cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Solidification Interface Shape Resulting From Applied Sinusoidal Heating

Maintaining a flat solidification interface is important for forming desired crystal structures in certain types of metal casting processes. This has application in new manufacturing techniques for naturally strengthened composite components such as turbine blades. The solidification interface shape will adjust to be compatible with the spatial distribution of energy being transferred to it. The interface shape must be found that satisfies conditions of simultaneously being at the fusion temperature and having an imposed spatially varying heat flux. Specific results are obtained for the heat transfer from the liquid phase varying along the interface in a cosine fashion. Interface shapes are found as a function of the amplitude and wavelength of the imposed heat transfer variations, and the sensitivity of the interface shape to these variations is examined.
Preschoolers' understanding of stable and changeable characteristics

Most adults can easily distinguish between stable characteristics, which affect personal identity, and changeable ones, which are free to vary within an individual. The purpose of this study was to investigate preschoolers' developing knowledge of stable (identity, gender, and race), changeable (mood, weight, and health), and changeable-but-irreversible (age and height) characteristics using pictorial and question tasks. In the first two experiments, 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children and adults were asked to judge whether two pictures could represent the same person. Children in these experiments understood stable properties more clearly than changeable or irreversible ones. Children who made mistakes tended to treat changes in variable characteristics as if they altered personal identity. In Experiment 3, subjects answered questions about the stability or variability of the same characteristics. Children tested with questions in Experiment 3 showed a better understanding of stable and variable characteristics than did children tested with pictures in Experiments 1 and 2. Most of the children who erred in Experiment 3 understood stable attributes but treated changeable ones as if they were constant; however, a minority of children understood changeable properties but treated stable ones as if they were variable. These findings provide new information about how children understand and misunderstand the status of personal attributes.
Present Status of Scintillation Chambers

The advantages of imaging the tracks of high-energy particles in scintillation counters have been noted by nuclear physicists for some years. Recent developments in scintillator techniques and improvements in the image intensifiers required have resulted in usable systems. The basis for the design of these systems, and their specific advantages to high-energy nuclear physics will be discussed. Several experimental proposals will be described quantitatively to illustrate the advantages and limitations of the technique. Accomplishments of various groups working in this field will be summarized.
Picking up the pieces: Caregivers of adolescents bereaved by parental AIDS

This study describes caregivers of adolescents whose parents died of AIDS and examines how caregivers perceive the impact of raising bereaved adolescents. For adolescents bereaved by AIDS, 65 non-parental caregivers were recruited and assessed twice over 6 months. Most caregivers (89%) were female members of the extended family, 49% were married and 29% were employed. Caregivers were older and more likely to be employed than parents with HIV (PWH), but were similar in ethnicity, partnership and financial status, and religiosity. Caregivers had generally been selected by the parent prior to death (66%) and most caregivers (75%) had at least moderate involvement in the care of the youth prior to parental death. Caregiver-youth relationships were stable (91%) over a 6-month period. Caregivers were significantly less emotionally distressed than PWH had been. Caregiver burden was rated as moderate; the number of positive caregiver-youth relationships decreased significantly over 6 months. Family caregiving is a common, ongoing and stable relationship in families coping with AIDS.
New experimental models for aromatase inhibitor resistance

Abstract Clinical trials have demonstrated the importance of aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy in the effective treatment of hormone-dependent breast cancers. In contrast to tamoxifen, an antagonist of the estrogen receptor (ER), AIs have shown to be better tolerated along with decreased recurrence rates of the disease. Currently, three third-generation AIs are being used: exemestane, letrozole, and anastrozole. Our laboratory is attempting to understand several aspects of AI functionality. In this paper, we first review recent findings from our structure–function studies of aromatase as well as the molecular characterization of the interaction between AIs and aromatase. Based on these studies, we propose new evidence for the interaction of letrozole and exemestane with aromatase. In addition, we will discuss recent results generated from our AI-resistant cell lines. Our laboratory has generated MCF-7aro cells that are resistant to letrozole, anastrozole, exemestane, and tamoxifen. Basic functional characterization of aromatase and ERα in these resistant cell lines has been done and microarray analysis has been employed in order to better understand the mechanism responsible for AI resistance on a genome-wide scale. The results generated so far suggest the presence of at least four types of resistant cell lines. Overall, the information presented in this paper supplements our understanding of AI function, and such information can be valuable for the development of treatment strategies against AI resistant breast cancers.
AUTONOMIC INFLUENCES UPON ELECTROPHYSIOLOGIC PARAMETERS OF SINUS NODE FUNCTION IN IMMATURE PUPPIES: EFFECTS OF CHEMICAL SYMPATHECTOMY

AUTONOMIC INFLUENCES UPON ELECTROPHYSIOLOGIC PARAMETERS OF SINUS NODE FUNCTION IN IMMATURE PUPPIES: EFFECTS OF CHEMICAL SYMPATHECTOMY
Paediatric sedation guidelines: where we came from, where we are now, and current drug controversies

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) became interested in sedation disasters in 1983 when three children died in a single dental office. The AAP asked the Section on Anesthesiology to help develop guidelines for monitoring children sedated by nonanaesthesiologists. I had the good fortune to co-author this first sedation guideline in 19851 Subsequently, the AAP recognised that the guideline was being ignored by general paediatric practitioners, particularly those in the emergency room, radiology, and other areas where sedation is widely used. Therefore, the guideline was revised in 1992 with a new title, and emphasis was placed on “systems issues”.2 A major source of confusion was the definition of “conscious sedation”, which was defined as “a purposeful response to either a painful stimulus or a verbal command.” Some practitioners interpreted reflex withdrawal to pain as being consistent with “conscious sedation”, and this led to a number of accidents. This term is contradictory to what really happens to children, and is misleading.3
Implementation of Internet Technology for Local Government Website: Design Guidelines

There may be limited resources for local government Web site designers to devote to innovative design. This study investigated current technology use by local government (Town of Blacksburg, TOE - Virginia) and suggests key design guidelines. Observation and interviews were used. Using recommendations in phase I, the TOE employed a blog that was investigated in phase II. The TOE incorporated traditional media with online to broadcast public meetings via TV and online. We suggested using indexed video to improve usability by shortening the amount of time it took to find specific information. We also recommended the Task Force blog be linked to an aggregator site for blogs in the region to increase opportunities for discussion and commentary. Such linkage would also make it unnecessary for the Task Force to open comments to the public directly on the Task Force blog, which was primarily used for commentary among panel members
Surface-electrochemistry of ferritin adsorbed on 8-mercaptooctanoic acid-modified gold electrodes

Ferritin adsorbs on gold electrodes modified with a layer of 8-mercaptooctanoic acid. Cyclic voltammetry indicates the reduction of the ferritin layer at negative potentials followed by an anodic process in the return scan. However, a second cycle reveals that the latter signal is the anodic branch of a new electrochemical couple rather than the anodic branch of adsorbed ferritin. Control experiments including stirring the scan solution, electrochemical induction of iron release, and varying the scan rate strongly support the hypothesis that a dissolved iron species is released when ferritin is reduced, but its oxidized form adsorbs onto the SAM-modified electrode surface.
Is homelessness a housing problem

Abstract Homeless people have been found to exhibit high levels of personal disability (mental illness, substance abuse), extreme degrees of social estrangement, and deep poverty. Each of these conditions poses unique housing problems, which are discussed here. In the 1980s, the number of poor people has increased and the supply of low‐income housing has dwindled; these trends provide the background against which the homelessness problem has unfolded. Homelessness is indeed a housing problem, first and foremost, but the characteristics of the homeless are such as to make their housing problems atypical.
Predictors of the developmental appropriateness of the beliefs and practices of first, second, and third grade teachers

This study identified classroom characteristics and teacher characteristics that were related to the self-reported beliefs and classroom practices of first, second, and third grade teachers. Teachers (n = 277) representing 77% of the potential subjects completed and returned The Primary Teacher's Beliefs and Practices Survey, a measure based on the developmentally appropriate standards advocated by NAEYC. Factor analyses of the survey supported the use of four proposed subscales: developmentally appropriate beliefs, developmentally appropriate activities, developmentally inappropriate beliefs, and developmentally inappropriate activities. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that classroom characteristics (class size, grade level, number of children with disabilities, and number of children on free or reduced lunch) and teacher characteristics (perceived relative influence and area of certification) predicted teacher beliefs and practices. After controlling for the classroom variables, teacher characteristics added significantly to the prediction of developmentally inappropriate activities.
Advanced Cervical Carcinoma Presenting with Toxic Shock Syndrome

Toxic shock syndrome is a multisystem disease which presents with a high fever, rash, gastrointestinal symptoms, and hypotension. A 58-year-old woman presented to the emergency room with these symptoms, hypotension and tachycardia. Because of vaginal spotting a pelvic examination was performed which demonstrated vulvo/vaginal erythema and a large vaginal mass consistent with an advanced cervical cancer with bilateral pelvic sidewall fixation. Cervical/vaginal biopsy demonstrated invasive squamous cell carcinoma and an initial chest X ray demonstrated multiple pulmonary metastases. After a total of 8 days of antibiotic therapy the patient received cis-platinum chemotherapy. The toxic shock syndrome was the presenting symptomatology in this patient with advanced cervical cancer. Toxic shock syndrome has been associated with the use of hyperabsorbent tampons as well as numerous other gynecologic procedures but has not been reported in patients with gynecologic cancer.
The role of social desirability bias and racial/ethnic composition on the relation between education and attitude toward immigration restrictionism

Abstract Social scientists note individuals tend to respond favorably to sensitive topics in surveys, but few consider factors triggering these responses. This study uses unique data to examine respondents’ racial/ethnic attitude under direct and indirect modes of elicitation. In particular, the list experiment provides a cloak of anonymity to a random subsample of individuals that allows them to respond truthfully about their racial/ethnic attitudes. By comparing responses between administration modes, this study evaluates whether social desirability pressures mediate, and racial/ethnic composition moderate, the relation between education and racial/ethnic attitudes. Findings indicate an initial positive relation between education and racial/ethnic attitudes, but desirability bias mainly drives this relation. Furthermore, there is some support racial/ethnic composition moderates the influence of social desirability on education.
AMFS: adaptive multi-frequency shading for future graphics processors

We propose a powerful hardware architecture for pixel shading, which enables flexible control of shading rates and automatic shading reuse between triangles in tessellated primitives. The main goal is efficient pixel shading for moderately to finely tessellated geometry, which is not handled well by current GPUs. Our method effectively decouples the cost of pixel shading from the geometric complexity. It thereby enables a wider use of tessellation and fine geometry, even at very limited power budgets. The core idea is to shade over small local grids in parametric patch space, and reuse shading for nearby samples. We also support the decomposition of shaders into multiple parts, which are shaded at different frequencies. Shading rates can be locally and adaptively controlled, in order to direct the computations to visually important areas and to provide performance scaling with a graceful degradation of quality. Another important benefit of shading in patch space is that it allows efficient rendering of distribution effects, which further closes the gap between real-time and offline rendering.
Impedance Studies of Ru Oxide Reduction in Sulfuric Acid

Cu electrodeposition onto Ru during dual damascene processing is complicated by the possible presence of Ru oxide, which is known to exist at more cathodic potentials than predicted by its Pourbaix diagram. Several research groups have proposed cathodic treatments prior to Cu electrodeposition to reduce Ru oxide, but these methods were developed semiempirically. We report voltammetry and impedance studies of Ru oxide reduction in 1.25 M H 2 SO 4 . Voltammetry studies suggest that Ru oxide reduction may be difficult for samples exposed to laboratory air for extended times. Impedance studies show a clear signature of Ru oxide reduction at a potential of about -300 mV vs saturated calomel electrode, as indicated by both a dramatic reduction in the charge transfer resistance and the appearance of a low frequency inductive loop. The time response of the impedance at 5 Hz following a potential step to several potentials cathodic to -300 mV indicates that Ru oxide reduction occurs quite rapidly.
Preliminary results from Spartan 201: Coronal streamer observations

The Ultraviolet Coronal Spectrometer on Spartan 201 obtained measurements of H I Ly α‘ line profiles and O VIλ103.2/103.7 nm integrated intensities in a helmet streamer. Similar measurements were made on the solar disk to characterize the incident radiation which is the source for the resonantly scattered component of the lines. A description of the H I Ly α’ observations in the streamer will be presented. A more complete physical description of the observed coronal regions will become available after the analysis of additional data from coordinated observations made by visible coronagraphs and x-ray telescopes.
System Simulation Data Collection

The Operations Research Staff of the Social Security Administration has undertaken the development of a computer simulation of the claims process in its network of district offices. The objective is to obtain a means of evaluating alternatives of providing the same or equivalent service to the public with less waiting time, less elapsed time, or reduced demands on district office employees. To obtain the data necessary to describe the district office claims process to the simulation program, an integrated horizontal-longitudinal data collection was designed that had an auxiliary managerial value.
Application of Fluorescence Spectroscopy to Study of Intramolecular Hydrogen Bonding in Pamaquine

The fluorescences of the antimalarial pamaquine and of its precursor 8-amino-6-methoxyquinoline were studied in sulfuric acid and n-heptane and throughout the pH range in water. Quenching of the fluorescences of both molecules in concentrated acid solutions upon addition of water was found to be the result of dissociation in the excited state from the protonated 8-amino groups. The anomalously long wavelengths of fluorescence of singly protonated pamaquine in the biological pH range in water and in n-heptane are shown to be due to intramolecular proton transfer, in the excited state, from the diethylamino group of the side chain to the heterocyclic nitrogen atom of the quinoline ring. This phenomenon appears to be mediated by the presence of an intramolecular hydrogen bond between the protonated diethylamino group and the ring nitrogen atom in the ground state, a result that may be of significance in the interpretation of the pharmacodynamics of pamaquine.
Chronic propranolol induces deficits in retention but not acquisition performance in the water maze in mice.

Agents that alter adrenergic receptors, such as "beta-blockers," also alter memory storage. However, reports suggest that beta-adrenergic receptor antagonists, such as propranolol, have conflicting behavioral effects with acute vs chronic dosing. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of chronic propranolol on retention for a spatial learning task. Adult male ICR mice were given daily injections of propranolol (2, 4, 8, or 12 mg/kg ip) or 0. 9% NaCl for 15 days prior to, and during, trials in a Morris water maze. Mice received five massed acquisition (escape) trials in each of three daily sessions, followed by a single 60-s probe trial on the fourth day. The location of the submerged platform was constant for each animal over acquisition trials, but varied across animals; starting position varied across trials. A 5 (dose) x 3 (trial blocks) mixed factorial ANOVA for escape time yielded a significant trial blocks effect only (p <.001), showing performance improving over sessions. Time spent in the target quadrant on the probe trial was shorter under all doses of propranolol when compared to vehicle group (all p <.001), indicating poorer retention of prior platform location. This effect, however, was not dose-related. Swim speed was not significantly affected by propranolol. These data demonstrate that chronic dosing with propranolol can impair retention of spatial learning, which cannot be attributed to reduced arousal or motor function.
Solid Particle Receiver Flow Characerization Studies

The solid particle receiver (SPR) is a direct absorption central receiver that can provide a solar interface with thermal storage for thermochemical hydrogen production processes requiring heat input at temperatures up to 1000 C. In operation, a curtain consisting of ∼690 μm ceramic particles is dropped within the receiver cavity and directly illuminated by concentrated solar energy. The heated particles exit the receiver and may either be stored or sent through a heat exchanger to provide process heat input. The performance of the receiver is dependent on the characteristics of the particle flow including velocity and opacity (optical density). In addition, because the SPR will have an open aperture there is also a possibility that the flow may be disturbed by high ambient winds. Computational models have been and are currently being used to simulate receiver performance at power levels up to several MWt . However, due to the complex two-phase nature of the solid particle flow, such models rely on experimental data both to provide physical input, such as boundary conditions, as well as to provide a point of comparison for model validation. In this paper, we present experimental results from tests performed using a small scale unheated solid particle curtain. These tests focus on the measurement of the flow characteristics of the solid particle curtain as it falls from a near-zero velocity discharge slot to a collection point three meters below. The results include measured values for the variation of velocity, solids volume fraction, curtain width, and curtain opacity along the length of the curtain.
The Rhetoric of Industrial Espionage The Case of Starwood V. Hilton

When Starwood Hotels charged Hilton Hotels with industrial espionage, the case hinged on an employment agreement that two executives had violated. The rhetoric of the employment agreement contraste...
The synthesis of the benzyltetrahydropyrans

The 2-benzyl-, 3-benzyl- and 4-benzyltetrahydropyrans have been prepared via the reaction of benzylsodium with 2-chloro-, 3-bromo- and 4-chlorotetrahydropyran in 49, 29 and 27% yields, respectively. The structures of these compounds were substantiated from their nmr, mass spectra and analytical data.
Defining Post as a Modulator of STIM1 Function during T Cell Activation

Upon engagement of the T cell receptor, InsP3 is produced, triggering the release of Ca2+ from ER Ca2+ stores. The resulting ER Ca2+ store depletion is sensed by STIM1, which relocalizes to ER-plasma membrane junctions to activate Ca2+ channels and inhibit Plasma Membrane Ca2+/ATPase (PMCA)-mediated Ca2+ extrusion, thereby enabling sustained increases in cytosolic Ca2+ that drive the process of T cell activation. Partner of STIM1 (POST) is a recently identified STIM1 adaptor protein with multiple binding partners, including STIM1, PMCA and several other transporters, pumps and exchangers. POST is a multi-pass transmembrane protein found in the ER and PM predicted to have 10 transmembrane domains. To assess this predicted topology, we used fluorescence protease protection assays, finding that POST is actually a 9 transmembrane-containing protein with a cytosolic N-terminus and a luminal/extracellular C-terminus. To assess the dynamics of STIM1/POST-mediated control of PMCA activity, we utilized colocalization and FRET. Upon T cell activation, POST migrated and co-localized with both STIM1 and PMCA4 to the immunological synapse. Interestingly, FRET between POST and both proteins was observed, yet FRET between STIM1 and PMCA4 could not be detected. Finally, POST knockdown inhibited activation-dependent inhibition of PMCA4-mediated Ca2+ clearance. These studies provide new insight into the topology and dynamics of POST/STIM1/PMCA4 interactions during T cell activation. Given its numerous targets, further investigations into POST function may reveal additional roles for POST in the T cell activation process.
Time course of chronic haloperidol and clozapine upon operant rate and duration.

Abstract Operant response rate and average response duration were recorded for two groups of six rats each responding under a FR 10 schedule of food reinforcement. Using a chronic dosing regime, the effects of haloperidol (0.5 mg/kg) on operant performance were evaluated in one group 2.5, 50.0, 7.5 and 10.0 h after drug tretment. The other group received clozapine (5.0 mg/kg) 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 h before data collection. For both drugs time since injection produced significant effects on both rate and duration: rat increased and duration decreased as a function of time after injection. Haloperidol tended to have a greater lengthening effect upon response duration than did clozapine. In addition, changes in behavior as a function of time after haloperidol injection were observed to approximate previously published pharmacokinetic data for haloperidol administered according to dosing regimes similar to those used here.
Experimental clinical human caries test design and interpretation

T o evaluate the effect o f m ultip le ex­ aminers on caries prevalence measure­ m ents, tw o exam iners participated in a clinical den ta l caries test study, in w hich children fro m two similar schools used either a control dentifrice or a stannous fluoride dentifrice. O ne exam iner con­ sistently diagnosed greater increm ents of new caries fo r control and test subjects, even though he looked at about ha lf the num ber o f subjects as exam ined by the other dentist. N o conclusion could be draw n tha t one set of results was more accurate than the other. A n analysis of variance show ed a significant difference betw een exam iners, a significant d iffer­ ence betw een dentifrices, and no signifi­ cant interactions.
Hybrid Intelligent Design of Morphological-Rank-Linear Perceptrons for Software Development Cost Estimation

This paper presents a hybrid intelligent method to design Morphological-Rank-Linear (MRL) perceptrons to solve the Software Development Cost Estimation (SDCE) problem. The proposed method uses a modified genetic algorithm (MGA) to determine the best particular features to improve the MRL perceptron performance, as well as its initial parameters. Furthermore, for each individual of MGA, a gradient steepest descent method is used to optimize the MRL perceptron parameters supplied by MGA. An experimental analysis is conducted with the proposed method using the Desharnais and Cocomo databases. In the experiments, two relevant performance metrics and a fitness function are used to assess the performance of the proposed method. The results obtained are compared to methods recently presented in literature.
Effect of the solute molecular structure on its enantioresolution on cellulose tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate).

Abstract The effects of the molecular structures for 13 structurally similar chiral solutes on their HPLC retention and enantioresolutions on a commercially important polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phase, cellulose tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) (CDMPC) are studied. Among these 13 solutes, only methyl ephedrine (MEph) shows significant enantioresolution. The retention factors of these chiral solutes vary significantly from 0.7 to 3.2 in n-hexane/2-propanol (90/10, v/v) at 298 K. The retention factors of some simpler non-chiral solutes having similar but fewer functional groups than their chiral counterparts are also studied under the same conditions and are compared to those of the chiral solutes. The H-bonding interactions between the functional groups of the solute and the C O and NH functional groups of the polymer are probed with attenuated total reflection-infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR) for the polymer, for binary sorbent–solute systems. The CDMPC IR amide band wavenumbers change significantly, indicating H-bonding interactions of the polymer C O and NH groups with the solutes. The elution orders predicted for the enantiomers of these chiral solutes using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the polymer–solute binary systems are consistent with the HPLC results. The CDMPC cavity nano-structure and the potential interactions with chiral solutes are proposed based on HPLC data, IR data, and the simulations. The results are consistent with the three-point attachment model and support the hypothesis that significant enantioresolution requires at least three different synergistic interactions which can be a combination of steric hindrance, H-bonding, or π–π interactions.
Loss- and Gain-of-Function Mutations in Cancer: Mass-action, Spatial and Hierarchical Models

We study the stochastic dynamics of the two most common patterns in cancer initiation and progression: loss-of-function and gain-of-function mutations. We consider three stochastic models of cell populations with a constant size: a mass-action model, a spatial model and a hierarchical model. For gain-of-function mutations, we calculate the probability of mutant fixation starting from one mutant cell. For loss-of-function mutations, we calculate the rate of production of double-hit mutants. It turns out that the results are different in all models. This suggests that simple mass-action models are often misleading when studying cancer dynamics. Moreover, our results also allow us to think about various types of tissue architecture and its protective role against cancer. In particular, we show that hierarchical tissue organization lowers the risk of cancerous transformations. Also, cellular motility and long-range signaling can decrease the risk of cancer in solid tissues.
3-D seismic stratal‐surface concepts applied to the interpretation of a fluvial channel system deposited in a high‐accomodation environment

A fundamental thesis of seismic stratigraphy is that seismic reflections follow impedance contrasts that coincide with stratal surfaces, which are surfaces where depositional processes occur at a fixed moment in geologic time. This stratal‐surface concept is used in this paper to image a narrow (width ∼300 ft or 90 m), thin, fluvial channel system that is embedded within a seismic reflection peak that reflects from a large (about 2 × 2 mi or 3.2 × 3.2 km) area of nonchannel facies that dominate the waveshape of the reflection peak. The targeted channel facies are confined to an interval that vertically spans less than 30 ft. According to principles of seismic stratigraphy, four conformable seismic stratal surfaces that pass through the interior of this channel sequence were constructed across a 2 × 2-mi (3.2 × 3.2-km) (approximately) area of a 3-D seismic‐data volume. The channel images portrayed on these seismic horizons, which were spaced at vertical increments of 2 ms, illustrate the principle that sei...
Matching-pursuit/split-operator-Fourier-transform simulations of excited-state nonadiabatic quantum dynamics in pyrazine

A simple approach for numerically exact simulations of nonadiabatic quantum dynamics in multidimensional systems is introduced and applied to the description of the photoabsorption spectroscopy of pyrazine. The propagation scheme generalizes the recently developed matching-pursuit/split-operator-Fourier-transform (MP/SOFT) method [Y. Wu and V. S. Batista, J. Chem. Phys. 121, 1676 (2004)] to simulations of nonadiabatic quantum dynamics. The time-evolution operator is applied, as defined by the Trotter expansion to second order accuracy, in dynamically adaptive coherent-state expansions. These representations are obtained by combining the matching-pursuit algorithm with a gradient-based optimization method. The accuracy and efficiency of the resulting computational approach are demonstrated in calculations of time-dependent survival amplitudes and photoabsorption cross sections, using a model Hamiltonian that allows for direct comparisons with benchmark calculations. Simulations in full-dimensional potential energy surfaces involve the propagation of a 24-dimensional wave packet to describe the S(1)S(2) interconversion of pyrazine after S(0)-->S(2) photoexcitation. The reported results show that the generalized MP/SOFT method is a practical and accurate approach to model nonadiabatic reaction dynamics in polyatomic systems.
Modeling and optimization of product design and portfolio management interface

Abstract The paper presents modeling and analysis of product design and product portfolio management (PD–PM) domains interaction using an integrated simulation–optimization model. To represent the interactions, the product design phase is modeled as a discrete-scenario static system. The goal of this work is to develop a decision support framework that relies on product design–product portfolio management integration in order to aid product design planning and design execution. We utilize dependency matrix approach to illustrate domain relation between the product design and product portfolio management domains, and to facilitate their integration. Hence, the process integration model utilizes iterative effects, and their attendant processing duration and costs, to pattern domain interaction. An industrial case study is used to illustrate the application and utility of the proposed approach.
Prepulse inhibition and fear-potentiated startle are altered in tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2) knockout mice.

Abstract The ability to discriminate between potential dangers and recall those stimuli is essential for survival. This emotional learning requires the involvement of higher brain structures, including the amygdala, hippocampus and related cortical structures. Long-term changes in synaptic transmission and structure are important for the establishment and consolidation of fear memory. The structural changes associated with this synaptic plasticity likely require alterations in the composition of the extracellular matrix (ECM). ECM integrity is maintained by the opposing action of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their specific inhibitors, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). To date, no studies have examined the role of MMPs or TIMPs in conditioned fear. Here, we show that neither male nor female mice deficient in TIMP-2 (knockout) exhibit prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex, suggesting deficits in pre-attentional sensorimotor gating. In addition, knockout mice and mice expressing a mutant truncated TIMP-2 (knock-down) show deficits in fear-potentiated startle. This is the first report of a phenotype for the TIMP-2 −/− mice and suggests that TIMP-2 may play a role in the synaptic plasticity underlying learning and memory.
Temperature effects on a doubly tethered diproline chiral stationary phase: Hold-up volume, enantioselectivity and robustness

Effect of temperature on hold-up volume, enantioselectivity and robustness of a novel doubly tethered diproline chiral stationary phase (CSP1) was studied. In-column end-capping of residual silanol was utilized as a tool to exhibit in situ change of CSP1. The hold-up volume marker, 1,3,5-tri-tert-butylbenzene, was observed to be weakly retained (<1 s ) on a 5 cm×4.6 mm chiral column, and its retention time was changed with the carrier solvent and column temperature. The apparent thermodynamic parameters of 1,3,5-tri-tert-butylbenzene indicated an enthalpy-driven retention process with the hexane/isopropanol mobile phase, while an entropy-driven process with the hexane/methyl tert-butyl ether mobile phase. The ΔΔH and ΔΔS values of chiral separation for the four probes including 1,1′-bi-2-naphthol and warfarin were negative on CSP1. Nonlinear van't Hoff plots were observed for some analytes before and after the end-capping treatment. Depending on compound, end-capping strengthened or weakened the enantioseparation. Moreover, the enantioselectivity of CSP1 was shown to be robust by testing with heating–cooling cycles and step-temperature programs.
Microtubular tau protein after cocaine in cultured SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma

Abstract 1. 1. SH-SY5Y, a human neuroblastoma cell line, was used as a tissue culture model to examine the hypothesis that cocaine may affect the metabolism of tau protein which stabilizes microtubules and promotes microtubule assembly. 2. 2. Cocaine hydrochloride (10 −9 –10 −3 M) caused dose-dependent reductions in cell number, with 10 −3 M causing 28% reduction after 48 hr. 3. 3. This drug also decreased tau protein (50 Kd) in the cytoplasmic (supernatant) as well as the membrane (pellet) fraction after 48-hr treatment.
A Closed-Loop Artificial Pancreas Based on Risk Management:

Background:Control algorithms that regulate blood glucose (BG) levels in individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus face several fundamental challenges. Two of these are the asymmetric risk of clinical complications associated with low and high glucose levels and the irreversibility of insulin action when using only insulin. Both of these nonlinearities force a controller to be more conservative when uncertainties are high. We developed a novel extended model predictive controller (EMPC) that explicitly addresses these two challenges.Method:Our extensions to model predictive control (MPC) operate in three ways. First, they explicitly minimize the combined risk of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. Second, they integrate the effect of prediction uncertainties into the risk. Third, they understand that future control actions will vary if measurements fall above or below predictions. Using the University of Virginia/Padova Simulator, we compared our novel controller (EMPC) against optimized versions of a proport...
The metastatic spread of myeloma and leukemias in men.

This investigation was based on the analysis of 580 autopsy records of patients with plasma cell myeloma or any type of leukemia. The data were collected by the Department of Pathology at Roswell Park Memorial Institute between 1956 and 1965.
Social-Emotional Learning Skill, Self-Regulation, and Social Competence in Typically Developing and Clinic-Referred Children

Social-emotional learning (SEL) skill includes the ability to encode, interpret, and reason about social and emotional information. In two related studies, we examined the relationship between children's SEL skill, their ability to regulate their own behavior, and the competence of their social interactions. Study 1 included 158 typically developing children ages 4 to 14 years. Study 2 included 126 clinic-referred children ages 5 to 17 years. Findings from both studies supported the conclusion that SEL skill includes three broad factors: awareness of nonverbal cues; the ability to interpret social meaning through theory of mind, empathy, and pragmatic language; and the ability to reason about social problems. Furthermore, the better children perform on measures of SEL skill and the more their parents and teachers report that children can regulate their behavior, the more competent their social interactions.
Principal component estimation for generalized linear regression

SUMMARY The generalized linear model (Nelder & Wedderburn, 1972) has become an elegant and practical option to classical least-squares linear model building. We consider the specific problem of generalized linear regression utilizing a set of continuous explanatory variables to model an exponential family response. It is the objective of this paper to develop and present an asymptotically biased principal component parameter estimation technique, as an option to traditional maximum likelihood estimation for generalized linear regression. Both iterative and one-step principal component estimators are developed, directly compared, and can be particularly useful with the presence of an ill-conditioned information matrix. The bias, variance and mean squared error of principal component estimation will be quantified. Generalizations for rules of deletion of components will be examined. Lastly, an example employs principal component estimation for Poisson response data.
Activity of Lysosomal Enzymes in Murine Mammary Tissue Through Pregnancy, Lactation, and Involution

Murine mammary tissue homogenates obtained during pregnancy, lactation, and involution were assayed for activities of two lysosomal marker enzymes, acid phosphatase, and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase. Acid phosphatase activity per milligram protein was relatively constant through pregnancy and lactation, although a decrease was detected at parturition. Acid phosphatase activity per milligram deoxyribonucleic acid was also stable through pregnancy and lactation except for a peak of activity during lactogenesis. Acid phosphatase activity per gram wet weight also remained stable during pregnancy and lactation, but activity was significantly higher during lactation than pregnancy. Glucosaminidase activity, whether expressed as milligrams deoxyribonucleic acid of milligrams protein, tended to decrease during pregnancy, decreased further with lactogenesis, and remained significantly lower throughout lactation. Glucosaminidase activity per gram wet weight increased as pregnancy progressed and slowly decreased through lactogenesis to midpregnancy levels, which remained stable throughout the remainder of lactation. Both acid phosphatase and glucosaminidase activities were slightly higher at the end of lactation, and both decreased within 24 h of weaning. Significant increases in activities of both enzymes were observed from d 1 to 4 of involution.
Renal ultrasonography in Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome

We wish to present a patient in whom the diagnosis of Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome [1, 5] was established by renal ultrasonography and to report the previously undocumented renal sonographic findings in this syndrome.
NR2B-Selective N-Methyl-d-aspartate Antagonists: Synthesis and Evaluation of 5-Substituted Benzimidazoles

Two classes of 5-substituted benzimidazoles were identified as potent antagonists of the NR2B subtype of the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. Selected compounds show very good selectivity versus the NR2A, NR2C, and NR2D subtypes of the NMDA receptor as well as versus hERG-channel activity and alpha(1)-adrenergic binding. Benzimidazole 37a shows excellent activity in the carrageenan-induced mechanical hyperalgesia assay in rats as well as good pharmacokinetic behavior in dogs.
DYNAMIC BUCKLING AND POSTBUCKLING OF A COMPOSITE SHELL

A computationally effective method for evaluating the dynamic buckling and postbuckling of thin composite shells is described. It is a judicious combination of available computer codes for finite element, composite mechanics and incremental structural analysis. The solution method is an incrementally updated Lagrangian. It is illustrated by applying it to a thin composite cylindrical shell subjected to dynamic loads. Buckling loads are evaluated to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. A universal plot is obtained for the specific shell that can be used to approximate buckling loads for different dynamic loading rates. Results from this plot show that the faster the rate, the higher the buckling load and the shorter the time. They also show that the updated solution can be carried out in the postbuckling regime until the shell collapses completely. Comparisons with published literature indicate reasonable agreement.
Improvement in Mechanical Properties of A356 Tensile Test Bars Cast in a Permanent Mold by Application of a Knife Ingate

As a standard test-bar permanent mold, the “Stahl” Mold has been widely used in foundries to assess the properties of cast alloys. However, inferior mechanical properties are often obtained with this mold due to shrinkage-induced microporosity in the gage section. In order to improve the mechanical properties, a design modification comprising a thin knife ingate between the feeder and test-bar cavity was evaluated in this work. The new design was studied by computer-aided simulation. Simulations predicted that the knife ingate improved the metal feeding capability and reduced the shrinkage microporosity at the gage section from 3 to 1 pct. Experimental verification work has been undertaken with aluminum alloy A356, and the results were analyzed by a statistics theory-based factorial analysis method. The new design resulted in main effects with ultimate tensile strength (UTS) improvement of 20 MPa (relative 12 pct) and elongation increment of 2 pct (relative 45 pct) for the as-cast test bars.
Characteristics of patients and predictors of in-hospital mortality after hospitalization for head and neck cancers.

BACKGROUND The objectives of this study were to describe the characteristics of patients who were hospitalized for head and neck cancer (HNC) during the years 2000 through 2003 and to identify predictors of in-hospital mortality. METHODS The Nationwide Inpatient Sample for the years 2000 through 2003 was used. All patients who had a primary diagnosis of any of the HNCs were included in the study. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify patient and hospital characteristics that were associated with in-hospital mortality. RESULTS In total, 24,803 patients were hospitalized for HNCs. The average age of patients was 62 years, the mean length of stay in the hospital was 7.89 days, and the in-hospital mortality rate was 5.18%. Patients who had comorbid conditions and complications and patients who were grouped under the self-pay/no charge/others category had greater odds of in-hospital mortality compared with patients who were covered by private insurance (P<.02). Patients who were treated in large-bed, urban, or teaching hospitals had lower odds of in-hospital mortality compared with patients who were treated in small or medium-bed, rural, or nonteaching hospitals, respectively(P<.03). CONCLUSIONS Patients with comorbid conditions and complications and patients without adequate insurance coverage had greater odds of in-hospital mortality. One reason for this may be inadequate access to care because of the absence of insurance or underinsurance. Further studies controlling for disease stage will be required to determine whether insurance status and patient-related factors can influence outcomes from HNC in individual patients independent of their disease stage. Cancer 2006. © 2006 American Cancer Society.
Energy efficient carrier aggregation algorithms for next generation cellular networks

Carrier aggregation (CA) is an important feature of next generation cellular networks (LTE-advanced, LTE-A) that allows its users to aggregate upto 100 MHz of (dis-)contiguous spectral chunks to provide increased data rates. While the conventional approach of allowing LTE-A users to be configured on all component carriers, results in maximum diversity gain for scheduling, it also increases the users' power consumption and processing that scale with the number of component carriers. In light of the growing need to minimize energy consumption on mobile devices, we argue that it is possible to operate the LTE-A users on a small subset of component carriers to reduce their energy consumption, without any appreciable loss to the scheduling gain. A key step in realizing this goal however, is to address the joint problem of component carrier selection as well as scheduling and in turn forms the focus of this work. We highlight the hardness of the joint problem when the number of component carriers that can be activated for an LTE-A user is limited. Towards solving the problem, we consider various models that incorporate both contiguous and dis-contiguous CA as well as backlogged and finite user buffers and propose efficient, greedy algorithms with performance guarantees that are also simple to implement. Our evaluations based on LTE system parameters, reveal that our algorithms help realize 80-90% of the maximum scheduling gain with just half the component carriers and provide a 25% throughput gain over baseline load and signal power based carrier selection schemes.