cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Study of Pd–Ag dental alloys: examination of effect of casting porosity on fatigue behavior and microstructural analysis

The goals of this study were to investigate the fatigue limits of two Pd–Ag alloys (Ivoclar Vivadent) with differing mechanical properties and varying proportions of secondary alloying elements, examine the effect of casting porosity on fatigue behavior, and determine the effect of casting size on microstructures and Vickers hardness. The alloys selected were: IPS d.SIGN 59 (59.2Pd–27.9Ag–8.2Sn–2.7In–1.3Zn); and IS 64 (59.9Pd–26.0Ag–7.0Sn–2.8Au–1.8 Ga–1.5In–1.0Pt). Tension test bars, heat-treated to simulate dental porcelain application, were subjected to cyclic loading at 10 Hz, with R-ratio of −1 for amplitudes of compressive and tensile stress. Two replicate specimens were tested at each stress amplitude. Fracture surfaces were examined with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Sectioned fatigue specimens and additional cast specimens simulating copings for a maxillary central incisor restoration were also examined with the SEM, and Vickers hardness was measured using 1 kg load. Casting porosity was evaluated in sectioned fatigue fracture specimens, using an image analysis program. The fatigue limit (2 × 106 loading cycles) of IS 64 was approximately 0.20 of its 0.2% yield strength, while the fatigue limit of d.SIGN 59 was approximately 0.25 of its 0.2% yield strength. These relatively low ratios of fatigue limit to 0.2% yield strength are similar to those found previously for high-palladium dental alloys, and are attributed to their complex microstructures and casting porosity. Complex fatigue fracture surfaces with striations were observed for both alloys. Substantial further decrease in the number of cycles for fatigue failure only occurred when the pore size and volume percentage became excessive. While the heat-treated alloys had equiaxed grains with precipitates, the microstructural homogenization resulting from simulated porcelain firing differed considerably for the coping and fatigue test specimens; the latter specimens had significantly higher values of Vickers hardness.
Enhancement of thermal interface materials with carbon nanotube arrays

Abstract This paper describes an experimental study of thermal contact conductance enhancement enabled by carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays synthesized directly on silicon wafers using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Testing based on the one-dimensional reference bar method occurred in a high-vacuum environment with radiation shielding, and temperature measurements were made with an infrared camera. Results from other thermal interface materials are presented, as well as combinations of these materials with CNT arrays. Dry CNT arrays produce a minimum thermal interface resistance of 19.8 mm2 K/W, while the combination of a CNT array and a phase change material produces a minimum resistance of 5.2 mm2 K/W.
Automated 3D Structure Inference of Civil Infrastructure Using a Stereo Camera Set

The commercial far-range (>10m) infrastructure spatial data collection methods are not completely automated. They need significant amount of manual post-processing work and in some cases, the equipment costs are significant. This paper presents a method that is the first step of a stereo videogrammetric framework and holds the promise to address these issues. Under this method, video streams are initially collected from a calibrated set of two video cameras. For each pair of simultaneous video frames, visual feature points are detected and their spatial coordinates are then computed. The result, in the form of a sparse 3D point cloud, is the basis for the next steps in the framework (i.e., camera motion estimation and dense 3D reconstruction). A set of data, collected from an ongoing infrastructure project, is used to show the merits of the method. Comparison with existing tools is also shown, to indicate the performance differences of the proposed method in the level of automation and the accuracy of results.
Electron-Phonon Non-Equilibrium in Nanoscale Gold Films

Ultrashort-pulsed laser irradiation on metals creates a thermal non-equilibrium between electrons and the phonons. Previous computational studies used the two-temperature model and its variants to model this non-equilibrium. However, when the laser pulse duration is smaller than the relaxation time of the energy carriers or when the carriers mean free path is larger than the material dimension, these macroscopic models fail to capture the physics accurately. In this paper, the non-equilibrium between energy carriers is modeled via numerical solution of the Boltzmann Transport Model (BTM) for electrons and phonons which is applicable over a wide range of length and time scales. The BTM is solved using the Discontinuous Galerkin Finite Element Method for spatial discretization and the three-step Runge Kutta temporal discretization. Temperature dependant electron-phonon coupling factor and electron heat capacity are used due to the strong electron-phonon non-equilibrium considered in this study. The results from the proposed model is compared with existing experimental studies on laser heating of macroscale materials. The model is then used to study laser heating of gold films, by varying parameters such as the film thickness, laser fluence and pulse duration. It is found that the temporal evolution of electron and phonon temperatures in nanometer size gold films are very different from the macroscale films. For a given laser fluence and pulse duration, the peak electron temperature increases with a decrease in the thickness of the gold film. Both film size as well as laser fluence significantly affect the melting time. For a fluence of 5000 J/m2 , and a pulse duration of 75 fs, gold films of thickness smaller than 200 nm melt before reaching electron-phonon equilibrium. However, for the film thickness of 2000 nm, even with the highest laser fluence examined, the electrons and phonons reach equilibrium and the gold film does not melt.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Nonpolar second‐order nonlinear and electrooptic materials: Axially ordered chiral polymers and liquid crystals

This article reviews our work on the development and optimization of chiral, nonpolar media with large second-order nonlinear optical responses. We show how molecular engineering, theory, and measurements can be used to optimize this promising class of nonlinear optical materials. We describe how supramolecular alignment into easily processable materials takes advantage of the relevant molecular hyperpolarizabilities. A wide variety of techniques can be used to fabricate bulk materials belonging to the chiral nonpolar symmetry groups, D and D 2 . The microscopic chromophore alignment schemes that optimize the nonlinear optical response in such materials are deduced from general symmetry considerations for both molecules and bulk. We also speculate on the possible applications of such materials as image-plane modulators.
Sipuleucel-T in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: An insight for oncologists

Sipuleucel-T represents a novel immunotherapeutic compound designed to stimulate an immune response against castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Sipuleucel-T is an autologous active cellular immunotherapy product, which includes autologous dendritic cells pulsed ex vivo with PAP2024, a recombinant fusion protein made of prostatic acid phosphatase and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. Despite the lack of prostate-specific antigen and objective response, a recent phase III randomized trial demonstrated a significant improvement in overall survival in asymptomatic and minimally symptomatic CRPC patients. This review summarizes the clinical development of Sipuleucel-T in CRPC that led to the regulatory approval of this compound in the USA.
Deconstructing Neoliberal Community Development Approaches and a Case for the Solidarity Economy

The solidarity economy movement is a burgeoning global justice movement that focuses on economic justice, sustainability, and democratic processes. Social workers care about alleviating poverty, but they generally adhere to neoliberal strategies and ignore transformative approaches to economic justice such as solidarity economics. Recent neoliberal community-development efforts center on approaches such as asset development, human capital building, and social capital enhancement. Solidarity economy seeks to boost economic and social development that promotes shared ownership, sustainable production/consumption, and fair distribution. In this article, we launch a critique of current approaches to community development and argue for a solidarity economy approach.
Preconditioning Legendre Spectral Collocation Methods for Elliptic Problems I: Finite Difference Operators

In 1979 Orszag and Morchoisne independently proposed a finite-difference preconditioning of the Chebyshev collocation discretization of the Poisson equation. Over the years there has been intensive research, both experimental and theoretical, on the finite-difference and finite element preconditioning of both Chebyshev and Legendre spectral collocation methods for this problem. In this work we present results on a frequently employed variant of finite element preconditioning of Legendre spectral collocation methods for the Helmholtz equation with Dirichlet boundary conditions. We show that there exist two positive constants $0 0 $$ and $$ |(W_{n,m} A_{n,m} U,U)_{\ell_2} / (W_{n,m} M^{-1}_{n,m} S_{n,m} U,U)_{\ell_2} | \leq \Lambda_1, $$ where $W_{n,m} = {\rm diagonal} (w_k \tilde w_j)$, the diagonal matrix of Legendre--Gauss--Lobatto (LGL) weights, and $A_{n,m}$ is the collocation matrix. $M_{n,m}$ is the mass matrix, and $S_{n,m}$ is the stiffness matrix of the finite element method. These estimates imply that the eigenvalues $\gamma_k$ of $S^{-1}_{n,m} M_{n,m} A_{n,m}$ satisfy $$ {\rm Re } \gamma_k \geq \Lambda_0 > 0, $$ $$ | \gamma_k | \leq \Lambda_1 . $$ These results depend on a thorough study of the ratio $2w_k / [ x_{k+1} - x_{k-1}]$, where $\{ x_k\}$ are LGL collocation points.
Urocanic acid in keratinizing tissue

Abstract The crystallization of urocanic acid from guinea-pig epidermis has been achieved. Infrared and ultraviolet absorption spectra of the crystallized compound and authentic urocanic acid were identical. Evidence has been secured that large amounts of this compound are present in the epidermis of humans, huinea-pigs and rats. By comparing chromatograms of tissue extracts it was shown that the concentration of urocanic acid decreases as epidermal cells keratinize.
Relational graph representation of color images for model-based matching using relational distance measurement

In this paper we present the relational graph description of natural color scenes for model- based matching using relational distance measurement. The uniformly colored object areas and the textured surfaces of natural scenes are extracted using color clustering and linear discriminant. The extracted object regions are refined in the spatial plane to eliminate the fine grain segmentation results. The refined segments are then represented using an adjacency relation graph. Scene model is formed by means of 3D to 2D constraints and adjacency relations. The relational-distance measure is used for matching the relational graphs of the input scene and the respective image. Experiments are conducted on imperfect color images of outdoor scenes involving complex shaped objects and irregular textures. The algorithm has produced relatively simple relational graph representation of the input scenes and accurate relational-distance-based matching results.
Distance education alumni: how far have they gone?

SUMMARY This evaluation compared 34 distance education (DE) and 38 on-campus alumni regarding employment-related outcomes; professional activities; satisfaction with MSW program components; and development of knowledge, skills, and values. Findings showed equivalent outcomes in most respects. DE alumni were generally positive about the extent to which the program enabled them to develop professionally.
Three-dimensional orientation tuning in macaque area V4.

Tuning for the orientation of elongated, linear image elements (edges, bars, gratings), first discovered by Hubel and Wiesel, is considered a key feature of visual processing in the brain. It has been studied extensively in two dimensions (2D) using frontoparallel stimuli, but in real life most lines, edges and contours are slanted with respect to the viewer. Here we report that neurons in macaque area V4, an intermediate stage in the ventral (object-related) pathway of visual cortex, were tuned for 3D orientation—that is, for specific slants as well as for 2D orientation. The tuning for 3D orientation was consistent across depth position (binocular disparity) and position within the 2D classical receptive field. The existence of 3D orientation signals in the ventral pathway suggests that the brain may use such information to interpret 3D shape.
Improved Method for the Detection and Quantification of Naegleria fowleri in Water and Sediment Using Immunomagnetic Separation and Real-Time PCR

Primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is a rare and typically fatal infection caused by the thermophilic free-living ameba, Naegleria fowleri. In 2010, the first confirmed case of PAM acquired in Minnesota highlighted the need for improved detection and quantification methods in order to study the changing ecology of N. fowleri and to evaluate potential risk factors for increased exposure. An immunomagnetic separation (IMS) procedure and real-time PCR TaqMan assay were developed to recover and quantify N. fowleri in water and sediment samples. When one liter of lake water was seeded with N. fowleri strain CDC:V212, the method had an average recovery of 46% and detection limit of 14 amebas per liter of water. The method was then applied to sediment and water samples with unknown N. fowleri concentrations, resulting in positive direct detections by real-time PCR in 3 out of 16 samples and confirmation of N. fowleri culture in 6 of 16 samples. This study has resulted in a new method for detection and quantification of N. fowleri in water and sediment that should be a useful tool to facilitate studies of the physical, chemical, and biological factors associated with the presence and dynamics of N. fowleri in environmental systems.
CD14- and toll-like receptor 4-dependent regulation of c-Fos, c-Jun and c-Jun phosphorylation in the adrenal gland after burn injury

Abstract Introduction: Although the pathophysiology of the adrenocortical response after injury has been described, alterations in the molecular profile (e.g., transcription factors) of the adrenal gland itself are not well understood. The regulation of c-Fos, c-Jun, and c-Jun phosphorylation in the adrenal gland after burn injury was investigated in this study. In addition, since burn injury is often associated with the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated sepsis, we examined the involvement of the LPS signaling pathway in the regulation of these transcription factors utilizing CD14 knockout and toll-like receptor 4 mutant mice. Methods: CD14 knockout, toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) mutant, and their respective wild type mice were subjected to 18% total surface area burn. Their adrenal glands were harvested and analyzed for c-Jun and c-Fos mRNA and protein expression using RT-PCR and Western blot methods. Results: There was a rapid induction of c-Jun and c-Fos expression (mRNA and protein), as well as c-Jun serine phosphorylation. The induction of c-Jun and its phosphorylation after injury was greater in CD14 knockout and TLR4 mutant mice compared to their respective wild types. A similar pattern was observed in the c-Fos response. Conclusions: These data suggest that c-Fos and c-Jun are activated in the adrenal gland in response to burn injury. In addition, a LPS-mediated signaling pathway may inhibit the induction of these transcription factors after injury.
Large scale arbitrary search with rendezvous search systems

As distributed systems are getting larger and more complex, search facilities for finding data and services within the system become crucial. Users expect search engines to deal with complex query languages like keyword search, SQL, or XPath. At the same time, application developers cannot be expected to come up with distributed versions of those query languages from scratch. Rendezvous search systems are a scalable solution to this problem. By separating the query processing from the network communication, existing libraries for query processing can be easily reused. Rendezvous search systems have been successfully deployed in data center environments like the Google web search engine and are a popular research area for arbitrary search in peer-to-peer environments. Due to the decentralized nature of peer-to-peer systems, a high degree of self-organization and self-optimization can be found in such solutions.
Maximal induction of p69 2′, 5′-oligoadenylate synthetase in Daudi cells requires cooperation between an ISRE and two IRF-1-like elements

Abstract The human 2′, 5′-oligoadenylate (2–5A) synthetases are members of a family interferon (IFN)-inducible anti-viral proteins. Three size classes of these enzymes: small (p40, p46), intermediate (p69, p71) and large (p100), are encoded by three genes that exhibit differential constitutive and IFN-inducible expression. Since the 5′-regulatory region of the 69 kDa isoform contains multiple putative control elements, deletion analysis and site directed mutagenesis were done to identify key regulatory motifs. The region located between bp −972 and −452 from the translational start site contains elements that slightly repress constitutive and IFN-inducible transcription. The region from bp −366 to −117 contains two positive regulatory elements that differ slightly from consensus IFN-regulated factor 1 (IRF-1) binding sites. In mobility shift assays, the proximal IRF-1 site weakly binds a novel factor found in both control and IFN-treated cells. The region from bp −117 to −10 contains a functional interferon stimulated response element (ISRE) that contributes to constitutive expression and confers IFN-inducibility on a heterologous promoter. The ISRE specifically binds an IFN-inducible factor that contains signal transducer activator of transcription (STAT) 1α. The ISRE and the two IRF-1-like sites cooperatively interact to control transcription. These three elements are sufficient for constitutive and IFN-inducible expression, since expression from reporter constructs containing mutations in all three elements is low in both control and IFN-treated cells.
Abstract IA05: Integrative approaches for understanding the functional relevance of cancer susceptibility loci.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified hundreds of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that confer susceptibility to a variety of cancers. However, as with the vast majority of common genetic variants, the functional rationale underlying cancer risk is largely unknown. In addition, other variants, which failed to reach genome-wide significance, remain undiscovered. Understanding the functional rationale underlying the cancer susceptibility loci is complex, requiring an integrated approach that combines epidemiology, biostatistics, next generation genomics, and cell biology. In this presentation, I will discuss a variety of integrative statistical and bioinformatics approaches being applied to determine the functional relevance of confirmed loci and approaches to discover additional risk loci. Citation Format: Brooke L. Fridley. Integrative approaches for understanding the functional relevance of cancer susceptibility loci. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Post-GWAS Horizons in Molecular Epidemiology: Digging Deeper into the Environment; 2012 Nov 11-14; Hollywood, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2012;21(11 Suppl):Abstract nr IA05.
Fractionation and Characterization of Dent Corn and Amylomaize Starch Granules

Starch granules of dent corn and Classes V and VII amylomaizes were fractionated according to size by an aqueous differential sedimentation procedure. The sized fractions were characterized by microscopy and by a modified method for determining their iodine binding capacities. Results show an inverse relationship between granule size and iodine binding capacity in the amylomaizes. Ordinary dent corn does not show this. The percent apparent amylose in the fractions of amylomaize V starch amounted to 40% for the largest size particles and 52% for the smallest ones; for amylomaize VII starch, 46% for the large particles and 70% for the small particles. Dent corn averaged 23% apparent amylose.
Mu and delta opioid receptor regulation of pro-opiomelanocortin peptide secretion from the rat neurointermediate pituitary in vitro.

We investigated the ability of selective opioid agonists and antagonists to influence pro-opiomelanocortin peptide secretion from the rat neurointermediate lobe in vitro. The mu-opioid agonist DAMGO ([D-Ala(2), N-Me-Phe(4), Gly(5)-ol]enkephalin) significantly stimulated beta-endorphin and alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone release relative to controls early (30 min) in the incubation period. Similar effects on beta-endorphin secretion were observed with the selective mu-opioid agonist dermorphin. The delta-opioid receptor agonist DPDPE ([D-Pen(2,5)]enkephalin) weakly inhibited beta-endorphin secretion relative to controls while the kappa-opioid receptor agonist U50488 had no effect. The mu-opioid selective antagonist CTOP (D-Phe-Cys-Tyr-D-Trp-Orn-Thr-Pen-Thr-NH(2)) inhibited basal beta-endorphin secretion while kappa- and delta-opioid receptor antagonists had no effect. Our data support a role for local mu-opioid receptor control of intermediate lobe pro-opiomelanocortin peptide secretion. Peptide secretion from melanotropes appears to be tonically stimulated by activation of mu-opioid receptors in the absence of intact neuronal innervation to the intermediate lobe.
Management of the HIV-positive child with fever

The HIV-infected child with fever presents a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to the clinician. Although fever may be the harbinger of a life-threatening infection, many episodes of fever ultimately prove to be unexplainable or trivial events. The optimal management of the febrile HIV-positive child is unknown, but multiple factors should be considered. Good clinical judgment and familiarity with the patient's past history and current problems are essential. Evaluation ideally should be performed by the patient's regular primary care provider; when this is not feasible, consultation by telephone with the primary care giver is recommended. Several concepts are relevant to managing fever in an HIV-positive child. The clinician should be aware that HIV-infected children may develop a humoral immunodeficiency 1-3 that not only can cause impaired antibody responses to immunization 4 but also may result in life-threatening and sometimes recurrent bacterial infections, such as sepsis, meningitis, pneumonia, and abscesses of internal organs, as well as recurrent urinary tract infections. In addition to the typical bacterial pathogens of childhood, such as Haemophilus influenzae type b and Streptococcus pneumonia, some HIV-infected children are predisposed to infection with gram-negative enteric bacteria, such as Salmonella, Escherichia coli, and Enterobacter. 6, 7 Children infected with HIV may, less commonly, have marked cellular immunodeficiency that predisposes them to opportunistic infections. 8"1~ Infections in HIV-infected adults, such as cryptococcosis and toxoplasmosis, are believed to be due usually to activation of a latent infection acquired asymptomatieally early in life. 11 Cryptococcosis and toxoplasmosis occasionally have been reported in HIVinfected children but, when present, may represent primary de novo infections.ll A high percentage of HIV-infected intravenous drug-using adults have tuberculosis, 12 and rates of tuberculosis are on the rise in inner-city populations, 13 but surprisingly few children with HIV and tuberculosis have been reported. The explanation for this is unknown, but may be related to underdiagnosis. Children infected with HIV do get normal childhood infections, and often tolerate them without difficulty. Further, some HIV-infected children have fever frequently (daily O r several times per week) without an obvious underlying infection other than HIV. It is important to be aware that multiple infections may coexist concurrently in the HIV-infected child. Overall, constant vigilance is required to diagnose new and potentially treatable infections, particularly in chronically ill HIV-infected children.
Electrocatalytic effects induced by the simultaneous underpotential deposition of two different metals

On montre que dans le cas d'electrodes en monocristaux d'argent (111), la presence simultanee de cadmium et de thallium dans des solutions acides, entraine un deplacement du debut du degagement d'hydrogene, vers des potentiels plus positifs que dans le cas de monocristaux d'argent non recouverts, ce phenomene etant associe a un depot en sous-tension de Cd ou de Tl
Alternative splicing is required for RCT1-mediated disease resistance in Medicago truncatula

RCT1 is a TIR-NBS-LRR-type resistance (R) gene in Medicago truncatula that confers resistance to multiple races of Colletotrichum trifolii, a hemi-biotrophic fungal pathogen that causes anthracnose disease in Medicago and other closely related legumes. RCT1 undergoes alternative splicing at both coding and 3′-untranslated regions, thereby producing multiple transcript variants in its expression profile. Alternative splicing of RCT1 in the coding region results from the retention of intron 4. Because intron 4 lies downstream of the LRR-encoding exons and contains an in-frame stop codon, the alternative transcript is predicted to encode a truncated protein consisting of the entire portion of the TIR, NBS, and LRR domains but lacks the C-terminal domain of the full-length RCT1 protein encoded by the regular transcript. Here we provide evidence that the RCT1-mediated disease resistance requires the combined presence of the regular and alternative transcripts. Neither the regular nor the alternative RCT1 transcript alone is sufficient to confer resistance against the pathogen. This study, in addition to the reports on the tobacco N and Arabidopsis RPS4 genes, adds another significant example showing the involvement of alternative splicing in R gene-mediated plant immunity.
Reaction times to different spatial frequencies as a function of detectability

Simple reaction time to sine-wave gratings of 1, 4 and 10 c/deg was measured as a function of the detectability of the gratings. Reaction time increased with spatial frequency over a range of detectabilities. Assuming that equally detectable gratings produce equivalent levels of response in the visual system, this increase in reaction time reflects an increase in perceptual latency as spatial frequency is increased.
Tail-Bit Tracking circuit with degraded VGS bit-cell mimic array for a 50% search-time and 200mV Vmin improvement in a Ternary Content Addressable Memory

A memory sense-amplifier timing circuit emulates the behavior of weak memory tail-bits to improve Tail-Bit Tracking (TBT) across Process, Voltage and Temperature. The TBT circuit is used to generate timing for a search operation in a 32nm Ternary Content Addressable Memory (TCAM) compiler resulting in 200mV Vmin improvement at a constant performance, and 50% improved search-time performance at a constant Vmin. This TBT circuit was implemented in 32nm High-K Metal Gate SOI process to achieve 0.60V operation and support up to 1G search/sec throughput on a 2048×640bit TCAM instance.
On Weakly Positive Matrices

A matrix is said to be positive definite if it is hermitian and if all of its characteristic values are positive. It is well known,1 and easy to prove, that the necessary and sufficient condition for a matrix P to be positive definite is that its hermitian quadratic form (1) with any vector v ≠ 0 be positive.
Alva Ixtlilxochitl's Colonial Mexican Trickster Tale: Nezahualcoyotl and Tezcatlipoca in the Historia de la nación chichimeca

Tricksters have become anthropologists, but no anthropologist has ever understood a trickster. […] The only way an anthropologist can understand a trickster is to know that tricksters are never pos...
Metallic Spiral Three-Dimensional Photonic Crystal with a Full Band Gap at Optical Communication Wavelengths

The optical properties of a gold spiral photonic crystal (PC) were studied numerically and a full 3-D band gap at near infrared wavelengths was found. This band gap, ranging from 1.2 to 1.8 m in wavelength, covers all the second and third telecom windows used in optical fiber communications. Chiral and other optical properties were also discussed. There is a very high absorption at the band gap edge due to the retarded speed of light and an abnormal high transmission outside the band gap contributed by surface plasmon polaritons. Both right circular polarized (RCP) and left circular polarized (LCP) light are studied and great diversities were found in certain regions of the spectrum. These optical properties maintain within large incident angles.
A phase 1 study of fixed dose rate gemcitabine and irinotecan in patients with advanced pancreatic and biliary cancer

BACKGROUND. The combination of a fixed dose rate (FDR) infusion of gemcitabine and irinotecan may have a synergistic effect in the treatment of patients with advanced and metastatic pancreatic and biliary cancer. The current study was conducted to determine the dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) and the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of the combination. METHODS. There were 32 patients with metastatic pancreatic and advanced unresectable/metastatic biliary adenocarcinoma who were entered into this open-label, phase 1 dose escalation trial. Gemcitabine was administered at an FDR of 10 mg/m2/minute intravenously (iv). Irinotecan was administered iv over 60 minutes after gemcitabine. Both gemcitabine and irinotecan were given on Days 1 and 8 of a 21-day cycle. RESULTS. The MTD of the combination was gemcitabine at an FDR of 1200 mg/m2 and irinotecan at a dose of 100 mg/m2. The DLTs were neutropenia and neutropenic fever. Other DLTs included diarrhea, dehydration, and fatigue. Two patients developed deep venous thrombosis during the treatment. The efficacy of the combination was encouraging, even at the lower dose levels. Of 30 assessable patients, there was 1 complete response, 6 partial responses, and 16 patients with stable disease, with a response rate of 23%, a disease control rate of 76%, a median progression-free survival of 4.7 months, and a median overall survival of 7.0 months. The average number of treatment cycles received was 11. CONCLUSIONS. The recommended doses of the combination for future study are gemcitabine at an FDR of 1200mg/m2 and irinotecan at a dose of 100 mg/m2. The efficacy of the combination is encouraging. Further assessment of the combination with or without biologic agents is suggested. Cancer 2007. © 2007 American Cancer Society.
Characteristics of the Pathfinder APXS sites: Implications for the composition of Martian rocks and soils

An integrated study of spectral, elemental abundance, and image data from the Pathfinder alpha proton X-ray spectrometer (APXS) measurement sites has led to a better understanding of the nature of Martian surface materials. This rigorous analysis provides a new level of detail that forms the basis for the results reported here and that can be used by future scientists trying to understand rocks and soils on Mars. Each APXS site has been precisely located by analyzing stereo Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) and rover camera images to determine the position of the APXS during deployment. Rover and IMP images are used to assess local geology, namely, the presence of pebbles, clods, and aeolian features in soils and surface textures and dust concentrations on rocks. IMP spectra using the latest calibrations for radiance and reflectance are analyzed at a number of different illumination geometries for each APXS site. The three-dimensional orientation of the sites has been determined and then used to compute the true sunlight (incidence) and viewing (emission) angles. Where suitable photometric coverage is available, reflectances are fit to the Hapke-Irvine function. This is then used to adjust spectral reflectances to a normalized illumination geometry common to all rocks and soils. Comparing all the data sets shows a positive correlation among red/blue reflectance ratio, SO3 content, and dust abundance on rocks, indicating that rocks are coated with varying amounts of sulfur-rich, red dust. Other elements, such as silicon and iron, are poor tracers for dust because their abundances within soil are similar to those within rock. Rock APXS targets that are bluer, poorer in sulfur, and have minimal dust coverage face toward the northeast, the direction in which winds may be capable of efficiently removing loose material under current Martian conditions. The IMP spectral properties of the soils show poor correlations with APXS elemental abundances. On the basis of currently released APXS data, bulk soils at the Pathfinder landing site are richer in silica and sulfur than the Viking landing sites, suggesting a different composition. The APXS soils with the most apparent pebbles are the poorest in SiO2, indicating that either the pebbles are more mafic than the APXS rocks or the pebble-free soil component is inherently enriched in SiO2 compared to Viking soils. The mixture of materials at the APXS sites is a reflection of the overall complexity of Martian surface materials, a detailed understanding of which should drive the choice of future instruments and missions.
Spherically-Symmetric Supersonic Source Flow: A New Use for the Prandtl-Meyer Foundation

L is considerably less than 4 x 107, a significant Reynolds-number effect is expected on the basis of the Whitfield and Potter conclusions. High-Reynolds-number predictions1'3 for the M^ = 10.5 data are also included in Fig. 3. Reasons for the discrepancy between these two semiempirical predictions have been discussed by Cassanto and Men del son;11 hence, it suffices only to point out that both methods indicate a base pressure level considerably lower than what was in fact measured. The rather severe variation (~60%) in pb/pe seen for Ree L ^ 6.3 x 106 illustrates the Reynolds-number influence on a full-scale hypersonic flight vehicle. Conclusions The influence of Reynolds number on turbulent base pressure has been discussed relative to hypersonic re-entry. Flight data from slightly blunt slender cones, for which Ree L ^> 4 x 107 (Ree L « 2Re00tL), reveal no Reynolds-numb er effect, whereas an appreciable Reynolds-number dependence (~60% variation) is shown for a very blunt slender cone for which Ree L <^ 4 x 107 (Ree 0.1 . These hypersonic (M ^ « 15 and 10.5) results are consistent with the ground- test data of Whitfield and Potter for M ^ = 2-5 and support the conclusion that, unless Ree L is sufficiently large, Reynolds-number variations may strongly influence the turbulent base pressure of full-scale vehicles during re-entry.
VLab: collaborative Grid services and portals to support computational material science

SUMMARY We present the initial architecture and implementation of VLab, a Grid and Web-Service-based system for enabling distributed and collaborative computational chemistry and material science applications for the study of planetary materials. The requirements of VLab include job preparation and submission, job monitoring, data storage and analysis, and distributed collaboration. These components are divided into client entry (input file creation, visualization of data, task requests) and back-end services (storage, analysis, computation). Clients and services communicate through NaradaBrokering, a publish/subscribe Grid middleware system that identifies specific hardware information with topics rather than IP addresses. We describe three aspects of VLab in this paper: (1) managing user interfaces and input data with JavaBeans and Java Server Faces; (2) integrating Java Server Faces with the Java CoG Kit; and (3) designing a middleware framework that supports collaboration. To prototype our collaboration and visualization infrastructure, we have developed a service that transforms a scalar data set into its wavelet representation. General adaptors are placed between the endpoints and NaradaBrokering, which serve to isolate the clients/services from the middleware. This permits client and service development independently of potential changes to the middleware. Copyright c " 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Long-term socialisation goals and the construction of infants’ social networks among middle class Anglo and Puerto Rican mothers:

This study examined the relation between mothers’ long-term socialisation goals and the social networks they construct for their infants. Middle class Anglo (n = 32) and Puerto Rican (n = 28) mothe...
SPECT: Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography

Interest in single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) has been renewed as a result of the successful application of transmission (x-ray) CT to diagnostic radiology. Many aspects of SPECT are different from those encountered in transmission CT, and often are more difficult to overcome. Examples of two major aspects encountered are 1) the limitations on the available photon flux imposed mainly by dose considerations to the patient and, 2) the internal attenuation of gamma rays within the patient prior to detection. Progress has been made recently in overcoming the quantum limitation by designing SPECT systems using special collimation and large active detector areas. High efficiency systems have been designed and built using both multiple-scanners and also using multiple large-field-of-view scintillation cameras. Much progress has also been made in compensating for the problem of gamma ray attenuation using iterative and analytical approaches. This paper reviews the history of single photon emission tomography, characterizes the physical attributes of SPECT, describes some solutions to the inherent problems encountered, and also reviews a few selected approaches in designing SPECT systems to provide high quality, artifact-free reconstructed images. It is anticipated that future developments will allow SPECT systems to more nearly attain the ultimate goal of determining absolute regional radionuclide concentration as a function of time. These systems, coupled with newly developed physiological radiopharmaceuticals, can provide useful research and clinical information.
Social support and mortality among older persons with diabetes.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between social support and mortality among older persons with diabetes and the pathways by which social support affects diabetes survival. METHODS Using data from the Longitudinal Study of Aging cohort 2 baseline (1994) and follow-up (1997-1998 and 1999-2000 surveys), the authors identified 1431 persons aged >or=70 years with diabetes, among whom 387 deaths occurred. Social support was measured by an index with regard to participants' connection with relatives, friends, neighbors, social events, church, and senior centers. Regression analysis was used to find the pathway, and survival analysis was used to find the relationship between social support and mortality. RESULTS Compared to people with a low level of social support, the risk of death is 41% lower among people with medium levels of support (hazards ratio = 0.59, 0.39-0.91) and 55% lower among those with the highest levels of support (hazards ratio = 0.45, 0.21-0.98). Eight of the 11 regression models demonstrated that the effect of social support on mortality was mediated by both physical and mental health status. CONCLUSIONS Social support is strongly associated with mortality. Based on findings from this study, social support should be considered an important target for intervention to reduce mortality risk among older adults with diabetes.
Functional Genomics Enables Identification of Genes of the Arginine Transaminase Pathway in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Arginine utilization in Pseudomonas aeruginosa with multiple catabolic pathways represents one of the best examples of the metabolic versatility of this organism. To identify genes involved in arginine catabolism, we have employed DNA microarrays to analyze the transcriptional profiles of this organism in response to l-arginine. While most of the genes involved in arginine uptake, regulation, and metabolism have been identified as members of the ArgR (arginine-responsive regulatory protein) regulon in our previous study, they did not include any genes of the arginine dehydrogenase (ADH) pathway. In this study, 18 putative transcriptional units of 38 genes, including the two known genes of the ADH pathway, kauB and gbuA, were found to be inducible by exogenous l-arginine in the absence of ArgR. To identify the missing genes that encode enzymes for the initial steps of the ADH pathway, the potential physiological functions of those candidate genes in arginine utilization were studied by growth phenotype analysis of knockout mutants. Expression of these genes was induced by l-arginine in an aruF mutant strain devoid of a functional arginine succinyltransferase pathway, the major route of arginine utilization. Disruption of dadA, a putative catabolic alanine dehydrogenase-encoding gene, in the aruF mutant produced no growth on l-arginine, suggesting the involvement of l-alanine in arginine catabolism. This hypothesis was further supported by the detection of an l-arginine-inducible arginine:pyruvate transaminase activity in the aruF mutant. Knockout of aruH and aruI, which encode an arginine:pyruvate transaminase and a 2-ketoarginine decarboxylase in an operon, also abolished the ability of the aruF mutant to grow on l-arginine. The results of high-performance liquid chromatography analysis demonstrated consumption of 2-ketoarginine and suggested that generation of 4-guanidinobutyraldehyde occurred in the aruF mutant but not in the aruF aruI mutant. These results led us to propose the arginine transaminase pathway that removes the α-amino group of l-arginine via transamination instead of oxidative deamination by dehydrogenase or oxidase as originally proposed. In the same genetic locus, we also identified a two-component system, AruRS, for the regulation of arginine-responsive induction of the arginine transaminase pathway. This work depicted a wider network of arginine metabolism than we previously recognized.
Mucosal Tuberculosis of the Bronchi and Trachea

Summary In summary, mucosal tuberculosis of the bronchi and trachea is a complication of active pulmonary tuberculosis which often may have serious consequences. Hence, its recognition is of importance. Clinically tuberculosis tracheobronchitis may be suspected by the correlation of suggestive symptoms and roentgenographic findings. With few exceptions, bronchoscopy should be used as the final step in diagnosis and as a guide to therapy. To date, the writer has obtained his best results by the use of high frequency electro-cautery. Special electrodes have been designed to be used through the bronchoscope. Finally, lobectomy, pneumonectomy or external drainage of a tuberculous cavity occasionally must be considered in dealing with the secondary effects of high grade bronchial obstruction.
Linear and Nonlinear Modeling of Cerebral Flow Autoregulation Using Principal Dynamic Modes

Cerebral Flow Autoregulation (CFA) is the dynamic process by which cerebral blood flow is maintained within physiologically acceptable bounds during fluctuations of cerebral perfusion pressure. The distinction is made with "static" flow autoregulation under steady-state conditions of perfusion pressure, described by the celebrated "autoregulatory curve" with a homeostatic plateau. This paper studies the dynamic CFA during changes in perfusion pressure, which attains critical clinical importance in patients with stroke, traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative disease with a cerebrovascular component. Mathematical and computational models have been used to advance our quantitative understanding of dynamic CFA and to elucidate the underlying physiological mechanisms by analyzing the relation between beat-to-beat data of mean arterial blood pressure (viewed as input) and mean cerebral blood flow velocity(viewed as output) of a putative CFA system. Although previous studies have shown that the dynamic CFA process is nonlinear, most modeling studies to date have been linear. It has also been shown that blood CO2 tension affects the CFA process. This paper presents a nonlinear modeling methodology that includes the dynamic effects of CO2 tension (or its surrogate, end-tidal CO2) as a second input and quantifies CFA from short data-records of healthy human subjects by use of the modeling concept of Principal Dynamic Modes (PDMs). The PDMs improve the robustness of the obtained nonlinear models and facilitate their physiological interpretation. The results demonstrate the importance of including the CO2 input in the dynamic CFA study and the utility of nonlinear models under hypercapnic or hypocapnic conditions.
Metastatic renal cell carcinoma to the ovary: a case report and discussion of differential diagnoses.

Abstract The clinical presentation of renal cell carcinoma in the ovary is rare and may closely resemble that of other ovarian clear cell tumors. Metastatic renal cell carcinoma was diagnosed in a patient who presented with a right adnexal mass and no other significant past medical history. The gross appearance of the tumor suggested a primary ovarian neoplasm. However, microscopic and immunohistochemical analysis revealed involvement of both ovaries by a clear cell tumor with features of renal cell carcinoma. A renal mass was subsequently discovered. We discuss the clinical, histologic, and immunohistochemical features of this tumor and the features of other clear cell neoplasms in the differential diagnosis.
The RHIC transfer line cable database

A cable database was created to facilitate and document installation of cables and wiring in the RHIC project, as well as to provide a data source to track possible wiring and signal problems. The eight tables of this relational database, currently implemented in Sybase, contain information ranging from cable routing to attenuation of individual wires. This database was created in a hierarchical scheme under the assumption that cables contain wires-each instance of a cable has one to many wires associated with it. This scheme allows entry of information pertinent to individual wires while only requiring single entries for each cable. Relationships to other RHIC databases are also discussed.
Alcohol Consumption Reduces Effortful Fatigue After Sleep:: Testing A Theory of Metabolite Depletion and Subsequent Supercompensation

The current work examined whether greater alcohol consumption at night would predict less effortful fatigue the next morning. The theory is that effortful thought and behavior benefit from additional stored metabolites, and that drinking alcohol temporarily reduces metabolites but later increases them. Participants attended a drinking, social event at night. The next morning, they completed an effortful task (a breath-blowing task requiring forceful exertion and persistence) before and after a mentally fatiguing task (controlling attention). Consuming more alcohol during the event predicted less fatigue on the effortful breath-blowing task, computed as the difference between performance on the task before and after the attention control task. Alcohol consumption might be one strategy for reducing later fatigue on effortful tasks.