cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Uncertainty Analysis of Neural-Network-Based Aerosol Retrieval

Neural networks have the ability to represent and learn complex regression functions and are very suitable for retrieval of geophysical parameters from remotely sensed data. Neural networks trained to minimize the mean square error are able to estimate the conditional expectation of target variables. In many remote sensing applications, it is also critical to provide estimates of prediction uncertainty. In this paper, we evaluate an approach that, in addition to training a neural network for retrievals, also trains a neural-network-based estimator of retrieval uncertainty. The uncertainty estimator is built under the assumption that uncertainty is a function of input variables. The methodology was evaluated on aerosol-optical-depth retrieval. The data set consists of 38 238 collocated Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) satellite instrument and Aerosol Robotic Network ground-based instrument measurements collected over the entire Earth during two years (in 2005-2006). The results indicate that a neural network ensemble is more accurate than the operational MODIS retrieval algorithm called Collection 5 and that the retrieval uncertainty of the ensemble can be estimated with satisfactory accuracy.
A Qualitative Analysis of Power Differentials in Ethical Situations in Academia

Power and organizational hierarchies are ubiquitous to social institutions that form the foundation of modern society. Power differentials may act to constrain or enhance people's ability to make good ethical decisions. However, little scholarly work has examined perceptions of this important topic. The present effort seeks to address this issue by interviewing academics about hypothetical ethical problems that involve power differences among those involved. Academics discussed what they would do in these scenarios, often drawing on their own experiences. Using a think-aloud protocol, participants were prompted to discuss their reasoning and thinking behind their ethical decisions. These interview data were content analyzed using a semantic analysis program that identified a number of distinct ways that academics think about power differences and abuses in ethical situations. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Equality of the Bond Percolation Critical Exponents for Two Pairs of Dual Lattices

The substitution method is used to show that the percolative behaviour of the triangular and hexagonal lattices bond percolation models are similar near their critical probabilities. As a consequence, if the limits defining the critical exponents β and γ exist, these lattices have the same values of β and γ. Similarly, the method also shows equality of the β and γ values for bond percolation models on the bowtie lattice and its dual.
Common diagnostic problems in pediatric liver pathology

The role of the pathologist in dealing with common problems of liver disease in children is likely to change dramatically as the molecular genetic revolution progresses. For example, microchip arrays for genes involved in bile salt synthesis and transport will pinpoint the specific mutations responsible for infantile cholestasis and similar methods will sort out infectious agents of acute and chronic hepatitis. But even as biochemistry, microbiology, and immunology laboratories already provide essential diagnostic information in such settings, informed histopathologic interpretation will continue to guide investigations of etiology and therapeutics and will remain an important medical necessity [95,96,100,102,104].
Venture capital in transition: A Monte-Carlo simulation of changes in investment patterns

Abstract This article examines the nature of the investment process which has historically generated high returns for venture capital funds, and the impact on fund returns of perceived changes in management practice and the structure of the industry. The article outlines some policy implications for fund managers, investors, and the general management of corporations. The authors have investigated the investment process and the changes in the nature of the process through the use of a Monte-Carlo simulation model. Information gathered from interviews with fund managers and the available published data on venture fund performance (including proprietary surveys) was used to develop and calibrate the model. The model replicates the relatively high average fund returns and distribution of returns for funds through the early 1980s. The model simulates a multistaged investment process which draws on a pool of investment opportunities which have a log normal distribution of returns and a low (zero) average return. The model readily permits the exploration of the impact of management and industry practices on fund returns. The conditions identified by the authors, which led to high rates of return on the part of venture capital funds, include: 1. 1) multistaged investment or commitment of funds on an incremental basis with evaluation of venture performance before commitment of additional fund; 2. 2) objective evaluation of venture performance with the clear distinguishing of winners from losers; 3. 3) parlaying funds or having the confidence to commit further funds to ventures identified as winners; 4. 4) persistence of returns from one round to the next, which implies that valuable information is gained from previous rounds of investment in the same venture; 5. 5) long-term holding of investment portfolios for a period sufficient for geometric averaging of compound returns to cause the winners to “take over” or raise portfolio returns. Taken together, these conditions have permitted venture capital funds to historically realize strong average returns with a few of them realizing extraordinary returns. The article also explores the consequences of what some believe is happening in the industry: a trend toward holding investments for shorter periods, increased competition both for investments and later in the product-market arena, and a growing lack of loyalty between investors and investees. All of these conditions and their indirect consequences were shown by the model to negatively impact the limited partners in the venture capital funds while general partners, given the structure of fees and the distribution of investment returns, generally realized a reasonable to extraordinary return. The article outlines a number of management and investment policy implications for investors and fund managers.
Challenges and Collaborative Possibilities of the PRN: A View From Depth‐Therapy

This commentary provides a depth-therapeutic critique of the design methodology of Borkovec et al.'s Practice Research Network (PRN). Although aspects of the network's goals and investigative format are supported, key limitations are also identified. To address these limitations, an amalgamated PRN is proposed, featuring two contemporary design alternatives—hermeneutic single-case efficacy design and multiple-case depth research.
Ballistic electron emission microscopy of laterally patterned microstructures

Ballistic electron emission microscopy (BEEM) has been used to investigate and image microfabricated Au/SiGe features. Electron beam lithography and dry etching were used to construct arrays of holes in a SiO2 layer and etched indentations in SiGe. The electronic transport properties of the fabricated structure and adjacent unpatterned region were then characterized and imaged with BEEM. These studies demonstrate that BEEM is capable of resolving transport variation with 1–2 nm spatial resolution and can be used to study the microscopic effects of reactive ion etching. The types of imaging contrast and subsurface electron transport information obtainable from BEEM cannot be obtained by other scanned beam or scanned probe techniques.
Dehydrogenase activity in the rediae of Himasthla quissetensis (trematoda) as an indicator of substrate utilization.

Abstract 1. 1. The levels of dehydrogenase activity in specimens of daugther redise of Himasthla quissetensis removed from the digestive gland of Nassarius obsoletus were determined by employing the methylene blue reduction method. These measurements were made on rediae suspended in a sterile, sea-water medium or in media in which sodium succinate, glucose or trehalose had been added. 2. 2. The presence of sodium soccinate, glucose or trehalose increases the level of dehydrogenase activity and it is concluded that these substrates are utilized by the rediae. 3. 3. The data indicating an increase in dehydrogenase activity, coupled with our earlier report of increased oxygen consumption in similar rediae when exposed to glucose (Hoskin & Cheng, 1973), suggest that, contrary to an earlier report, H. quissetensis rediae do metabolize glucose.
Convergent assembly of aldol linkages. A study of the stereoselective nitrile oxide cycloaddition reaction

Abstract The aldol equivalency of a stereoselective nitrile oxide cycloaddition is exploited in the development of a general synthetic strategy to the polyene macrolide antibiotics.
Comment on multi-dimensional indices

Do composite indices (that combine various measures of different phenomena)have merit? The three Forum papers in the 2011 June issue of the Journal ofEconomic Inequality are rich in ideas and technically well-argued; they elucidatenicely fundamental conceptual as well as measurement issues.Ravallion [9] argues the merits of the conventional single-dimension incomeor expenditure-based measure of poverty at the household level, as long as it iscomplemented with analysis incorporating non-market-price based dimensions ofpoverty such as schooling and health of household members (the “dashboard” view).Alkire and Foster [1] explain the logic of combining various dimensions of povertyinto a multi-dimensional index, in which the initial identification of who is poor isbased not solely on income or expenditures but on additional dimensions of being“poor”, with transparent weights chosen for all dimensions. Klugman et al. [7]setout the logic of adjustments to the well-known Human Development Index (HDI),and argue the merits of the multi-dimensional HDI despite its inelegant combinationof stocks and flows, and of inputs to well-being (income) and outcomes (schooling).On the measurement of poverty, Ravallion’s dashboard view wins in my reading,if only because it makes tradeoffs based on market prices explicit, and forces theanalyst to make explicit tradeoffs on non-market goods in assessing who is poor. But Inote that Alkire and Foster’s emphasis on the joint distribution of various dimensionsof poverty is fundamental and illustrates the benefits of a single data source atthe household level. Incidentally, I would like to see an assessment of the relativesensitivity of identification of the poor to the World Bank’s conventional measure ofpoverty (often without any accompanying dashboard statistical analysis), comparedto one or another version of the Alkire and Foster approach, for a country overmultiple years, using panel data. Does a multi-dimensional identification do betterat understanding the fundamentals of long-term poverty and low inter-generationalmobility within families?
Deformation and Warping in Magnetic Tapes by Laser Speckle Technique

Laser speckles appear as a pattern of fine randomly distributed dots resulting from multiple interference when an optically "rough" surface is illuminated by a coherent laser beam. By photographing a speckle pattern, the positions of all points on a surface are "fingerprinted" and any changes in posi tion can be detected with high sensitivity. Such speckle patterns can be used as a non-contact, nondestructive, quantitative tool to measure in-plane deforma tions in magnetic tapes subjected to tension. Because such tapes not only stretch but also warp, the obtained data reflect the projection of the deforma tion vector in the longitudinal plane of the tape. By geometrical relations, all three components of the deformation vector at any point of interest can be de termined. This article presents data that were obtained for a commercial com puter data cartridge tape (40 Mb Format). It is shown that with such data, stress-strain relations can be established and the overall deformation behavior of the material ...
THE PROTEROZOIC SUPERCONTINENT RODINIA : PALEOMAGNETICALLY DERIVED RECONSTRUCTIONS FOR 1100 TO 800 MA

Abstract Well-dated paleomagnetic poles for the interval 1100–800 Ma have been compiled for the Laurentia, Baltica, Sao Francisco, Congo and Kalahari cratons in order to construct apparent polar wander paths (APWPs) for this interval. Laurentia's APWP consists of a well-determined Keweenawan track for 1100–1000 Ma and a 1000–800 Ma Grenville loop. We use a counterclockwise APW loop for the Grenville poles based on ages for post-metamorphic cooling through ∼500°C for the Grenville Province between 1000 and 950 Ma, and the temporal and spatial similarities with Proterozoic counterclockwise APWP's for other cratons. Baltica's APWP is comprised of seven dated poles that define a similar loop, counterclockwise and hinged at 950 Ma, that can be superimposed on the Laurentian Grenville loop. This loop is also seen in the seven poles of the APWP for the combined Sao Francisco–Congo craton; superposition of these loops leads to a reconstruction in which the Sao Francisco–Congo craton is to the south-southeast of Laurentia in present-day coordinates. A long 1090–985 Ma APWP track for the Kalahari is in reasonable agreement with the roughly coeval Keweenawan track, when the Kalahari craton is rotated ∼40° counterclockwise away from the Congo craton while remaining hinged at the Zambezi belt. The resulting Rodinia reconstruction resembles those previously proposed on geological grounds for Laurentia, East Gondwana, Baltica, Sao Francisco–Congo, and the Kalahari craton.
Mechanical support for isolated right ventricular failure in patients after cardiotomy.

Abstract Background Patients with acute right ventricular (RV) failure after cardiotomy have a poor prognosis. We evaluated the surgical and long-term outcomes of patients with isolated RV failure that required right ventricular assist device (RVAD) support. Methods Between 1991 and 2002, a total of 30 patients received RVAD support for isolated RV dysfunction. We evaluated survival, duration of mechanical support, post-RVAD hemodynamics, and RV function. Results Right ventricular failure developed in patients after coronary artery bypass surgery alone or combined with valve surgery (12 patients), valvular surgery (5), ascending aortic replacement (6), heart transplantation (3), and pulmonary endarterectomy (4). Mean age was 58 ± 15 years, and 17 (57%) were women. Surgery was emergent in 5 (73%) patients. Centrifugal pumps were used in 21, extra corporeal membrane oxygenation in 8, and as Abiomed pump in 1 patient. Overall, 17 (57%) patients died while receiving assist device support, 3 of sepsis, 2 of stroke, and 12 of inability to wean from the device. We successfully weaned RVAD support in 13 (43%) patients, with a median duration of support of 5 days (range, 2–8 days). Ten survived to hospital discharge. After RVAD removal, mean pulmonary artery pressure was 25.1 ± 6.5 mm Hg, cardiac output was 4.8 ± 2.0 liters, and central venous pressure was 16.5 ± 3.7 mm Hg. Echocardiogram after RVAD removal showed normal RV function in 2 patients and in 11 patients demonstrated improvement. Conclusion After cardiotomy, patients with RV failure who require mechanical support continue to have increased mortality. For patients successfully weaned from the RVAD, residual RV dysfunction is compatible with survival. More liberal use of RV mechanical support may be indicated for patients with acute RV failure.
Synthesis of 2.3-unsaturated polysaccharides from amylose and xylan

Abstract Amylose ( 1 ) was tritylated at O -6, the ether p -toluenesulfonylated at O-2 and O-3, and the product ( 3 ) treated with sodium iodide and zinc dust in N,N -dimethyl-formamide, to give 2,3-dideoxy-6- O -trityl-α- D - erythro -hex-2-enopyranoglycan ( 4 ). This 2,3-unsaturated polysaccharide could be converted into a 2,3-dibromo derivative ( 5 ), and hydrogenated with concomitant detritylation to the saturated analogue ( 6 ), and, on treatment with aqueous acetic acid, it gave 2-( D - glycero -1,2-dihydroxyethyl)-furan ( 8 ). The 2,3-bis( p -toluenesulfonate) ( 10 ) of β- D -xylan ( 9 ) was similarly converted into the 2,3-unsaturated polysaccharide, 2,3-dideoxy-β- D - glycero -pent-2-enopyranoglycan ( 11 ), which, with aqueous acetic acid, gave 2-(hydroxymethyl)furan ( 12a ).
Void nucleation and growth for compressible non-linearly elastic materials: An example

Abstract In this paper, we carry out an explicit analysis of a bifurcation problem for a solid sphere, composed of a special class of compressible non-linearly elastic materials, and subjected to prescribed radial stretch λ > 1 at its boundary. One solution to this problem, for all values of λ, is that of pure homogeneous stretching in which the sphere expands radially. However, for sufficiently large values of λ, a second configuration is possible where an internal traction-free spherical cavity forms at the origin. The critical stretch λ = λ cr at which this solution bifurcates from the trivial homogeneous solution is determined. The trivial solution is shown to become unstable at λ = λ cr . It is also shown how the bifurcation model may be interpreted as describing sudden rapid growth of a pre-existing microvoid. The analogous issues for axisymmetric plane strain deformations of a cylinder are briefly discussed.
Resonance in periodically forced processes

Abstract The interaction of an external periodic forcing with the natural frequencies of chemically reacting systems gives rise to interesting qualitative dynamic behavior. This behavior is centered around the creation and breaking of resonances and invariant tori. We present a numerical study of the high forcing amplitude region of the excitation diagram and through this an explanation for the shapes of entrainment regions. The algorithms constructed for this purpose are also discussed.
Ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation of fibre-reinforced composite materials — a review

This paper reviews various ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation techniques applicable to fibre-reinforced composites. The techniques are briefly described and key references are cited. Methods to evaluate the reduced stiffness of composites due to micro-damage are described. Results show that for composites through-the-thickness attenuation increases and stiffness does not change due to transverse cracks, but in-plane stiffness and attenuation changes are substantial and can be measured by the Lamb wave techniques.
In vitro susceptibilities of isolates of Haemophilus ducreyi from Thailand and the United States to currently recommended and newer agents for treatment of chancroid.

Abstract We determined the in vitro susceptibilities of 54 isolates of Haemophilus ducreyi from Thailand (29 isolates) and San Francisco (25 isolates) to penicillin G, tetracycline, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, ceftriaxone, cefixime, erythromycin, azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Isolates were susceptible to or = 8.0 micrograms of tetracycline per ml, 11.1% of the isolates were resistant to and 40.9% of the isolates were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (MIC, > or = 4/76 microgram/ml.)
Improving memory scheduling via processor-side load criticality information

We hypothesize that performing processor-side analysis of load instructions, and providing this pre-digested information to memory schedulers judiciously, can increase the sophistication of memory decisions while maintaining a lean memory controller that can take scheduling actions quickly. This is increasingly important as DRAM frequencies continue to increase relative to processor speed. In this paper we propose one such mechanism, pairing up a processor-side load criticality predictor with a lean memory controller that prioritizes load requests based on ranking information supplied from the processor side. Using a sophisticated multi-core simulator that includes a detailed quad-channel DDR3 DRAM model, we demonstrate that this mechanism can improve performance significantly on a CMP, with minimal overhead and virtually no changes to the processor itself. We show that our design compares favorably to several state-of-the-art schedulers.
The ABCs of Cardioprotection in Dialysis Patients: A Systematic Review

Background Several classes of medications have been shown to decrease all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in the general population. However, dialysis patients have been systematically excluded from these large trials, and the benefits of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, adrenergic β antagonists (β-blockers), and calcium channel blockers (CCBs) are uncertain in this population. Study Design We performed a systematic review using the MEDLINE database (inception to October 14, 2007) to identify studies. Setting & Population Incident and prevalent dialysis patients. Selection Criteria for Studies English-language randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies investigating the use of ACE inhibitors, β-blockers, and CCBs in humans. Intervention ACE-inhibitor, β-blocker, and CCB administration. Outcomes Decreases in all-cause and cardiovascular mortality and cardiovascular morbidity. Results 674 reports yielded 13 suitable reports for ACE inhibitors, 12 for β-blockers, and 6 for CCBs. Because most studies investigated more than 1 class of drug, there were 17 unique reports; 2 were RCTs, 1 was a "pseudo-RCT," and 14 were observational studies. Meta-analysis was not possible because of the heterogeneity of studies. There is considerable discrepancy in the literature about the utility of these agents. ACE inhibitors have not consistently shown survival benefits in either the single RCT or observational studies. β-Blockers showed mortality benefit in only 1 large cohort study plus an RCT of patients with congestive heart failure, but results were not duplicated in other studies; the magnitude of β-blocker benefit after myocardial infarction was similar in dialysis and nondialysis individuals in another study. CCBs show the most consistent benefits, albeit only from observational studies, of the classes examined. Limitations Several major limitations were present, including a paucity of RCTs and nonrandom treatment assignment and lack of data for longitudinal medication exposure in observational studies. Conclusions Despite considerable uncertainty about the benefits and risks in this population, for individuals with well-established traditional indications for these medications, refraining from prescribing them may be imprudent at this time. However, RCTs, as well as well-designed observational studies that adjust for nonrandom treatment assignment and longitudinal drug exposure, are needed.
Epigenetic stochasticity, nuclear structure and cancer: the implications for medicine

The aim of this review is to summarize an evolution of thinking about the epigenetic basis of human cancer, from the earliest studies of altered DNA methylation in cancer to the modern comprehensive epigenomic era. Converging data from epigenetic studies of primary cancers and from experimental studies of chromatin in development and epithelial–mesenchymal transition suggest a role for epigenetic stochasticity as a driving force of cancer, with Darwinian selection of tumour cells at the expense of the host. This increased epigenetic stochasticity appears to be mediated by large-scale changes in DNA methylation and chromatin in domains associated with the nuclear lamina. The implications for diagnosis include the potential to identify stochastically disrupted progenitor cells years before cancer develops, and to target drugs to epigenetic drivers of gene expression instability rather than to mean effects per se.
The generation effect: Dissociating enhanced item memory and disrupted order memory

Generating stimuli at encoding typically improves memory for occurrence (item memory) but might disrupt memory for order. In three experiments, the relationship between generation and order memory was examined by using familiar stimuli, which give rise to the standard generation advantage in item memory, and unfamiliar stimuli, which do not. The participants generated or read words and nonwords in Experiments 1 and 2 and familiar and unfamiliar word compounds in Experiment 3. For the familiar stimuli, generation enhanced item memory (as measured by recognition) but disrupted performance on the order-reconstruction test. For the unfamiliar stimuli, generation produced no recognition advantage and yet persisted in disrupting order reconstruction. Thus, the positive effects of generation on item memory were dissociated from its negative impact on order memory
Use of Fuel Assembly/Backfill Gas Effective Thermal Conductivity Models to Predict Basket and Fuel Cladding Temperatures Within a Rail Package During Normal Transport

Two-dimensional finite element thermal simulations of a generic rail package designed to transport twenty-one spent PWR assemblies were performed for normal transport conditions. Effective thermal conductivity models were employed within the fuel assembly/backfill gas region. Those conductivity models were developed by other investigators assuming the basket wall temperature is uniform. They are typically used to predict the maximum fuel cladding temperature near the package center. The cladding temperature must not exceed specified limits during normal transport. This condition limits the number and heat generation rate of fuel assembles that can transported. The current work shows the support basket wall temperatures in the periphery of the package are highly non-uniform. Moreover the thermal resistance of those regions significantly affects the maximum fuel clad temperature near the package center. This brings the validity of the fuel/backfill gas thermal conductivity models into question. The non-uniform basket wall temperature profiles quantified in this work will be used in future numerical and experimental studies to develop new thermal models of the fuel assembly/backfill gas regions. This will be an iterative process, since the assembly/backfill model affects the predicted basket wall temperature profiles.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
ROBUST EXECUTION OF AGGRESSIVE MANEUVERS FOR PLANETARY ROBOTICS

This paper considers the control of planetary rovers that use mobility strategies incorporating aggressive maneuvers such as jumping or hopping. Aggressive maneuvers are difficult to execute since they involve very precise discrete changes in the set of continuous dynamics governing the system. Robustness to noise in the time of initiation of these changes is an appropri- ate design criterion for control synthesis, which for a linear system can be formulated as a quasicon- cave optimization problem and efficiently solved. This paper extends this synthesis method to a representative nonlinear system, the "climbing robot," and demonstrates the effectiveness of the resulting controller.
Cotton management in a compacted subsurface microirrigated coastal plain soil of the southeastern US

A loamy sand Acrisol (Aquic Hapludult) that had been microirrigated for 6 years became so severely compacted that it had root limiting values of soil cone index in the Ap horizon and a genetic hardpan below it. Deep and surface tillage systems were evaluated for their ability to alleviate compaction. Deep tillage included subsoiling or none. Both deep tillage treatments were also surface tilled by disking, chiseling, or not tilling. Subsoiling was located in row or between rows to avoid microirrigation tubes (laterals) that were buried under every other mid row or every row. Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) was planted in 0.96-m wide rows. Cotton yield was improved by irrigation from 485 to 1022 kg ha � 1 because both 2001 and 2002 were dry years. Tillage loosened the soil by an average of 0.5–1.3 MPa; but compacted zones remained outside tilled areas. Subsoiling improved yield by 131 kg ha � 1 when performed in row where laterals were placed in the mid rows; but subsoiling did not improve yield when it was performed in mid rows. For subsurface irrigation management in these soils, the treatment with laterals buried under every other mid row was able to accommodate in-row subsoiling which improved yield; and this treatment was just as productive as and had been shown to be less expensive to install than burying laterals under every row. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Primary central nervous system lymphoma.

Primary central nervous system lymphoma is a stage 1E non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma confined to the nervous system. It is seen in immunocompetent and immunodeficient populations, the latter group associated with the Epstein-Barr virus. Primary central nervous system lymphoma can affect the brain, leptomeninges, spinal cord or eyes. The institution of high-dose methotrexate-based regimens and whole-brain radiation therapy has significantly increased survival, but neurotoxicity is high in patients over 60 years of age. Despite these advances, 50% of patients initially treated will relapse. Recent investigations include the use of rituximab (immunotherapy) and stem-cell transplantation, as well as regimens without whole-brain radiation therapy in the elderly. The optimal treatment regimen is yet to been determined.
Design Principles for Prototype and Production Magnetic Measurements of Superconducting Magnets

The magnetic field strength and shape for SSC superconducting magnets will determine critical properties of the accelerator systems. This paper will enumerate the relations between magnetic field properties and magnet material selection and assembly techniques. Magnitudes of various field errors will be explored along with operating parameters which can affect them. Magnetic field quality requirements will be compared to available measuring techniques and the relation between magnetic field measurements and other quality control efforts will be discussed. This will provide a framework for designing a complete magnet measurement plan for the SSC project.
Targeted gene therapy for breast cancer with truncated Bid

We studied the efficiency of the proapoptotic factor tBid, targeted to tumor cells using the promoters of the hTERT, Survivin and Muc1 genes, in killing breast cancer cells. tBid is the active fragment of the proapoptotic protein Bid and is generated in response to death receptor activation. When placed under control of a strong CMV promoter, tBid was highly efficient in killing breast cancer cells. When expression of tBid was driven by tumor-specific promoters, the magnitude of killing was significant in cell lines with high levels of promoter activity. For successful gene therapy with targeted tBid, it is therefore crucial to be able to predict promoter activity prior to selection of the therapeutic construct. To test whether gene expression could serve as a predictor, we correlated expression of Survivin, hTERT and Muc1 genes with the activity of the corresponding promoters in a panel of breast cancer cell lines. Expression of the Muc1 gene correlated well with the activity of its promoter and the resultant tumor cell killing. For the hTERT and Survivin promoters, however, promoter activity did not correlate well with the expression of the corresponding genes. The implications and possible mechanism of these discrepancies are discussed.
Inhibition of lipid synthesis in isolated rat hepatocytes by serum lipoproteins

The incorporation of labeled acetate into lipids was studied in rat hepatocytes isolated after treatment of liver with collagenase and hyaluronidase. About 60% of the lipid radioactivity was in free cholesterol and 13% was in triglycerides. Acetate incorporation was markedly inhibited when human serum lipoproteins were present in the incubation medium. Very low, high, and low density lipoproteins, at concentrations of 1.0 mg/ml, inhibited acetate incorporation by 70, 55, and 35%, respectively. Chylomicrons, at similar concentrations, did not inhibit acetate incorporation. The distribution of radioactivity into lipid classes was unchanged by the addition of lipoproteins. Lipoproteins did not produce a nonspecific toxic effect on hepatocytes, since their addition did not alter the rate of leucine incorporation into protein. The addition of the delipidated protein from low density lipoprotein or of lecithin in amounts comparable to those present in inhibitory concentrations of lipoproteins failed to diminish acetate incorporation. Artificial cholesterol-lecithin emulsions containing small amounts of free cholesterol did not inhibit lipid synthesis. Although the mechanism for the inhibition of acetate incorporation by lipoproteins is unclear, such effects may play some physiological role in the control of lipid biosynthesis in the liver.
An implementation model for six sigma programs

Despite the pervasiveness of Six Sigma programs, there is a rising concern regarding implementation failures. One reason many of these implementations fail is because rigorous research is lacking on how to effectively guide implementation. Using a successful Six Sigma program in a network technology company as a case study, this research develops a six-step implementation model. The first step is to perform market-driven strategic analysis. The second is to establish a cross-functional team to drive the initiative. The third step is to identify overall improvement tools. The fourth is to perform process mapping and prioritize improvement opportunities. The fifth step is to develop a detailed plan for low-level improvement teams, and the final step is to implement, document, and revise as needed. We identify key managerial implications of our implementation experience and provide several directions for future research.
A Planning-Based Approach for the Automated Configuration of the Enterprise Service Bus

The Enterprise Service Bus facilitates communication between service requesters and service providers. It supports the deployment of "message flows" from a service requester to one or more service providers. These message flows incorporate different functions such as routing, transformation, mediation, security and logging. In this paper, we propose an AI Planning-based approach for the automated construction of message flows between requesters and providers based on high-level goals specified by the enterprise architect or administrator. This automated construction of flows can be used either in the design phase where a developer or architect is designing the message flows, or it can be used during runtime for the automated reconfiguration or adaptation of the flows in response to changed requirements. The planning model is based on tags, where goals, components, and links in the message flow are described using sets of tags. We describe the planning model and a case study that demonstrates the power of our approach in constructing flows in response to high-level requirements.
Cerebral Angiography: Not Yet ready to Join the Dinosaurs

> The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated. > > Mark Twain (channeling his inner angiographer …) I read with great interest the article “Diagnostic Yield of Catheter Angiography in Patients with Subarachnoid Hemorrhage and Negative Initial Noninvasive Neurovascular Examinations
Cerebral arterial aneurysm formation and rupture in 20,767 elderly patients: hypertension and other risk factors

Cerebral arterial aneurysms are common in the general population and their rupture is a catastrophic event. Considerable uncertainty remains concerning the conditions that predispose individuals to aneurysm formation or rupture. The role of systemic hypertension in aneurysm formation and rupture has been especially controversial. Demographic variables have rarely been addressed because of the small sample sizes in previous studies. The authors describe the demographics and prevalence of hypertension in 20,767 Medicare patients with an unruptured aneurysm and compared these to a random sample of the hospitalized Medicare population. The prevalence of hypertension in patients with unruptured aneurysms was 43.2% compared with 34.4% in the random sample. Patients who survived their initial hospitalization were separated into two groups: those with an unruptured cerebral aneurysm as the primary diagnosis and those with an unruptured cerebral aneurysm as a secondary diagnosis. Follow-up data for 18,119 patients were examined to determine the risk of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) associated with age, gender, race, hypertension, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and surgical treatment. For patients with an unruptured cerebral aneurysm as the primary diagnosis, hypertension was found to be a significant risk factor for future SAH (risk ratio: 1.46, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01-2.11), whereas surgical treatment (risk ratio: 0.29, 95% CI: 0.09-0.97) had a significant protective effect. Advancing age had a small but significant protective effect in both groups. Elderly patients identified with unruptured aneurysms are more likely to have coexisting hypertension than the general hospitalized population. In elderly patients hospitalized with an unruptured cerebral aneurysm as their primary diagnosis, hypertension is a risk factor for subsequent SAH, whereas surgical treatment is a protective factor against SAH.
Quasi-static simulation of mitral valve edge to edge repair

Edge-to-edge repair (ETER) technique alters mitral valve inflow in the diastolic phase and thus the stress distribution on each leaflet, especially the area near sutured edges. In the present study, we performed finite element simulations of ETER mitral valve during the diastolic phase under different pressures. We conducted planar biaxial mechanical testing to obtain the material properties of native mitral leaflets. The test data were characterized by the Fungelastic model. Fung-elastic model with material parameters from experiments was implemented into FE models of ETER mitral valve to study leaflet deformation. The simulation results indicate the high stress regions occurred in the areas near sutured edges and the vicinity of commissures.
Active traffic management on road networks: a macroscopic approach

Active traffic management (ATM) is the ability to dynamically manage recurrent and non-recurrent congestion based on prevailing traffic conditions in order to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of road networks. It is a continuous process of (i) obtaining and analysing traffic measurement data, (ii) operations planning, i.e. simulating various scenarios and control strategies, (iii) implementing the most promising control strategies in the field, and (iv) maintaining a real-time decision support system that filters current traffic measurements to predict the traffic state in the near future, and to suggest the best available control strategy for the predicted situation. ATM relies on a fast and trusted traffic simulator for the rapid quantitative assessment of a large number of control strategies for the road network under various scenarios, in a matter of minutes. The open-source macrosimulation tool Aurora ROAD NETWORK MODELER is a good candidate for this purpose. The paper describes the underlying dynamical traffic model and what it takes to prepare the model for simulation; covers the traffic performance measures and evaluation of scenarios as part of operations planning; introduces the framework within which the control strategies are modelled and evaluated; and presents the algorithm for real-time traffic state estimation and short-term prediction.
Factor Structure and Longitudinal Invariance of the Maslach Burnout Inventory

Objective: The study examined the factorial validity of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) for social work research and practice. Method: Factor structure and longitudinal invariance of the MBI we...
Ball grid array (BGA) packages with the copper core solder balls

A viscoplastic constitutive model and the strain energy density were used to analyze the thermally induced plastic and creep deformation and low cycle fatigue behavior of the solder joints in Multilayer Laminate Ball Grid Array (MLBGA) packages mounted on Printed Circuit Boards (PCB). The time-dependent and time-independent viscoplastic strain rate and plastic hardening work factors of solder material were introduced to 2-D plane strain finite element models. The viscoplastic strain rate data was fitted to the viscoplastic flow equation. The plastic hardening factors were considered in the evolution equation. Finite element models, incorporating the viscoplastic flow and evolution equations, were verified by temperature cycling tests on assembled MLBGA packages. The Ohm resistance data from the experiments was used to characterize thermal fatigue life. After satisfactory correlation between the Ohm resistance data and the strain energy density was observed, the effect of the copper core size on the response of the viscoplastic deformation was studied. Furthermore, the effects of package design variables and the temperature cyclic frequencies on the fatigue life of solder joints in MLBGA packages was investigated and the primary factors affecting solder fatigue life were subsequently presented.
DNA Vaccines for Influenza Virus: Differential Effects of Maternal Antibody on Immune Responses to Hemagglutinin and Nucleoprotein

Neonates are deficient in several components of inflammatory, innate, and specific immune responses. The presence of high-titer maternal antibody in newborns is the major form of protection from disease in early life. Maternal immunoglobulin G (IgG) crosses the placenta from mother to fetus during development (12) and typically exceeds titers of the same antibody in the mother. This passive antibody slowly declines over the first year of life, a period during which the infant's immune system matures, becomes more experienced, and develops its own repertoire of protective memory immune responses. However, maternal antibody can also interfere with active immunization of the offspring (1). Immunization protocols are often delayed several months and/or require multiple booster immunizations to achieve the desired protective immune response. Thus, a window of time exists when maternal antibody levels are too low to reliably protect an infant from infectious disease but are high enough to prevent responses to vaccines. DNA vaccination is an attractive method for immunization in the presence of maternal antibody. Maternal antibody is thought to interfere with traditional vaccine efficacy by reducing the amount of antigen available for processing and presentation by antigen-presenting cells. The ability of DNA vaccines to directly transfect cells bypasses this problem. The maternal antibody will not inhibit the DNA vaccine itself because antigen is not available until de novo synthesis occurs. Both DNA and subsequent antigen expression persists for several weeks (4, 6). Thus, DNA-raised immune responses could occur as maternal antibody titers wane. Some groups have reported success following neonatal DNA immunization in the presence of maternal antibody (14), while others have failed (11, 15, 21, 25). We have previously shown that intramuscular (i.m.) and gene gun (g.g.) immunization of mice as neonates or adults with an influenza hemagglutinin (HA)-expressing DNA generates long-lasting protective IgG responses (18). In this study, we address the ability of DNAs expressing HA and nucleoprotein (NP) to generate humoral and cellular responses in the presence of maternal antibody. Our results show an inhibition of DNA-raised antibody responses to HA that correlates with the amount of maternal antibody present at the time of immunization. However, the presence of maternal antibody did not affect the generation of antibody to NP or the generation of long-lived cellular immune responses to HA or NP.
Constituting forest communities in the hills of Nepal

Community forests in Nepal are organized by government foresters, who enroll local forest resource users into Community Forest User Groups (CFUG). These identified users become the 'community' in community forestry. Because these users are defined by their relationship to forest resources, they appear to escape some of the problems associated with myths about community. However, government officials and foreign donors frequently 'black-box' CFUG communities, ascribing them a false homogeneity. In fact, the government's user group formation process reflects and exacerbates existing divisions within communities, leading to user group domination by local elites. The resulting power disparities have apparently mixed effects, limiting the potential for poverty alleviation but allowing, perhaps even enabling, forest conservation.
Enabling energy-efficient approaches to thermal comfort using room air motion

Moving air cools human body. In warm environments, fans can provide comfort using less energy than air-conditioning. The savings in HVAC energy is substantial, and greater if fans enable buildings to be successfully conditioned by natural ventilation or evaporative cooling systems, instead of chillers. Although there are many laboratory studies for desk fans and personalized fans, the tests for ceiling fans are rare, mainly from early studies in 1980s. The purpose of this study is to examine cooling effect of an integrated low-wattage ceiling fan on people in warm environments when air comes from different directions with different speeds. We conducted 96 human subject tests in an environmental chamber. Sixteen college students each experienced 6 air movement conditions: two different air speeds and three different air directions from the fan toward the subject-from front, side, or right above the head. The difference in thermal comfort and thermal sensation generated by fixed and oscillating fans was also investigated. The temperature and humidity conditions for the tests were 28 °C and 50% RH. The two air velocities were selected based on previous experiments conducted with human subjects in our environmental chamber. The two hour test schedule included two five minute breaks when subjects were asked to be away from the fans, simulating conditions in real offices when people are away from fans. Subjective responses about thermal sensation, comfort, temperature satisfaction, perceived air quality, and preferred air movement were obtained periodically during the test, including the break periods. The results show that the ceiling fan is capable of providing thermal comfort under the tested warm condition.
Petroleum Refining Processes

Before beginning our study of pure organic chemicals, we need to obtain some background into the chemistry of petroleum, since it is from this source that nearly all the major organic chemicals are derived. Table 7.1 lists the seven important organic chemicals, all of which are obtained by petroleum refining processes: ethylene, propylene, the butylenes, benzene, toluene, xylene, and methane. From these are made all 31 highest volume organic chemicals (some have more than one source and are listed twice). It seems appropriate that we study petroleum and its major refining processes in detail before discussing these chemicals.
Conversion of fatty aldehyde dimethyl acetals to the corresponding alk-1-enyl methyl ethers (substituted vinyl ethers) during gas-liquid chromatography

The behavior of palmitaldehyde and linolealdehyde and of their dimethyl acetals during gas-liquid chromatography on beta-cyclodextrin acetate (beta-CDX acetate) and ethylene glycol succinate polyester-phosphoric acid (EGSP) columns was studied. The aldehydes were well separated from their dimethyl acetals on the beta-CDX acetate column. However, on the EGSP column the retention times of palmitaldehyde and its dimethyl acetal were identical; a mixture of linolealdehyde and its dimethyl acetal gave a split peak. The aldehydes were recovered unchanged in 80-85% yield by preparative GLC from both columns, but the dimethyl acetals were quantitatively converted to the corresponding alk-1-enyl methyl ethers. The structure of these compounds was elucidated by infrared spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and chemical means. Upon hydrolysis at low temperatures with 100% H(2)SO(4) they yielded the corresponding aldehydes, which were identified as 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazones.