cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Correlation of the degree of dyspnea with health‐related quality of life, functional abilities, and diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide in patients with systemic sclerosis and active alveolitis: Results from the scleroderma lung study

Objective To determine whether baseline self-assessment measures of health status and physiologic indices of disease severity in alveolitis-positive patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) correlate with the severity of their dyspnea, and to quantify functional impairment in patients with scleroderma lung disease and compare it with that in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods SSc patients (n = 138) with diffuse (n = 81) or limited (n = 57) cutaneous disease and active alveolitis (determined by bronchoalveolar lavage and/or high-resolution computed tomography) who participated in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute–sponsored, multicenter, parallel-group, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of oral cyclophosphamide for treatment of SSc-associated interstitial lung disease were evaluated. Pearson's univariate correlations were determined between the Short Form 36 (SF-36) physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scales, functional questionnaires, and physiologic parameters of breathing (forced vital capacity [FVC] and single-breath diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide [DLCO]). Student's t-test was used to compare subgroups. Scores from 2 instruments for self-assessment of breathlessness, Mahler's baseline dyspnea index (BDI) and a visual analog scale (VAS) for breathing, were divided at the median. Values for the DLCO and FVC (% predicted) were divided based on the American Thoracic Society guidelines for mild (>70% of predicted), moderate (50–70% of predicted), and severe (<50% of predicted) physiologic impairment. Results Scores on the BDI and VAS for breathing were highly correlated (r = −0.61). The PCS and MCS were able to differentiate patients with more breathlessness (measured by BDI and VAS for breathing) and more abnormal physiologic measures (FVC and DLCO). In SSc patients with alveolitis, all 8 domains of the SF-36 were significantly impaired as compared with the healthy population and were similar to those reported by patients with COPD. Conclusion The SF-36 was able to discriminate between scleroderma lung disease patients with more severe and less severe breathlessness, the primary symptom of active alveolitis. The SF-36 complements the BDI and VAS scores for breathing in scleroderma lung disease and is variably correlated with results of pulmonary function tests, suggesting that the SF-36 should be included as an outcome measure in intervention trials in this population.
Remembrance of things past: locality and memory in BDDs

Binary Decision Diagrams (BDDs) are efficient at manipulating large sets in a compact manner. BDDs, however, are inefficient at utilizing the memory hierarchy ofthe computer. Recent work addresses this problem by manipulating the BDDsin breath-first manner (BFS). BFS processing is quite successful at reducing the number of page faults when the BDDs do not fit in the available physical memory. When pagingdoes not take place, it is much less clear which paradigmleads to the better performance. In this paper, we perform adetailed analysis of BFS and DFS packages using simulationand direct performance monitoring ofthe memory hierarchy.We show that there is very little difference in TLB and cachemiss rates for DFS and BFS paradigms. We also show thatdifferences in execution time between carefully tuned BFSand DFS implementations are primarily a function of thelossless computed table used in BFS implementations, andnot a function of memory locality. Furthermore, we presentimplementation changes to the the Cudd package that canimprove execution times by asmuch as 26% when the problem fits in main memory, and a factor of six when paging is involved.
Differences in transformation of adult and newborn lymphocytes stimulated by antigen, antibody, and antigen-antibody complexes☆

Abstract It has been proposed that in vitro stimulation of lymphocytes by antigen-antibody complexes is due to an immunologically nonspecific action. The lymphocytes of newborn infants and adults were tested for their ability to respond to tetanus and diphtheria toxoid, the respective antitoxins and antigen-antibody complexes. Cord blood lymphocytes failed to transform with these stimulants whereas the lymphocytes of previously immunized adults were transformed by these antigens and the antigen-antibody complexes. In addition, BSA-anti-BSA complex stimulated lymphocytes from ostensibly unsensitized adults but not the cord blood cells. It is concluded from these results that lymphocyte transformation by antigen-antibody complexes is due to a specific acquired immunologic response and that adult individuals may have unknowingly become sensitized to ubiquitous antigens such as BSA.
Cluster reaction of [Ag8]−/[Cu8]− with chlorine: Evidence for the harpoon mechanism?

Abstract To examine the question whether the harpoon mechanism can account for the reactive behavior of microscopic charged systems, we have investigated the reactivity of coinage metal clusters in gas phase. Our studies reveal that the reactivity between [Cu8]−/[Ag8]− and chlorine gas is consistent with the harpoon mechanism. An increased reactive cross section is noted through our theoretical estimation based on two methods, ascribed to a long-range transfer of valence electrons from the [Cu8]−/[Ag8]− cluster to chlorine. Insights into this reactivity will be of interest to other researchers working on obtaining a better understanding of the reaction mechanisms of such superatomic species.
Ancient and modern laminated composites — from the Great Pyramid of Gizeh to Y2K ☆

Abstract Laminated metal composites (LMCs) have been cited in antiquity; for example, an iron laminate that may date as far back as 2750 BC was found in the Great Pyramid in Gizeh in 1837. A laminated shield containing bronze, tin, and gold layers is described in detail by Homer. Well-known examples of steel laminates, such as an Adze blade, dating to 400 BC can be found in the literature. The Japanese sword is a laminated composite at several different levels and Merovingian blades were composed of laminated steels. Other examples are also available, including composites from China, Thailand, Indonesia, Germany, Britain, Belgium, France, and Persia. The concept of lamination to provide improved properties has also found expression in modern materials. Of particular interest is the development of laminates including high-carbon and low-carbon layers. These materials have unusual properties that are of engineering interest; they are similar to ancient welded Damascus steels. The manufacture of collectable knives, labeled “welded Damascus,” has also been a focus of contemporary knife makers. Additionally, in the former Soviet Union, laminated composite designs have been used in engineering applications. Each of the above areas will be briefly reviewed, and some of the metallurgical principles will be described that underlie improvement in properties by lamination. Where appropriate, links are made between these property improvements and those that may have been present in ancient artifacts.
Grazing phenomena in a periodically forced, friction-induced, linear oscillator

Abstract The criterion for grazing motions in a dry-friction oscillator is obtained from the local theory of non-smooth dynamical systems on the connectable and accessible domains. The generic mappings for such a dry-friction oscillator are also introduced. The sufficient and necessary conditions for grazing at the final states of mappings are expressed. The initial and final switching sets of grazing mapping, varying with system parameters, are illustrated for the grazing parametric characteristics. The initial and grazing, switching manifolds in the switching sets are defined through grazing mappings. Finally, numerical illustrations of grazing motions are very easily carried out with help of the analytical predictions. This paper provides a comprehensive investigation of grazing motions in the dry-friction oscillator for a better understanding of the grazing mechanism of such a discontinuous system. The investigation based on the local singularity theory is more intuitive and efficient than the discontinuous mapping techniques.
Some notes on the construction and evaluation of supersaturated designs

Supersaturated designs offer a potentially useful way to investigate many factors with few experiments. A super-saturated design evaluates factors with experiments, where . In some supersaturated designs the number of factors being investigated may exceed the number of experiments by a factor of three or more. The problem of developing a supersaturated design is described in computational complexity terms and methods of construction are discussed. Using standard combinatorial formulation may permit researchers to use additional methods to develop additional designs. Designs are generated with a modified method and compared with published designs using existing criteria and a new criterion. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Free Speech Meets the Publicity Tort: Transformative Use Analysis in Right of Publicity Law

The intersection of intellectual property law and First Amendment concerns has become increasingly contested. The right of publicity has proven particularly difficult to reconcile with free speech values. Recently, some courts have begun importing a “transformative use” approach from copyright law to reconcile tensions between publicity rights and free expression. This article analyzes the problems with the transformative use doctrine and suggests the outlines of an alternative approach.
Testing Error Management Theory: Exploring the Commitment Skepticism Bias and the Sexual Overperception Bias

Research on error management theory indicates that men tend to overestimate women's sexual interest and women underestimate men's interest in committed relationships (Haselton & Buss, 2000). We test the assumptions of the theory in face-to-face, stranger interactions with 111 man-woman dyads. Support for the theory emerges, but potential boundary conditions are observed. In addition, we fin d that women's perceptions of men's desire for commitment is related to the women's own self-reported sexual interest but that the reverse does not hold for men. Finally, we find evidence consistent with the proposition that people project their own level of interest in sex or in a committed relationship onto their interaction partners.
Defense display market assessment

This paper addresses the number, function and size of principal military displays and establishes a basis to determine the opportunities for technology insertion in the immediate future and into the next millennium. Principal military displays are defined as those occupying appreciable crewstation real-estate and/or those without which the platform could not carry out its intended mission. DoD 'office' applications are excluded from this study. The military displays market is specified by such parameters as active area and footprint size, and other characteristics such as luminance, gray scale, resolution, angle, color, video capability, and night vision imaging system (NVIS) compatibility. Funded, future acquisitions, planned and predicted crewstation modification kits, and form-fit upgrades are taken into account. This paper provides an overview of the DoD niche market, allowing both government and industry a necessary reference by which to meet DoD requirements for military displays in a timely and cost-effective manner. The aggregate DoD market for direct-view and large-area military displays is presently estimated to be in excess of 242,000. Miniature displays are those which must be magnified to be viewed, involve a significantly different manufacturing paradigm and are used in helmet mounted displays and thermal weapon sight applications. Some 114,000 miniature displays are presently included within Service weapon system acquisition plans. For vendor production planning purposes it is noted that foreign military sales could substantially increase these quantities. The vanishing vendor syndrome (VVS) for older display technologies continues to be a growing, pervasive problem throughout DoD, which consequently must leverage the more modern display technologies being developed for civil- commercial markets.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A lightweight symbolic virtual machine for solver-aided host languages

Solver-aided domain-specific languages (SDSLs) are an emerging class of computer-aided programming systems. They ease the construction of programs by using satisfiability solvers to automate tasks such as verification, debugging, synthesis, and non-deterministic execution. But reducing programming tasks to satisfiability problems involves translating programs to logical constraints, which is an engineering challenge even for domain-specific languages. We have previously shown that translation to constraints can be avoided if SDSLs are implemented by (traditional) embedding into a host language that is itself solver-aided. This paper describes how to implement a symbolic virtual machine (SVM) for such a host language. Our symbolic virtual machine is lightweight because it compiles to constraints only a small subset of the host's constructs, while allowing SDSL designers to use the entire language, including constructs for DSL embedding. This lightweight compilation employs a novel symbolic execution technique with two key properties: it produces compact encodings, and it enables concrete evaluation to strip away host constructs that are outside the subset compilable to constraints. Our symbolic virtual machine architecture is at the heart of Rosette, a solver-aided language that is host to several new SDSLs.
Altered expression of inhibitory guanine nucleotide regulatory proteins (Gi-proteins) in experimental hepatocellular carcinoma.

Guanine nucleotide regulatory proteins (G-proteins) play an important role in the onset and progression of malignancy. We hypothesized that alterations in inhibitory G-protein (Gi) expression and/or function may contribute to cellular invasion and formation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). H4IIE hepatoma cells were inoculated directly into the liver parenchyma of ACI strain rats, and membranes were prepared from HCC livers and adjacent nonneoplastic livers 12 days following the initial inoculation. Expression of inhibitory Giα proteins was determined by Western blot analysis and changes in the functional activity of these proteins confirmed by pertussis toxin catalyzed ADP ribosylation and adenylyl cyclase activity. Inhibitory Giα1, Giα1/2, and Giα3 protein expression was significantly elevated in HCC when compared to adjacent nonneoplastic liver and sham-operated hepatic tissue. Pertussis toxin catalyzed ADP ribosylation of Giα substrates was significantly enhanced in HCC concomitant with increased basal and stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity following uncoupling of Gi-proteins with manganese ions. The role of Gi-proteins in cellular proliferation was confirmed using cultured H4IIE cells and normal hepatocytes. In quiescent H4IIE cells, mastoparan (Giα activator) increased [3H] thymidine incorporation and cell growth in a dose-dependent manner, whereas both pertussis toxin (a Gi-protein inhibitor) and 8-bromo-cAMP inhibited mitogenesis. In contrast, in isolated cultured hepatocytes, mastoparan inhibited [3H] thymidine incorporation, while pertussis toxin and 8-bromo-cAMP were mitogenic. We conclude that HCC is associated with marked changes in Giα-protein expression in vivo and in vitro, direct activation of which leads to increased mitogenesis in H4IIE cells in vitro. J. Cell. Physiol. 175:295–304, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Lactic Acid Fermentation of Broiler Processing Waste: Physical Properties and Chemical Analyses

Abstract Broiler processing waste (offal), consisting of broiler heads, viscera, and feet, was collected from a commercial processing plant, ground, mixed with a fermentable substrate, and inoculated with actively growing organisms from a commercial silage culture. The offal mixture was fermented at 11, 19, and 37 C for up to 48 h and evaluated for pH, odor, and aqueous, solid, and oil fractions produced by centrifugation. Freshly ground offal, fermented offal, and aqueous and solids fractions were analyzed for moisture, fat, and protein content. The oil fraction produced by centrifugation of the fermented offal was analyzed for fatty acid composition. The optimum fermentation conditions, as determined by final pH, were obtained by the addition of 6% sucrose, inoculation with 106 cfu of silage culture organisms/kg of offal, and incubation at 37 C. The pH decreased from 6.2 to 3.9 in 24 h. Freshly ground offal and 48-h fermented offal were found to contain 63.2% moisture, 15.9% fat, and 14.9% protein, and 57.3% moisture, 19.1% fat, and 12.9% protein, respectively. The aqueous and solid fractions were 73.3% moisture, 1.1% fat, and 12.1% protein, and 57.7% moisture, 6.8% fat, and 21.8% protein, respectively. Fermentation was effective in decreasing pH, altering the odor and viscosity, and, upon centrifugation, increasing fat recovery and producing fractions that were easily separated.
Sarbanes-Oxley Act Section 307 and Corporate Counsel: Who Better to Prevent Corporate Crime?

While much of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act concerned the minutiae of corporate governance, Section 307 of the Act was aspirational by directing the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) to adopt rules that enlist lawyers in preventing - or at least reporting - corporate misconduct. In addition to adopting the "up-the-ladder" reporting rules mandated by Congress, the SEC sought to put teeth into the regulation of corporate lawyers by proposing the "noisy withdrawal" rule that would have required outside corporate counsel to disclose publicly the reasons for withdrawal if the corporation persisted in a course of misconduct. The reaction of the organized bar was almost wholly negative, focusing on the supposed harm to the confidential lawyer-client relationship from the disclose of privilege information, and the SEC ultimately withdrew the proposal. The flaw in the SEC's proposed rule was that it coupled "noisy" with "withdrawal." Lawyers are not "gatekeepers" in the same way accountants have a duty to the investing public to ensure that a company conveys accurate information. Compelling disclosure to the public of a lawyer's withdrawal from representation imparts a gatekeeper role that can create more confusion in the market than clarity. The noise is largely superfluous to the goal of preventing corporate crime, while withdrawal is an important step toward removing lawyers from the process that can lead to criminal conduct. Unfortunately, the Commission missed its chance to fulfill the congressional mandate of Section 307 and take an important step in preventing future corporate crimes when it failed to require attorneys to withdraw from representation if a client persists in misconduct. The Article argues that the SEC should adopt the withdrawal portion of the noisy withdrawal rule, and that withdrawal should be mandatory for both outside counsel and in-house lawyers when they become aware of corporate misconduct and the corporation refuses to take adequate remedial measures. Mandatory complete withdrawal and the required disclosure to successor counsel can make lawyers more effective in preventing or impeding corporate crimes because the rule makes it significantly more difficult for the corporation to continue a course of conduct without considering the consequences. Much like the public disclosure sought by the Commission, withdrawal is a signal, only to a more limited audience: the corporation and the new lawyer. The rule relies on that second attorney to be as ethical as the first lawyer, and to refuse to accept the corporate client if there is "evidence of a material violation" and a refusal to act appropriately.
Mechanics of droplet evaporation on heated surfaces

Abstract This paper examines the mechanics of evaporation of liquid droplets in direct contact with heated surfaces whose temperature is below the maximum boiling-rate point. The study leads to a classification of the evaporation mode into three categories (i) where the evaporation is controlled by heat transfer through the droplet, (ii) where conduction in the heating plate is the controlling mechanism, and (iii) the intermediate case, where both effects are of comparable importance. A dimensionless parameter is identified which may be employed to characterize the mode of evaporation. Experimental results indicate the general validity of the theoretical analysis.
A Hamilton cycle in the Cayley graph of the presentation of PSL 2 ( p )

Abstract We construct a Hamilton cycle in the Cayley graph of the 〈2,p,3〉 presentation of PSL2(p).
Zero VOC sunlight curable coatings

Curing of one-pack epoxy coatings by exposure to visible light for a few hours would be a useful innovation for architectural, industrial, and maintenance (AIM) coatings as well as for any large objects that would be difficult to heat but easy to shine a light on. Zero VOC, low viscosity, sunlight curable clearcoats can be formulated with cycloaliphatic epoxy compounds as well as aromatic glycidyl ethers. Cure is achieved with a cationic photoinitiator that generates a strong acid when exposed to sunlight for a couple of hours. The clearcoats had good hardness, adhesion, and solvent resistance. No cure was achieved with incandescent light or with fluorescent light, which contains only 0.1% UV light as compared to sunlight that has 5% UV light. This work indicates that zero VOC one pack clearcoat epoxy formulations for AIM applications and large objects could be cured by light racks that generate the spectrum of sunlight.
Endocrinology and epidemiology of breast cancer.

A rare combined endocrinolgic-epidemiologic approach to the etiology of breast cancer is discussed by combining evidence from the 2 fields to determine which endocrine organ is most involved in breast cancer etiology. The ovaries clearly appear to be the most significant endocrine organ related to breast cancer though endocrine theory and preliminary research has sometimes suggested the importance of other glands. Nevertheless the ovaries are the focus of etiologic investigations into what special characteristic of this endocrine organ is associated with breast cancer risk. The paradox that pregnancy decreases life-long breast cancer risk despite its high-estrogen nature has been explained by several now-rejected hypotheses including the beliefs that lactation or the cyclic nature of estrogen activity protected against breast cancer. One possible explanation for the pregnancy paradox lies in the role of estriol as an anticarcinogenic estrogen. Analysis of the variables of parity pregnancy timing and individual endocrine profiles may lead to a coherent guide for identification of high risk breast cancer women. International cooperation between endocrinological and epidemiological studies could make significant progress toward that goal.
Subcellular localization of cyclic ADP-ribosyl cyclase and cyclic ADP-ribose hydrolase activities in porcine airway smooth muscle

Recent studies have provided evidence for a role of cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR) in the regulation of intracellular calcium in smooth muscles of the intestine, blood vessels and airways. We investigated the presence and subcellular localization of ADP-ribosyl cyclase, the enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of beta-NAD(+) to cADPR, and cADPR hydrolase, the enzyme that degrades cADPR to ADPR, in tracheal smooth muscle (TSM). Sucrose density fractionation of TSM crude membranes provided evidence that ADP-ribosyl cyclase and cADPR hydrolase activities were associated with a fraction enriched in 5'-nucleotidase activity, a plasma membrane marker enzyme, but not in a fraction enriched in either sarcoplasmic endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase or ryanodine receptor channels, both sarcoplasmic reticulum markers. The ADP-ribosyl cyclase and cADPR hydrolase activities comigrated at a molecular weight of approximately 40 kDa on SDS-PAGE. This comigration was confirmed by gel filtration chromatography. Investigation of kinetics yielded K(m) values of 30.4+/-1.5 and 695. 3+/-171.2 microM and V(max) values of 330.4+/-90 and 102.8+/-17.1 nmol/mg/h for ADP-ribosyl cyclase and cADPR hydrolase, respectively. These results suggest a possible role for cADPR as an endogenous modulator of [Ca(2+)](i) in porcine TSM cells.
Myocardial calcium compartmentation.

Abstract The mammalian cardiac myocyte contains ~1600 μmol of exchangeable Ca per liter of cell water. Normal contractile function requires that this exchangeable content be rigorously compartmentalized. A contraction in 1 mM[Ca] 0 is triggered by entry of only 6–10 μmo/L cell water via the sarcolemmal “L” Ca channel, resulting in the secondary release of 50–60 μnol from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) compartment, which contains 500 μmol in the junctional (JSR) plus corbular (CSR) components. Maximal contraction in 8 mM[Ca] 0 is associated with SR release of 130 μmol triggered by entry of only 8–14 μmol via the Ca channel. This indicates the marked amplification ability of the SR-compartmentalized Ca. Ca efflux occurs via the sarcolemmal Na-Ca exchanger, which transports Ca from a newly identified Na-Ca exchange-dependent compartment. Current studies indicate that this compartment is localized to inner sarcolemmal leaflet anionic phospholipids (PLs) in equilibrium with JSR Ca. A recently developed model indicates that the presence of anionic PLs in this restricted space maintains Ca concentration >20 μM for >200 ms after JSR release, so as to maintain an optimal environment for the operation of the Na-Ca exchanger. A large mitochondrial compartment (400 μmol) is present, and its contribution to cellular flux is clearly identified in the intact cell. Its low flux rate (1 μmol Ca/L cell water/s) is consistent with the generally accepted role for Ca in the control of dehydrogenase-related mitochondrial metabolism. The largest single compartment (600 μmol/L cell water) is the most rapidly exchangeable and is largely lanthanum displaceable, which indicates that it is predominantly sarcolemma bound. It provides a large buffer at the membrane with a portion of its Ca possibly interacting with the Ca channel and Na-Ca exchanger.
Does branding impact student recruitment: a critical evaluation

This study focuses on segmentation feasibility within the private college/university market. There is considerable overlap for private and public college/university students with respect to their consideration criteria; however, previous research suggests that there are some criteria that appear to be differentially important based on the type of student and institution. Therefore, using factors considered by university students in a previous study, the current research sought to further explore the existence of segments within a private university. The findings suggested that three segments of students exist – one segment considers all university criteria as important, another places high importance on the financial aspects of attending a university, and another segment moderately evaluates all university criteria. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Metastatic Calcification Induced by Hytakerol in Chickens Infected With Plasmodium gallinaceum

Abstract INTRODUCTION METASTATIC calcification can be produced experimentally in the tissues of various vertebrates by the administration of high doses of such compounds as parathormone and irradiated ergosterol derivatives. A modification of this response by a malarial infection was first described by von Brand and Holtz (1933) in a study with canaries infected with Plasmodium paercox that were treated with an irradiated ergosterol derivative. The infected specimens were more susceptible to calcification than the uninfected ones. This finding prompted Mercado and von Brand (1962) to test the modifying action of a mammalian species of malaria, P. berghei, on the calcification produced by another ergosterol derivative. Their results were quite different from those obtained by von Brand and Holtz, infected treated rats being markedly less susceptible to calcification than the uninfected treated ones. These contradictory results led to the present investigation in which the calcifying effect of the dihydrotachysterol concentrate used in…
Regulation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa internalization after contact lens wear in vivo and in serum-free culture by ocular surface cells.

PURPOSE. To determine the effects of contact lenses (CLs) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) infection on localization of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) on corneal surface epithelial cells and the association between lipid raft formation and CFTR in mediating PA binding and internalization in ocular surface epithelium. METHODS. CFTR immunolocalization was evaluated in vivo in rabbit corneal- conjunctival epithelium (with/without CL wear) before and after PA exposure and in serum-free human corneal epithelial cell culture (hTCEpi). Lipid raft formation was visualized with Alexa555-conjugated cholera toxin '3-subunit. Lipid raft involvement in PA internalization was assayed in vivo by gentamicin survival assays after topical filipin pretreatment. Involvement of CFTR in PA binding and internalization was evaluated by blockade with CFTR peptides or LPS. RESULTS. CL wear in vivo enhanced anti-CFTR staining, but CFTR localization did not correlate with the PA binding by ocular surface cells. Conjunctival epithelial cells stained for CFTR but did not bind or internalize PA. Corneal epithelial cells in vivo did not stain for CFTR unless challenged by contact lens-induced hypoxia. PA internalization by hTCEpi was significantly inhibited by LPS (P < 0.01), but not by CFTR peptides. Remarkably, normal conjunctival epithelial cells showed lipid raft formation and CFTR staining but did not bind PA. Inhibition of raft formation by filipin blocked PA internalization in vivo after CL wear. CONCLUSIONS. CFTR is not the predominant receptor for ocular surface PA infection, and after hypoxic CL challenge, neither lipid rafts nor CFTR localization alone predicts PA binding; however, lipid rafts are critical to CL-mediated PA internalization.
Properties of SN Ia progenitors from light curves and spectra

With recent advances in theory and observations, direct connections emerge between the progenitors of Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) and the observed light curves and spectra. A direct link is important for our understanding of the supernovae physics, the diversity of SNe Ia and the use of SNe Ia for high-precision cosmology because the details of the explosion depends sensitively on the initial conditions and the explosion scenario(s) realized in nature. Do SNe Ia originate from SD- or DD systems, and do they lead to MCh mass explosions or dynamical mergers? Does the statistical distribtion of SNe Ia depend on their environment which can be expected to change with redshift?
Why the generality problem is everybody’s problem

The generality problem is widely considered to be a devastating objection to reliabilist theories of justification. My goal in this paper is to argue that a version of the generality problem applies to all plausible theories of justification. Assume that any plausible theory must allow for the possibility of reflective justification—S’s belief, B, is justified on the basis of S’s knowledge that she arrived at B as a result of a highly (but not perfectly) reliable way of reasoning, R. The generality problem applies to all cases of reflective justification: Given that B is the product of a process-token that is an instance of indefinitely many belief-forming process-types (or BFPTs), why is the reliability of R, rather than the reliability of one of the indefinitely many other BFPTs, relevant to B’s justificatory status? This form of the generality problem is restricted because it applies only to cases of reflective justification. But unless it is solved, the generality problem haunts all plausible theories of justification, not just reliabilist ones.
On the propagation of Hölder regularity for the 3D Euler equations

The propagation of Holder regularity of the solutions to the 3D Euler equations is discussed. Our method is a special semi-linearization of the vorticity equation combined with the classical Schauder interior estimates.
Pediatric CT quality management and improvement program

Modern CT is a powerful yet increasingly complex technology that continues to rapidly evolve; optimal clinical implementation as well as appropriate quality management and improvement in CT are challenging but attainable. This article outlines the organizational structure on which a CT quality management and improvement program can be built, followed by a discussion of common as well as pediatric-specific challenges. Organizational elements of a CT quality management and improvement program include the formulation of clear objectives; definition of the roles and responsibilities of key personnel; implementation of a technologist training, coaching and feedback program; and use of an efficient and accurate monitoring system. Key personnel and roles include a radiologist as the CT director, a qualified CT medical physicist, as well as technologists with specific responsibilities and adequate time dedicated to operation management, CT protocol management and CT technologist education. Common challenges in managing a clinical CT operation are related to the complexity of newly introduced technology, of training and communication and of performance monitoring. Challenges specific to pediatric patients include the importance of including patient size in protocol and dose considerations, a lower tolerance for error in these patients, and a smaller sample size from which to learn and improve.
Dynamic Hierarchical Trust Management of Mobile Groups and Its Application to Misbehaving Node Detection

In military operation or emergency response situations, very frequently a commander will need to assemble and dynamically manage Community of Interest (COI) mobile groups to achieve a critical mission assigned despite failure, disconnection or compromise of COI members. We combine the designs of COI hierarchical management for scalability and reconfigurability with COI dynamic trust management for survivability and intrusion tolerance to compose a scalable, reconfigurable, and survivable COI management protocol for managing COI mission-oriented mobile groups in heterogeneous mobile environments. A COI mobile group in this environment would consist of heterogeneous mobile entities such as communication-device-carried personnel/robots and aerial or ground vehicles operated by humans exhibiting not only quality of service (QoS) characters, e.g., competence and cooperativeness, but also social behaviors, e.g., connectivity, intimacy and honesty. A COI commander or a subtask leader must measure trust with both social and QoS cognition depending on mission task characteristics and/or trustee properties to ensure successful mission execution. In this paper, we present a dynamic hierarchical trust management protocol that can learn from past experiences and adapt to changing environment conditions, e.g., increasing misbehaving node population, evolving hostility and node density, etc. to enhance agility and maximize application performance. With trust-based misbehaving node detection as an application, we demonstrate how our proposed COI trust management protocol is resilient to node failure, disconnection and capture events, and can help maximize application performance in terms of minimizing false negatives and positives in the presence of mobile nodes exhibiting vastly distinct QoS and social behaviors.
Effects of vegetation on root-associated microbial communities: A comparison of disturbed versus undisturbed estuarine sediments

While it has been demonstrated that microbial communities are influenced by plant species composition in upland systems, less is known about how estuarine vegetation may influence the structure and functional capabilities of sediment microbial communities. In this study, we adapted terrestrial catabolic response profile (CRP) methods for use under brackish anaerobic conditions. CRPs were employed to determine whether salt marsh vegetation had an effect on sediment microbial community function. Phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) were utilized as a descriptor of microbial community structure. Samples were obtained from monospecific Spartina alterniflora and Phragmites australis plots located in disturbed and undisturbed estuarine salt marsh systems. In response to the addition of a range of 30 organic substrates we observed significant CO2 production in vegetated versus non-vegetated sediments from the undisturbed site. Vegetated sediments from the undisturbed system produced greater amounts of both CO2 and CH4, while sediments from the disturbed site consumed CO2 except in response to carboxylic acid substrates. In response to nitrogen-containing (amino acid) substrates undisturbed Phragmites sediments produced the highest amount of CO2 seen in any sample. Few differences in CRPs or PLFAs were seen in sediments from the disturbed site. The production of CO2 was significantly correlated with microbial community structure as described by PLFA profiles. This study is the first to use CRPs to describe estuarine sediment microbial community functional ability, and to link this ability with community PLFA composition. Our results suggest that individual plant species have a less pronounced effect than has been observed in upland soils in structuring salt marsh sediment microbial communities. Under anthropogenically disturbed conditions the effects of the macrophyte root zone on the sediment microbial communities may be overwhelmed, resulting in different ecosystem level functional abilities.
A complex scaled multi-reference configuration interaction method to study Li and Li-like cations (Be, B, C, N, O) Auger resonances 1s2s2 2S and 1s(2s2p 3Po) 2Po

Abstract Auger resonances 1 s 2 s 2 2 S and 1 s (2 s 2 p 3 P o ) 2 P o of Li and Li-like cations (Be, B, C, N, O) have been studied with a complex scaled multi-reference configuration interaction method (CMR-CI). The multi-reference orbitals are optimized with complex scaled MCSCF for the specific state. Our calculations show that the present CMR-CI resonance parameters agree very well with the experiment and theoretical results.
Radiocarbon analysis by accelerator mass spectrometry

Abstract An accelerator mass spectrometer combines the electric and magnetic analyzing elements of a conventional mass spectrometer with a particle accelerator. Analyses are performed on ions with energies of the order of 10 million electronvolts (MeV) allowing the use of some techniques of nuclear physics to reduce or eliminate backgrounds from molecules and isobars. Sensitivities are achieved which allow detection with high efficiency of trace atoms present in a matrix at about one part in 10 15 . Some details of the operation of the instrument at the AMS laboratory at the University of Arizona will be described. Several applications of the method to detect long-lived cosmogenic isotopes (isotopes produced by interaction of cosmic rays with various materials) will be presented.
N-order direct form digital filters with integer arithmetic

For direct form digital filters with integer arithmetic, a characterization of the initial condition vector and state vectorX(ρ), for a fixedρ,ρ > 1, is established without the intermediate state vectors. This is used to determine initial conditions for stability and initial conditions for convergence to a limit cycle. Also, several properties of limit cycles are proven.
Middle Ear Pathology as a Factor in Learning Disabilities

Speech and hearing problems among the learning disabled are taking their place with reading deficiency as one of the central intellectual problems exhibited by the LD child. One specific contributing agent to such problems may, for some children, be middle ear infections during the early phases of language learning. Such infections could irreversably disrupt development. This pilot study found a disproportionately large number of LD elementary school-aged children with middle ear pathology. Though the pathology was assessed in elementary school, not in infancy, and was not significantly related to measured language problems, the higher incidence of middle ear pathology among the LD children deserves the practitioner's attention and further study. Its relationship to vestibular system dysfunctions would be of particular interest (see Ayres, January 1977). — G.M.S.A study was conducted to determine the incidence of middle ear pathology in groups of learning disabled and regular class students and to assess ...
Automatic target recognition with unknown orientation and adaptive waveforms

In previous work, we have demonstrated the utility of a feedback loop for enabling optimized transmit pulse shaping in radar target recognition. This previous work was based on low-fidelity target models, but in this paper, we demonstrate the closed-loop, adaptive-waveform approach applied to high-fidelity target model signatures generated by commercial electromagnetic FDTD software. We also incorporate the radar equation into our models for us in the waveform design procedure. Because SNR varies with range, so do our optimized waveforms for target recognition. Constant-modulus waveform constraints are enforced, and a template-based classification strategy is used.
Topic difference factor extraction between two document sets and its application to text categorization

To improve performance in text categorization, it is important to extract distinctive features for each class. This paper proposes topic difference factor analysis (TDFA) as a method to extract projection axes that reflect topic differences between two document sets. Suppose all sentence vectors that compose each document are projected onto projection axes. TDFA obtains the axes that maximize the ratio between the document sets as to the sum of squared projections by solving a generalized eigenvalue problem. The axes are called topic difference factors (TDF's). By applying TDFA to the document set that belongs to a given class and a set of documents that is misclassified as belonging to that class by an existent classifier, we can obtain features that take large values in the given class but small ones in other classes, as well as features that take large values in other classes but small ones in the given class. A classifier was constructed applying the above features to complement the kNN classifier. As the results, the micro averaged F1 measure for Reuters-21578 improved from 83.69 to 87.27%.
Fine-Scale Patterns of Population Stratification Confound Rare Variant Association Tests

Advances in next-generation sequencing technology have enabled systematic exploration of the contribution of rare variation to Mendelian and complex diseases. Although it is well known that population stratification can generate spurious associations with common alleles, its impact on rare variant association methods remains poorly understood. Here, we performed exhaustive coalescent simulations with demographic parameters calibrated from exome sequence data to evaluate the performance of nine rare variant association methods in the presence of fine-scale population structure. We find that all methods have an inflated spurious association rate for parameter values that are consistent with levels of differentiation typical of European populations. For example, at a nominal significance level of 5%, some test statistics have a spurious association rate as high as 40%. Finally, we empirically assess the impact of population stratification in a large data set of 4,298 European American exomes. Our results have important implications for the design, analysis, and interpretation of rare variant genome-wide association studies.
Use of Culture Care Theory with Anglo- and African American Elders in a Long-Term Care Setting:

The purpose of this study was to discover the care expressions, practices, and patterns of elderly Anglo- and African American elders. The domain of inquiry was the cultural care of elderly residents within the environmental context of a long-term care institution. The ethnonursing qualitative research method was used to conduct the study which was conceptualized within Leininger's theory of culture care diversity and universality. Four major themes were discovered: (a) Residents expressed and lived generic care to maintain their preadmission lifeways; (b) The nursing staff provided aspects of professional care to support satisfying lifeways for residents; (c) Institutional care patterns and expressions were viewed as a continuing life experience but with major differences between the apartment section and nursing home units; and (d) An institutional culture of the retirement home was discovered which reflected unique lifeways and shared care and health expressions and practices. These themes substantiated the culture care theory and revealed new modes of care for the elderly in an institutional setting.
Non-negative solutions for a class of non-positone problems

In the recent past many results have been established on non-negative solutions to boundary value problems of the formwhere λ>0, f(0)>0 (positone problems). In this paper we consider the impact on the non-negative solutions when f(0)<0. We find that we need f(u) to be convex to guarantee uniqueness of positive solutions, and f(u) to be appropriately concave for multiple positive solutions. This is in contrast to the case of positone problems, where the roles of convexity and concavity were interchanged to obtain similar results. We further establish the existence of non-negative solutions with interior zeros, which did not exist in positone problems.
Changes in Grandchildren’s Adult Role Statuses and Their Relationships With Grandparents

This study examines the associations between grandchildren's (N = 1,170) adult role transitions and their contact with, and closeness to, grandparents, by drawing on data from Waves 2 and 3 of the National Survey of Families and Households. Findings indicate that this relationship is frequently contingent on the nature of the adult role in question, a specific dimension of intergenerational solidarity (i.e., contact vs. closeness), lineage, and grandparent's gender. The effect of grandchildren's adult roles on grandparent-grandchild ties may also differ for grandsons and granddaughters. The explanations suggested by relevant theoretical perspectives - the saliency of different roles, the similarity of life experiences between generations, and evaluations of adult role transitions - only partially account for the patterns of these associations. Future research should take into consideration the mediating role of parents, the geographic proximity, social opportunities and constraints related to grandchildren's adult roles, and grandparents' assistance for grandchildren.
EUS in the Diagnosis of Autoimmune Pancreatitis

Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) has historically been considered a rare disorder, but is increasingly recognized due to an improved understanding of its diverse nature and proper means of diagnosis. The current international consensus diagnostic criteria (ICDC) for the diagnosis of AIP incorporate 5 cardinal features: imaging characteristics of the pancreas (parenchyma and duct), serology, other organ involvement, pancreatic histology, and response to steroids (46). Imaging techniques recognized in the guidelines include computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is notably absent from the diagnostic algorithms.