cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A hierarchical approach to reachability query answering in very large graph databases

The cost of reachability query computation using traditional algorithms such as depth first search or transitive closure has been found to be prohibitive and unacceptable in massive graphs such as biological interaction networks, or pathways. Contemporary solutions mainly take two distinct approaches - precompute reachability in the form of transitive closure (trade space for time) or use state space search (trade time for space). A middle ground among the two approaches has recently gained popularity. It precomputes part of the reachability information as a complex index so that most queries can be answered within a reasonable time. In this approach, the main cost now is creation of the index, and response generation using it as well as the space needed to materialize the structure. Most contemporary solutions favor a combination of these costs to be efficient for a class of applications. In this paper, we propose a hierarchical index based on graph segmentation to reduce index size without sacrificing query efficiency. We present experimental evidence to show that our approach can achieve significant space savings, and improve efficiency. We also show that our index need not be rebuilt for a large class of updates, a feature missing in all other contemporary systems.
Exploring the Experiences of Female Emerging Adult Mentors: Building a Conceptual Model

While mentoring programs are prevalent, limited research focused on the mentors’ experiences exist, particularly during critical periods of development. Using a qualitative, grounded theory approac...
I could lose everything: understanding the cost of a brain tumor.

Although studies have quantified the costs of cancer treatment, few have evaluated the widespread impact of cancer costs on the family unit. Specifically, little is known regarding how cancer affects patients and their families financially, and how they cope with these costs. The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the financial impact of cancer care in neuro-oncology. Content analysis was used to examine data from interviews with 20 adults receiving treatment for a primary malignant brain tumor. Participants were recruited from across the United States through an advertisement in a national support group newsletter. Four major themes were identified -“paying for medication/healthcare”, “strategies to offset costs”, “impact of cancer costs”, and “fear/uncertainty”. Within the major themes several sub-themes were also recognized. In the theme of paying for medication/healthcare, participants emphasized sub-themes such as frustrations over “not qualifying/red tape” and being “thankful” for what was covered. Some of the strategies used to offset cancer costs included “cashing in” and relying on “family/friends” for financial support. When describing the impact of cancer costs, participants mentioned sub-themes including the “cost to their family”, the “cost of their disability”, and the impact of a “change in income/job”. Results elucidate the financial concerns and coping strategies of persons undergoing treatment for cancer. These data help target patients’ support needs during treatment, such as providing for their family and navigating their insurance policies, and suggest more efficient implementation of financial interventions are needed to alleviate the emotional burden of cancer costs.
A compact Ku/Ka band feed

This paper uses the design used at UMass as a base design for the compact feed due to its attractive electrical characteristics. The feed consists of a meniscus- lens-corrected corrugated horn loaded with a tapered dielectric rod. The design presented in this paper modifies the base design to provide increased bandwidth while significantly reducing feed length.
The sticky buffer flow control for the ATM

Abstract Data from different applications — voice, video, file transfer, interactive — will be multiplexed in the future over broadband integrated services digital networks (BISDN). Data are segmented into 48-byte blocks prefixed by a 5-byte header and transported over the network using the asynchronous transfer mode (ATM). An ATM connection-request is a contract between the user and the network; the user specifies a rate requirement, delay constraints, a bound on the cell-loss probability and other quality of service parameters. If the network can meet these requirements, a connection is made. Bursty traffic producing peak traffic rates in excess of the projected average rate could result in congestion and lead to performance degradation. As a result, the network might no longer be able to deliver the negotiated quality of service to existing connections. To lessen the chance of congestion, input rate control must be implemented. This paper contains a performance analysis of the sticky buffer (SB), a moving window input rate control scheme intended to limit the rate at which input traffic may enter a network. Policing is achieved by buffering and hence delaying the entry of ATM-cells into the network. The scheme is determined by parameters ( R , T ) which specify that no more than R ATM-cells are permitted to enter the network in every window of size T cells. We present an exact analysis, deriving the probability generating function of the queue length distribution. A comparison with the leaky bucket is given. Our numerical examples show the required buffer size is comparable to that required by the leaky bucket.
Female Versus Male Perpetrated Femicide An Exploratory Analysis of Whether Offender Gender Matters

Femicide, the murder of females (most often at the hands of males), is an understudied area in homicide research. Furthermore, femicide perpetrated by females has been all but ignored. One reason this may be is because of the rarity of homicide victimization perpetrated by females. Rather, most homicide incidents consist of a male offender and a male victim. When a homicide does involve a female, either as a victim or as an offender, the other party implicated is generally a male. The primary goal of the proposed study is to provide an in-depth, albeit exploratory, examination of female-perpetrated femicide. Using homicide data taken from the Dallas Homicide Unit, 403 cases of femicide will be analyzed, with special attention devoted to comparing female-perpetrated femicide incidents (n = 39) against male-perpetrated femicide incidents (n = 364). Specifically, the current study will explore the similarities and differences in sociodemographic characteristics of victims and suspects, offense characteristics, and offense circumstances. Contrary to what was expected, results, at first glance, seem to suggest an overwhelming similarity between femicide suspects and victims, irrespective of gender. However, when the relationship between victim and suspect is considered, distinct differences appear. Implications from these findings as well as limitations and suggestions for further research are discussed.
Understanding Student Swirl: The Role of Environmental Factors and Retention Efforts in the Later Academic Success of Suspended Students

“Student swirl,” or the inconsistent flow in and out of college coursework from term-to-term, institution-to-institution, reflects the non-traditional nature of many community college students. Swi...
Secure ATC surveillance for military applications

This paper presents a system in concept development that combines the integrity of the civil automatic dependant surveillance - broadcast (ADS-B) system for air-to-air conflict avoidance and air traffic management (ATM) surveillance with the military secure Mark XIIA Mode 5 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system as the data link. This new system, coined Military ADS-B (MADS-B), expands the traditional IFF surveillance data of range, azimuth, altitude, and identity (ID) to include each platformpsilas dynamic state of motion and status. This self-reporting system significantly improves positioning and status data between Tri-Service platforms and with Allies - who are also transitioning to the common Mode 5 system. Beyond MADS-Bpsilas securing of ADS-B data, it enables overcoming other surveillance and navigation shortfalls through future software based message additions. The paper summarizes ADS-B operations, the conversion of data to the Mode 5 Level 2 formats, and examples of message extensions providing surveillance enhancements.
Role of HIV-1 Tat and CC Chemokine MIP-1α in the pathogenesis of HIV associated central nervous system disorders

Two syndromes affecting cognitive and motor function in the setting of AIDS have been described as HIV encephalopathy (HIVE) and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). HIVE is characterized by the presence of microglial nodules with accompanying astrocytosis. PML is a fatal demyelinating disease of the white matter induced by the human papovavirus JCV which causes cytolytic destruction of glial cells. In addition to the effect of HIV-1 induced immune suppression, HIV may act directly as a co-factor for stimulation of JCV replication in AIDS patients, in part due to Tat-induced activation of JCV gene transcription. Since Tat has been implicated in CNS pathogenesis, we examined its localization in CNS specimens from HIV infected patients with HIVE and PML as well as controls. Based on the observation of CC chemokine induction in monocytes by Tat, we also examined the cellular localization of the CC chemokine Macrophage Inflammatory Protein-1alpha (MIP-1alpha) and its cognate receptor CCR-5 in these samples. In HIVE, Tat was primarily localized in astrocytes and microglia, within the nodular lesions. In PML, a marked increase in the number of Tat positive astrocytes was observed. In both HIVE and PML, prominent expression of MIP-1alpha and CCR-5 was found within areas containing histopathological lesions. CCR-5 positivity of microglia was localized primarily to nodular lesions in HIVE. In PML, increased numbers of cells with monocyte/microglial morphology were observed relative to HIVE. The increased MIP-1 alpha positivity, and potentially other chemokines, may contribute to the pathogenesis of PML in the setting of HIV infection. Tat may play an important role in the pathogenesis of both HIV associated CNS disease states, acting indirectly through cytokine and chemokine dysregulation.
Digital broadband VHF aeronautical communications for air traffic control

This paper provides a first look at the potential for implementing a high-bandwidth air/ground (A/G) digital networked voice and data system in the very high frequency (VHF) band. The Future Communication study (FCS), a joint study performed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and EUROCONTROL, evaluated several systems and found the system called Broadband-Aeronautical Mobile Communications (B-AMC) to be a leading technology candidate to supply data communications in the L-band. Based on the FAAs desire to maintain operations in the VHF band and on the 2007 World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC-07) decision to make 112 – 117.975 MHz available for aeronautical mobile communications, The MITRE Corporations Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD) investigated the feasibility of implementing B-AMC in the VHF band and determined its potential for supporting networked voice using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Furthermore, this study examined how the B-AMC protocol layers can be tailored to VoIP protocols in terms of meeting certain performance measures.
Misplaced Inventory and Radio‐Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology: Information and Coordination

Misplaced inventory is a major operational problem in many supply chains. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology has been publicized as a promising solution for the misplaced inventory. Adoption of this technology has a fixed cost and variable cost of implementation, which can cause incentive issues in the supply chain. In this paper, we consider a supply chain under misplacement of inventory subject to uncertain demand. We study both centralized and decentralized cases and identify the conditions to coordinate the supply chain under implementation of RFID. We show that the incentives of the parties for investing in the technology are not perfectly aligned in the existence of the fixed cost of investment. Based on the relative payments of the parties for the fixed cost of investment, the incentives to adopt RFID can be characterized into regions, where we observe only one party or two parties benefiting from the technology when the tag price falls in a region specified in the paper. We further establish the effects of changes in mean and variance of a uniform demand on the incentives for investing in RFID and find that the incentives of the firms may indeed decrease as demand becomes more variable.
Planning Continuous Curvature Paths Using Constructive Polylines

Previous methods for planning clothoid based continuous curvature paths aim at minimizing path length. However, minimal length paths are not always smooth, natural, and drivable. We discuss a method of generating clothoid-based trajectories using constructive polylines. The goal of the motion planner is to create a path for a large car-like vehicle in human driving environments, thus, the trajectories must be smooth, drivable, and natural enough to be used on roadways. We show several examples of trajectories developed for a DARPA Urban Challenge vehicle.
Myelin protein zero (MPZ) gene mutations in nonduplication type 1 Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

The myelin protein zero gene (MPZ) maps to chromosome 1q22-q23 and encodes the most abundant peripheral nerve myelin protein. The Po protein functions as a homophilic adhesion molecule in myelin compaction. Mutations in the MPZ gene are associated with the demyelinating peripheral neuropathies Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1B (CMT1B), and the more severe Dejerine-Sottas syndrome (DSS). We have surveyed a cohort of 70 unrelated patients with demyelinating polyneuropathy for additional mutations in the MPZ gene. The 1.5-Mb DNA duplication on chromosome 17p11.2-p12 associated with CMT type 1A (CMT1A) was not present. By DNA heteroduplex analysis, four base mismatches were detected in three exons of MPZ. Nucleotide sequence analysis identified a de novo mutation in MPZ exon 3 that predicts an Ile(135)Thr substitution in a family with clinically severe early-onset CMT1, and an exon 3 mutation encoding a Gly(137)Ser substitution was identified in a second CMT1 family. Each predicted amino acid substitution resides in the extracellular domain of the Po protein. Heteroduplex analysis did not detect either base change in 104 unrelated controls, indicating that these substitutions are disease-associated mutations rather than common polymorphisms. In addition, two polymorphic mutations were identified in MPZ exon 5 and exon 6, which do not alter the codons for Gly(200) and Ser(228), respectively. These observations provide further confirmation of the role of MPZ in CMT1B and suggest that MPZ coding region mutations may account for a limited percentage of disease-causing mutations in nonduplication CMT1 patients. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Factors Influencing Bicycle Crash Severity on Two-Lane, Undivided Roadways in North Carolina

Concern over crashes involving bicycles and motor vehicles is largely due to the severity of injuries. The impacts of physical and environmental factors on the severity of injury to bicyclists are examined. North Carolina Highway Safety Information System crash and inventory data for state-controlled, two-lane, undivided roadways are analyzed. The injury severity distribution, measured on the KABCO scale, is as follows: no injury, 1.8 percent; complaint of pain, 24.4 percent; nonincapacitating injury, 42.5 percent; incapacitating injury, 25.5 percent; and fatal injury, 5.9 percent. The total number of involvements in this data set was 1,025, with a majority of the involvements occurring outside urbanized areas (80.5 percent). Using the ordered probit model, the effect of a set of roadway, environmental, and crash variables on injury severity is explored. Variables that significantly increase injury severity include straight grades, curved grades, darkness, fog, and speed limit. Higher average annual daily...
Development of sound source components for a new electrolarynx speech prosthesis

For many individuals who lose their voices due to laryngeal cancer or trauma, the only option for speech is to use an electrolarynx (EL), which is a battery-powered vibrator that is held to the throat. Current devices produce speech that is very machine-like in sound, with low levels of loudness and intelligibility, that also draws undesired attention to the user. A project at Draper Laboratory, the Mass. Eye and Ear Infirmary and MIT aims to develop a much improved EL called the electrolarynx communication system (ELCS), which is a DSP-based device consisting of sound source, control, and speech enhancement subsystems or modules. This paper introduces the ELCS and discusses developments to date in the sound source module. Specific topics include the design of a new linear EL transducer and investigations into glottal waveform synthesis which should result in a much more natural speech output.
Reactivity studies of bridgehead organosilicon compounds with electrophilic and radical chlorinating reagents

Abstract The relative reactivity toward electrophilic and radical chlorination of 3,5,7-trimethyl-l,3,5,7-tetrasilaadamantane (Ia, Me 3 AdH), 1-silabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane (IIa), 1-silabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (IIIa) and analogous model systems was determined. For both reactions, the angle-strained bridgehead silanes IIa and IIIa are less reactive than Me 3 AdH which is relatively strain free. The results for radical chlorination are interpreted primarily in terms of differences in ground state geometry. The results for electrophilic chlorination appear to be due primarily to polar effects with ground state geometry also playing an important role. It is known that polar effects are far more significant for electrophilic chlorination than for radical chlorination at silicon centers.
Stabilization and destabilization of soil organic matter—a new focus

Interest in soil organic matter (SOM) is ramping up as concern mounts about steadily increasing levels of atmospheric CO2. There are two reasons for this. First, there is hope that improvements in crop, forest, and soil management may allow significant amounts of CO2 to be removed from the atmosphere and sequestered in soil. Second is the possibility that increased soil respiration rates, associated with climate change, will unleash a positive feedback in which temperatures rise even faster than now expected. Other reasons have long existed for understanding SOM dynamics, such as SOM as the source of most of the nonfertilizer N needed for plant growth, but the specter of run-away climate change seems to have now overtaken these other justifications.
BET protein Brd4 activates transcription in neurons and BET inhibitor Jq1 blocks memory in mice

Precise regulation of transcription is crucial for the cellular mechanisms underlying memory formation. However, the link between neuronal stimulation and the proteins that directly interact with histone modifications to activate transcription in neurons remains unclear. Brd4 is a member of the bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) protein family, which binds acetylated histones and is a critical regulator of transcription in many cell types, including transcription in response to external cues. Small molecule BET inhibitors are in clinical trials, yet almost nothing is known about Brd4 function in the brain. Here we show that Brd4 mediates the transcriptional regulation underlying learning and memory. The loss of Brd4 function affects critical synaptic proteins, which results in memory deficits in mice but also decreases seizure susceptibility. Thus Brd4 provides a critical link between neuronal activation and the transcriptional responses that occur during memory formation.
In the Spirit of Scholarship

Management scholarship has recently received an increasing amount of criticisms, centered on its alleged lack of relevance and alleged dysfunction associated with publication-based scholarly competition. In defense of the spirit of management scholarship, we make two arguments. First, the criticism that management scholarship is flawed because it is irrelevant may be irrelevant itself. It reflects a lack of awareness of the nature of scholarship. Instead of losing self-confidence, management scholars should be very proud of our scholarship, which has enabled modern business schools to abandon the highly “relevant” but academically bankrupt “trade school” model of the 1950s. Second, we suggest that our scholarly competition resembles the Olympic Games, which captivate the entire human race. Clearly, the ability to win Olympic medals (such as outrunning, outskating, and outshooting competitors) is not that relevant in the modern world. But it is the focus, the discipline, and the dedication that represent e...
Social Network Services in China: An Integrated Model of Centrality, Trust, and Technology Acceptance

AbstractThe rapid development of web-based Social Network Services (SNS) in China has been remarkable over the past several years. SNS allow users to build and nurture social connections over wide geographic areas. A distinct interaction between users' experience of service and their social networking behavior is at the heart of SNS business. Previous research in e-commerce and e-government has established that users' intentions are the result of both user perceptions of the technology (e.g., perceived usefulness and ease of use) and trust in technology providers. However, Social Network Services (SNS) are unique because they contain features that are not found in other electronic services. Our research of Chinese SNS users shows that centrality, technology acceptance, familiarity, and user trust are important to SNS market penetration. Together, these variables explain a significant proportion of variance in users' intention of using e-socializing services. Our findings suggest that SNS providers should ...
A Comparison of Managers Entering or Reentering The Profit and Nonprofit Sectors

This article reports that graduate schools of management and business administration are increasingly attracting more students who view their careers as vehicles for implementing social change. Pro...
Acoustical characterization and efficacy evaluation of ultrasonic pest control devices marketed for control of German cockroaches (Orthoptera: Blattellidae).

Four models of commercially available ultrasonic pest control devices were characterized acoustically with sound level meters, sound spectrum analyzers, and an oscilloscope in connection with a signal averaging computer. Results indicated that the devices fell short of the manufacturer claims in both intensity of output and frequency regions of maximum energy. A single thickness (0.30 cm) of cardboard attenuated the output by ca. 70 dB. In these tests, ultrasound neither controlled nor repelled test insects nor increased their susceptibility to chlorpyrifos.
Analysis of Polymeryl Chain Transfer Between Group 10 Metals and Main Group Alkyls during Ethylene Polymerization

The ability of various group 10 α-diimine and salicylaldimine polymerization catalysts to undergo chain transfer with main group metal alkyls during ethylene polymerization has been investigated in depth. The catalyst systems with the most efficient chain transfer were found to be cationic (α-diimine)Ni catalysts paired with dialkyl zinc chain-transfer reagents, in which all growing polymeryl chains were transferred to Zn on the basis of 13C NMR analysis. In these systems, chain transfer was found to be dependent on the sterics of both the catalyst and the chain-transfer reagent (CTR). When less sterically encumbered catalysts or CTRs were utilized, the relative rate of bimetallic chain transfer to chain propagation was increased; however, in cases where chain termination via β-H elimination was extremely rapid, chain transfer to Zn was kinetically not viable. Importantly, chain transfer from (α-diimine)Ni catalysts to Zn alkyls is also very sensitive to the strength of the Zn–C bond: ZnMe2 (186 kJ/mol) i...
Ultrastructure of Ornamentation Development on Aeciospores of Cronartium Quercuum Forma Specialis Fusiforme

Mature aeciospores of Cronartium quercuum f. sp. fusiforme are incompletely verrucose. While most of the spore surface is covered with annulated, wart-like Verrucae, each spore also possesses a smo...
Experimental Study on Improving Thermal Conductivity of Sodium Acetate Trihydrate

For improving the thermal conductivity of composite phase change materials which main components were sodium acetate trihydrate,selecte copper powder,carbon powder and expanded graphite as medicaments to improve the thermal conductivity,and compared experience.The results showed that when the copper powder,carbon powder mixed with composite phase change materials,stratification phenomenon happened obviously,but the mixed effect of expanded graphite was more better.When the volume fraction of expanded graphite was about 10%,used its porous adsorption characteristics and better thermal conductivity to improve the thermal conductivity of composite phase change materials(including thickening agent and nucleating agent)which used expanded graphite as supporting structure,and the effect was obvious.
Application of Oil Mist Collection and Treatment System in the Machining Shop

This paper applies the method of centralized oil mist collection and treatment system to improving the air quality of work environment and keeping employees free of the occupational injuries in the machining shop of an engine plant.The study controls and reduces the oil mist volatilized from actual situation in the workshop through rational distribution and installation of equipments and pipes.The test results show that oil mist concentrations and occupational hazards have significantly decreased and the oil mist collection and treatment has greatly improved the workplace for employees after the collection and purification of oil mist.Firstly,the air quality in the workshop is controlled under the premise of 0.5mg/m3 which meets the standard of National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health(NIOSH)for metalworking cutting fluid mist control limits.Secondly,PM2.5concentration decreases by nearly 13.3%than that of the same period of last year,and the peak decrease of TSP concentration reaches 24%.In particular,the air quality in two transformed modules has been greatly improved,that is,TSP concentration decreases by more than 30%,and the average reduction of PM2.5is over 60%.
Hybrid MLP/structured-SVM tandem systems for large vocabulary and robust ASR.

Tandem systems based on multi-layer perceptrons (MLPs) have improved the performance of automatic speech recognition systems on both large vocabulary and noisy tasks. One potential problem of the standard Tandem approach, however, is that the MLPs generally used do not model temporal dynamics inherent in speech. In this work, we propose a hybrid MLP/Structured-SVM model, in which the parameters between the hidden layer and output layer and temporal transitions between output layers are modeled by a Structured-SVM. A Structured-SVM can be thought of as an extension to the classical binary support vector machine which can naturally classify “structures” such as sequences. Using this approach, we can identify sequences of phones in an utterance. We try this model on two different corpora – Aurora2 and the large-vocabulary section of the ICSI meeting corpus – to investigate the model’s performance in noisy conditions and on a large-vocabulary task. Compared to a difficult Tandem baseline in which the MLP is trained using 2nd-order optimization methods, the MLP/Structured-SVM system decreases WER in noisy conditions by 7.9% relative. On the large vocabulary corpus, the proposed system decreases WER by 1.1% absolute compared to the 2nd-order Tandem system.
Human Physical Rehabilitation

The impact of conflict-related, complex emergencies on human health is widely documented, but poorly quantified, as most data collection and registration systems cease to function in conflict-affected situations. Modern conflict, which in increasing degrees, affects the civil population and is estimated to be one of the top ten causes of global mortality. The direct effects of war and conflict on health are due to land mines, exploded remnants of war, active combat, small arms, forced amputations, forced military recruitment, sexual and gender-based violence, and other violent acts. The indirect effects of war impact health through a myriad of ways, including social, political insecurity, environmental degradation, and human rights violations. Conflicts are major causes of injuries, violence, and disability and place a large economic burden on the individual, the family, and the society.
Receptors for extracellular matrix components.

The extracellular matrix determines the shape and function of multicellular organisms and permits orderly repair after injury. Although the inherent self-assembly properties of many extracellular m...
Interdisciplinary Curriculum in Middle School

(1994). Interdisciplinary Curriculum in Middle School. Middle School Journal: Vol. 25, Interdisciplinary Instruction, pp. 61-65.
Large enhancement of second harmonic emission using lattice plasmon polaritons

We demonstrate a bilayer nanostructure, supporting lattice plasmon polaritons and vertically confined localized plasmonic modes. Fano-type resonance increases the net absorption cross-section of the nanostructure, resulting in a significant enhancement in the second harmonic intensity.
Completion of radium-223 dichloride treatment regimen for patients with castrate resistant prostate cancer.

2716 Objectives Radium-223 dichloride treatment is approved for patients with painful osseous metastases castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and no visceral metastatic disease. Patients enrolled in this treatment regimen are to receive intra-venous injection of radium-223 dichloride, based on weight every four weeks for a total of six cycles. Methods Our institution enrolled 73 patients with CRPC for radium-223 dichloride treatment over a period of two years and followed their treatment cycle management. Patient data were entered into a spreadsheet with dates of treatment cycle. At the end of each treatment cycle, patients were checked off and the next appointment was schedule. This spreadsheet also served as an appointment tracking and radium-223 dichloride dosage ordering log. If a patient did not follow up for a treatment, the reason was noted on the spreadsheet. This spreadsheet was retrospectively analyzed for number of patients completing all six treatment cycles, and those unable to complete the entire treatment regimen. The reasons for non-completion were noted on the spreadsheet. Results Of the 73 patients that were enrolled in this radium-223 dichloride treatment regimen, 22 (30.1%) patients completed the full six cycles. 35 (47.9%) patients were unable to complete all cycles due to progression of disease and/or admitted to hospice care.12 (16.4%) patients cancelled for lack of treatment benefits, distance to the treatment site, refusal to continue, or enrollment in other non-radioactive treatment. One patient (1.4%) did not continue due to lack of insurance coverage, and 3 patients (4.1%) discontinued treatment due to low hematological values set forth in radium 223 dichloride Food and Drug Administration prescribing information. Of the 51 patients not completing all six cycles of the treatment regimen, 9 (17.6%) discontinued after first cycle, 7 (13.7%) after second cycle, 14 (27.5%) after third cycle, 8 (15.7%) after fourth cycle, and 13 (25.5%) after fifth cycle. Conclusions: A minority of the enrolled patients, (30.1%) completed the entire 6-cycle radium-223 dichloride treatment regimen. The most common reason for non-completion was disease progression. 69% of the non-completion patients were off the treatment regimen between cycles 3 and 5. A majority of non-completion patients discontinued treatment regimen because of disease progression. Earlier referral for treatment may help improve the rate of completion of the entire 6-cycle radium-223 dichloride treatment regimen.
High-throughput analysis reveals novel maternal germline RNAs crucial for primordial germ cell preservation and proper migration.

ABSTRACT During oogenesis, hundreds of maternal RNAs are selectively localized to the animal or vegetal pole, including determinants of somatic and germline fates. Although microarray analysis has identified localized determinants, it is not comprehensive and is limited to known transcripts. Here, we utilized high-throughput RNA-sequencing analysis to comprehensively interrogate animal and vegetal pole RNAs in the fully grown Xenopus laevis oocyte. We identified 411 (198 annotated) and 27 (15 annotated) enriched mRNAs at the vegetal and animal pole, respectively. Ninety were novel mRNAs over 4-fold enriched at the vegetal pole and six were over 10-fold enriched at the animal pole. Unlike mRNAs, microRNAs were not asymmetrically distributed. Whole-mount in situ hybridization confirmed that all 17 selected mRNAs were localized. Biological function and network analysis of vegetally enriched transcripts identified protein-modifying enzymes, receptors, ligands, RNA-binding proteins, transcription factors and co-factors with five defining hubs linking 47 genes in a network. Initial functional studies of maternal vegetally localized mRNAs show that sox7 plays a novel and important role in primordial germ cell (PGC) development and that ephrinB1 ( efnb1 ) is required for proper PGC migration. We propose potential pathways operating at the vegetal pole that highlight where future investigations might be most fruitful.
Consistently improving approximations for constrained controllability and reachability

This paper develops a method for the construction of consistently improving inner and outer approximate poly-topic sets for controllability and reachability under constraints. Sequences of consistently improving approximate polytopic sets are obtained from the solution of a series of Second Order Cone Programming (SOCP) problems. Notable advances in reliability and speed of recent SOCP solvers render the proposed procedure computationally attractive, since the solutions to frequently encountered SOCPs are computable in tens of milliseconds or less. The initialization of the previous algorithm is enhanced by means of a simultaneous computation of an optimized pair of inner and outer bounding simplices. The Hausdorff distance is employed as a criteria for the growth of the inner and outer approximate polytopic sets as well as a topologically suitable metric for convergence. The algorithm yields polytopes that inner and outer approximate exact Controllable/Reachable (C/R) set to a desired precision w.r.t. the Hausdorff distance. The relevance and value of the proposed procedure are demonstrated by its application to a fully constrained Mars planetary landing problem.
HIV/AIDS Counseling Services - A Review of Literature

AIDS is considered as having inflicted the single greatest reversal in human development. HIV counseling – and - testing services (VCT) services are considered as a gateway to HIV prevention, care and treatment, by increasing the preparedness of the community as a whole for effective living with HIV. The scope and challenges of VCT has changed a lot over the past decade from the time when it was being primarily used to make a diagnosis of infection in symptomatic people to help medical management, and testing was often accompanied by minimal counseling. The development of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment for people with HIV, less costly interventions to reduce the incidence of HIV- associated infections (such as tuberculosis preventive therapy and cotrimoxazole prophylaxis and relatively cheap and feasible methods to prevent PTCT have made the need to promote VCT for people with asymptomatic disease more compelling. Keywords: HIV AIDS, Counseling and testing, Quality of services
Sorption of Benzene, Dichloroethane, Dichloromethane, and Chloroform by Poly(ethylene glycol), Polycaprolactone, and Their Copolymers at 298.15 K Using a Quartz Crystal Microbalance

Solubilities of benzene, 1,2-dichloroethane, chloroform, and dichloromethane in poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), polycaprolactone (PCL), and several PEG/PCL diblock copolymers at 298.15 K are reported. Activity versus weight fraction data were collected using a quartz crystal microbalance and are adequately represented by the Flory–Huggins model.
Resistance To Extinction vs. Resistance to Reinforcement to Measure Inhibition

These experiments compare resistance to reinforcement and resistance to extinction techniques for measuring inhibitory stimulus control by S — following discrimination training. In Experiment 1, rats received 24 sessions of training on a discrimination between two lights and then the inhibitory properties of S — were measured with either the resistance to reinforcement or resistance to extinction technique. Acquisition or extinction of responding to the former S — was compared to that to a novel stimulus. As expected, the resistance to extinction technique indicated more inhibition and the size of the difference increased throughout three sessions of testing. In Experiment 2, rats received 15 or 30 days of training on the discrimination problem and then all of the rats received combined-cues tests of the inhibitory properties of S —. Following 2 days of additional discrimination training, the rats were assigned to resistance to reinforcement or resistance to extinction test conditions. Resistance to extinction again indicated more inhibition than resistance to reinforcement at both levels of training, and combined-cue testing indicated the highest levels of inhibition. At the lower level of training, resistance to reinforce-ment gave no evidence of any inhibition. These data were interpreted as showing that the resistance to reinforcement technique is relatively insen-sitive, particularly to low levels of inhibition. This finding is consistent with the notion that discrimination training renders S — more condition-able as well as inhibitory.
Emerging mechanisms and novel targets in allergic inflammation and asthma

Airway inflammation is key to the severity and persistence of asthma. Recent studies have revealed novel immune mechanisms that target dendritic cells, T helper 2 cytokines, regulatory T cells, and type 2 innate lymphoid cells in allergic inflammation, as well as novel approaches that target airway smooth muscle in asthma. These advances inform the development of new targeted treatments for allergic inflammation and asthma with the potential to provide therapeutic benefit.
Lining Up Words

“Lining up words” seems hardly the proper diction to apply to poetry. School children and soldiers are peremptorily told to “line up.” And yet, part of the poet’s writing task is to muster words into poetic forms, to put them down on paper one after another, to line them up.
Modern Chinese Real Estate Law: Property Development in an Evolving Legal System (Chapter 1)

This book offers a detailed account of how the Chinese real estate market actually operates in practice, from both legal and business perspectives. My goals are twofold. First, I seek to establish and describe how the Chinese real estate market, with so few written laws, actually functions. How do real estate professionals operate on such a large scale when they are not sure what the applicable law is or how it will be applied? Second, I aim to address the broader question of how a huge nation can achieve such dramatic levels of economic development so rapidly while its legal system is still so unsettled. In what ways does China force us to reconsider the traditional model of economic growth and expansion, which assumes that legal and institutional development is a prerequisite to economic growth?Part I of the book, which includes this chapter and Chapter 2, offers introductory material and some background information, along with my preliminary observations and conclusions. Part II, encompassing Chapters 3 through 10, discusses specific sub-topics within Chinese real estate law and practice and examines each of these sub-topics in detail. These chapters are designed to provide a thorough analysis of how Chinese experts have been managing to function so successfully in a nation with a rapidly changing legal system. Part III, which consists of Chapters 11 and 12, shifts the focus considerably, by discussing conventional law and development theory and its application within China. The traditional theory holds that a firmly established legal structure is an essential precondition to significant economic development. These chapters ask how the theory can be reconciled with China’s experience during the past quarter-century. Finally, Part IV offers some conclusions.
Specimen Identification Through DNA Analysis

Analysis of identity through DNA typing has its origins in forensic identity testing and parentage testing. These same analyses also have found tremendous clinical utility in pathology laboratories for a variety of sample identification applications.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 These applications include identification of mislabeled specimens of all types, identification of histologic “floaters” in surgical pathology specimens, and detection of maternal cell contamination in prenatal specimens. The scientific principles and technologies of identity testing are described in the preceding chapters. This chapter focuses on sample issues and result interpretation, which are specific to sample identification and related applications of identity testing in the clinical laboratory.
Genesis: a neuronal simulation system

The use of numerical simulation techniques to study neurobiology has grown over the past few years to encompass systems ranging from molecular level processes occurring in real neurons to systems of many thousands of highly abstract neuron-like elements (Touretzky, 1990 Koch and Segev, 1989; Zornetzer et al 1990). It is increasingly apparent that all these levels of analysis are interrelated and may be essential to the understanding of the functioning of the nervous system (Bower, 1991)
DNA-Replikation und der Zellzyklus bei Eukaryonten

In Prokaryonten ist der Prozes der DNA-Replikation gut einzugrenzen. Bakterien, die sich in flussigem Nahrmedium vermehren, synthetisieren wahrend des ganzen Zellzyklus DNA. Anschliesend werden durch Einziehen einer neuen Zellwand in der Mitte der Zelle zwei Tochterzellen gebildet. Der Zellzyklus der Eukaryonten hingegen ist viel komplizierter. In diesem Kapitel werden wir die molekularen Aspekte des Zellzyklus besprechen. Das folgende Kapitel ist der zytologischen Betrachtung von Mitose und Meiose gewidmet.
Application of Ultrasonic Pod Models

The ability to quantify the reliability of nondestructive evaluation (NDE) inspection techniques is required to integrate inspectability into the component design process. Inspectability is typically evaluated on the basis of the design engineer’s experience and knowledge of NDE. While this approach can yield adequate designs with regard to inspection reliability, the potential for uninspectability remains. There is also the possibility that the designer’s knowledge of the reliability of NDE techniques may be limited to “standard” approaches which may be be inadequate for new component geometries or materials. This could lead the design engineer to imagine that a given component is inadequately inspectable and to redesign the part when the correct solution is either to modify the inspection protocol or to select a different technique. Alternatively, models which predict inspection reliability could be used to weigh the trade-offs and risks associated with selection among candidate NDE techniques to be applied to inspection of a given component design and to identify NDE system configurations for optimal reliability. This approach is, in fact, a key feature of the Unified Life Cycle Engineering concept currently being developed by the Air Force[l].
Optomechanical trapping and cooling of partially reflective mirrors

We consider the radiative trapping and cooling of a partially reflecting mirror suspended inside an optical cavity, generalizing the case of a perfectly reflecting mirror previously considered [M. Bhattacharya and P. Meystre, Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 073601 (2007)]. This configuration was recently used in an experiment to cool a nanometers-thick dielectric membrane [J. D. Thompson et al., e-print arXiv:0707.1724v2]. The self-consistent cavity field modes of this system depend strongly on the position of the middle mirror, leading to important qualitative differences in the radiation pressure effects: in one case, the situation is similar to that of a perfectly reflecting middle mirror, with only minor quantitative modifications. In addition, we also identify a range of mirror positions for which the radiation-mirror-coupling becomes purely dispersive and the back-action effects that usually lead to cooling are absent, although the mirror can still be optically trapped. The existence of these two regimes leads us to propose a bichromatic scheme that optimizes the cooling and trapping of partially reflective mirrors.
Using Temporary Prostatic Stents to Eliminate Bacterial Colonization in Men with Chronic Indwelling Catheters: A Pilot Study.

Background Chronic urinary catheterization is commonly associated with chronic bacterial colonization and high rates of symptomatic infection that increase morbidity and mortality. This study describes the results of replacing chronic catheters with temporary prostatic stents (TPS) to reduce bacterial colonization rates. Methods Twenty-two chronically catheterized adult male patients were enrolled. Upon removal, the indwelling urinary catheter (IUC) was cultured to identify the presence and type of bacterial flora. The IUC was replaced with a TPS. All patients had five consecutive TPS placed on a 30-day cycle. TPS cultures were obtained at removal of each TPS. Results All patients (100%) demonstrated bacterial colonization at baseline (removal of the IUC). After the third month with TPS, the colonization had fallen to 5% and remained at 5% for the final two months of TPS placement. Conclusions This pilot study suggests that replacing an IUC with a TPS interrupts the cycle of bacterial colonization in the urinary tract. This approach could be a strategy for eliminating multi-drug resistant organisms from the urinary tract of men with urinary retention.