cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Soluble programmed cell death receptor-1 (sPD-1): a potential biomarker with anti-inflammatory properties in human and experimental acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remains a common organ dysfunction in the critically ill patient. Mechanisms for its development have focused on immune mediated causes, aspects of our understanding are not complete, and we lack biomarkers. Blood and bronchial alveolar lavage fluid (BAL) from humans (n = 10–13) with ARDS and controls (n = 5–10) as well as a murine model of ARDS (n = 5–6) with controls (n = 6–7) were studied. ARDS was induced in mice by hemorrhagic shock (day 1) followed by poly-microbial sepsis (day 2). Samples were then collected on the third day after the animals were euthanized. Ex vivo experiments used splenocytes from animals with ARDS cultured with and without soluble programmed death receptor-1 (sPD-1). Levels of sPD-1 are increased in both the serum (11,429.3 pg/mL(SD 2133.3) vs. 8061.4(SD 4187.8), p = 0.036) and bronchial alveolar lavage (BAL) fluid (6,311.1 pg/mL(SD 3758.0) vs. 90.7 pg/mL(SD 202.8), p = 0.002) of humans with ARDS. Similar results are seen in the serum (9396.1 pg/mL(SD 1546.0) vs. 3464.5 pg/mL(SD 2511.8), p = 0.001) and BAL fluid (2891.7 pg/mL(SD 868.1) vs. 1385.9 pg/mL(SD 927.8), p = 0.012) of mice. sPD-1 levels in murine blood (AUC = 1(1–1), p = 0.006), murine BAL fluid (AUC = 0.905(0.717–1.093), p = 0.015), and human BAL (AUC = 1(1–1), p = 0.001) fluid predicted ARDS. To assess the importance of sPD-1 in ARDS, ex vivo experiments were undertaken. BAL fluid from mice with ARDS dampens the TNF-α production compared to cells cultured with BAL lacking sPD-1 (2.7 pg/mL(SD 3.8) vs. 52.38 pg/mL(SD 25.1), p = 0.002). This suggests sPD-1 is elevated in critical illness and may represent a potential biomarker for ARDS. In addition, sPD-1 has an anti-inflammatory mechanism in conditions of marked stress and aids in the resolution of severe inflammation. sPD-1 could be used to not only diagnose ARDS, but may be a potential therapy.
Multi-state reliability demonstration tests

ABSTRACTReliability demonstration tests have important applications in reliability assurance activities to demonstrate product quality over time and safeguard companies’ market positions and competitiveness. With greatly increasing global market competition, conventional binomial reliability demonstration tests based on binary test outcomes (success or failure) at a single time point become insufficient for meeting consumers’ diverse requirements. This article proposes multi-state reliability demonstration tests (MSRDTs) for demonstrating reliability at multiple time periods or involving multiple failure modes. The design strategy for MSRDTs employs a Bayesian approach to allow incorporation of prior knowledge, which has the potential to reduce the test sample size. Simultaneous demonstration of multiple objectives can be achieved and critical requirements specified to avoid early/critical failures can be explicitly demonstrated to ensure high customer satisfaction. Two case studies are explored to demons...
HLA-B*57:01 allele prevalence in HIV-infected North American subjects and the impact of allele testing on the incidence of abacavir-associated hypersensitivity reaction in HLA-B*57:01-negative subjects.

The presence of the HLA-B*57:01 allele in HIV-infected subjects is associated with a higher risk of abacavir-associated hypersensitivity reaction (ABC HSR). HLA-B*57:01 allele prevalence varies in different populations, but HLA-B*57:01 testing with immunological confirmation has had a negative predictive value for ABC HSR between 97 and 100%. In the ASSURE study (EPZ113734), the HLA-B*57:01 prevalence in virologically suppressed, antiretroviral treatment–experienced, HIV-infected subjects from the United States, including Puerto Rico, was assessed. Three hundred eighty-five subjects were screened; 13 were HLA-B*57:01 positive and 372 were negative. Only HLA-B*57:01-negative, abacavir-naive subjects were eligible to enroll into the ASSURE trial. Eleven of the 13 subjects who possessed the HLA-B*57:01 allele were white, the other 2 were African-American. There was no geographic clustering of HLA-B*57:01-positive subjects, and the incidence correlated roughly with those states with the greatest numbers of subjects screened. Similarly, there was no statistically significant correlation between subjects who possessed or lacked the allele and age, gender, ethnicity or CD4+ T-cell numbers. The incidence of ABC HSR following abacavir initiation was also evaluated. Only 1 of 199 HLA-B*57:01-negative subjects (an African-American male) randomized to receive abacavir-containing treatment developed symptoms consistent with suspected ABC HSR; ABC HSR was not immunologically confirmed. These findings confirm the utility of HLA-B*57:01 allele testing to reduce the frequency of ABC HSR. The prevalence of HLA-B*57:01 positivity was higher in white than in African-American subjects. In HLA-B*57:01-negative subjects, suspected ABC HSR is very rare, but should lead to discontinuation of abacavir when ABC HSR cannot be definitively excluded from the differential diagnosis. The ASSURE (EPZ113734) study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov registration on April 8th 2010 and the registration number is NCT01102972.
Allografts: Osteochondral, Shell, and Paste.

There is an increasing need for articular cartilage restoration procedures. Hyaline cartilage lacks intrinsic healing capacity. Persistent osteochondral defects can lead to early and rapid degenerative changes. Microfracture and autologous chondrocyte implantation provide reasonable outcomes for smaller defects without bone loss. However, these techniques have limited effectiveness for lesions greater than 4 cm2 or with significant bony involvement. Ostochondral allografts provide an option for these lesions. This article reviews osteochondral allografts for articular defects. Emerging options provide different approaches to difficult cartilage defects. We discuss current screening, procurement, and storage methods, surgical techniques, outcomes, and bacterial/viral transmission.
Online Family Problem Solving for Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: Influences of Parental Marital Status and Participation on Adolescent Outcomes

OBJECTIVE To examine the moderating effects of parent marital status and participation on efficacy of an online family problem-solving intervention for pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI). METHODS Participants were 132 adolescents (12-17 years) who had sustained a recent (<6 months) TBI and their parents. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention (Counselor-Assisted Problem Solving, CAPS) or an Internet resource comparison (IRC) condition. CAPS was designed to support families in the initial phase following TBI, by teaching problem-solving skills and addressing common challenges. To examine the moderating effect of parent marital status, participants were divided into 4 groups (ie, CAPS married household, CAPS unmarried household, IRC married household, and IRC unmarried household). Family income and caregiver education were controlled in analyses. RESULTS Parent marital status moderated treatment effects on adolescent externalizing behavior problems. Adolescents from married households in CAPS displayed fewer behavior problems at 6 and 18 months postbaseline compared with adolescents from unmarried households in CAPS. Among married CAPS families, there were no differences in outcomes among families where 1 or 2 parents actively participated. CONCLUSIONS Web-based interventions for pediatric TBI, such as CAPS, are a viable option for some although not all families. Further research is needed to investigate factors that influence efficacy to match families to the most beneficial treatments.
Assessment of a multiresolution snow reanalysis framework: a multidecadal reanalysis case over the upper Yampa River basin, Colorado

Abstract. A multiresolution (MR) approach was successfully implemented in the context of a data assimilation (DA) framework to efficiently estimate snow water equivalent (SWE) over a large head water catchment in the Colorado River basin (CRB), while decreasing computational constraints by 60 %. A total of 31 years of fractional snow cover area (fSCA) images derived from Landsat TM, ETM + , and OLI sensor measurements were assimilated to generate two SWE reanalysis datasets, a baseline case at a uniform 90 m spatial resolution and another using the MR approach. A comparison of the two showed negligible differences in terms of snow accumulation, melt, and timing for the posterior estimates (in terms of both ensemble median and coefficient of variation). The MR approach underestimated the baseline peak SWE by less than 2 % and underestimated day of peak and duration of the accumulation season by a day on average. The largest differences were, by construct, limited primarily to areas of low complexity, where shallow snowpacks tend to exist. The MR approach should allow for more computationally efficient implementations of snow data assimilation applications over large-scale mountain ranges, with accuracies similar to those that would be obtained using ∼ 100 m simulations. Such uniform resolution applications are generally infeasible due to the computationally expensive nature of ensemble-based DA frameworks.
Fundamentals of Kilohertz Frequency Alternating Current Nerve Conduction Block of the Peripheral Nervous System

Abstract This chapter covers the fundamentals of localized conduction block of peripheral nerves using kilohertz frequency alternating currents (KHFAC). Experimentally, KHFAC nerve block has been proven to be rapid, reversible, and nondamaging. We review the history and characteristics of KHFAC block and the electrical parameters and electrode designs needed to achieve successful block. The onset response of KHFAC nerve block is discussed in some detail. KHFAC nerve block has significant potential as a means of controlling nerve activity for the purpose of treating various disease conditions (motor, sensory, and autonomic) and is being studied in some early clinical applications.
Reexamining the Verbal Environments of Children From Different Socioeconomic Backgrounds

Amid growing controversy about the oft-cited "30-million-word gap," this investigation uses language data from five American communities across the socioeconomic spectrum to test, for the first time, Hart and Risley's (1995) claim that poor children hear 30 million fewer words than their middle-class counterparts during the early years of life. The five studies combined ethnographic fieldwork with longitudinal home observations of 42 children (18-48 months) interacting with family members in everyday life contexts. Results do not support Hart and Risley's claim, reveal substantial variation in vocabulary environments within each socioeconomic stratum, and suggest that definitions of verbal environments that exclude multiple caregivers and bystander talk disproportionately underestimate the number of words to which low-income children are exposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Gut Microbiota-Derived Tryptophan Metabolites Modulate Inflammatory Response in Hepatocytes and Macrophages.

Summary The gut microbiota plays a significant role in the progression of fatty liver disease; however, the mediators and their mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Comparing metabolite profile differences between germ-free and conventionally raised mice against differences between mice fed a low- and high-fat diet (HFD), we identified tryptamine and indole-3-acetate (I3A) as metabolites that depend on the microbiota and are depleted under a HFD. Both metabolites reduced fatty-acid- and LPS-stimulated production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in macrophages and inhibited the migration of cells toward a chemokine, with I3A exhibiting greater potency. In hepatocytes, I3A attenuated inflammatory responses under lipid loading and reduced the expression of fatty acid synthase and sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c. These effects were abrogated in the presence of an aryl-hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) antagonist, indicating that the effects are AhR dependent. Our results suggest that gut microbiota could influence inflammatory responses in the liver through metabolites engaging host receptors.
Tunable Mixed-Valence Doping toward Record Electrical Conductivity in a Three-Dimensional Metal-Organic Framework.

Partial oxidation of an iron–tetrazolate metal–organic framework (MOF) upon exposure to ambient atmosphere yields a mixed-valence material with single-crystal conductivities tunable over 5 orders of magnitude and exceeding 1 S/cm, the highest for a three-dimensionally connected MOF. Variable-temperature conductivity measurements reveal a small activation energy of 160 meV. Electronic spectroscopy indicates the population of midgap states upon air exposure and corroborates intervalence charge transfer between Fe2+ and Fe3+ centers. These findings are consistent with low-lying Fe3+ defect states predicted by electronic band structure calculations and demonstrate that inducing metal-based mixed valency is a powerful strategy toward realizing high and systematically tunable electrical conductivity in MOFs.
The action of ascorbate in vesicular systems.

Many effects of ascorbate center on its interactions with membranes from plant and animal cells. These actions can be studied using vesicles produced from phospholipid components (liposomes), by isolating naturally occurring vesicles, or by purifying particular membranes that form vesicles during the extraction process. Liposomes have provided information concerning the anti- and prooxidant properties of ascorbate and about how the water-soluble vitamin can have effects within the phospholipid bilayer. The involvement of ascorbate in transmembrane electron transport has been characterized in vesicles normally found in certain cells, such as, chromaffin granules, synaptosomes, glyoxisomes, peroxisomes, and clathrincoated vesicles. Redox activity using reducing power associated with ascorbate/ascorbate free radical (AFR) has been characterized in some of these vesicles and it appears to be mediated by ab-type cytochrome. Ascorbate also participates in the reduction of iron within clathrin-coated vesicles. Vesicles appearing during purification of plasma membranes have transmembrane electron transport, oxidoreductase activity with ascorbate/AFR as redox agents, and an ascorbate-reducibleb-type cytochrome. It is also possible that ascorbate-related redox activity exists at the tonoplast of plant cells.
Marginal Space Learning

This chapter presents an efficient 3D learning-based object detection method, called Marginal Space Learning (MSL). The idea of MSL is to avoid learning in the full similarity transformation space by incrementally learning classifiers in marginal spaces of lower dimensions. The estimation of an object’s pose is split into three problems: position estimation, position-orientation estimation, and position-orientation-scale estimation. This incremental learning approach contributes to a highly efficient object detection paradigm. In addition, we introduce the steerable features, as a mechanism to search the orientation space, thus avoiding expensive volume/image rotations. The main idea is to sample points from a given volume under a sampling pattern that embeds the position, orientation, and scale information of a pose hypothesis. Each sample point is associated with a set of local features such as local intensity and gradient. The efficiency of steerable features comes from the fact that much fewer points (defined by the sampling pattern) are needed for manipulation, in comparison to the whole volume.
Equity Valuation and Investing: Continuous-time Accounting

Equity valuation has a long history, longer than that of “financial engineering.” Yet as became apparent not too long ago, and to be elaborated in this chapter, the modern financial mathematics of incomplete markets can bring some new, more complete, and deeper insights into the theory of equity valuation.
Impact of unemployment on happiness in the United States

This study considers the level of demonstrated happiness and unhappiness, the latter measured by the conditional probability of committing suicide within groups that are facing a higher unemploymen...
One-Step Synthesis of Thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-ones via a Catalytic Four-Component Reaction of Ketones, Ethyl Cyanoacetate, S8 and Formamide.

Thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-ones are important pharmacophores that have previously required a three-step synthesis with two chromatography steps. We herein report a green approach to the synthesis...
Contrast Extravasation using Power Injectors for Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography in Children: Frequency and Injury Severity.

Purpose To evaluate the safety of power injectors for contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) in children, namely: the prevalence and injury severity of contrast extravasations related to power injectors and the factors associated with these events. Methods The need to obtain informed consent was waived for this HIPAA-compliant and IRB approved retrospective study. Around 2429 contrast-enhanced CT performed with a power injector were identified during a 3-year period. Data collected included patient demographic, power injector, and contrast agent information. The patients' symptoms, severity of injury and treatment with contrast extravasation were recorded. Around 1496 cases (823 boys, 673 girls) were included in the analysis. Independent-sample t test and Chi-square were used. For a sub-analysis using the extravasation cases, nonparametric tests were used. Results The mean age was 9.5 ± 6.1 years. The most common access site, catheter site, and contrast agent used were the antecubital fossa, 22 gauge and Iohexol. The mean peak pressure was 68.9 ± 62.3 psi and the flow rate was 1.7 ± 0.9 mL/s. Eighteen cases of contrast extravasation were identified with a mean age of 11.2 ± 6.2 years. There were seven mild, six moderate, and five severe. Cases with extravasation had significantly higher peak pressure (p Conclusion The use of power injectors in children undergoing contrast-enhanced CT is associated with a low rate of extravasation and of long-term injury.
Von Uexküll Revisited: Addressing Human Biases in the Study of Animal Perception.

More than 100 years ago, the biologist Jakob von Uexkull suggested that, because sensory systems are diverse, animals likely inhabit different sensory worlds (umwelten) than we do. Since von Uexkull, work across sensory modalities has confirmed that animals sometimes perceive sensory information that humans cannot, and it is now well-established that one must account for this fact when studying an animal's behavior. We are less adept, however, at recognizing cases in which non-human animals may not detect or perceive stimuli the same way we do, which is our focus here. In particular, we discuss three ways in which our own perception can result in misinformed hypotheses about the function of various stimuli. In particular, we may (1) make untested assumptions about how sensory information is perceived, based on how we perceive or measure it, (2) attribute undue significance to stimuli that we perceive as complex or striking, and (3) assume that animals divide the sensory world in the same way that we as scientists do. We discuss each of these biases and provide examples of cases where animals cannot perceive or are not attending to stimuli in the same way that we do, and how this may lead us to mistaken assumptions. Because what an animal perceives affects its behavior, we argue that these biases are especially important for researchers in sensory ecology, cognition, and animal behavior and communication to consider. We suggest that studying animal umwelten requires integrative approaches that combine knowledge of sensory physiology with behavioral assays.
VIEWS OF VOLUNTARY IMMIGRANTS ON LIFE IN SLOVAKIA

Slovakia is not perceived as a destination country for forced or voluntary migrants in the European Union. Nevertheless, the number of foreigners living legally in Slovakia has increased more than fourfold since Slovakia joined the European Union in 2004. The aim of this paper is to recognize the views of voluntary immigrants on their own life in Slovakia. In our research, we are interested in migrants who chose small towns in Slovakia, which are culturally and linguistically homogeneous. We have chosen a qualitative research strategy. The research design is of a biographical design and a grounded theory. As a research tool, we chose an individual structured interview (in-depth interview). For qualitative data analysis, we used coding; we set descriptive and inductive codes, subcategories and categories. The subject of research is eight voluntary immigrants to Slovakia who have been living in Slovakia for at least one year at the time of the study. Thus, they meet the long-term migration criterion. Participants were selected on a deliberate basis to cover the phenomenon of voluntary migration. Due to the chosen research design, theoretical sampling was utilized. Our research confirmed the assumptions of voluntary migration described by Pierce (1999). Not only participants from developing countries, but also participants from countries with higher HDI than Slovakia praise the work and business opportunities in Slovakia. Participants identified the following areas of life benefits in Slovakia: employment, economic and social conditions, leisure, cultural and development activities, and environmental issues. Negative aspects of life include negative administrative experiences, lower living comfort, worse social conditions and the environment.
A convergence of sunlight and cold chain: The influence of sun exposure on postharvest apple peel metabolism

Abstract Excess solar irradiation is responsible for commercially significant annual losses of apple fruit, and those losses are expected to increase in the majority of the world’s apple production regions. Losses are not limited to the orchard but are also represented by disorders that develop in the cold chain such as sunscald and elevated lenticel damage. Similarly, metabolism during storage would reflect changes and even diverge during ripening and cold storage depending upon relative amount of light exposure in the orchard. To determine and track these changes alongside changes of appearance, ‘September Wonder Fuji’, ‘Gala’, ‘Granny Smith’, and ‘Honeycrisp’ apples were selected from the periphery on the south-facing side of trees for contrasting sun exposure on opposite aspects, stored in 1 °C air, and peel from opposing sides sampled sequentially from 0 to 6 months. Additional sunburned peel was sampled at 0 and 6 months. Sun exposure provoked broad relative responses from multiple pathways indicative of solar stress response. Responses include accumulation of well-characterized photoprotective responses including accumulation of flavonol glycoside and carotenoid, compatible solutes, and primary metabolites. Others include previously unreported or lesser understood responses such as those potentially impacting membrane properties (including changes in levels of monogalactosyldiacyglycerides and stigmasteryl glycosides), epicuticular surface metabolites (including pentacyclic triterpenes and diacylglycerides), and production of volatile alkenals indicative of residual solar stress during storage. Taken together, metabolic evidence indicates orchard light environment continues to impact not only appearance, but also rate of ripening and potentially fruit quality, even on the same apple. In this way, light exposure of any given apple could influence every cold chain management decision, and sorting apples at-harvest according to cumulative light exposure would improve apple consistency while potentially avoiding losses due to peel disorders.
Analyzing the tumor microbiome to predict cancer patient survival and drug response

Poore et al. recently published a computational approach for deriving microbial abundances from human tumor whole genome (WGS) and transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) data by leveraging tools commonly used to remove microbial contamination from such data. They have shown that microbial abundances could be used to predict various tumor-related phenotypes across The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort, including distinguishing tumor from adjacent normal tissue samples, cancer type, and tumor stage. Here, we investigated whether the microbial abundances inferred by Poore et al. in the TCGA cohort, to the best of our knowledge the most comprehensive dataset of its kind, are predictive of patient survival and drug response, two fundamentally important and clinically relevant phenotypes. We find that in four cancer types, adrenocortical carcinoma, cervical squamous cell carcinoma, brain lower grade glioma, and subcutaneous skin melanoma, microbial features are better predictors of survival than clinical covariates alone. In addition, we find seven cancer-drug pairs where microbiome features are more predictive of patients9 response than clinical covariates alone. These seven pairs include chemotherapy treatments for bladder urothelial carcinoma, docetaxel treatment for breast invasive carcinoma and sarcoma, and several treatments for stomach adenocarcinoma.
Reasoning on Stochastic Models in Systems Biology Under Uncertainty

System models of biological processes are stochastic. The probability distributions in the models of biological system are computed from imprecise and incomplete data. The environment plays an important role in the computation of model distributions. In this work, we create a formalism that is based on interval Markov chains with open intervals to address uncertainty in the environment. An automated abstraction of the interval Markov chain based model is described. Model checking is performed on the formalism and computational feasibility of the model is evaluated on Galactose utilization pathway in Yeast.
Landmark Series: Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive gastrointestinal malignancies despite multimodality therapy. In the last several years, genomic studies have revealed that carcinogenesis is driven largely by key driver mutations that can be targeted for oncologic therapy. In addition, advances in cancer immunology have identified receptors and monoclonal antibodies that can be manipulated into harnessing the power of the host's immune system for antitumor treatment. These strategies have generated a paradigm shift in the management of several cancer types, including those in the gastrointestinal tract. However, there are several complicating factors when translating the results to pancreatic cancer, including the dense, fibrotic stroma unique to this disease that may shield the cancer cells from both cytotoxic and immunologic agents. Although the majority of trials have been performed in the metastatic setting, this review will focus on both the historic studies that have defined this field as well as the emerging data arising from ongoing efforts to exploit newly discovered mutations and their druggable targets.
The Role of National Context in the Relationship Between Founder CEO and IPO Performance

Although founders are often replaced with external CEOs prior to firms making IPOs, firms that do retain founder CEOs generally perform better at IPO. However, this relationship may be contingent upon context. This study investigates how national context influences the relationship between a founder CEO and IPO long-run performance. We hypothesize that founder-CEOs will perform better in IPO firms in countries where managerial discretion, future orientation, and level of conformity to professionalize management are high, and uncertainty avoidance is low. Using insights from the upper echelon and the institutional theory and utilizing hierarchical linear modeling to analyze over 1,000 firms, we find that founder CEOs perform best in IPO firms in a national context where managerial discretion is low, uncertainty avoidance is high, and level of conformity is high. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
Control of Extremity Motor Prostheses: The Sensory Feedback Applications

Control systems are categorized depending upon the arrangement of the system elements. One category is a feedforward or “open-loop” control system, where the signal path or paths all proceed in the same direction, as shown in Figure 3.1a. Another category is a feedback or “closed-loop” control system where one (or more) signal paths proceed in an opposite direction from the other signal path or paths, as shown in Figure 3.1b. Operationally, this requires an additional element, called a sensor (H), which transforms the output variable (X o) into a signal that can be compared to the reference variable (X i ). In most control systems, the feedback signal is subtracted from the reference signal, and the system has “negative’ feedback.
Monocular Core Zones and Binocular Border Strips in Primate Striate Cortex Revealed by the Contrasting Effects of Enucleation, Eyelid Suture, and Retinal Laser Lesions on Cytochrome Oxidase Activity

In primate striate cortex, geniculocortical afferents in layer IVc terminate in parallel stripes called ocular dominance columns. We propose that this segregation of ocular inputs generates a related but distinct columnar system of monocular core zones alternating with binocular border strips. Evidence for this functional parcellation was obtained by comparing the effects of enucleation, eyelid suture, and retinal laser lesions on cytochrome oxidase (CO) activity in eight macaques. Enucleation produced a high-contrast pattern of dark and light columns in layer IVc, corresponding precisely to the ocular dominance columns, whereas eyelid suture produced a low-contrast pattern of thin dark columns alternating with wide pale columns. [3H]Proline eye injection showed that the thin dark columns corresponded to the core zones of the open eye’s ocular dominance columns. The wide pale columns resulted from loss of CO activity in the sutured eye’s core zones and within both eyes’ border strips. Loss of CO activity within both eyes’ border strips suggested that these regions are binocular. To confirm our findings, we compared different CO patterns in the same cortex by making retinal laser lesions in four animals. They produced a CO pattern tantamount to “focal” enucleation, although contrast was low when laser damage was confined to the outer retina. CO levels in cortical scotomas remained severely depressed for months after retinal lesions, even when the other eye was enucleated. This observation provided little anatomical support for the notion of topographic plasticity after visual deafferentation. In a single human subject with macular degeneration, CO revealed a low-contrast pattern of ocular dominance columns, resembling the pattern in monkeys with laser-induced photoreceptor damage.
Commercial Mortgage Terminations: Evidence from CMBS

Option theory predicts that mortgage default or prepayment will be exercised if the call or put option is "in the money." We extend our analysis to commercial mortgages using data from commercial mortgage-backed securities. The paper presents a model of the competing risks of mortgage termination (default and prepayment) using data from commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) deals. Our results show that the option model explains both default and prepayment for commercial mortgages. We find that loan specific variables (such as loan-to-value ratio, debt service coverage ratio, loan-rate spread and prepayment prevention) are important explanatory variables for both default and prepayment. We also find that default and prepayment vary rather dramatically across regions of the country; given that regional economies do not move in perfect lock-step, we would expect there to be cross-sectional variation in default rates. However, the degree of variation across regions in terms of prepayments is not as predictable.
Pre-Main Sequence Binaries: The Promise of IR Interferometry

Astronomers use theoretical calculations of the evolution of young stars to estimate their masses and ages. Unfortunately, for stars less massive than 1 M⊙, the current theoretical calculations yield discrepant results, and for stars less than ~0:5 M⊙, the calculations are essentially uncalibrated by empirical data. Interferometric observations offer the capability to resolve the orbits of nearby double-lined spectroscopic binaries and thereby measure masses of the components and their distance. The combined observations can also yield reliable estimates of the component effective temperatures and luminosities. A limited test of the age dependence of the tracks will be possible because the components of spectroscopic binaries may be reasonably expected to be coeval. It may also be possible to resolve interferometrically the diameters of nearby pre-main sequence stars which would yield estimates of their relative ages.
Improving interunit transitions of care between emergency physicians and hospital medicine physicians: A conceptual approach

Patient care transitions across specialties involve more complexity than those within the same specialty, yet the unique social and technical features remain underexplored. Further, little consensus exists among researchers and practitioners about strategies to improve interspecialty communication. This concept article addresses these gaps by focusing on the hand-off process between emergency and hospital medicine physicians. Sensitivity to cultural and operational differences and a common set of expectations pertaining to hand-off content will more effectively prepare the next provider to act safely and efficiently when caring for the patient. Through a consensus decision-making process of experienced and published authorities in health care transitions, including physicians in both specialties as well as in communication studies, the authors propose content and style principles clinicians may use to improve transition communication. With representation from both community and academic settings, similarities and differences between emergency medicine and internal medicine are highlighted to heighten appreciation of the values, attitudes, and goals of each specialty, particularly pertaining to communication. The authors also examine different communication media, social and cultural behaviors, and tools that practitioners use to share patient care information. Quality measures are proposed within the structure, process, and outcome framework for institutions seeking to evaluate and monitor improvement strategies in hand-off performance. Validation studies to determine if these suggested improvements in transition communication will result in improved patient outcomes will be necessary. By exploring the dynamics of transition communication between specialties and suggesting best practices, the authors hope to strengthen hand-off skills and contribute to improved continuity of care.
Arabinosylguanine Is Phosphorylated by Both Cytoplasmic Deoxycytidine Kinase and Mitochondrial Deoxyguanosine Kinase

The prodrug of 9-beta-D-arabinosylguanine (ara-G), nelarabine, demonstrated efficacy against T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and its effectiveness correlated with the accumulation of the triphosphate form (ara-GTP). Although in vitro investigations using purified deoxycytidine kinase (dCK) or deoxyguanosine kinase (dGK) suggested that ara-G is a substrate for both enzymes, controversy exists in regard to the role of these enzymes in whole cells. In this work, we used a CEM mutant cell line containing low endogenous levels of dGK and deficient in dCK (dCK-) to assess the role of these kinases in ara-G phosphorylation. Using a retroviral vector system, we infected the dCK- mutant cell line to obtain cell lines with overexpression of dCK (dCK+) or dGK (dGK+). Only the dCK+ cell line phosphorylated 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine (used as a substrate for dCK) in a cell-free system; phosphorylation of this compound by dGK+ was below the limit of detection. Again in in vitro assays, the dCK-and dCK+ cell lines phosphorylated dGuo to similar levels (0.91 +/- 0.15 and 0.93 +/- 0.19 pmol/mg/min, respectively), whereas dGK+ phosphorylated dGuo more efficiently (150 pmol at 60 min). When ara-G was used as a substrate in a cell-free system, the maximum accumulation of phosphorylated product was observed in dGK+ extracts at low ara-G levels (10 microM) and in dCK+ extracts at high concentrations of ara-G (100 microM). Thus, both dCK and dGK can phosphorylate ara-G, but at low ara-G concentrations, dGK seems to predominate, whereas at higher ara-G concentrations, dCK seems to be the preferred enzyme. In whole-cell systems after a 3-h incubation with 10 microM ara-G, both dCK+ and dGK+ cells accumulated ara-GTP; however, the levels were significantly (P = 0.0008) higher in dGK+ cells. In contrast, at 100 microM ara-G, intracellular ara-GTP accumulated to similar levels (P = 0.5529) in these cell types; 25 +/- 3.7 microM in dCK+, and 27.8 +/- 2.7 microM in the dGK+ cells. These results from whole-cell experiments are consistent with those from the cell-free system and strongly suggest that ara-G is phosphorylated by both kinases, and at low substrate concentrations, dGK is preferred enzyme. Evaluation of the expression of each of these kinases in primary leukemia cells may reveal a biochemical basis for the pharmacological differences in the accumulation of ara-GTP.
Caesarism in Democratic Politics: Reflections on Max Weber

Max Weber argued that every mass democracy tends in a caesarist direction. Weber employed the term to stress, inter alia, the plebiscitary character of elections, disdain for parliament, the non-toleration of autonomous powers within the government and a failure to attract or suffer independent political minds. A hundred years ago - even before present-day modes of campaigning, before present-day modes of political fundraising, before television advertising - Weber was of the view that the position of the President of the United States lies on the road to a pure form of caesarist acclamation. After analyzing Weber's views, the paper examines recent trends in American presidential politics.
The cd-Index of Zonotopes and Arrangements

We investigate a special class of polytopes, the zonotopes, and show that their flag f-vectors satisfy only the affine relations fulfilled by flag f-vectors of all polytopes. In addition, we determine the lattice spanned by flag f-vectors of zonotopes. By duality, these results apply as well to the flag f-vectors of central arrangements of hyperplanes.
Phenol-Sulfuric Acid Method for Total Carbohydrates

The phenol-sulfuric acid method is a simple and rapid colorimetric method to determine total carbohydrates in a sample. The method detects virtually all classes of carbohydrates, including mono-, di-, oligo-, and polysaccharides. Although the method detects almost all carbohydrates, the absorptivity of the different carbohydrates varies. Thus, unless a sample is known to contain only one carbohydrate, the results must be expressed arbitrarily in terms of one carbohydrate.
Restriction to movement in fire-fighter protective clothing: evaluation of alternative sleeves and liners.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to evaluate alternative designs and liner configurations in fire-fighter protective clothing, or ‘turnout gear’, to determine the restriction to wearer movement imposed by each. The independent variables were: (1) two alternative sleeve designs (i e, a ‘traditional’ sleeve design and a prototype sleeve design, featuring additional gusset width and altered armseye position) plus a station uniform worm without any protective clothing and/or equipment; (2) three liner configuration variations (i e, a ‘traditional’ liner configuration, incorporation of one additional liner, and incorporation of two additional liners); and (3) wearing or not wearing an SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus). The dependent variables for this study were: (1) range of movement in four upper body joints; and (2) a semantic differential scale to evaluate wearers' subjective evaluation of each protective ensemble. Nine male subjects were used. For each of the four joint movements measured (i e, shoulder flexion/extension, shoulder adduction/abduction, shoulder rotation, elbow flexion/extension), a Leighton Flexometer ∽ was strapped to the subject at the appropriate body location. The subject was instructed to take the body position indicated. A reading was taken, then the subject was asked to move the body segment to the fullest extent possible in the direction indicated by the researcher. A second reading (representing range of movement) was taken. This procedure was repeated three times for each movement. After the test, subjects were instructed to fill out a semantic differential scale which described their subjective evaluations of the clothing/ equipment configuration. Results showed greater wearer range of movement in the elbow area for the prototype sleeve design over the more traditional sleeve design. Incorporation of additional liners resulted in higher wearer acceptability for the turnout coats than when these liners were not used. As expected, use of an SCBA was extremely restrictive to mobility, and made the protective ensemble less acceptable to wearers.
Modeling Vortex Shedding Over a Stationary Circular Cylinder

Numerical simulations of flow past a stationary circular cylinder at different Reynolds numbers have been performed using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver that is based on the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations (RANS). The results obtained are used to develop reduced-order models for the lift and drag coefficients. The models do not only match the numerical simulation results in the time domain, but also in the spectral domain. They capture the steady-state region with excellent accuracy. Further, the models are verified by comparing their results in the transient region with their counterparts from the CFD simulations and a very good agreement is found. The work performed here is a step towards building models for vortex-induced vibrations (VIV) encountered in offshore structures, such as risers and spars.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Determination of Carotenoid Pigments, Retinol, and α-Tocopherol in Feeds, Tissues, and Blood Serum by Normal Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography

A normal phase HPLC method employing a hexane:ethyl acetate mobile phase solvent gradient for the simultaneous separation and quantification of carotenoid pigments and vitamins A and E has been developed. The gradient consists of a 10-min linear change from 1 to 2 mL/min and 95:5 to 70:30 hexane:ethyl acetate mobile phase, which is followed by 7 min of isocratic mobile phase of 70:30 hexane:ethyl acetate at 2 mL/min. The stationary phase consisted of a 4-mu silica column. A photodiode array detector generated simultaneous chromatogram data at three wavelengths (294, 325, and 445 nm) with broad spectrum data at peaks. The method produced good separation of trans-lutein and zeaxanthin.
Excitation of internal kink modes by trapped energetic beam ions

Energetic trapped particles are shown to have a destabilizing effect on the internal kink mode in tokamaks. The plasma pressure threshold for the mode is lowered by the particles. The growth rate is near the ideal magnetohydrodynamic value, but the frequency is comparable to the trapped particle precission frequency. A model for the instability cycle gives stability properties, associated particle losses, and neutron emissivity consistent with the fishbone events observed in PDX.
X-ray dose density: a new radiation damage modeling tool (Poster Paper)

We report on a new modeling tool for the prediction of the cumulative dose delivered to any given layer of a semiconductor process involving x-ray lithography (XRL) steps. In such a process, the layers receive various doses at different steps in the manufacturing. In order to determine the total dose delivered at any given level it is necessary not only to compute the dose for the lithographic step of that particular level, but also to keep track of the past history of the process in order to accumulate the total radiation. For this, one must know the full process, including sacrificial layers, resist layers and layout geometries, since different areas of the surface being patterned will receive different doses because of shielding by other layers. We apply the model to the case of a standard 0.5 micrometers NMOS device process and to an advanced 0.1 micrometers NMOS process. Results will be presented and discussed in detail, for the various assumptions of the lithographic process. The program, written in C under UNIX, is compatible with standard process modeling tools and device layouts.
Cycloelimination reactions of cyclic aryl pinacol sulfites and carbonates via photosensitized reversible electron transfer

Abstract Evidence is presented that the singlet and triplet photosensitized cycloelimination reactions of cyclic aryl pinacol sulfites and carbonates proceed by reversible electron transfer and yield products which are different from those formed on direct photolysis.
Radiation-induced decomposition of PETN and TATB under extreme conditions.

We conducted a series of experiments investigating decomposition of secondary explosives PETN and TATB at varying static pressures and temperatures using synchrotron radiation. As seen in our earlier work, the decomposition rate of TATB at ambient temperature slows systematically with increasing pressure up to at least 26 GPa but varies little with pressure in PETN at ambient temperature up to 15.7 GPa, yielding important information pertaining to the activation complex volume in both cases. We also investigated the radiation-induced decomposition rate as a function of temperature at ambient pressure and 26 GPa for TATB up to 403 K, observing that the decomposition rate increases with increasing temperature as expected. The activation energy for the TATB reaction at ambient temperature was experimentally determined to be 16 ± 3 kJ/mol.
Search for cold fusion using x-ray detection.

A search for x rays excited by charged-particle fusion products in a Pt-Pd electrolytic cell with Li-D{sub 2}O electrolyte is reported. Electrolytic loading of the palladium cathode was found to be 0.8 deuterium atoms per Pd atom. No x rays above background were detected and the fusion rate was inferred to be less than 1.6{times}10{sup {minus}20} fusions/(sec deuteron).
Further investigations of empirical improvements to the Johnson–Champoux–Allard model

Abstract Non-acoustical physical parameters (tortuosity, viscous characteristic length, thermal characteristic length, porosity and flow resistivity) of glass fibre, melamine foam, compressed melamine foam and reticulated polyurethane foam materials have been measured. Also tortuosity and two characteristic lengths have been deduced from impedance tube measurements using commercial software (Foam-X). Between 200 Hz and 5 kHz sound velocities in the materials have been deduced from impedance tube measurements. Between 79 kHz and 1 MHz they have been deduced from ultrasonic measurements. Predictions of sound velocities based on the Johnson–Champoux–Allard (JCA) model using measured non-acoustical physical parameters and, at high frequency, using ultrasonically-measured non-acoustical physical parameters (tortuosity, viscous characteristic length and thermal characteristic length) are found to be in good agreement with the ultrasonically-measured sound velocities above 100 kHz thereby confirming the accuracy of the JCA model at ultrasonic frequencies. Differences in values of the two characteristic lengths between the Foam-X outputs and the results of ultrasonic measurements, using the slope method, and the important role of two correction factors in Kino’s empirical modification of the JCA model are explored in detail. It is shown that the values of characteristic lengths required to fit data using the original JCA model in the audible frequency range differ significantly from the ultrasonically-measured values. However it is shown that the Foam-X and the Kino model methods yield similar values for the two characteristic lengths in the audible frequency range. Further modifications of the JCA model to make it valid over a wider frequency range are proposed.