aid of a plan to establish such centers elsewhere in the county, and in the state of Florida as a whole. However, the paper is more broadly concerned with applied anthropological attempts to define the nature of target or client communities and at delineating the appropriate anthropological perspective on health care delivery transactions. New roles for the anthropologist as evaluator will be considered.
Modeling equilibrium trends and interventions in commodity markets

The monthly spot prices in the international tin and copper and U.S. domestic lead markets are modeled based on the “supply of storage” concept. In all cases the lag-1 natural logS/C (stocks/consumption) was highly important in the final fitted equation. For copper and lead, trend directions in the U.S. Index of Leading Economic Indicators modified theS/C dependency. Disaggregation of the tin stocks showed the special model sensitivity to the level of the ITC buffer stock. The underlying econometric models are used to estimate the price intervention effects of international political-economic crises, and commodity producer cartel actions.
Brazilian, Japanese, and American Business Negotiations

The determinants of the outcomes of business negotiations in 3 cultures are investigated in a laboratory experiment. The outcomes of negotiations between Japanese businessmen result primarily from a situational constraint—the role of the negotiator (buyer or seller). Representational (problem-solving oriented) bargaining strategies, a measure of the process of the interaction, is the most important variable in American negotiations. In negotiations between Brazilian business people, deceptive bargaining strategies—also a process measure—is the key variable affecting outcomes.
Pathophysiology of nasal polyposis: the role of desmosomal junctions.

BackgroundMany mucosal inflammatory conditions are associated with alterations in epithelial intercellular junctions and barrier function; however, little is known about the role of intercellular j...
Identifying risk for massive transfusion in the relatively normotensive patient: utility of the prehospital shock index.

Background:In the prehospital environment, the failure of medical providers to recognize latent physiologic derangement in patients with compensated shock may risk undertriage. We hypothesized that the shock index (SI; heart rate divided by systolic blood pressure [SBP]), when used in the prehospita
On not forgetting futures

In his discussion paper “Responsible innovation, the art and craft of anticipation”, Nordmann (2014) critiques the anticipatory stance of some contemporary forms of technology assessment. His scept...
We interrupt this broadcast: highly reliable narrators in radio drama

This paper presents a theory of highly reliable narration through the examples of 1930s and 1940s radio broadcasts. Compared to the unreliable narrator, which opens interpretive possibilities, the highly reliable narrator limits the conclusions that the reader/listener may arrive at. The highly reliable narrator may receive additional credibility through internal means (sharing confidences with the reader, etc) or external means (education, experience, etc).
Physicians at War: The Dual-Loyalties Challenge

Preface Introduction: Allhoff Physicians at War: The Dual-Loyalties Challenge Section 1: Physicians and Dual-Loyalties IDLWG: Dual-loyalty & Human Rights in Health Professional Practice... Frisina: Guidelines to Prevent the Malevolent Use of Physicians in War Marks: Dual Disloyalties: Law and Medical Ethics at Guantanamo Bay Pearce/Saul: Toward a Framework for Military Health Ethics Section 2:Physicians and Torture Allhoff: Physician Involvement in Hostile Interrogations Matthews:Indecent Medicine Revisited: Considering Physician Involvement in Torture Lunstroth: Torture and the Regulation of the Health Care Professions Section 3: Physicians and Weapons Development Gross: Is Medicine a Pacifist Vocation or: Should Doctors Help Build Bombs? Nathanson: The Case against Doctor Involvement in Weapons Design and Development Selgelid: Armed Conflict and Value Conflict: Case Studies in Biological Weapons Miller/Selgelid: Ethics and the Dual-Use Dilemma in the Life Sciences Section 4: Physicians on the Battlefield Adams: Triage Priorities and Military Physicians List: Medical Neutrality and Political Activism: Physicians' Roles in Conflict Situations Appendices: WMA Regulations in Time of Armed Conflict WMA Statement on Torture, Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment CEJA Physician Participation in Interrogation.
Teaching students to break bad news.

Abstract Background: Physicians typically learn to communicate bad news to patients through trial and error or observation of more senior physicians. To give medical students initial instruction and experience in this area, we developed two standardized patient instructor (SPI) experiences in “breaking bad news.” Methods: Twenty-one junior medical students had an SPI experience discussing a new diagnosis of rectal cancer or pregancy loss. These 21 students, and 17 students having neither experience, interviewed the pregnancy loss SPI on the clinical performance examination (CPE) at the end of the junior year. Results: Students who had previously had a “breaking bad news” SPI experience performed significantly better on the CPE pregnancy loss station than students without this experience. There was no significant difference in performance between students who had previously had the pregnancy loss versus rectal cancer SPI. Conclusions: This research provides evidence for the effectiveness of bad news communication skills teaching, and its potential for transfer across content areas.
Why Eradicating Urban Poverty Requires a Long Term Multi‐Program ‘War': A Review of Anti‐Poverty Strategies for the Needs of the Late 70s

. Identifying who are the urban poor may help determine why poverty exists in our cities; and, of course, knowing why people are poor is a prerequisite for designing effective policies to eradicate the problem. As the statistics presented in this paper demonstrate, poverty has many causes and, therefore, a successful ‘war’ on poverty will necessarily have to be long term and multi-programmed. One essential part of that ‘war,’ of course, will be an attack on racial and sexual discrimination in labor markets; but, as this paper's analysis of the possible underlying causes of such discrimination points out, economic progress alone may be insufficient—racial and sexual prejudice itself will have to be eradicated.
Un-skolemizing clause sets

Abstract This article addresses the following problem. Given a set S of clauses and a set of constant and function symbols F that occur in the clauses of S , obtain a fully quantified (closed) formula S' from S by replacing expressions starting with symbols in F with existentially quantified variables. S' must be unsatisfiable if and only if S is unsatisfiable. A sound (but not complete) solution is given in the form of an outline of an algorithm.
Anti-p53 antibodies in patients with Barrett's esophagus or esophageal carcinoma can predate cancer diagnosis

Abstract Background & Aims: We previously discovered anti-p53 antibodies predating a cancer diagnosis in subjects at increased risk for liver, lung, breast, and prostate cancer. Recently, we reported a significant correlation ( P Methods: We used enzyme immunoassay, immunoblotting, and immunoprecipitation assays for p53 antibodies; polymerase chain reaction, denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis, and sequencing for p53 mutations; and immunohistochemistry for p53 protein. Results: p53 antibodies were detected in 4 patients with Barrett's esophagus, including 1 with dysplasia that later progressed to adenocarcinoma, and in 10 cancer patients ( P = 0.002) (8 squamous and 2 adenocarcinoma), 2 of whom (1 squamous, 1 adenocarcinoma) had antibodies before cancer was diagnosed. Other patient groups were too small for informative statistical analysis. Six antibody-positive cancer patients had p53 mutations, whereas 2 patients with cancer and 1 with Barrett's esophagus with antibodies had p53 protein overexpressed in esophageal tissues. Conclusions: Patients with Barrett's esophagus and esophageal cancer can develop p53 antibodies that may predate the clinical diagnosis of malignancy. GASTROENTEROLOGY 1998;115:19-27
Anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the left sinus of valsalva

Abstract The clinical significance of anomalous origin of the right coronary artery (RCA) has been controversial. Roberts et al 1 reported a compilation of necropsy data from 4 studies. Of 26 patients reported, none had symptoms of cardiac dysfunction or death that could be attributed to an anomalous origin of the RCA. Roberts et al reviewed angiographie data from 6 studies involving living patients in whom anomalous origin of the RCA was identified. Among 31 patients, 9 (29%) had symptoms of cardiac dysfunction unassociated with significant coronary or noncoronary cardiac disease. We report our experience with 12 patients who had angiographic evidence of anomalous origin of the RCA.
Concentration of glycine in duck erythrocytes.

Abstract Duck erythrocytes, suspended in solutions containing traces of radioactive glycine, concentrate this amino acid in their intracellular fluid as demonstrated earlier by Christensen et al. for nonradioactive glycine. About 80–90% of the intracellular glycine is in the nonprotein fraction. The distribution ratio inside/outside increases to a maximum of approximately 7. Neither glycine nor other C14-amino acids are bound to serum albumin or to ribonucleate in their aqueous solutions; they are not concentrated in the protein films at the air/water interface. The intracellular glycine seems to be free.
Anaerobic membrane bioreactor for treatment of synthetic municipal wastewater at ambient temperature.

Non-woven fabric filter and poly-tetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) composite membrane were investigated to determine their applicability to treat low strength wastewater in an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AMBR). Sludge cake resistance of the membrane was quantified using pure water flux of anaerobic sludge cake accumulated on the glass fiber filter of similar pore size. It is hypothesized that the formation of thin cake layer on the porous medium, e.g. non-woven and PTFE acts as a dynamic membrane. Thus, the capture of thin sludge cake inside the non-woven fabric matrix and accumulation on the PTFE membrane surface forms a membrane system equivalent to a commercial membrane system. The permeate quality was found to improve as the cake became more dense with filtration time. The PTFE composite membrane coated with thin PTFE film on the non-woven fabric filter enhanced the filtration performance by improving flux and minimizing the propensity of bio-fouling. The membrane flux was restored by back-flushing with permeate. The AMBR coupled with PTFE laminated membrane was operated continuously during the experiment at a cross flow velocity (CFV) of 0.1–0.2 m/sec and a transmembrane pressure (TMP) of 0.5–3 psi. Although about a month of acclimation was required to reach steady state, the effluent chemical oxygen demand (COD), volatile fatty acids (VFAs) as acetic acid, and suspended solids (SS) concentrations were below 30, 20 and 10 mg/L, respectively, during 90 days of operation with intermittent back washing. The lower operation TMP and CFV were subjected to less shear stress on the microbial community during continuous AMBR operation. In addition, thin sludge film accumulated on the membrane surface also acted as a biofilm bioreactor to remove additional COD in this study
The role of cyclosporine-induced autoreactive T lymphocytes in solid organ allograft survival and chronic rejection

Cyclosporine (CsA) has profound but paradoxical effects on the immune system. CsA can facilitate the induction of transplantation tolerance in some animal systems but it inhibits the clonal deletion of MHC class II autoreactive T cells. The present studies evaluated whether the autoreactive T cells participate in the induction of facilitated graft acceptance after CsA treatment by recognizing and eliminating activated allograft responsive T cells that express MHC class II determinants. Transfer of autoreactive T cells into naive Lewis rats pretreated with cyclophosphamide significantly prolonged the survival of heterotopic cardiac allografts from MHC-disparate BN strain donors. Following transfer of the autoreactive T cells, there was a marked reduction in the frequency of alloreactive T lymphocytes responsive to donor alloantigens. The role of MHC class II autoreactive CD8+ V beta 8.5+ T cells in facilitated graft acceptance was also supported by the findings that (1) treatment with anti-MHC class II antibody abrogated prolonged allograft survival after CsA therapy and (2) V beta 8.5+ lymphocytes infiltrate the allograft during CsA therapy but are absent in the graft in non-CsA-treated control animals. Although these data are consistent with the hypothesis that autoreactive T cells prolong cardiac allograft survival after CsA treatment, the autoaggressive cells failed to inhibit the development of chronic rejection of both heart and skin allografts. These data suggest either that the autoreactive T cells do not inhibit immune mechanisms responsible for chronic graft rejection or that the autoaggressive lymphocytes may participate in and exacerbate chronic rejection of allografts. Taken together, the induction of MHC class II autoreactive T cells may provide a common fundamental mechanism explaining the paradoxical effects of CsA.
The future is in our hands.

For more than 50 years I have been a clinical and academic physiatrist. I fulfilled my residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Walter Reed General Hospital in the late 1950s while serving in the U.S. Army. World War II and the Korean War had ended, and physiatrists at home were still finding their way in treating the human damage of war: military men and women who survived battle but with severe physical and mental impairment. Then the polio epidemics hit, leaving tens of thousands of persons paralyzed. With the establishment of Medicare in the 1960s, we were charged with caring for the elderly, with their unique and multiple debilities. Wars, terrorism, disease pandemics, natural disasters, human-made disasters, accidents, aging, developmental disabilities, and finite health care resources—could physiatrists face more challenging circumstances, then or now or in the future? Credit for the establishment of the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation in the 1930s belongs to Frank H. Krusen, MD, but many physiatrists over several decades have responded heroically to human distress and exhibited foresight in preparing for problems and opportunities to come. The next generations of physiatrists will face known challenges—such as the aging global population concurrent with limits on medical financial resources—and situations that we cannot yet imagine. I believe we must look to the innovations of the past that have revolutionized the care that our specialty offers and stay the course but also design new solutions to new demands. Mid-career, I coalesced several notions of what the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation should contribute to medicine and to society in my presidential address to the 38th Annual Assembly of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Titled “Epidemiology, Disability, and Physiatric Practice,” the following excerpts from that 1976 address were a portent [1]:
Asymmetric paternalism: Description of the phenomenon, explanation based on decisions under uncertainty, and possible applications to education

In general, human being are rational decision makers, but in many situations, they exhibit unexplained "inertia", reluctance to switch to a better decision. In this paper, we show that this seemingly irrational behavior can be explained if we take uncertainty into account; we also explain how this phenomenon can be utilized in education.
Beta-Adrenergic Blockade with Pindolol (LB-46) in Mild to Moderate Asthma

Beta-adrenergic blockade may be hazardous in asthma and chronic obstructive lung disease. The beta-adrenergic antagonist pindolol (LB-46) has been suggested to be more tolerable in such patients. We gave intravenously both 0.4 mg pindolol and placebo to 24 mild to moderate asthmatic subjects in remission. In 23 subjects who completed the study, there was no significant difference in pulmonary function between the pindolol and placebo trials either after drug administration or following exhausting exercise after drug administration, although a trend toward reduced pulmonary function after pindolol was seen. Significant differences (P
A Review of: “HANDBOOK OF INDUSTRIAL MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY Mark C. Porter, ed. Noyes Publications, Park Ridge, NJ, 1990 hardbound, 604 pages, $96.00“

(1990). A Review of: “HANDBOOK OF INDUSTRIAL MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY Mark C. Porter, ed. Noyes Publications, Park Ridge, NJ, 1990 hardbound, 604 pages, $96.00“. Separation and Purification Methods: Vol. 19, No. 2, pp. 217-219.
Bone disease in chronic childhood cholestasis. I. Vitamin D absorption and metabolism.

Metabolic bone disease is common in children and adults with chronic cholestasis. We evaluated baseline vitamin D (vitamin D2 and D3), 25-OH vitamin D2 and D3, 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D, vitamin D-binding protein, bone mineral content and dietary mineral content in six children (mean age: 12.1 years) with cholestasis since infancy. Absorption of 25-OH vitamin D3 and vitamin D2 was evaluated by measuring serial serum concentrations after a test dose. Bone mineral content was reduced by >2 S.D. in five of six subjects compared to age-specific controls; none had radiographic evidence of rickets but all had osteopenia. Dietary Ca and P content in the subjects was comparable to the recommended daily allowance for age-specific children. Baseline serum vitamin D2 concentrations were undetectable in all but one cholestatic subject despite oral supplementation with 2,500 to 50,000 IU per day vitamin D2. Baseline serum 25-OH vitamin D was 33.2 ± 6.0 ng per ml (mean ± S.E.) and comparable to our laboratory norms (15 to 50 ng per ml). Serum 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D and “free” 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D were both significantly (p<0.05) reduced compared to controls. A significantly blunted rise and reduced area under the absorption curve (both p<0.001) after 1,000 IU per kg vitamin D2 was found in cholestatic children (0.8 ng ± 0.5 ng per ml and 18.0 ± 14.3 ng hr per ml, respectively) compared to controls (59.5 ± 10.0 ng per ml and 1,780 ± 253 ng hr per ml, respectively). The peak change and area under the absorption curve for 25-OH vitamin D3 from baseline after 10 μg per kg 25-OH vitamin D3 was significantly reduced (both p<0.05) in cholestatic children (60.2 ± 13.8 ng per ml and 751.5 ± 189.9 ng hr per ml, respectively) compared to controls (151.6 ± 30.7 ng per ml and 2,021 ± 472 ng hr per ml, respectively). We conclude that despite severe vitamin D malabsorption, normal serum 25-OH vitamin D concentrations in cholestatic children most likely result from sunlight-stimulated endogenous vitamin D synthesis. Use of oral 25-OH vitamin D should be considered in cholestatic children because its absorption is less impaired than vitamin D.
Genetic Characterization of Esterase Activity Variants Associated with an Esterase Gene Amplification in a Strain of Culex pipiens from California

In the Culex pipiens complex, a common mechanism of insecticide resistance is amplification of esterase genes leading to overproduction of detoxifying esterase enzymes. A number of electrophoretic esterase alleles have been identified, and in field populations individuals with the same esterase electromorph can exhibit a wide range of esterase enzyme activities. We isolated and characterized esterase activity variants associated with the esterase B1 electromorph from a field strain. A mating scheme was used to isolate chromosomes with esterase genes from the strain into 45 families. Twenty-six of the families received esterase genes from the field strain that conferred elevated esterase activity. Mean esterase activities in these families ranged from 43 to 695 nmoles α-naphthyl acetate hydrolyzed/min/mg protein. Variance components indicated that genetic variance (i.e., genetic differences among families) accounted for 77% of the total variation in esterase activity. A comparison of mean esterase activities indicated that there were at least 11 different esterase activity variants contributing to the observed genetic variation in esterase activity among the 26 families. The relevance of these results to understanding the dynamics of amplified esterase genes in populations is discussed.
Structure Layout Optimization for Multithreaded Programs

Structure layout optimizations seek to improve runtime performance by improving data locality and reuse. The structure layout heuristics for single-threaded benchmarks differ from those for multi-threaded applications running on multiprocessor machines, where the effects of false sharing need to be taken into account. In this paper we propose a technique for structure layout transformations for multithreaded applications that optimizes both for improved spatial locality and reduced false sharing, simultaneously. We develop a semi-automatic tool that produces actual structure layouts for multi-threaded programs and outputs the key factors contributing to the layout decisions. We apply this tool on the HP-UX kernel and demonstrate the effects of these transformations for a variety of already highly hand-tuned key structures with different set of properties. We show that naive heuristics can result in massive performance degradations on such a highly tuned application, while our technique generally avoids those pitfalls. The improved structures produced by our tool improve performance by up to 3.2% over a highly tuned baseline.
Persistent Mycoplasma genitalium Infection of Human Endocervical Epithelial Cells Elicits Chronic Inflammatory Cytokine Secretion

Infection with Mycoplasma genitalium has been associated with male and female urogenital disease syndromes, including urethritis, cervicitis, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), and tubal factor infertility. Basic investigations of mucosal cytotoxicity, microbial persistence, and host immune responses are imperative to understanding these inflammatory urogenital syndromes, particularly in females, considering the potential severity of upper tract infections. Here, we report that M. genitalium can establish long-term infection of human endocervical epithelial cells that results in chronic inflammatory cytokine secretion and increased responsiveness to secondary Toll-like receptor (TLR) stimulation. Using a novel quantitative PCR assay, M. genitalium was shown to replicate from 0 to 80 days postinoculation (p.i.), during which at most time points the median ratio of M. genitalium organisms to host cells was ≤10, indicating that low organism burdens are capable of eliciting chronic inflammation in endocervical epithelial cells. This observation is consistent with clinical findings in women. Persistently secreted cytokines predominately consisted of potent chemotactic and/or activating factors for phagocytes, including interleukin-8 (IL-8), monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), and macrophage inflammatory protein 1β (MIP-1β). Despite persistent cytokine elaboration, no host cell cytotoxicity was observed except with superphysiologic loads of M. genitalium, suggesting that persistent infection occurs with minimal direct damage to the epithelium. However, it is hypothesized that chronic chemokine secretion with leukocyte trafficking to the epithelium could lead to significant inflammatory sequelae. Therefore, persistent M. genitalium infection could have important consequences for acquisition and/or pathogenesis of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and perhaps explain the positive associations between this organism and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) shedding.
Multiuser detection in asynchronous on-off random access channels using lasso

This paper considers on-off random access channels where users transmit either a one or a zero to a base station. Such channels represent an abstraction of control channels used for scheduling requests in third-generation cellular systems and uplinks in wireless sensor networks deployed for target detection. This paper introduces a novel convex-optimization-based scheme for multiuser detection (MUD) in asynchronous on-off random access channels that does not require knowledge of the delays or the instantaneous received signal-to-noise ratios of the individual users at the base station. For any fixed number of temporal signal space dimensions N and maximum delay τ in the system, the proposed scheme can accommodate M ≲ exp(O(N1/3)) total users and k ≲ N/ logM active users in the system—a significant improvement over the k ≤ M ≲ N scaling suggested by the use of classical matched-filtering-based approaches to MUD employing orthogonal signaling. Furthermore, the computational complexity of the proposed scheme differs from that of a similar oracle-based scheme with perfect knowledge of the user delays by at most a factor of log(N+τ). Finally, the results presented in here are non-asymptotic, in contrast to related previous work for synchronous channels that only guarantees that the probability of MUD error at the base station goes to zero asymptotically in M.
Assessment of Bias Associated with Incomplete Extraction of Microbial DNA from Soil

DNA extraction bias is a frequently cited but poorly understood limitation of molecular characterizations of environmental microbial communities. To assess the bias of a commonly used soil DNA extraction kit, we varied the cell lysis protocol and conducted multiple extractions on subsamples of clay, sand, and organic soils. DNA, as well as bacterial and fungal ribosomal gene copies as measured by quantitative PCR, continued to be isolated in successive extractions. When terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism was used, a significant shift in community composition due to extraction bias was detected for bacteria but not for fungi. Pyrosequencing indicated that the relative abundances of sequences from rarely cultivated groups such as Acidobacteria, Gemmatimonades, and Verrucomicrobia were higher in the first extraction than in the sixth but that the reverse was true for Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. This suggests that the well-known phylum-level bacterial cultivation bias may be partially exaggerated by DNA extraction bias. We conclude that bias can be adequately reduced in many situations by pooling three successive extractions, and additional measures should be considered when divergent soil types are compared or when comprehensive community analysis is necessary.
On the Modeling of the Scalar Correlations Necessary to Construct a Second-Order Closure Description of Turbulent Reacting Flows

This workshop is concerned with the nature of turbulent mixing and the description of the rate at which chemical reactions proceed when turbulent mixing takes place. I am a member of that school of engineers that attempts to describe turbulent flows by what have come to be called second-order closure schemes. I believe that such schemes are useful, provided they are invariant closures and provided that, until one knows from experience that simplified schemes of second-order closure are adequate, one keeps equations for all the independent second-order correlations in the calculations. Of course, in keeping equations for all the independent second-order correlations, one adds a great deal of computational effort to the description of any given flow. However, until one understands the complete closure computations well enough to know that simplification will not destroy that portion of the physics of the problem that a complete second-order closure can give, this writer feels that one should make the effort necessary to cope with the equations for the complete set of independent second-order correlations.
The Process of Engaging Members From Two Underserved Populations in the Development of Interventions to Promote the Uptake of the HPV Vaccine

We describe a community-engaged research process used to develop multilevel interventions (caregivers, providers, system) to improve the uptake of human papillomavirus vaccine among adolescents by ...