cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A hierarchy of relaxations for linear generalized disjunctive programming

Abstract Generalized disjunctive programming (GDP), originally developed by Raman and Grossmann (1994) , is an extension of the well-known disjunctive programming paradigm developed by Balas in the mid 70s in his seminal technical report ( Balas, 1974 ). This mathematical representation of discrete-continuous optimization problems, which represents an alternative to the mixed-integer program (MIP), led to the development of customized algorithms that successfully exploited the underlying logical structure of the problem. The underlying theory of these methods, however, borrowed only in a limited way from the theories of disjunctive programming, and the unique insights from Balas’ work have not been fully exploited. In this paper, we establish new connections between the fields of disjunctive programming and generalized disjunctive programming for the linear case. We then propose a novel hierarchy of relaxations to the original linear GDP model that subsumes known relaxations for this model, and show that a subset of these relaxations are tighter than the latter. We discuss the usefulness of these relaxations within the context of MIP and illustrate these results on the classic strip-packing problem.
Characteristics of performance appraisals and their impact on sales force satisfaction

A study of the relationship between performance appraisal characteristics and salesperson job satisfaction indicated that when appraisals provide clear criteria, the criteria meet with the salesperson's approval, and the appraisals are perceived as fair and used in determining rewards, salesperson job satisfaction increases. These results support previous findings that the critical determinants of appraisal effectiveness are not criteria-driven but rather are largely determined by factors that managers can influence.
The length of the calmodulin linker determines the extent of transient interdomain association and target affinity

Calmodulin (CaM), the prototypical calcium sensing protein in eukaryotes, comprises two domains separated by a short flexible linker, which allows CaM to assume a wide range of extended and compact conformations. Here we use NMR relaxation measurements to explore the role of the linker in CaM function and dynamics. Using paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) measurements, we examine the effect of changes in the length and rigidity of the linker on the transient association between the two domains of Ca(2+)-bound CaM (CaM-4Ca(2+)). We observe that transient interdomain association, represented by an effective molarity (M(eff)), is maximal for a linker extended by one residue from the wild-type length and decreases for lengths longer or shorter than that. The results can be quantitatively rationalized using a simplified model of a random coil whose two ends must be a specific distance apart for an interaction to occur. The results correlate well with the affinity of CaM-4Ca(2+) for a target peptide, suggesting that the transient compact states adopted by CaM-4Ca(2+) in the absence of peptide play a direct role in facilitating target binding.
A computer program for linear logistic regression analysis.

Abstract Given a set of binary data (success of failure) and measurements of p explanatory variables corresponding to each case, a computer program has been written to perform regression analysis utilizing Cox's linear logistic model. A prototype example is to assess any dependence of the probability of response or complete remission on patient characteristics such as age, temperature, and white blood count etc. The program has two versions and they are called LOGIST and STLOG. LOGIST fits all the p explanatory variables at the same time while STLOG follows a forward selection procedure so that the first variable determined is the most important single characteristic in predicting probability of response, the second variable is second most important after the first one has been included in the equation, and so on. The program gives (1) maximum likelihood estimates and interval estimates for the regression coefficients, (2) significance level for hypothesis tested, and (3) predicted probability of success and residual for each case.
Heavy Ion Source Support Gas Mixing Experiments

Experiments on mixing an easily ionized support gas with the primary ion source gas have produced large beam enhancements for high charge state light ions (masses ? 20). In the Oak Ridge Isochronous Cyclotron (ORIC), the beam increase has been a factor of 5 or greater, depending on ion species and charge state. Approximately 0.1 cc/min of the easily ionized support gas (argon, krypton, or xenon) is supplied to the ion source through a separate gas line and the primary gas flow is reduced by ? 30%. The proposed mechanism for increased intensity is as follows: The heavier support gas ionizes readily to a higher charge state, providing increased cathode heating. The increased heating permits a reduction in primary gas flow (lower pressure) and the subsequent beam increase.
Changes in hemolymph total solids and blood volume of the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella, during the course of starvation☆

The refractive index of hemolymph in both control and starved insects (Galleria mellonella) rose during the first 10 days of experimentation. From this time on, hemolymph total solids fell in starved larvae but continued to rise in control larvae. No significant changes were observed in the relative blood volumes in both groups, while the amount of hemolymph increased during larval development and decreased during starvation.
Cineradiographic studies with shoulder instabilities

Thirty patients with shoulder disorders were examined with fluoroscopy under general anesthesia. Prior to this cineradiography, 20 shoulders had diagnoses of insta bility and 10 had diagnoses of other stable-shoulder disorders.Three patients (10%) had changes in their shoulder diagnoses after imaging: 1) One patient with an im pingement syndrome also had an unstable shoulder; 2) One patient suspected of having anterior subluxations prior to imaging, demonstrated posterior subluxations instead with imaging; and 3) One patient with recurrent posterior dislocations demonstrated a multidirectional instability pattern with imaging.Fluoroscopic examination or the shoulder under anesthesia provides useful diagnostic information. Its use is recommended for documentation, especially when there is uncertainty about a diagnosis, or to confirm the proper placement of metal after reconstruc tive surgery.
On the multiplicity of periodic solutions of mountain pass type for a class of semilinear PDE’s

We prove the existence of many mountain pass periodic solutions for a semilinear elliptic PDE on a torus.
Thermo-mechanical properties of a piezoelectric polyimide carbon nanotube composite: Assessment of composite theories

In this work, we have characterized the thermomechanical properties of carbon nanotube based piezoelectric polymer nanocomposite using a hybrid force field for all atomistic molecular dynamic simulations. In addition, applicability of some of the well-known micromechanics composite theory in estimating carbon nanotube based polymer nanocomposite properties were assessed. We found that the primary reason for the strengthening effect of a nanocomposite with incorporation of a nanotube is the carbon–carbon bond and angle strength. The orientation of the nanotube in the polymer matrix is key to its reinforcement effect on a nanocomposite. We also observed that a perfect axial orientation does result in improving the axial modulus, but in the radial direction any strengthening for such a unidirectional composite does not seem possible without any bonding at the interface between the filler and the matrix material. The self-consistent field theory was found to be the closest with the atomistic simulation results for predicting mechanical properties of a polymer nanocomposite. The Halpin–Tsai model also demonstrated reasonable capability in predicting the strengthening effect. Mori–Tanaka model, however, underestimated the strengthening effect of carbon nanotube on the polymer matrix. It was also found that the existing composite theories are better at estimating low weight percentage nanotube strengthening effect.
Observations of Freezing Drizzle in Extratropical Cyclonic Storms during IMPROVE-2

Abstract Observations of supercooled drizzle aloft within two storms impacting the Oregon Cascades during the second Improvement of Microphysical Parameterization through Observational Verification Experiment (IMPROVE-2) field project are presented. The storms were characterized by a structure and evolution similar to the split-front model of synoptic storms. Both storms were also characterized by strong cross-barrier flow. An analysis of aircraft and radar data indicated the presence of supercooled drizzle during two distinct storm periods: 1) the intrafrontal period immediately following the passage of an upper cold front and 2) the postfrontal period. The conditions associated with these regions of supercooled drizzle included 1) temperatures between −3° and −19°C, 2) ice crystal concentrations between 1 and 2 L−1, and 3) bimodal cloud droplet distributions of low concentration [cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration between 20 and 30 cm−3 and cloud drop concentration <35 cm−3]. Unique to this s...
A Characterization of Graphs with No Cube Minor

In this paper it is shown that any 4-connected graph that does not contain a minor isomorphic to the cube is a minor of the line graph of Vn for some n?6 or a minor of one of five graphs. Moreover, there exists a unique 5-connected graph on at least 8 vertices with no cube minor and a unique 4-connected graph with a vertex of degree at least 8 with no cube minor. Further, it is shown that any graph with no cube minor is obtained from 4-connected such graphs by 0-, 1-, and 2-summing, and 3-summing over a specified triangles.
Performance Measurement of Advanced Stirling Convertors (ASC-E3)

NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) has been supporting development of the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG) since 2006. A key element of the ASRG project is providing life, reliability, and performance testing data of the Advanced Stirling Convertor (ASC). The latest version of the ASC (ASC-E3, to represent the third cycle of engineering model test hardware) is of a design identical to the forthcoming flight convertors. For this generation of hardware, a joint Sunpower and GRC effort was initiated to improve and standardize the test support hardware. After this effort was completed, the first pair of ASC-E3 units was produced by Sunpower and then delivered to GRC in December 2012. GRC has begun operation of these units. This process included performance verification, which examined the data from various tests to validate the convertor performance to the product specification. Other tests included detailed performance mapping that encompassed the wide range of operating conditions that will exist during a mission. These convertors were then transferred to Lockheed Martin for controller checkout testing. The results of this latest convertor performance verification activity are summarized here.
Understanding Students' Motivation in Sport and Physical Education: From the Expectancy-Value Model and Self-Efficacy Theory Perspectives

In this article, the roles of individuals' expectancy beliefs and incentives (i.e., task value, outcome expectancy) in sport and physical education are examined from expectancy-value model and self-efficacy theory perspectives. Overviews of the two theoretical frameworks and the conceptual and measurement issues are provided, followed by a review of developmental and gender/racial differences and the influences of sport and physical education on children's motivational beliefs.
Structure of the O-antigen polysaccharide of Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae serotype 3 (ATCC 27090) lipopolysaccharide.

Abstract The structure of the O-antigen polysaccharide of Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae serotype 3 (ATCC 27090) S-type lipopolysaccharide was investigated by methylation analysis, partial hydrolysis, periodate oxidation, and 1H- and 13C-n.m.r. spectroscopy, and concluded to be composed of linear pentasaccharide repeating-units having the structure:
A prospective cohort study of practice guidelines in inflammatory bowel disease

OBJECTIVES: Practice guidelines should improve care, but they are not routinely followed, in part because of lack of proven benefit. We evaluated the effect of introducing guidelines for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on practice variation and the IBD Quality of Life (IBDQ) score. METHODS: This was a prospective, controlled, cohort study. A total of 65 patients were matched according to month of visit, diagnosis, and disease activity with control subjects seen 1 yr earlier. Physicians were educated throughout the study regarding the guidelines. Variation was measured by the Mayo Practice Guideline Score (MPGS), a 15-point assessment of documentation of diagnosis, nutrition, social support, education, functional status, and treatment. The IBDQ was measured at baseline and at 1 yr in the intervention group and after 1 yr in the control group. RESULTS: The MPGS was significantly higher in the intervention group compared to the controls (p = 0.002), with median values of 12 versus 11. The IBDQ median score increased significantly in the intervention group (p < 0.001), baseline median of 133 versus 15-month median of 184. However, the final IBDQ was not significantly higher in the intervention group than in the controls (p = 0.33). CONCLUSIONS: Practice guidelines for IBD reduce practice variation. The quality of life improved significantly compared to baseline with practice guidelines, but not compared to controls, perhaps because of the small sample size and homogenous practice setting. The MPGS is a tool that can be used in day-to-day management of IBD patients.
Distribution and quantitative measurements of somatostatin-like immunoreactivity in the lower brainstem of the rat

A radioimmunoassay was used to identify and quantify somatostatin-like immunoreactivity in the lower brainstem of the rat. The peptide was detectable in all brainstem nuclei investigated. Highest levels were found in the nuclei parabrachiales, central gray, ocus coeruleus, and nucleus tractus solitarii. Extremely low levels were found in the substantia nigra and cerebellum.
Programming the isoparametric six‐node triangle

The formulation and programming of the six‐node, curved isoparametric triangle in plane stress is presented. This is intended to fill an apparent vacuum in the open finite element literature.
Effect of melting temperature and time on iron valence and crystallization of iron phosphate glasses

The effect of melting temperature and time on iron valence, dissolution rate (DR) in deionized water, and crystallization of iron phosphate glasses was investigated using a 40Fe2O3–60P2O5, mol%, batch composition. The concentration of Fe2+ ions in these glasses increased from 17% to 57% as melting temperature increased from 1150°C to 1450°C, but remained nearly constant at about 20% for melting times longer than 1 h at 1200°C. Measurements by differential thermal analysis (DTA) combined with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that these glasses crystallized to Fe3(P2O7)2 and Fe4(P2O7)3 when heated in nitrogen between 600°C and 820°C, but with continued heating in air at 820°C the Fe3(P2O7)2 changed to Fe(PO4), which produced a weight gain in the sample associated with the oxidation of Fe2+ to Fe3+ ions. The DR (in deionized water) of these glasses was generally very low (∼10−9 g cm−2 min−1) and nearly independent of the relative concentration of Fe2+ or Fe3+ ions, but decreased with total iron content.
Inhibition of development of characteristic indices of myeloid differentiation by a factor released from a tetraploid variant of the human promyelocytic cell line, HL-60

HL-60TR, a tetraploid variant of the human promyeloid cell line HL-60, was obtained by culturing HL-60 cells for one week with the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) at 400 pM. HL-60TR cells have lost the ability to develop several common markers of maturation in response to compounds that induce monocytoid or myelocytoid differentiation of HL-60 cells. In addition, they release a factor which inhibits induction of the same markers in HL-60 cells. Medium conditioned by HL-60TR cells also inhibits colony formation by normal mouse bone marrow cells. These properties have been maintained by HL-60TR cells through more than one year of constant subculture in the absence of TPA, a finding which suggests the possibility that TPA may promote tumor formation not only through direct effects on the phenotype of initiated cells but also through induction of continued production of factors that affect differentiation of normal stem cells.
The role of laparoscopy in the management of common bile duct obstruction in children.

Background: Laparoscopic common bile duct exploration is commonplace in adults; however, this procedure is not often performed in children. The goal of this study was to evaluate the results of laparoscopic common bile duct exploration in children. Methods: Of 50 patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy, six patients (12%) had obstructing lesions of the common bile duct (CBD). Five children underwent laparoscopic common bile duct exploration, and one child had a preoperative endoscopic sphincterotomy and stone removal. Results: The mean age at laparoscopic CBD exploration was 11.6 years (range, 5-16). The obstructing lesion was visualized by intraoperative cholangiography in all five patients. The mean operative time for laparoscopic cholecystectomy along with CBD exploration was 215 min (range, 160-282). The transcystic laparoscopic CBD exploration was performed using a 7-Fr, multichannel rigid, or 10-Fr flexible fiberoptic cystoscope. The stones were either pushed into the duodenum with the scope or extracted through the cystic duct using a 3-Fr Segura basket. In one patient, a candidial ball disintegrated during an attempt to remove it with the basket. A repeat cholangiogram at the end of each procedure showed an anatomically normal CBD with free flow of contrast into the duodenum. All patients enjoyed a quick recovery. They were started on a regular diet on the same day of surgery and discharged on the 1st or 2nd postoperative day. One patient with sickle cell disease developed a pulmonary infarction and required 5 additional days of hospitalization. One patient developed recurrent choledocholithiasis 6 months after laparoscopic exploration and was treated successfully with endoscopic sphincterotomy and stone extraction. Conclusions: Laparoscopic CBD exploration can be performed safely at the time of the cholecystectomy in children. Endoscopic sphincterotomy before cholecystectomy is not necessary. We recommend laparoscopic CBD exploration for obstructing lesions of the CBD. Endoscopic sphincterotomy should be reserved for recurrent lesions of the CBD after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
Reaction mechanism for the inactivation of the quinoprotein methylamine dehydrogenase by phenylhydrazine

Phenylhydrazine has previously been shown to be an irreversible inactivator of the tryptophan tryptophylquinone (TTQ) enzyme methylamine dehydrogenase [Davidson, V.L. and Jones, L.H. (1992) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1121, 104-110]. Structure-reactivity correlations have been performed to elucidate the mechanism by which this inactivation occurs. The reactions of a series of p-substituted phenylhydrazines with methylamine dehydrogenase were examined. Correlation with electronic substituent effects was observed. A Hammett plot of the second order inactivation rate constants versus sigma p exhibited a positive slope. Plots of these rate constants against substituent constants which reflected either resonance or field/inductive parameters for each p-substituent indicated that the rate was primarily influenced by resonance electronic effects. A Bronsted plot of the inactivation rate constant against pKa of each substituted phenylhydrazine yielded a beta-value (slope) of 0.7. Based upon these results, a reaction mechanism is proposed for the inactivation of methylamine dehydrogenase by phenylhydrazines, and a structure is proposed for the putative transition state for the rate-limiting step in the overall processes of binding and adduct formation by phenylhydrazine. The relevance of these results to the process of imine formation between substrate amines and TTQ during the normal catalytic process is also discussed.
The mechanism of circadian rhythms in brain and organ contents of norepinephrine: circadian changes in the effects of methyltyrosine and 6-hydroxydopamine.

Abstract 1. Brain regions and organ contents of norepinephrine (NE) were determined in adult rats treated and killed within particular phases of a standard daily photoperiod cycle. 2. Lowering of brain NE by α-methyltyrosine (α-MT) differed significantly in relation to time of day and brain region. 3. A circadian difference in adrenal NE content was amplified in animals treated with 6-hydroxydopamine.
Indirect BP Monitoring in the Newborn: Evaluation of a New Oscillometer and Comparison of Upper- and Lower-Limb Measurements

• We compared simultaneous direct (aortic) and indirect (oscillometric) BP measurements in 19 patients admitted to a newborn intensive care unit. Two hundred six indirect measurements were obtained from an upper extremity in 14 patients, and 50 from a lower extremity in five other patients. A regression analysis of paired data over a wide range of BPs showed excellent correlation between measurements obtained with the automated oscillometer and intra-arterial catheters. The oscillometric BP correlated equally well in both upper and lower extremities. Simultaneous upper-and lower-extremity BP measurements were taken in seven infants with low birth weights during the first 12 days of life and in ten normal term 2-to 5-day-old infants. Contrary to some previous reports, systolic, mean, and diastolic pressures were virtually identical at both sites. ( AJDC 1984;138:775-778)
GePSi: A generic plant simulator based on object-oriented principles

Abstract The Generic Plant Simulator (GePSi) is a physiologically-based model that combines modules for canopy, root environment, water relations, and potential growth to generate whole-plant carbon, nitrogen, and water balances. The version presented here is coded in the object-oriented programming (OOP) language, C + +, to enhance the implementation of modularity. In the aboveground aerial environment, the Weather module defines the weather conditions above a canopy, and Micro Weather defines the vertical profiles of micro-meterological variables in a canopy. The belowground soil environment contains the SoilProperty modules, which define vertical profiles of physical and chemical variables in a soil column. The ‘part-of’ hierarchy in GePSi follows the structure of a real plant: the Plant module calls canopy and root system modules; the Canopy module, in turn, calls leaf, stem and fruit modules; and the RootSystem module calls coarse and fine root modules, etc. Our long-term goal is for GePSi to serve as a template for building a plant growth simulator by simply selecting appropriate modules for the question being asked. We are building a suite of plant modules (and their interfaces) based on general principles that are fundamentally similar for different kinds of plants. This includes photosynthesis, growth, nutrient and carbon allocation, water uptake, etc. These modules can be parameterized for specific species, related groups of species, life-forms, or broader groups depending on how variable the processes are across the groupings and the amount of unexplained variability that is acceptable for the question being investigated. Our modular-based approach has numerous advantages, including improving the understanding of the model, reducing duplication of effort, and facilitating the adaptation of the model for different sites and ecosystems.
Efficacy of Expansions and Cloze Procedures in the Development of Interpretations by Preschool Children Exhibiting Delayed Language Development

Recent intervention studies have demonstrated that adult-provided expansions of child utterances during storybook reading can result in preschool children’s development of two-word utterances that describe characters and their actions as well as grammatical morphemes that are targeted for development via expansions. The present study used an alternating-treatments experimental design to compare the effects of two styles of storybook reading on the production of interpretations by two preschool children experiencing delayed language development. One reading style used a combination of expansions and cloze procedures; the other provided questions followed by modeling of appropriate answers. The children produced more answers to questions regarding the storybook, more interpretations, and syntactically more complex utterances in the condition using expansions and cloze procedures. Results are discussed with respect to the use of these techniques in naturalistic intervention and the relationship between their...
Enumerating invariant subspaces of Rn

Abstract In this article, we develop an algorithm to calculate the set of all integers m for which there exists a linear operator T on R n such that R n has exactly m T-invariant subspaces. Moreover, the algorithm gives a method for the explicit construction of such a linear operator T. A brief discussion is included as how these methods can be extended to vector spaces over arbitrary fields.
Chemical Characterization and Toxicity of Bridge Deck Runoff and Impacts to Receiving Water Quality

AbstractIn this study, the chemical and microbiological characteristics of bridge deck runoff were evaluated at four bridge locations in the state of Nebraska. These bridges represent a range of annual average daily traffic (AADT) and receiving stream characteristics. In addition to runoff sampling, dry weather water quality and sediment quality was evaluated to determine if bridges influence dry weather water quality. Bridge deck runoff was determined to be not toxic using a 48-h acute toxicity assay with fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas). The results determined no significant differences in water and sediment quality upstream and downstream of the bridge at each of the four locations, indicating that bridges do not influence the receiving water quality or sediment during dry weather. The bridge deck runoff was found to contain a number of chemical constituents, and metals and nutrients were detected most frequently. The quality of bridge deck runoff was determined to be similar to that of roadway ru...
Measured and predicted sediment yield from a subtropical, heavy rainfall, steep-sided river basin: Hanalei, Kauai, Hawaiian Islands

To determine the sediment yield of the 54.4 km Hanalei River basin, we employ three methods: 1 the Universal Soil .
Determinants of post-operative depression after coronary angioplasty

Abstract Purpose: Depression is a predictor of poor outcomes in coronary artery disease patients. Identifying patients at risk for depression is important for early intervention. The aim was to identify patient characteristics that are associated with depression 1 year after coronary angioplasty. Methods: Participants were patients who had recently undergone coronary angioplasty and were enrolled in a randomized trial of behavioral modification. Demographics, severity of illness, cardiac risk factors, and social support were assessed at baseline. Depression was measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale at baseline and 1 year. Emotional support was assessed by asking patients whether or not they had someone to talk to about personal problems. Patients who responded no to this item were designated as having poor social support. Logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between self-efficacy, social support & depression at one year. Results: 660 patients participated in this study, mean age 63 years, 73% male, & 60% had college education or more. Of the 660, exercise was chosen by 85%, weight loss was chosen by 54%. Smoking cessation was chosen by 25%. 33% of patients were depressed at baseline. 15% had no social support. At 12 months, 12% had persistent depression. Baseline depression (P=0.004) and poor social support (P=0.04) predicted depression 1 year after angioplasty. Conclusion: Baseline poor social support and depression were predictive of depression at one year in angioplasty patients. Future studies will test the impact of improving social support on post-operative depression in angioplasty patients.
Social ecology of similarity Big schools, small schools and social relationships

Social ecologies shape the way people initiate and maintain social relationships. Settings with much opportunity will lead to more fine-grained similarity among friends; less opportunity leads to l...
Calibration of the WSR-88D Precipitation Processing Subsystem

Abstract The WSR-88D Precipitation Processing Subsystem (PPS) is a multicomponent rainfall-estimation algorithm with a large number of parameters controlling its performance. Currently, the parameter values of the PPS are set based on limited experimental studies and do not account for rainfall-regime differences. This translates into potential increase of uncertainty in the system-estimated precipitation products. The authors propose to formulate the PPS calibration as a global optimization problem. The parameter values are determined by optimizing a selected criterion at the level of gridded hourly rainfall-accumulation products. The criterion is the root-mean-square difference between the hourly radar rainfall products and rainfall accumulations from rain gauges under the radar umbrella. The main advantages of this approach are 1) it simultaneously estimates the optimal parameters providing an integral assessment of the algorithm’s performance, and 2) it allows for an assessment of the relative importa...
Phase I Trial of ISIS 5132, an Antisense Oligonucleotide Inhibitor of c-raf-1, Administered by 24-hour Weekly Infusion to Patients with Advanced Cancer

Raf-1 is a serine/threonine kinase that functions as a critical effector of Ras-mediated signal transduction via the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. Constitutive activation of this pathway directly contributes to malignant transformation in many human tumors. A 20-base phosphorothioate oligonucleotide complementary to c-raf-1 mRNA (ISIS 5132; CGP 69846A) has been shown to specifically suppress Raf-1 expression both in vitro and in vivo. This Phase I trial, involving 22 patients with advanced cancer, was designed to evaluate the safety, feasibility, and maximum tolerated dose of ISIS 5132 administration as a weekly 24-h i.v. infusion. Pharmacokinetic analysis was performed, and c-raf-1 mRNA levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells were assessed using quantitative reverse transcription-PCR. This trial defined a maximum tolerated dose of 24 mg/kg/week on this schedule. Two of four patients treated at 30 mg/kg/week had serious adverse events after the first dose of ISIS 5132, including acute hemolytic anemia and acute renal failure and anasarca. There were no major responses documented. Dose-dependent complement activation was demonstrated on this schedule, but not on previously evaluated schedules, of ISIS 5132 administration. In contrast to other trials of ISIS 5132, there appeared to be no consistent suppression of peripheral blood mononuclear cell c-raf-1 mRNA level on this schedule at any of the dose levels analyzed. These data suggest that the efficacy and toxicity profiles of antisense oligonucleotides may be highly dependent on the schedule of administration and support the analysis of the putative molecular target in the evaluation of novel therapeutics.
Clock skew optimization for ground bounce control

High speed synchronous digital systems require large switching currents to facilitate rapid signal transitions. These large currents create voltage drops on the power distribution network and necessitate expensive chip packaging with a large number of supply pins. In this paper we propose a novel technique to reduce the dynamic transient current drawn from the supply pins. Our approach is based on sub-dividing the synchronous clocking into multiple sub-clocks with relative skew. This spreads the computation across the entire clock cycle instead of largely occurring at the beginning. Timing constraints must also be obeyed, so that no races or timing errors are introduced. We propose an exact algorithm based on integer linear programming to solve this problem. We have used our method in the design of a 5 GHz ECL encoder chip to achieve a factor of two reduction in ground bounce, as shown by HSPICE simulations. We also obtained order-of-magnitude improvements in ground bounce on benchmarks laid our in submicron CMOS technology. The approach potentially leads to significant reductions in packaging costs.
Dynamics of iron atoms across the pressure-induced Invar transition in Pd 3 Fe

The ^(57)Fe phonon partial density of states (PDOS) in L1_2-ordered Pd_3Fe was studied at high pressures by nuclear resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (NRIXS) measurements and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The NRIXS spectra showed that the stiffening of the ^(57)Fe PDOS with decreasing volume was slower from 12 to 24 GPa owing to the pressure-induced Invar transition in Pd_3Fe, with a change from a high-moment ferromagnetic (FM) state to a low-moment (LM) state observed by nuclear forward scattering. Force constants obtained from fitting to a Born–von Karman model showed a relative softening of the first-nearest-neighbor (1NN) Fe-Pd longitudinal force constants at the magnetic transition. For the FM low-pressure state, the DFT calculations gave a PDOS and 1NN longitudinal force constants in good agreement with experiment, but discrepancies for the high-pressure LM state suggest the presence of short-range magnetic order.
The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Functions as a Tumor Suppressor of Liver Carcinogenesis

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that mediates the biological and toxic effects of its xenobiotic ligands. Previous cell culture studies have shown that, in addition to controlling the xenobiotic detoxification response, AHR activation leads to G0-G1 arrest, diminished capacity for DNA replication, and inhibition of cell proliferation. In fact, recent work from our own and from other laboratories suggests that AHR may function as a tumor suppressor gene that becomes silenced during the process of tumor formation. To test this hypothesis and determine whether the mouse Ahr gene acts as a tumor suppressor gene in vivo, we have examined the role of Ahr ablation in liver tumorigenesis induced by the genotoxic chemical diethylnitrosamine (DEN), a hepatic carcinogen that is not an AHR ligand. In mice given a single i.p. injection of DEN, AHR antagonized liver tumor formation and growth by regulating cell proliferation, inflammatory cytokine expression, and DNA damage, parameters which were significantly elevated in the livers of control and, more so, of DEN-exposed Ahr-/- mice. Ahr-/- hepatocytes also showed significantly higher numbers of 4N cells, increased expression of proliferative markers, and repression of tumor suppressor genes. These data support the concept that in its basal state in the absence of a xenobiotic ligand, the Ahr gene functions as a tumor suppressor gene, and that its silencing may be associated with cancer progression.
Views from inside the net: How websites affect young adults' political interest

We use multiple methods to examine how individual websites affect political interest (i.e., citizens’ willingness to pay attention to politics at the expense of other endeavors). Our model clarifies necessary conditions for a website to increase political interest. A survey then reveals age-related and site-specific interest changes that are consistent with the model's logic. Respondents of all ages report greater political interest after viewing sites that they rate as effective and efficient than they do after viewing other sites. Age-related interest effects occur because young and old disagree about which sites have these desired attributes. This work makes two contributions: our methods offer a template for understanding the influence of participatory appeals while our finding can help political entrepreneurs engage young adults more effectively.
Expression, purification, and functional characterization of the insulin‐responsive facilitative glucose transporter GLUT4

The insulin-responsive facilitative glucose transporter GLUT4 is of fundamental importance for maintenance of glucose homeostasis. Despite intensive effort, the ability to express and purify sufficient quantities of structurally and functionally intact protein for biophysical analysis has previously been exceedingly difficult. We report here the development of novel methods to express, purify, and functionally reconstitute GLUT4 into detergent micelles and proteoliposomes. Rat GLUT4 containing FLAG and His tags at the amino and carboxy termini, respectively, was engineered and stably transfected into HEK-293 cells. Overexpression in suspension culture yielded over 1.5 mg of protein per liter of culture. Systematic screening of detergent solubilized GLUT4-GFP fusion protein via fluorescent-detection size exclusion chromatography identified lauryl maltose neopentyl glycol (LMNG) as highly effective for isolating monomeric GLUT4 micelles. Preservation of structural integrity and ligand binding was demonstrated via quenching of tryptophan fluorescence and competition of ATB-BMPA photolabeling by cytochalasin B. GLUT4 was reconstituted into lipid nanodiscs and proper folding was confirmed. Reconstitution of purified GLUT4 with amphipol A8-35 stabilized the transporter at elevated temperatures for extended periods of time. Functional activity of purified GLUT4 was confirmed by reconstitution of LMNG-purified GLUT4 into proteoliposomes and measurement of saturable uptake of D-glucose over L-glucose. Taken together, these data validate the development of an efficient means to generate milligram quantities of stable and functionally intact GLUT4 that is suitable for a wide array of biochemical and biophysical analyses.
A Proposed Roadmap From the Current to Agile Manufacturing

With growing tendency towards globalization and the number of free trade agreements, we are approaching not only a global market but also a manufacturing era that has no boundaries. This is accomplished through off-shoring and outsourcing. Manufacturing companions and particularly Small to Medium size Enterprise (SME’s) are facing a very tough and fierce competition. This article is intended to provide a roadmap for manufacturing companies to help them survive and excel.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
An experimental study of transient effects in the breakup of viscous drops

A computer-controlled four-roll mill is used to examine two transient modes of deformation of a liquid drop: elongation in a steady flow and interfacial-tension-driven motion which occurs after the flow is stopped abruptly. For modest extensions, drop breakup does not occur with the flow on, but may occur following cessation of the flow as a result of deterministic motions associated with internal pressure gradients established by capillary forces. These relaxation and breakup phenomena depend on the initial drop shape and the relative viscosities of the two fluids. Capillary-wave instabilities at the fluid-fluid interface are observed only for highly elongated drops. This study is a natural extension of G. I. Taylor's original studies of the deformation and burst of droplets in well-defined flow fields.
Engaging customers in the emerging countries: is that different?

Service economy is growing in the emerging countries. With growing servitisation of products, customer engagement is becoming more crucial than ever before. Digital innovations are enhancing the opportunities to serve and engage the emerging countries customers. A myriad of organisations in various industries and countries feel the excitement to reap the opportunities to serve and engage the new breed of customer. However, in the academic literature, there is a lack of research on whether or not the contextual differences of an emerging country influence the customers’ engagement. This paper aims to fill this gap by exploring how the contextual differences of emerging countries of Asia influence customer engagement. The paper also discusses implications of this research for organisations’ strategic change management and customer engagement practices. When many organisations are investing and thinking about adopting the ‘best practices’ of a western context to engage customers in the emerging countries of ...
Chemical effects in biological systems (CEBS) object model for toxicology data, SysTox-OM: design and application

Motivation: The CEBS data repository is being developed to promote a systems biology approach to understand the biological effects of environmental stressors. CEBS will house data from multiple gene expression platforms (transcriptomics), protein expression and protein--protein interaction (proteomics), and changes in low molecular weight metabolite levels (metabolomics) aligned by their detailed toxicological context. The system will accommodate extensive complex querying in a user-friendly manner. CEBS will store toxicological contexts including the study design details, treatment protocols, animal characteristics and conventional toxicological endpoints such as histopathology findings and clinical chemistry measures. All of these data types can be integrated in a seamless fashion to enable data query and analysis in a biologically meaningful manner. Results: An object model, the SysBio-OM (Xirasagar et al., 2004) has been designed to facilitate the integration of microarray gene expression, proteomics and metabolomics data in the CEBS database system. We now report SysTox-OM as an open source systems toxicology model designed to integrate toxicological context into gene expression experiments. The SysTox-OM model is comprehensive and leverages other open source efforts, namely, the Standard for Exchange of Nonclinical Data (http://www.cdisc.org/models/send/v2/index.html) which is a data standard for capturing toxicological information for animal studies and Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (http://www.cdisc.org/models/sdtm/index.html) that serves as a standard for the exchange of clinical data. Such standardization increases the accuracy of data mining, interpretation and exchange. The open source SysTox-OM model, which can be implemented on various software platforms, is presented here. Availability: A universal modeling language (UML) depiction of the entire SysTox-OM is available at http://cebs.niehs.nih.gov and the Rational Rose object model package is distributed under an open source license that permits unrestricted academic and commercial use and is available at http://cebs.niehs.nih.gov/cebsdownloads. Currently, the public toxicological data in CEBS can be queried via a web application based on the SysTox-OM at http://cebs.niehs.nih.gov Contact: xirasagars@saic.com Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
An Efficient Frequent Pattern Mining Algorithm for Data Stream

Mining frequent patterns from transaction database, time series and data stream is an important task now. Last decade, there are mainly two kinds of algorithms on frequent pattern mining. One is Apriori based on generating and testing, the other is FP-growth based on dividing and conquering, which has been widely used in static data mining. But with the new requirements of data mining, mining frequent pattern is not restricted in the static datasets any more. For data stream, the frequent pattern mining algorithms must have strong ability of updating and adjusting to further improve its efficiency. This paper proposes a novel structure NC-Tree (New Compact Tree), which can recode and filter original data to compress dataset. At the same time, a new frequent pattern mining algorithm is introduced base on it, which can update and adjust the tree more efficiently. The experiments show the structure and algorithm obviously improves mining efficiency and ensures high accuracy.
Prevention of sudden cardiac death and diabetes mellitus.

Appropriate medical therapy and revascularization play a pivotal role in preventing or treating myocardial infarction and left ventricular systolic dysfunction, thereby reducing the incidence of SCD. Nevertheless, the ever-growing population of diabetic patients with coronary artery disease, prior myocardial infarction, and left ventricular systolic dysfunction continue to comprise a high-risk population. Thus, appropriate screening and utilization of ICD therapy will remain essential modalities in the ongoing battle against SCD. The use of devices capable of both biventricular pacing and ICD therapy will continue to grow in the ongoing effort to improve both quality of life and mortality in patients with systolic congestive heart failure.
A transaction approach to understanding and managing customer equity

Abstract Customer equity refers to the value of tangible and intangible resources that customers invest in particular retailers. However, the difficulty in identifying or giving weight to customer investments often leads retailers to neglect their customers. Through this neglect, retailers can damage their customer equity and thereby jeopardize their (i.e., the retailers') futures. The purpose of this study is to develop the concept of customer equity from a transactions-based approach and to offer implications for its management by retailers. Specifically, customer equity is conceptualized as the value of resources a customer exchanges for a retailer's explicit or implicit promise for remuneration. As such, the customer retains property rights to these resources. Furthermore, customers make a conscious choice to invest their tangible and intangible resources in a retailer. Accordingly, retailers can improve their likelihood of long-term success by taking more active roles in creating and managing customer equity.
The Components of Cultural Match in Psychotherapy

Pairing ethnic minority clients seeking mental health treatment with therapists that share the same ethnic background has been demonstrated to increase treatment utilization and lower rates of drop out. Considerably less research has explored the active ingredient in ethnic match and what about it is causing these changes. This study proposes that ethnic match is actually a proxy for cultural match, in which clients and therapists from a shared cultural background share similar attitudes, values, and cultural beliefs about different mental health topics. This assumed shared belief can influence session content which then serves as a moderator for treatment utilization. In a sample of 4,924 clients seen at a university counseling center, ethnic match significantly increased treatment stays for ethnic minority patients. It also reduced one-session attrition rates. Hierarchical logistic regressions revealed that the odds of certain issues being discussed in therapy changed depending on the presence of an eth...