cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Incidence of Acute Kidney Injury in Patients with Chronic Renal Insufficiency: Transcatheter versus Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement

Objectives. The objective of this study is to determine incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) associated with transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) versus surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in patients with preexisting chronic kidney disease. Background. The incidence of AKI in patients with preexisting renal insufficiency undergoing TAVR versus SAVR is not well described. Methods. All patients with preexisting chronic kidney disease who underwent SAVR for aortic stenosis with or without concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting or TAVR from 5/2008 to 6/2017. Patients requiring preoperative hemodialysis were excluded. Chronic kidney disease was defined as an estimated glomerular filtrate rate (eGFR) of < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2. The incidence of postoperative AKI was compared using the RIFLE classification system for acute kidney injury. Results. A total of 406 SAVR patients and 407 TAVR patients were included in this study. TAVR patients were older and had lower preoperative eGFR as compared to SAVR patients. Covariate adjustment using propensity score between the two groups showed that SAVR patients were more likely to have a more severe degree of postoperative AKI as compared to TAVR patients (OR = 4.75; 95% CI: 3.15, 7.17; p <.001). SAVR patients were more likely to require dialysis postoperatively as compared to TAVR patients (OR = 4.55; 95% CI: 1.29, 15.99; p <.018). Conclusion. In patients with preexisting chronic kidney disease, TAVR was associated with significantly less AKI as compared to SAVR.
Effects of a TRPV4 Antagonist on Hydrocephalus in Wpk Rat Model

Hydrocephalus is a disease classified by an excess of Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) in the brain resulting from a variety of causes. Current treatments for hydrocephalus are limited to invasive surgica...
Status, needs and perspectives in measuring of pressure drops

Abstract Together with the measurement of temperature, the measurement of pressure or pressure drop is one of the first and most used measurements in science and plays a central role in the detection and recording of flow processes in thermal-hydraulic systems. In nuclear engineering this not only applies to detection and recording of the processes in the nuclear power plants (NPP) themselves but also to the test facilities used for analysis and interpretation of important thermal-hydraulic processes. While pressure drop measurements – belonging to the so called ‘conventional instrumentation’ – have been primarily used for single phase flow situations, the benefit of its use and application in two-phase flow conditions can also be clearly demonstrated. A comprehensive review of two-phase instrumentation methods, including pressure drop, has been provided by Hewitt in the seventies and eighties of the last century (Hewitt, 1978, 1982). Even though the development of new ‘advanced instrumentation’ has made enormous progress in recent years, pressure drop measurements will remain very important in the future. Pressure drop measurements cover a real broad spectrum of application, so that not all aspects can be addressed in this paper. Under consideration of the information provided in the book ‘Thermal Hydraulics in Water-Cooled Nuclear Reactors’ (Umminger and D’Auria, 2017), this paper will focus on pressure drop measurements in integral test facilities for PWR with some hints to applications in NPPs. Status and use will be discussed on the basis of some typical examples. Important issues, further needs and perspectives in measuring of pressure drops will also be outlined.
Rapid On-Demand Extracellular Vesicle Augmentation with Versatile Oligonucleotide Tethers

Exosomes show potential as ideal vehicles for drug delivery because of their natural role in transferring biological cargo between cells. However, current methods to engineer exosomes without negatively impacting their function remain challenging. Manipulating exosome-secreting cells is complex and time-consuming, while direct functionalization of exosome surface proteins suffers from low specificity and low efficiency. We demonstrate a rapid, versatile, and scalable method with oligonucleotide tethers to enable diverse surface functionalization on both human and murine exosomes. These exosome surface modifiers, which range from reactive functional groups and small molecules to aptamers and large proteins, can readily and efficiently enhance native exosome properties. We show that cellular uptake of exosomes can be specifically altered with a tethered AS1411 aptamer, and targeting specificity can be altered with a tethered protein. We functionalize exosomes with an immunomodulatory protein, FasL, and demonstrate their biological activity both in vitro and in vivo. FasL-functionalized exosomes, when bioprinted on a collagen matrix, allows spatial induction of apoptosis in tumor cells and, when injected in mice, suppresses proliferation of alloreactive T cells. This oligonucleotide tethering strategy is independent of the exosome source and further circumvents the need to genetically modify exosome-secreting cells.
PREFERENCE-BASED LIVING: EXAMINING OLDER ADULTS’ PREFERENCES FOR EVERYDAY LIVING THROUGH THE LENS OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE.

AbstractThe presentation will review work to date that seeks to better understand older adult’s preferences for everyday living in terms of preference assessment, integration into care, and quality improvement efforts for older adults receiving care in long term services and support settings. The central role of preferences will be discussed as it relates to person-centered care and the goal of promoting meaningful longevity.
Effects of Obesity on Overall Survival of Adults With Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Abstract Background The role of obesity in prognosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is debatable. Our retrospective study aimed to determine the effect of obesity on overall survival (OS) in AML. Patients and Methods AML patients diagnosed at University of Nebraska Medical Center were divided into 3 groups according to body mass index (BMI): normal (18.5-25 kg/m2) or underweight ( Results Of 314 patients, 38% were obese, 68% received intensive chemotherapy, and 30% underwent HCT. Patient characteristics for all BMI groups were similar except greater HCT comorbidity index in obese patients. Actual body weight was used to calculate the chemotherapy dose in 92% of obese patients. The rates of receipt of HCT in normal, overweight, and obese groups were 33%, 32%, and 25%, respectively (P = .6). One-year OS values for normal/underweight, overweight, and obese groups was 42%, 45%, and 39%, respectively (P = .31). On multivariate analysis, obesity was associated with worse OS compared to normal-weight (hazard ratio = 0.6; 95% confidence interval, 0.4-0.9; P = .03) but not overweight patients. Conclusion Obesity confers worse prognosis in AML. Differences in OS were not the result of differences in chemotherapy dose or receipt of HCT.
Understanding Prosthetic Abandonment

Prosthetics can offer endless benefits to people with limb amputations, yet their abandonment is high. Although technology has improved these tools in outstanding ways, their lack of simplicity pre...
Broad and narrow epistemic standing: its relevance to the epistemology of disagreement

Epistemologists who have studied disagreement have started to devote attention to the notion of epistemic standing (i.e., epistemic peerhood, superiority, or inferiority). One feature of epistemic standing they have not drawn attention to is a distinction between what I call “broad” and “narrow” epistemic standing. Someone who is, say, your broad epistemic peer with respect to some topic is someone who is generally as familiar with and good at handling the evidence as you are. But someone who is your narrow epistemic peer with respect to that topic is someone who is familiar with the evidence and as good at handling it as you are on that particular occasion. Thus, it’s possible for you to be my broad peer while also being my narrow inferior or superior. Attending to this distinction elicits different intuitions about some of the well-known cases in the epistemology of disagreement. Focusing on broad epistemic standing, which epistemologists have done, tends to yield conciliationist responses. But focusing on narrow epistemic standing, which epistemologists have not done, yields steadfast responses. The reason for this difference has to do with how we figure out someone’s broad or narrow epistemic standing: to determine her broad epistemic standing, you need to look at her epistemic traits and her familiarity with the evidence rather than to examine the evidence she gives. But to determine her narrow epistemic standing, you have to focus on her disclosed evidence rather than her epistemic traits or familiarity with the evidence.
Reinforced-Concrete Shear Walls Retrofitted Using Weakening and Self-Centering: Numerical Modeling

AbstractThis paper investigates a novel retrofit strategy for code-deficient reinforced-concrete (RC) shear walls that are vulnerable to undesirable failure modes. The strategy combines weakening b...
Inspiration, inoculation, and introductions are all critical to successful mentorship for undergraduate women pursuing geoscience careers

Diversity in the geosciences is low despite efforts to improve the representation of different groups in society, for example in terms of gender. Specifically, women are underrepresented in recruitment and retention at every stage of the academic to professional pipeline. Mentoring programs can improve women’s motivation and persistence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) career pathways. However, mentorship programs consist of multiple components that vary in complexity and cost, which can limit scalability. Here we present results from a randomized experiment with 158 undergraduate women majoring in a geoscience field to identify the critical elements of a successful mentorship program. The combination of three factors was necessary to increase mentoring, motivation, and persistence: inspiration through exposure to geoscience careers via female role models, inoculation through training on how to grow their mentor network and overcome obstacles, and an introduction to a local female geoscientist mentor. To retain women in geoscience careers, exposure to role models, training on network growth and introduction to mentors in combination improve outcomes for undergraduates, according to a randomized intervention experiment.
‘The myth of the empty exile’: A Comparative Exploration into Ancient Biblical Exile and Modern Korean Exile:

The objective of this study is to undertake a comparative examination of two exilic contexts—ancient Judah under the Neo-Babylonian Empire and modern Korea under the Japanese occupation. We will ex...
Therapeutic Vaccines for HPV-Associated Malignancies

Human papillomavirus (HPV)-related malignancies are responsible for almost all cases of cervical cancer in women, and over 50% of all cases of head and neck carcinoma. Worldwide, HPV-positive malignancies account for 4.5% of the global cancer burden, or over 600,000 cases per year. HPV infection is a pressing public health issue, as more than 80% of all individuals have been exposed to HPV by age 50, representing an important target for vaccine development to reduce the incidence of cancer and the economic cost of HPV-related health issues. The approval of Gardasil® as a prophylactic vaccine for high-risk HPV 16 and 18 and low-risk HPV6 and 11 for people aged 11-26 in 2006, and of Cervarix® in 2009, revolutionized the field and has since reduced HPV infection in young populations. Unfortunately, prophylactic vaccination does not induce immunity in those with established HPV infections or HPV-induced neoplasms, and there are currently no therapeutic HPV vaccines approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. This comprehensive review will detail the progress made in the development of therapeutic vaccines against high-risk HPV types, and potential combinations with other immunotherapeutic agents for more efficient and rational designs of combination treatments for HPV-associated malignancies.
DSTG: Deconvoluting Spatial Transcriptomics Data through Graph-based Artificial Intelligence

Abstract Recent development of spatial transcriptomics (ST) is capable of associating spatial information at different spots in the tissue section with RNA abundance of cells within each spot, which is particularly important to understand tissue cytoarchitectures and functions. However, for such ST data, since a spot is usually larger than an individual cell, gene expressions measured at each spot are from a mixture of cells with heterogenous cell types. Therefore, ST data at each spot needs to be disentangled so as to reveal the cell compositions at that spatial spot. In this study, we propose a novel method, named DSTG, to accurately deconvolute the observed gene expressions at each spot and recover its cell constitutions, thus achieve high-level segmentation and reveal spatial architecture of cellular heterogeneity within tissues. DSTG not only demonstrates superior performance on synthetic spatial data generated from different protocols, but also effectively identifies spatial compositions of cells in mouse cortex layer, hippocampus slice, and pancreatic tumor tissues. In conclusion, DSTG accurately uncovers the cell states and subpopulations based on spatial localization.
Bilingual Compound Verbs and Light Verbs Innovation in Pashto-English Code-Mixing

The present study focuses on the bilingual compound verb, which is as an innovative syntactic category emerges through Pashto-English code mixing (hereafter CM). The study shows that Bilingual Compound Verbs (BCVs) are very prevalent in the Pashto-English CM of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The study explored that the BCVs in Pashto is completely productive and do not entail phonologically and semantically in the morphosyntax of Pashto language. It also shows that the dominant pattern of BCVs is the conjugation of the lights verbs kaw ‘do’ or ‘make’ keg ‘become’ which carries the aspectual and agreement markers and the left-most alien lexical element contributes to the core semantic content of the construction. The BCVs construction show that how the light verbs lead to a new verbal category.
Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy for Emergent Bilinguals in a Teacher Education Online Course

The teacher preparation programs in the United States have yet to adequately prepare content teachers to effectively work with linguistically and culturally diverse students. To provide a focused curriculum on emergent bilinguals (EBs) in mathematics education, we designed an asynchronous online mathematics methods course for both preservice and in-service teachers in K-12 grades. This online course is unique in that it focuses on mathematics, EBs, and teacher education simultaneously, while most courses available on teaching EBs are not mathematics content-specific. This chapter describes the theoretical frameworks that guided the online course design along with the contributions of this course to mathematics teacher education regarding teaching mathematics for emergent bilinguals. Our iterative process of conceptualization with the theoretical frameworks, culturally relevant pedagogy and culturally sustaining pedagogy, to develop and revise the online course curriculum provides essential information for mathematics teacher educators.
Electromagnetic and Relativistic Corrections to the Ramo-Shockley Theorem

The classical Ramo-Shockley theorem (RS) [1] , [2] gives the current induced on perfect conductors by the motion of nearby charges. It is a foundational result in vacuum electronics, discharge physics, and semiconductor devices. The original theorem was derived by assuming quasi-static fields, ignoring both relativistic and radiative effects. This paper illustrates, for the first time, how relativistic and electromagnetic effects modify RS in some simple examples and examines the magnitude of the corrections. Specifically, we present explicit, closed form analytic solutions of Maxwell’s equations for the induced current distribution on perfectly conducting plates due to the motion of a line charge moving either parallel or perpendicular to the plates. Our exact closed form solutions have been verified by several methods, including particle-in-cell simulations. Several novel features were revealed that are absent in the classical RS: electromagnetic transients due to the sudden acceleration of charge, multiple reflections of electromagnetic waves by conductors, and generation of an electromagnetic shock when the charge strikes a conductor and is subsequently removed. We have found that the classical RS works rather well otherwise, even for a highly relativistic beam, except near the wavefront(s) where the transients dominate. This partially explains the mystery as to why the non-relativistic RS has been very successful in the theory and numerical simulations of vacuum electronic devices, in which only the quasi-static, sinusoidal steady solutions are included. The electromagnetic shock could be a source of contamination on the quality of signals in satellite communication, by the electrons in a multipactor discharge [3] . These issues are being examined. The induced current due to motion of a point charge is also under investigation.
Payer perceptions on the use of patient-reported outcomes in oncology decision making.

BACKGROUND: In oncology, especially with accelerated regulatory approvals and niche populations, US payers appreciate all evidence that can help support formulary decision making, including evidenc...
Noninvasive Prenatal Diagnosis: Pregnant Women’s Interest and Expected Uptake

Objective To investigate pregnant women's level of future interest in noninvasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD) and what factors might affect expected uptake of this testing. Method Written questionnaires were administered to women in their third trimester. Results One hundred fourteen women returned the questionnaire (80.9% response rate). Of these, 71.9% reported interest in NIPD, 22.7% were ambivalent, and 5.4% were uninterested. Safety of the fetus was the single most important factor in 75% of women's decisions. Factors associated with increased interest in NIPD included: older age (p = 0.036), higher education (p = 0.013), Caucasian or Asian ethnicity (p = 0.011), and higher likelihood to terminate an affected pregnancy (p = 0.002). Nearly 20% of women reported that they would do whatever their doctor recommended regarding NIPD, and 94.4% of women wished to meet with a genetic counselor at some point to discuss NIPD. Conclusion The majority of pregnant women report hypothetical interest in NIPD, primarily because of increased safety for the fetus, although a significant minority are uninterested or ambivalent. Discussions with healthcare providers regarding NIPD, and their recommendations, are likely to be an important factor in women's decisions about this testing. As such, adequate discussion of the implications of prenatal diagnostic testing will be critical. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Information overload in the context of apparel: Effects on confidence, shopper orientation and leadership

Purpose – This study aims to examine the nature and impact of information overload and related coping strategies in the context of apparel shopping. It also examines perceptions of overload and coping strategies as antecedents to consumer confidence, shopping orientation and leader/follower status.Design/methodology/approach – Focus groups and previous literature are used to develop components for a survey of US consumer perceptions. The 205 valid responses were factor analyzed to identify components of information overload and coping strategies, and cluster analysis was used to identify groupings of consumers around those constructs.Findings – Consumer segments that result from cluster analysis show meaningful descriptions regarding information flow, over‐choice and coping strategies. Segments also differ on confidence level, shopping orientation and fashion leadership in ways that appear logically related to their information and coping strategy perspectives.Research limitations/implications – The study...
COMMONWEALTH OF PUERTO RICO v. BRANSTAD: THE CENTRALIZATION OF THE CRIMINAL EXTRADITION LAW

This paper uses the Supreme Court's decision in Puerto Rico v. Brandstad (483 U.S. 219 (19861) to challenge the bipolar model of judicial decision making. In this case, the Court, dominated by conservative justices, Overturned the 1861 landmark <ruling established in Kentucky v. Dennison (65 U.S. 66[1861 I) according to which A "federal court could not issue a writ of mandamus compelling a state governor to extradite a fugitive a fugitive to a sister state under the Extradition Clause of the Constitution.' Using a centralization approach, it is argued that at the center of the of the Court's decision in Puerto Rico was a distrust by the Supreme Court in the ability of state elected representatives to deliberate on a number of social issues and /or to create and enforce race and gender blind laws. From this perspective, the Court's decision represented a symbolic attempt by the Court to formally integrate the island within the existent traditional political process of extradition in light of the island's subordinate and minoritarian territorial status. The political implication of this decision for Puerto Rico is also explored.
Mechanisms of Renal Excretion of Environmental Agents

The sections in this article are: 1 Basic Mechanisms of Renal Excretion 1.1 Glomerular Filtration 1.2 Tubular Transport 2 Extrarenal Factors Determining Urinary Excretion of Foreign Compounds 2.1 Hepatic Conjugating Activity 2.2 Systemic Drug Metabolism 2.3 Influence of Acid-Base Changes 2.4 Distribution of Environmental Agents in Body 3 Limitations on Present Understanding of Mechanisms 4 Excretion of Heavy Metals 5 Conclusions
The Politics of Financial Regulatory Reform

Financial regulators are key actors in a modern political economy given their role in determining the rules that govern savings and investments markets. This is an account of how two states, Britain and Germany, have sought to increase their oversight of financial markets by creating powerful new regulatory actors that are accountable to the political system. In both cases, this meant either ending or severe limiting the role of central banks and private actors as regulators. The aim is to show why domestic politics is key to understanding this major institutional change. Using a coalitional approach, this paper argues that politicians view the increased salience of financial regulation as a policy issue. The political response was triggered in large part by major changes in the composition of savings markets and the consequent "privatization of risk", where voters are increasingly dependent upon financial markets in order to determine their future financial security. It argues that, for center-left parties, creating the new regulators allowed the parties to portray themselves as protecting the interests of voters while also appealing to more traditionally left suspicions about the power of both central banks and markets.
Physical and Chemical Properties of the Transmissible Mink Encephalopathy Agent

The size of the transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) agent is estimated to be less than 50 nm on the basis of its passage through membrane filters. The agent is sensitive to ether, relatively resistant to 10% Formalin, resistant to ultraviolet irradiation, and susceptible to proteolytic digestion with Pronase. Attempts to extract an infectious nucleic acid fraction with hot phenol were unsuccessful. The results of these studies indicate that the TME agent has biochemical properties which are similar to those described for the transmissible agent of scrapie.
A Population History of the United States: Colonization and Settlement of North America

The distribution of the pre-columbian Amerindian population would have as much influence on the settlement patterns of the northwestern Europeans who would colonize the Americas as did the Iberians who had preceded them. Lacking large numbers of Amerindians in settled agricultural villages, it was the Portuguese servile labor plantation model that they adopted, rather than the Spanish multiethnic free labor one. This required the subsidization of the migration of a large servile labor force, both indentured whites and African slaves, in order to produce tropical and semitropical export crops for the European market. It also meant that European immigrants, both free and indentured, were drawn to the economically most viable zones, which in turn were not the healthiest for these migrating persons. The West Indies and the southern North Atlantic continental shore were zones where Europeans often had higher morbidity and mortality rates than in their places of origin and lived much shorter lives than those who migrated to the colder, but poorer northern continental regions. Faced by a constant shortage of labor everywhere, Europeans not only turned to servile laborers but also experimented with new mechanisms of inheritance and marriage patterns in order to retain labor in extended family units. Given the bias of the migrants toward the preponderance of young males, the age of marriage for colonial men would rise above European norms and for colonial women, it would fall below those norms in these new settlements.
Donation Payment Mechanisms and Contingent Valuation: An Empirical Study of Hypothetical Bias

Donation payment mechanisms are well suited forsome contingent valuation studies. In aneffort to better understand the discrepancythat has been consistently found between actualand hypothetical donations, we investigate anapproach to estimating actual willingness todonate using contingent donations with afollow-up question in which respondents ratethe level of certainty about their response tothe contingent donation question. The approachallows us to estimate the magnitude of thehypothetical bias and identify the respondentsresponsible for the bias. Identification ofthe respondents responsible for thehypothetical bias is the first step towarddeveloping an understanding of the causes andpossible remedies. In this study we find thatmost of the respondents (80%) to thecontingent donation question provide a responseconsistent with how we predict they wouldrespond in an actual donation situation.
Simulating Human Behaviour in Built Environments

This paper addresses the problem of predicting and evaluating the impacts of the built environment on its human inhabitants. It presents a simulation system comprising a usabilitybased building model and an agent-based virtual user model. The building model represents both geometric information and usability properties of design elements, and is generated automatically from a standard CAD model. Virtual users are modelled as autonomous agents that emulate the appearance, perception, social traits and physical behaviour of real users (walking, sitting, meeting other virtual users, etc.). Their behaviour model is based upon theoretical and practical environment-behaviour studies, real world data from a field study, and Artificial Life research. By inserting the virtual users in the usability-enabled building model, and letting them “explore” it on their own volition, the system reveals the interrelationship between the environment and its users. The environment can then be modified, to see how different arrangements affect user behaviours.
Relationships Between Implementing Character Education, Student Behavior, and Student Achievement:

Over a 4-year period, researchers measured several outcomes in 5 school districts initiating or enhancing character education programs. Based on student, teacher, and administrator surveys, there was a noticeable improvement in character-related behavior. In certain districts, suspension and drop-out rates also decreased after the implementation of the character education programs; however, the relationship between these behavioral indicators and character education was inconclusive. Character education programming had little impact on student achievement, perhaps because of the lack of a direct relationship between character education goals and student achievement goals. In addition, the research examined the relationship between the implementation level of the program within the school and the measured outcomes. As expected, schools with more fully-implemented programs experienced a greater improvement in perceived character-driven behavior and lower suspension rates than schools with less well-implemen...
Attachment, parent -child discourse and theory of mind development

This study investigated the relations among attachment, mother–child discourse, and theory of mind in a sample of 76 four-year-old children (mean age = 4.48 years; 36 boys). Mother–child conversations about a past event were coded for maternal use of elaborative discourse and mothers' references to mental states. Mothers completed the attachment q-sort and children completed four false-belief tasks. Results revealed that maternal conversational elaboration was a significant predictor of children's theory-of-mind performance, whereas maternal mental state references and attachment security were not. The findings provide further evidence for the importance of discourse in children's theory-of-mind development.
Using Spatial Language to Drive a Robot for an Indoor Environment Fetch Task

 Abstract—This paper proposes a system that allows the use of natural spatial language to control a robot performing a fetch task in an indoor environment. The system processes spatial referencing language and extracts a tree structure of language chunks. The spatial language system is then grounded to a robot navigation instruction in the form of a sequence of actions based on spatial references to furniture and room structure; the best navigation instruction is selected by scoring. In addition, the Reference-Direction-Target (RDT) model is proposed to represent indoor robot actions. To control the robot for the fetch task, a behavior model is designed based on the RDT model. An assistive robot has been designed and programmed based on this system. The proposed spatial language grounding model and robot behavior model are tested experimentally in three sets of experiments. Results show that the system enables a robot to follow spatial language commands in a physical indoor environment even if the referenced furniture items are re-positioned.
Sedimentation in the solid state

Abstract Solid indium containing a small amount of radioactive gold was subjected to a centrifugal field approximately 100,000 times the force of gravity. Because of the ultra-fast diffusion characteristics of gold in indium, sedimentation of the gold tracer occurred relatively rapidly and a measurable equilibrium sedimentation gradient was produced. The partial molar volume of gold in indium determined from this sedimentation gradient indicates that gold dissolves interstitially in indium.
Damus-Kaye-Stansel with cavopulmonary connection for single ventricle and subaortic obstruction

Infants with single ventricle and transposition of the great arteries with or without aortic arch obstruction have a poor prognosis due in large part to the development of systemic outflow obstruction, a frequent consequence of pulmonary artery banding. Thus, the initial palliation and long-term treatment options are critical in terms of surgical choices and timing. We report our experience with 9 patients managed by neonatal pulmonary artery banding and early debanding, a Damus-Kaye-Stansel procedure, and either a modified Glenn shunt or a modified Fontan procedure. Some evidence of subaortic stenosis developed in every patient as manifested by a resting gradient across the systemic outflow tract (21.4 +/- 4.2 mm Hg), a small ventricular septal defect relative to the body surface area (1.57 +/- 0.39 cm2/m2), and a small ventricular septal defect relative to the aortic root cross-sectional area (0.70 +/- 0.04 cm2/m2). There were 1 early death and 1 late death after the Damus-Kaye-Stansel procedure. With the exception of 1 patient, the in-hospital course of the survivors was relatively uncomplicated. Two patients with levotransposition of the great arteries have required pacemakers. None of the survivors have residual systemic outflow obstruction. There is trivial or mild pulmonic insufficiency in 5 patients, which is not progressing. One patient had mild to moderate pulmonic insufficiency but died late presumably of an arrhythmia. We conclude that neonatal pulmonary artery banding coupled with planned early debanding, a Damus-Kaye-Stansel procedure, and cavopulmonary anastomosis is a relatively low-risk course for patients with this complex physiology.
An Iwan Model for Dissipation in Structural Systems With Frictional Joints

Modeling mechanical joints in an accurate and efficient manner is of great importance in the analysis of large structural systems, which can be composed of a large number of connected components. This work presents an interface model that can be decomposed into a series-series Iwan model together with an elastic chain, subject to interfacial shear loads. The model is developed and results are presented as the interface is subject to harmonic loading of varying amplitude. The model presented is able to qualitatively reproduce experimentally observed dissipation scalings. Finally, the interface model is embedded within a larger structural system to illustrate its effectiveness in capturing the structural damping induced by mechanical joints.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
High-dose chemotherapy with autologous peripheral stem cell support in advanced ovarian cancer.

Twenty patients with advanced (stage III-IV), previously untreated ovarian carcinoma were treated by: (a) induction chemotherapy (40 mg/m2 cisplatin, days 1–4; 1.5 g/m2 cyclophosphamide, day 4; every 4 weeks for two cycles) followed by (b) intensification chemotherapy (100 mg/m2 cisplatin, day 1; 650 mg/m2 etoposide, day 2; 1.8 g/m2 carbo-platin, day 3). Eligibility criteria further included: age less than 55 years, moderately good to poor tumour grade, macroscopic (>0.5 cm) residual tumour. Autologous peripheral stem cells were recruited after the induction cycles and, to ensure haemato-logical support, autologous bone marrow harvesting was routinely performed in the first 14 cases. Haematological support consisted of autologous peripheral stem cells and autologous bone marrow transplant in 16 and four patients, respectively. All patients are evaluable for toxicity and 19 for pathological response, one being dead of systemic mycosis 35 days after the autologous bone marrow transplant. Severe extra-haemat...
Order management for profit on the Internet

Abstract To succeed, Internet retailers must make a profit on the goods and services they sell. But e-tailers are still searching for strategies that work. To test current practices, we became “phantom shoppers” and bought a randomly chosen set of CDs from a variety of Internet retailers. Our findings suggest that order management and logistics skills are pivotal for selling profitably on the Internet. In this article, we show how Internet retailers can deploy resources creatively to attract the right shoppers, convert these shoppers into buyers, and improve the chances of repeat purchase while maintaining profit margins.
The effect of lubricating oil condition on the friction and wear of piston ring and cylinder liner materials in a reciprocating bench test

Abstract A test method has been developed to evaluate the friction and wear behavior of candidate piston ring and cylinder liner materials for heavy-duty diesel engine applications. Oil condition and its effects are important aspects of this test method and are the focus of this work. The test uses actual piston ring segments sliding on flat specimens of liner material to simplify alignment and to multiply the stress to the level normally seen in engine operation. Reciprocating tests were conducted at 10 Hz and 10 mm stroke at 100 °C. Test oils consisted of fully formulated lubricating oils that were conditioned in ASTM standard engine tests. The point contact between the ring segment and flat counter-face, the applied load and elevated temperature, all result in boundary lubrication, which simulates the environment near top-ring-reversal. The oil condition was defined by variables, such as spectroscopic elemental concentrations, soot level, oxidation, and contaminant particle concentration. Compared with engine-measured wear rates, ring wear was magnified by at least an order of magnitude and the liner by about 1.5–2 orders of magnitude as needed for an accelerated test. However, the basic wear mechanism, abrasive wear, was the same as in the engine. The soot concentration also had a strong effect on liner wear but no effect on ring wear. The oil viscosity has a mild effect on the friction at high load in boundary lubrication conditions. The viscosity of the conditioned oils tested here was related to the soot content rather than the oxidation levels.
Direct-energy converters: efficiency and cost estimates for two electrostatic concepts

This study is concerned with two specific types of electrostatic direct energy converters for direct recovery of a large fraction of the plasma ion energy from magnetic-mirror-type fusion reactors. Simplified equations are presented for each of the important loss mechanisms in both single-stage direct converters and multistage venetian blind-type direct converters. These equations can be used to estimate the efficiency and electric power output of the direct converter subsystem. Scaling relations for the cost of each major component in the direct converter subsystem are also given; these include the vacuum tank, direct converter (DC) modules, the DC power conditioning equipment, cryogenic vacuum pumping system, and the thermal bottoming plant. Examples of cost-effectiveness studies for two specific reference direct converter designs are presented in terms of the specific capital costs (i.e., the capital cost per unit of electric power produced) for the direct converter subsubsystem. These examples show that relaxation of the requirement for small charge exchange losses can significantly reduce the specific capital costs of the direct converter subsystem.
An Abductive Framework for Level One Information Fusion

This article argues for, and describes some of the advantages of, construing Level One Information Fusion, as a task of Abductive Inference or Inference to the Best Explanation. Such an approach enables certain benefits, such as, an expectation-based critique of hypotheses, and an elegant system for revising old beliefs, which may gainfully be exploited. It also introduces several relevant dimensions to reasoning based on the exlanatory relations between hypotheses and data, that are closed to traditional approaches. The design principles of a software system, Smart-ASAS, that attempts to solve the Level One Fusion task of entity tracking and re-identification, are described, along with an example that illustrates its capabilities.
Association of cellular and molecular responses in the rat mammary gland to 17β-estradiol with susceptibility to mammary cancer

Background We are using ACI and BN rats, which differ markedly in their susceptibility to 17β-estradiol (E2)-induced mammary cancer, to identify genetic variants and environmental factors that determine mammary cancer susceptibility. The objective of this study was to characterize the cellular and molecular responses to E2 in the mammary glands of ACI and BN rats to identify qualitative and quantitative phenotypes that associate with and/or may confer differences in susceptibility to mammary cancer.
Molecular Connectivity and Steric Parameters

The possible relationship between molecular connectivity indexes, mchi, and Es, a thermodynamically derived parameter used to estimate steric effects in organic reactions and sometimes used in biological structure-activity relationships, was investigated. The extended chi terms, 2chi, 3chi, and 4chi, were correlated significantly to Es (r = 0.961). Aralkyl esters deviated from the correlations, possibly due to intramolecular interactions.
Vitamin E-modulated gene expression associated with ROS generation

Abstract Although the beneficial effects of vitamin E on reactive oxygen species (ROS)-related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), have been suggested by epidemiological and animal studies, clinical trials have failed to confirm the efficacy of vitamin E. Vitamin E has a defined role as an antioxidant. Recent studies indicate non-antioxidant roles of vitamin E serving as a regulator of gene/protein expression and enzyme inhibitor. Vitamin E may control ROS generation possibly in both antioxidant-dependent and independent manners, since vitamin E has shown inhibitory effects on activities and expression of ROS generating enzymes. However, the effects of vitamin E appear to depend on microenvironment, such as its concentration and the presence of oxidants/antioxidants. The objective of this article is to review the roles of vitamin E, in particular vitamin E-modulated gene expression, for better understanding the molecular mechanisms of vitamin E and for preventive and therapeutic strategies of ROS-related diseases.
The two largest distances in finite planar sets

Abstract We determine all homogenous linear inequalities satisfied by the numbers of occurrences of the two largest distances among n points in the plane.
Constructing Secure Cloud Computing Platform for Strong Smart Grid

As a new paradigm for hosting and delivering services over the Internet, cloud computing technology especially suitable for dealing with series of problems in strong smart grid. However, despite the fact that cloud computing offers huge opportunities to the strong smart grid, the development of cloud computing technology is currently at its infancy, especially with many security issues to be addressed. In this paper, we present the overall architecture and benefits of cloud computing applications in strong smart grid. After that, we propose a unified security protection system framework of power cloud computing and give some practicable security protection suggestions.
The orlA gene from Aspergillus nidulans encodes a trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase necessary for normal growth and chitin synthesis at elevated temperatures

A cosmid carrying the orlA gene from Aspergillus nidulans was identified by complementation of an orlA1 mutant strain with DNA from the pKBY2 cosmid library. An orlA1 complementing fragment from the cosmid was sequenced. orlA encodes a predicted polypeptide of 227 amino acids (26360 Da) that is homologous to a 211-amino-acid domain from the polypeptide encoded by the Saccharomyces cerevisiae TPS2 gene and to almost the entire Escherichia coli otsB-encoded polypeptide. TPS2 and otsB each specify a trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase, an enzyme that is necessary for trehalose synthesis. orlA disruptants accumulate trehalose-6-phosphate and have reduced trehalose-6-phosphatate phosphatase levels, indicating that the gene encodes a trehalose-6-phosphatate phosphatase. Disruptants have a nearly-wild-type morphology at 32 degrees C. When germinated at 42 degrees C, the conidia and hyphae from disruptants are chitin deficient, swell excessively, and lyse. The lysis is almost completely remedied by osmotic stabilizers and is partially remedied by N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc). The activity of glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amido-transferase (GFAT), the first enzyme unique to aminosugar synthesis, is reduced and is labile in orlA disruption strains. The findings are consistent with the hypothesis that trehalose-6-phosphate reduces the temperature stability of GFAT and other enzymes of chitin metabolism at elevated temperatures. The results extend to filamentous organisms the observation that mutations in fungal trehalose synthesis are highly pleiotropic and affect aspects of carbohydrate metabolism that are not directly related to trehalose synthesis.
Reaction Route Graphs. I. Theory and Algorithm

A theory and algorithm for reaction route (RR) network analysis is developed in analogy with electrical networks and is based on the combined use of RR theory, graph theory, and Kirchhoff's laws. The result is a powerful new approach of “RR graphs” that is useful in not only topological representation of complex reactions and mechanisms but, when combined with techniques of electrical network analysis, is able to provide revealing insights into the mechanism as well as the kinetics of the overall reactions involving multiple elementary reaction steps including the effect of topological constraints. Unlike existing graph theory approaches of reaction networks, the approach developed here is suitable for linear as well as nonlinear kinetic mechanisms and for single and multiple overall reactions. The theoretical approach for the case of a single overall reaction involving minimal kinetic mechanisms (unit stoichiometric numbers) is developed in Part I of this series followed by its application to examples of...
A stochastic network simulation model for production line systems

This paper presents an application of a new network-based simulation model to a class of production line systems and compares this with a closed form procedure. The new model is capable of analysing more realistic production lines by allowing variable work element times (normal and others), parallel stations, in-process inventory, and merging subassembly lines. Furthermore, the model is capable of handling mixed model and batched assembly situations as well as the single product assembly lines. The inclusion of cost and resource options, as integral components makes the model a powerful tool of analysis. The cost option allows evaluation of alternative configurations based on the total cost of the system; whereas, the resource feature enables one to analyse the constrained resource situations. The model can be used to optimize the design of new processing lines and to balance existing lines with a fixed production requirement.
Life History of the Bridgelip Sucker in the Central Columbia River

Abstract In the central Columbia River, southeastern Washington, bridgelip suckers (Catostomus columbianus) were common in deep water with strong currents during daylight and moved into slower shallow water at night. Mean calculated fork lengths (FL) in millimeters at annulus formation were age I, 63; II, 148; III, 224; IV, 291; V, 335; VI, 36I; VII, 387; VIII, 401; IX, 408. Back-calculated lengths approximated lengths at capture for respective ages. The length-weight (W) relationship for both sexes was logeW = - 12.65 + 3.25 logeFL. Both sexes reached maturity at about 350 mm FL and age VI. Peak spawning in all years occurred during May in water temperatures of 8–13 C. Breeding males and females both exhibited a narrow red lateral line stripe. Estimated egg numbers per mature female ranged frown 9,955 to 21,040. Bridgelip sucker diet was almost entirely periphyton, except fish smaller than 150 mm FL utilized mainly aquatic insect larvae and zooplankton. Variability of taxonomic characters caused some dif...
Curiosity's Fault Tolerant Wakeup and Shutdown Design☆

Abstract Curiosity spends roughly 70% of the day “sleeping”, in order to recharge the batteries from the nuclear power source. The system is designed to ensure the Rover goes to sleep and wakes back up to continue science and engineering activities. Additionally, the design is robust to off-nominal situations that may need additional actions performed by both hardware and software to ensure the Rover can communicate with the Earth. This paper describes nominal and off-nominal behavioral patterns, fault tolerance features designed into the Rover system (hardware and software), several off-nominal scenarios that are accommodated by the design, and some lessons learned from this development effort.