cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Targeting High-Density Lipoproteins: Increasing De Novo Production Versus Decreasing Clearance

Although cardiovascular mortality has been decreasing in industrialized countries, there continues to be a substantial residual risk; thus, novel therapeutic agents and new targets of therapy have been sought. One highly plausible therapeutic target is high-density lipoprotein (HDL). HDL is a key player in reverse cholesterol transport and possesses a slew of other cardioprotective properties; however, recent trials with agents known to increase HDL levels have generally not shown any reduction in cardiovascular events. Further analysis of these trials suggest that fibrates have consistently reduced some cardiovascular outcomes, at least in the subgroup of patients with high serum triglycerides and low HDL cholesterol (HDLc) levels. Since fibrates, unlike niacin or cholesterol ester transfer protein inhibitors, increase HDLc level mostly through the stimulation of apolipoprotein A-I production, it is suggested that the quality and functionality of HDL are enhanced when de novo synthesis rather than inhibition of turnover is the mechanism of increasing HDL level. In this communication, the evidence for and against the cardioprotective properties of HDL is reviewed and the contemporary clinical trials are discussed.
Intolerance and ineffectiveness of mexiletine in patients with serious ventricular arrhythmias

Abstract Fifty-one patients were treated with mexiletine over 10.4 ± 16 months. The clinical arrhythmia in 25 (49%) was ventricular fibrillation (VF), 11(22%) had sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT), and 15 (29%) had symptomatic nonsustained VT. Ischemic heart disease was present in 33 patients (66%), cardiomyopathy in nine (17%), and valvular or congenital heart disease in nine (17%). Only six (12%) remain on the drug. Arrhythmias recurred in 21 patients (41%): seven (14%) with VF, three (5%) with sustained VT, and 11 (22%) with symptomatic nonsustained VT. Intolerable side effects occurred in another 17 (33%). Seven patients (14%) died from nonarrhythmia-related deaths while taking mexiletine. Mexiletine was combined with a conventional type IA antiarrhythmic agent in 25 patients (49%). In 12 of these 25 patients (48%), ventricular arrhythmias recurred. These findings were not significantly different from those of the group treated with mexiletine alone, where arrhythmias recurred in 9 of 26 patients (35%) ( p = NS). Thus mexiletine, alone or in combination with a type IA antiarrhythmic agent, has limited clinical utility in patients with life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias.
Teacher Knowledge and a New Domain of Expertise: Pedagogical Technology Knowledge

Although the content and nature of teachers' practical and theoretical knowledge has continued to evolve since the mid to late 1970s, current conceptualizations of teacher knowledge do not adequate...
The importance of cytoplasm in early embryonic development

Purpose: A mouse model was used to evaluate the consequences of partial cytoplasm removal, which mimics the consequence of human early embryo fragmentation, at the one-cell stage on embryonic development to the morula and blastocyst stages.
Cell polarity emerges at first cleavage in sea urchin embryos.

Abstract In protostomes, cell polarity is present after fertilization whereas most deuterostome embryos show minimal polarity during the early cleavages. We now show establishment of cell polarity as early as the first cleavage division in sea urchin embryos. We find, using the apical markers G M1 , integrins, and the aPKC–PAR6 complex, that cells are polarized upon insertion of distinct basolateral membrane at the first division. This early apical–basolateral polarity, similar to that found in much larger cleaving amphibian zygotes, reflects precocious functional epithelial cell polarity. Isolated cleavage blastomeres exhibit polarized actin-dependent fluid phase endocytosis only on the G M1 , integrin, microvillus-containing apical surface. A role for a functional PAR complex in cleavage plane determination was shown with experiments interfering with aPKC activity, which results in several spindle defects and compromised blastula development. These studies suggest that cell and embryonic polarity is established at the first cleavage, mediated in part by the Par complex of proteins, and is achieved by directed insertion of basolateral membrane in the cleavage furrow.
Outdoor Investigations to Connect Water to You

Students are spending less time outdoors than even a generation ago and are missing out on the positive elements associated with nature. Limited access to clean, safe, open spaces discourages many students from taking part in outdoor activities; therefore, efforts to incorporate outdoor learning through formal experiences are more important than ever before. Using the environment as an integrated context for learning, professors collaborated to develop a program that focused on place-based education while seamlessly integrating mathematics and science. By substituting D-nets for iPods and ear buds, students explored issues related to water quality and conservation. Acting as scientists, they analyzed water samples from three ecosystems to determine possible solutions to water quality problems. While the purpose of this article is to highlight a specific program, anecdotal evidence suggests students came to a better understanding of their own sense of place and are better prepared to embrace future environmental challenges.
A norovirus outbreak at a long-term-care facility: the role of environmental surface contamination.

Background:The role of environmental surface contamination in the propagation of norovirus outbreaks is unclear. An outbreak of acute gastroenteritis was reported among residents of a 240-bed veterans long-term-care facility.Objectives:To identify the likely mode of transmission, to characterize risk factors for illness, and to evaluate for environmental contamination in this norovirus outbreak.Methods:An outbreak investigation was conducted to identify risk factors for illness among residents and employees. Stool and vomitus samples were tested for norovirus by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Fourteen days after outbreak detection, ongoing cases among the residents prompted environmental surface testing for norovirus by RT-PCR.Results:One hundred twenty-seven (52%) of 246 residents and 84 (46%) of 181 surveyed employees had gastroenteritis. Case-residents did not differ from non-case-residents by comorbidities, diet, room type, or level of mobility. Index cases were among the nursing staff. Eight of 11 resident stool or vomitus samples tested positive for genogroup II norovirus. The all-cause mortality rate during the month of the outbreak peak was significantly higher than the expected rate. Environmental surface swabs from case-resident rooms, a dining room table, and an elevator button used only by employees were positive for norovirus. Environmental and clinical norovirus sequences were identical.Conclusion:Extensive contamination of environmental surfaces may play a role in prolonged norovirus outbreaks and should be addressed in control interventions.
Neurofuzzy Anticipatory Systems: A New Approach to Intelligent Control

Anticipatory systems are systems whose change of state is based on information about present as well as future states. Planning and acting on the basis of anticipations of the future is an omnipresent feature of human control strategies, deeply permeating our daily experience and considered as the hallmark of natural intelligence. Yet, as the eminent mathematical biologist Robert Rosen has pointed out in his book Anticipatory Systems (1985), such control strategies are curiously absent from existing formal approaches to automatic control and decision-making processes. Recent developments in biology, ethology and cognitive sciences, however, as well as advancements in the technology of computer-based predictive models, compel us to reconsider the role of anticipation in intelligent systems and to the extent possible incorporate it in our formal approaches to control. Significant improvements in neural predictive computing when combined with the flexibility of fuzzy systems, supports the development of neurofuzzy anticipatory control architectures that integrate planning and control sequencing functions with feedback control algorithms. A review of the role of anticipation in intelligent systems and a new approach for neurofuzzy anticipatory control using radial basis neural predictive models and fuzzy if/then rules is presented.
Hypohydration and acute thermal stress affect mood state but not cognition or dynamic postural balance

Equivocal findings have been reported in the few studies that examined the impact of ambient temperature (T a) and hypohydration on cognition and dynamic balance. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of acute exposure to a range of ambient temperatures (T(a) 10-40 °C) in euhydration (EUH) and hypohydration (HYP) states on cognition, mood and dynamic balance. Thirty-two men (age 22 ± 4 years, height 1.80 ± 0.05 m, body mass 85.4 ± 10.8 kg) were grouped into four matched cohorts (n = 8), and tested in one of the four T(a) (10, 20, 30, 40 °C) when EUH and HYP (-4 % body mass via exercise-heat exposure). Cognition was assessed using psychomotor vigilance, 4-choice reaction time, matching to sample, and grammatical reasoning. Mood was evaluated by profile of mood states and dynamic postural balance was tested using a Biodex Balance System. Thermal sensation (TS), core (T core) and skin temperature (T(sk)) were obtained throughout testing. Volunteers lost -4.1 ± 0.4 % body mass during HYP. T sk and TS increased with increasing T(a), with no effect of hydration. Cognitive performance was not altered by HYP or thermal stress. Total mood disturbance (TMD), fatigue, confusion, anger, and depression increased during HYP at all T(a). Dynamic balance was unaffected by HYP, but 10 °C exposure impaired balance compared to all other T(a). Despite an increase in TMD during HYP, cognitive function was maintained in all testing environments, demonstrating cognitive resiliency in response to body fluid deficits. Dynamic postural stability at 10 °C appeared to be hampered by low-grade shivering, but was otherwise maintained during HYP and thermal stress.
Macrophage Expression of Peroxisome Proliferator–Activated Receptor-α Reduces Atherosclerosis in Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor–Deficient Mice

Background— The peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor-α (PPARα) plays important roles in lipid metabolism, inflammation, and atherosclerosis. PPARα ligands have been shown to reduce cardiovascular events in high-risk subjects. PPARα expression by arterial cells, including macrophages, may exert local antiatherogenic effects independent of plasma lipid changes. Methods and Results— To examine the contribution of PPARα expression by bone marrow–derived cells in atherosclerosis, male and female low-density lipoprotein receptor–deficient (LDLR−/−) mice were reconstituted with bone marrow from PPARα−/− or PPARα+/+ mice and challenged with a high-fat diet. Although serum lipids and lipoprotein profiles did not differ between the groups, the size of atherosclerotic lesions in the distal aorta of male and female PPARα−/−→LDLR−/− mice was significantly increased (44% and 46%, respectively) compared with controls. Male PPARα−/−→LDLR−/− mice also had larger (44%) atherosclerotic lesions in the proximal aorta th...
The Effect of Functional Finishes and Laundering on Textile Materials Part I: Surface Characteristics

The effects of finishes and laundering on the surface characteristics of cotton and polyester fibers are evaluated in this investigation. Changes in the surface properties of the fibers are monitored through contact-angle determinations (the Wilhelmy technique) before and after treatment of the fabrics with durable-press, fluorocarbon stain-repellent, and antistatic finishes. The durable-press and stain-repellent finishes did not produce a noticeable change in the wettability of the cotton fibers. However, the wettability of the polyester fibers was increased, and the polar contribution to the surface free energy increased after treatment with stain-repellent finishes. Treatment of cotton with cationic surfactants as antistatic finishes converted the surface to a hydrophobic character. A reverse phenomenon was observed on the surface of polyester fibers after treatment with antistatic finishes. The different effects of the surfactant treatments were attributed to different deposition patterns of the surfa...
Sample size methods for constructing confidence intervals for the intra-class correlation coefficient

The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) in a two-way analysis of variance is a ratio involving three variance components. Two recently developed methods for constructing confidence intervals (CI's) for the ICC are the Generalized Confidence Interval (GCI) and Modified Large Sample (MLS) methods. The resulting intervals have been shown to maintain nominal coverage. But methods for determining sample size for GCI and MLS intervals are lacking. Sample size methods that guarantee control of the mean width for GCI and MLS intervals are developed. In the process, two variance reduction methods are employed, called dependent conditioning and inverse Rao-Blackwellization. Asymptotic results provide lower bounds for mean CI widths, and show that MLS and GCIÂ?widths are asymptotically equivalent. Simulation studies are used to investigate the new methods. A real data example is used and application issues discussed. The new methods are shown to result in adequate sample size estimates, the asymptotic estimates are accurate, and the variance reduction techniques are effective. A sample size program is developed.11R program can be downloaded at http://dobbinuga.com. Future extensions of these results are discussed. Sample size methods and programs for reliability studies are developed.The two-way balanced analysis of variance model without interaction is the focus.The sample size guarantees a user-specified mean confidence interval width.Modified large sample and generalized confidence interval methods are used.Novel computational algorithms are developed, studied, and implemented.
Male-biased sex ratios and plasticity in post-insemination behaviour in the New Zealand stick insect Micrarchus hystriculeus

The duration of mate guarding by males is predicted to vary in accordance with the risk of sperm competition or mate encounter rate. Mate guarding is predicted to be prolonged under a male-biased sex ratio because the risk of sperm competition is high or the mate encounter rate is low. A consistently male-biased sex ratio should thus select for greater mate fidelity, and reduced plasticity in guarding behaviour, by males. Micrarchus hystriculeus Westwood (Phasmatodea) is a sexually size dimorphic stick insect in which males form prolonged post-insemination associations with their mates and whose populations have a consistently male-biased sex ratio. My laboratory experiments showed, as predicted, little plasticity by males in the duration of their post-insemination association. Although mate guarding duration is similar under male- and female-biased sex ratios, males clasped the genitalia of their mates significantly more often under a male-biased sex ratio, suggesting that males intensify their guarding with increasing risk of sperm competition.
Targeting the Malarial Plastid via the Parasitophorous Vacuole

The malarial "apicoplast" derived from an algal plastid, has stimulated interest for its novel evolutionary biology and potential as a drug target. An endoplasmic reticulum-type signal sequence followed by a plastid targeting sequence are required to target proteins to the apicoplast but the pathway by which proteins are transported to the organelle is unknown. By stage regulating the expression of transgenes we show that early (0-12 h) in the parasite's development in red cells, newly synthesized green fluorescent protein that contains the plastid targeting sequence (plastid targeting sequence-green fluorescent protein (PTS-GFP)) is recruited into the parasite's secretory pathway. PTS-GFP in 0-12-h parasites is found released into the parasitophorous vacuole (PV) and in apposition with the Golgi. However, import into the apicoplast and processing to GFP does not occur until 18-36 h in development. In intermediate, 18-h parasites PTS-GFP resides in the PV. Quantitative exit of PTS-GFP from the PV and its conversion to GFP is seen at 36 h. The data suggest that: (i) import into the apicoplast is stage regulated and (ii) the PTS can signal endomembrane targeting from the PV to the apicoplast.
Vibrational imaging of tablets by epi-detected stimulated Raman scattering microscopy.

Proper chemical imaging tools are critical to the pharmaceutical industry due to growing regulatory demand for intermediate and end-product content uniformity testing. Herein we demonstrate stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) imaging of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and four excipients within tablets. Tablets from six manufactures were imaged with a speed of 53 s per frame of 512 × 512 pixels (i.e., 200 μs per pixel) and a lateral spatial resolution as high as 0.62 μm. The SRS chemical imaging was compared to confocal Raman mapping and coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) chemical imaging in terms of speed and chemical selectivity. The acquisition speed of SRS imaging is ca. 104 times faster than confocal Raman mapping and SRS technique showed superior to CARS chemical selectivity for studied samples. Our data demonstrate the potential of SRS microscopy in high-speed screening of pharmaceutical solid dosage forms.
P32 distribution in phosphorus fractions of phosphorus-sensitive and-tolerant soybeans.

P32 incorporation into various phosphorylated compounds of roots, stems, and leaves was studied with P-sensitive (Clark) and P-tolerant (L9) varieties of soybeans. With increasing P concentration in the pretreatment solution, more P32 was incorporated into the inorganic phosphate fraction, mainly in which form P seemed to be transported from roots to leaves. P32 percentage of inorganic phosphate also showed a continuous decrease with absorption time. The rate of phosphorylation, as manifested by the ratio of P32 percentage or specific activities of the organic acid-soluble P to that of inorganic-P, was higher with the P-tolerant variety than with the P-sensitive one. The rate of RNA synthesis also seemed to be higher with the tolerant variety.
The effects of food deprivation on the self-administration of psychoactive drugs.

Under conditions of food deprivation, relative to the equivalent satiation condition, increases in the self-administration of d-amphetamine in three out of three monkeys, of cocaine in two out of three monkeys, and of nicotine in one out of three monkeys, were observed. Furthermore, these increases were dose-dependent, i.e. with low doses there were large increases in number of infusions, but with high doses there were no differences in number of infusions between the two feeding conditions. For some doses of diazepam there were increases in number of infusions under the deprivation condition relative to the satiation condition, but these increases were not statistically significant. In contrast, food deprivation produced slight, but significant, increases in the number of perphenazine infusions in one monkey but inappropriate level responses were also high for this monkey as well. In most cases, increases under food deprivation occurred with drugs that already maintained responding above saline under satiation conditions. Therefore, food deprivation does not appear to convert non-reinforcers into reinforcers, but instead increases intake of drugs that function as reinforcers. This effect may contribute to the persistence of psychomotor stimulant drug-seeking behavior in humans.
Axillodistal bypass on critical limb ischaemia

The axillodistal extra anatomic bypass is not an operation commonly performed and the only reason for performing it is to attempt limb salvage for a reasonable period of time or until death in patients with critical ischaemia. During the period 1983–1991 we performed 67 such bypasses where no other form of reconstructive arterial surgery was feasible. There were 27 axillopopliteal (15 below and 12 above the knee), five crossover, seven bilateral, 11 axillotibial and 17 jump (sequential bypasses). The first 34 procedures (1983–1987, early period) had a 5-year cumulative secondary graft patency of 20%, which increased to 33% for the 33 bypasses performed during the second period (1987–1991). The primary graft patency of the 67 bypasses was 13%. Our clinical results show that even in these patients with diffuse occlusive arterial lesions, limb salvage is possible in a reasonable number even when axillodistal bypass is used. Improvements in the technique, better selection of patients, the performanceof jump grafts and the aggressive treatment of early and late graft occlusions have led to much better results being achieved.
Developmental patterns of two α1(IX) collagen mRNA isoforms in mouse

Northern blot hybridization, reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and RNase protection assays were used to examine the expression of twoα1(IX) collagen mRNA species (long and short form) in developing mouse tissues. Furthermore, in situ hybridization was used to identify cells expressing the Col9a1 gene during eye development. The results indicate that during embryonic development eye and heart preferentially express the short form; lung and cartilage express the long form; whereas liver expresses a very low level of long formα1(IX) mRNA which can only be detected by RT-PCR. In situ hybridization demonstrated that at 10.5 day postcoitum (d.p.c.), theα1(IX) collagen mRNAs were first expressed in optic cup (neural ectoderm) but not in lens vesicle (surface ectoderm). By 13.5 d.p.c., the cells that express theα1(IX) mRNA progressively were concentrated to ward the anterior part of the neural retina. By 16.5–18.5 d.p.c., the hybridization signals were found exclusively in the inner non-pigmented layer of the presumptive ciliary epithelium. As ciliary epithelial cells become well differentiated 3 weeks after birth, cells expressing the Col9a1 gene were limited to the junction between mature ciliary folds and the neural retina. No hybridization signal could be detected in ocular tissues of mouse older than 6 weeks. It is of interest to note that a hybridization signal was not detected in cornea at the various developmental stages examined, suggesting that mouse cornea does not significantly expressα1(IX) mRNA during embyronic development. This differs from that of chick cornea development. In summary, the expression of the Col9a1 gene shows a temporospatial pattern throughout mouse eye development. It is suggested that the short form collagen IX may play an important role in eye development. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Diversifying Restricted Boltzmann Machine for Document Modeling

Restricted Boltzmann Machine (RBM) has shown great effectiveness in document modeling. It utilizes hidden units to discover the latent topics and can learn compact semantic representations for documents which greatly facilitate document retrieval, clustering and classification. The popularity (or frequency) of topics in text corpora usually follow a power-law distribution where a few dominant topics occur very frequently while most topics (in the long-tail region) have low probabilities. Due to this imbalance, RBM tends to learn multiple redundant hidden units to best represent dominant topics and ignore those in the long-tail region, which renders the learned representations to be redundant and non-informative. To solve this problem, we propose Diversified RBM (DRBM) which diversifies the hidden units, to make them cover not only the dominant topics, but also those in the long-tail region. We define a diversity metric and use it as a regularizer to encourage the hidden units to be diverse. Since the diversity metric is hard to optimize directly, we instead optimize its lower bound and prove that maximizing the lower bound with projected gradient ascent can increase this diversity metric. Experiments on document retrieval and clustering demonstrate that with diversification, the document modeling power of DRBM can be greatly improved.
Biomolecular corona on nanoparticles: a survey of recent literature and its implications in targeted drug delivery

Achieving controlled cellular responses of nanoparticles (NP) is critical for the successful development and translation of NP-based drug delivery systems. However, precise control over the physicochemical and biological properties of NPs could become convoluted, diminished, or completely lost as a result of the adsorption of biomolecules to their surfaces. Characterization of the formation of the ‘biomolecular’ corona has thus received increased attention due to its impact on NP and protein structure as well as its negative effect on NP-based targeted drug delivery. This review presents a concise survey of the recent literature concerning the importance of the NP-biomolecule corona and how it can be utilized to improve the in vivo efficacy of targeted delivery systems.
Pheochromocytoma in a Patient With End-Stage Renal Disease

Pheochromocytoma is a rare tumor. To our knowledge only 15 cases have been reported in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). We describe a 46-year-old woman with ESRD and a history of paroxysmal and difficult-to-control hypertension. During anesthesia for a surgical procedure, the patient experienced blood pressure lability with systolic blood pressures ranging from 76 to 360 mm Hg. Serum catecholamine concentrations were 2698 pg/mL (reference value,
Synergistic Activation of the Mc2r Promoter by FOXL2 and NR5A1 in Mice

Forkhead box protein L2 (FOXL2) is the earliest ovarian marker and plays an important role in the regulation of cholesterol and steroid metabolism, inflammation, apoptosis, and ovarian development and function. Mutations and deficiencies of the human FOXL2 gene have been shown to cause blepharophimosis-ptosis-epicanthus inversus syndrome as well as premature ovarian failure. Although Foxl2 interacts with steroidogenic factor 1 (Nr5a1) and up-regulates cyp19a1a gene transcription in fish, FOXL2 represses the transcriptional activity of the gene that codes for steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (Star) in mice. Most of the recent studies have heavily focused on the FOXL2 target genes (Star and Cyp19a1) in the ovaries. Hence, it is of importance to search for other downstream targets of FOXL2 and for the possibility of FOXL2 expression in nonovarian tissues. Herein, we demonstrate that the interplay between FOXL2 and NR5A1 regulates Star and melanocortin 2 receptor (Mc2r) gene expression in mammalian syst...
TCOT-a timeout-based mobile transaction commitment protocol

We present a transaction commit protocol, "Transaction Commit On Timeout (TCOT)," based on a "timeout" approach for Mobile Database Systems (MDS), which can be universally used to reach a final transaction termination decision (e.g., commit, abort, etc.) in any message-oriented system. Particularly suited for a wireless environment, a timeout mechanism is the only way to minimize the impact of the slow and unreliable wireless link. We compare TCOT to a modified version of 2PC to show its superiority based on commit time.
Differential localization of the Streptococcus mutans GS-5 fructan hydrolase enzyme, FruA

Streptococcus mutans GS-5 synthesizes an exo-beta-D-fructosidase, FruA, capable of degrading levans, inulins, sucrose and raffinose, with the greatest activity on levans. A previous analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence of the FruA protein revealed the presence of a C-terminus with an LPXTGX membrane sorting sequence and membrane spanning domain, characteristic of many Gram-positive cocci surface proteins. Here it is demonstrated that FruA, which had been previously shown to exist almost exclusively as an extracellular enzyme, can be detected in significant proportions at the surface of S. mutans cells. Moreover, growth of S. mutans GS-5 at steady state in continuous culture at pH values of 7.0, 6.0, or 5.0 revealed that the amount of cell-associated enzyme increased with decreasing pH values, such that roughly 50% of the total fructanase activity of pH 5.0-grown organisms was cell-associated. This result was confirmed using anti-recombinant-FruA antisera in Western blotting of culture supernate and cell-associated enzyme preparations from chemostat-grown cells. Incubation of S. mutans at pH values of 5.0, 6.0 or 7.0 in buffered media yielded results similar to those observed in the chemostat experiments. The release of FruA from S. mutans was also shown to be inhibitable by copper, which is known to interfere with the release of the surface adhesin, P1, from intact cells and protoplasts of S. mutans. These data provide evidence for a unique post-translational mechanism for the regulation of the catabolism of polysaccharides by bacteria.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Radiative flame cooling for reduction of nitric oxide emissions

The effect of soot upon heat transfer in combusting gases is investigated. The medium considered is a turbulent gas-soot mixture contained in a plane parallel enclosure. The nongray radiative nature of the soot and the effects of the geometrical configuration are taken into account using an internal'' or modified'' slab emissivity especially developed for the purpose. The simultaneous turbulent transport and radiation are treated with full nonlinearity. It is shown that small amounts of soot greatly aid the radiative cooling of combustion gases, which undergo microrecirculation by turbulent mixing. Larger amounts of soot increase combustion temperature and hence unwanted nitric oxide emissions. (5 figures, 17 references) (auth)
Forty Years of Leadership Research in Sport Management: A Review, Synthesis, and Conceptual Framework

Scholars have recognized the importance of leadership in the sport industry, with early sport leadership studies emerging in the 1970s. To date, however, there has not been a comprehensive review conducted of the scholarly leadership studies in sport management. Thus, the purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive synthesis of the sport management leadership literature from the 1970s to the present day, outline what has been learned, and then drawn from this synthesis, articulate a preliminary conceptual model capturing how leadership operates in sport management. A number of clear themes in sport management leadership research and conceptual thinking have emerged, with the proposed conceptual model advancing several leadership antecedents and processes unique to sport. Intriguing directions for sport management leadership scholarship are also illuminated. While progress has been made, there are many questions and gaps going forward that require focused attention from sport management leadership scholars
Next generation on-chip networks: what kind of congestion control do we need?

In this paper, we present network-on-chip (NoC) design and contrast it to traditional network design, highlighting core differences between NoCs and traditional networks. As an initial case study, we examine network congestion in bufferless NoCs. We show that congestion manifests itself differently in a NoC than in a traditional network, and with application-level awareness in the network to make proper throttling decisions we improve system performance by up to 28%. It is our hope that the unique and interesting challenges of on-chip network design can be met by novel and effective solutions from the networking community.
Lower extremity functional electrical stimulation in a cerebral palsy subject

A study of the effects of a program of functional electrical stimulation on the ambulation of a subject with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy is reviewed. Knee joint motion, ankle joint motion, and knee joint torque were measured. Improvements in range of motion, distance, velocity, and torque were documented in this subject. Spasticity reduction and posture improvement were also observed. >
A triple-band low-profile planar antenna for wireless applications

A triple-band low-profile planar antenna is developed for wireless applications. The triple-band planar antenna consists of a two-strip monopole for the 2-GHz band, a horizontal monopole for the 3.5-GHz band, and a vertical monopole for the 5-GHz. The planar antenna is printed on a very thin substrate (0.254 mm in thickness) with a very low profile (8 mm in height). The antenna achieves a bandwidth of ~35% at the 2-GHz band, ~10% at the 3.5 GHz, and ~15% at the 5-GHz band, which may find applications in wireless/mobile devices.
Modeling and simulation of off-line boost power factor correction (PFC) circuits

Electric power is delivered most efficiently from utilities to end users when the load draws current at unity power factor. Traditional ac-to-dc power supplies that use a rectifier/filter topology, however, draw currents that are highly non-sinusoidal and rich in harmonics and thus display a low power factor. An alternative approach, known as offline power factor correction, eliminates the filter capacitor and uses switchmode power converter techniques to achieve power factors close to unity. Commercially-available integrated circuits may be combined with external discrete components to make a complete offline power-factor correction circuit; however, the manufacturers' data sheets frequently provide little theoretical basis for their application information. This paper deals with modeling and simulation work to derive the transfer functions of the voltage- and current-control loops, with a primary focus on the current-control loop. The transfer function of the current-control loop has been derived for specified operating conditions, and a Matlab script for plotting Bode plots of these transfer functions is developed.
Pelger-Huët Anomaly in Cats

Pelger-Huet anomaly was diagnosed in a young male cat on the basis of persistent nuclear hyposegmentation of blood granulocytes, absence of clinical disease or feline leukemia virus infection, and demonstration of genetic transmission of the anomaly. Neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, and monocytes had significantly less nuclear segmentation when compared to similar leukocyte types from a control cat. On smears of bone marrow, megakaryocytes also appeared hyposegmented. A test mating with an unaffected queen produced a litter of five kittens (three males, two females). One male and one female kitten had the Pelger-Huet trait on examination of blood smears. Autosomal dominant transmission of this anomaly is suspected based on these findings.
Raising the stakes: high-stakes testing and the attack on public education in New York

Over the last almost two decades, high-stakes testing has become increasingly central to New York’s schools. In the 1990s, the State Department of Education began requiring that secondary students pass five standardized exams to graduate. In 2002, the federal No Child Left Behind Act required students in grades three through eight to take math and language arts tests. Results from the state and federal tests are not only used to assess students but also to evaluate schools, with poorly performing schools facing overhaul and potentially privatization. Most recently, President Obama’s Race to the Top competition requires evaluating teachers based on their students’ test scores which, because of the way in which New York has constructed the grading curve, most teachers will be rated as ‘ineffective.’ Standardized testing, along with other neoliberal reforms such as granting the mayor of New York City control of the public schools, has been promoted as providing more objective assessments and increasing educa...
Innovation Policy and Nanotechnology Entrepreneurship

In this article, we explore the relationship between innovation policy and new venture creation in the United States. Specifically, we examine two components of innovation policy in nanotechnology—...
Leader-based multi-agent coordination: controllability and optimal control

In this paper, we consider the situation where a collection of leaders dictate the motion of the followers in heterogenous multi-agent applications. In particular, the followers move according to a decentralized averaging rule, while the leaders' motion is unconstrained. Thus, the trajectories of the leaders can be viewed as exogenous control inputs, which allows us to state and study questions concerning controllability and optimal control.
Simulating and visualizing the human arterial system on the TeraGrid

We present a Grid solution to a grand challenge problem, the simulation and visualization of the human arterial system. We implemented our simulation and visualization system on the National Science Foundation's TeraGrid and demonstrated it at the iGrid 2005 conference in San Diego, California. We discuss our experience in running on a computational Grid and present observations and suggestions for improving similar experiences.
Position control of catheters using magnetic fields

We describe a computerized closed-loop control system for navigating catheters, guidewires and other interventional devices inside the human body for minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Each device contains a permanent magnet near its distal tip. An external magnetostatic field, whose direction and magnitude can be selectively varied, is applied to the vicinity of the tissue where the medical procedure is being performed, in order to orient the catheter tip. At the same time, the length of the catheter is varied by a motorized advancer. The position and orientation of the catheter tip is determined in real-time by electromagnetic means. This information is fed into a control algorithm which decides how to change the external magnetic field and the catheter length. In this way, the catheter is automatically navigated to anatomical target points selected by the physician. Although potentially not limited to cardiology, most common applications at present include navigation inside the heart and coronary vessels, electrophysiology and interventional cardiology. Possible future clinical applications include atrial fibrillation, flutter and tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia, angioplasty, etc. The resulting system has more predictable navigation performance compared to manually deflected catheters, and provides an opportunity to shorten the procedure time considerably.
Experimental validation of a tibiofemoral model for analyzing joint force distribution

Mathematical models are non-invasive tools used for analyzing biomechanical conditions. Various models of the knee using the finite element analysis technique [1–6] and rigid body spring model (RBSM) [7] have been developed to predict pressure distribution in articulating joints, although the RBSM is considered the simplest of the modeling techniques, while still effectively predicting load distribution. These models can be used to study altered joint loading, which causes a degeneration of the articular cartilage, in order to gain an understanding of the etiology of osteoarthritis (OA). The purpose of this study is to develop a subject-specific analytical knee model using the RBSM approach that incorporates subject-specific geometry, joint health, and loading patterns to predict tibiofemoral load distributions.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Seismic Design of Reinforced Earth Walls

Seismic design for reinforced earth retaining walls was developed largely on the results obtained from small laboratory scale walls on a shaking table, and is therefore tentative and must await verification from further analytical laboratory and field studies. The laboratory tests showed that the walls responded like a nonlinear damped elastic system to the input vibrations. From measurements of the peak tie forces, an empirical design force envelope was developed which is a function of input acceleration only. It is suggested that the design earth pressures for an actual wall subjected to earthquake loading be based on this design force envelope using a base acceleration determined by response spectra and modal participation factor techniques. Data are also presented of soil-tie friction under static and vibratory loading. The recommendations include data from which the required size and spacing of ties can be determined. Suggested factors of safety are given for tie pull out and tie breaking modes of failure.
Estimating Field Densities of Haematobia irritans (Diptera: Muscidae) Using Direct Visual Field Counts Versus Photographic Assessments

Horn flies, Haematobia irritans (L.), were photographed on cattle and then immediately estimated visually in the field on pastured beef cattle in southern California. Horn flies were counted in the pictures later on a computer screen. For 479 counts on individual cattle, the concordance correlation coefficient between the visual and photo-based assessments was 0.790, but was better for the higher half of the counts (0.732) than for the lower half of the counts (0.217). Major axis regression indicated that visual estimates were consistently higher than the number of flies counted in the pictures across the entire density range. Based on average raw means, the visual estimates averaged 21% higher than the photo counts. Visual estimates included flies on the belly and lower legs that could not be seen in a photo, and lower densities may have been more susceptible to such error. Where flies can be seen well, e.g. for very tame animals, the visual estimates were much faster and more cost-efficient and were sufficient to track relative horn fly abundance changes.
Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium: A Valid, Rapid, Observational Tool for Screening Delirium in the PICU*

Objective:To determine validity and reliability of the Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium, a rapid observational screening tool.Design:Double-blinded assessments were performed with the Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium completed by nursing staff in the PICU. These ratings were compared
Synthesis of 2-Alkynyl-1,4-cyclohexadienes via a Diels–Alder Reaction of Conjugated 2,4-Diynones

The development and utilization of highly functionalized and reactive dienophiles in the Diels–Alder cyclization reaction is of value in producing diversely functionalized, and therefore useful, cyclic products. We have developed a Diels–Alder reaction of conjugated 2,4-diynones, promoted by Lewis acids, to produce substituted 2-alkynyl-1,4-cyclohexadiene (‘skipped’ cyclohexadiene) products in good to excellent yields. The reaction was successful with a variety of cyclic and acyclic dienes as well as with a diversity of 2,4-diynones.
2 Evaluating the impact of the safe community america accreditation program on injury trends

Statement of purpose The Safe Communities (SC) model is a grassroots initiative that promotes coalition building and encourages community participation in injury and violence prevention programs. The SC network includes over 300 sites in 29 countries. There are 24 SC sites in the US, most of which have been accredited in the last six years. The current study was conducted to understand the potential impact of SC accreditation on injuries in their communities. Methods Inpatient injury data from 1999 to 2011 was obtained for three Safe Communities located in the Chicago metropolitan area. For one of the communities, joinpoint regression was applied to observe changes in monthly injury counts and injury rates during the observation period. The impact of SC accreditation on injuries was examined using Poisson random-intercept regression to compare the three SC sites combined and three equivalent control sites. Results Joinpoint regression results indicate that a ten-year increase in injuries and injury rates was followed by a two-year decline in the trend, and the trend reversal occurred while the community was pursuing the SC accreditation. A total of 3,241 injury hospitalizations were recorded during the entire study period (average = 23 cases/month). We estimate that 290 injury hospitalizations may have been prevented during the two-year decline, which translates into cost savings of $14.2 million. Furthermore, there was a statistically significant decline in injury counts across the three Safe Communities post accreditation without comparison sites (p = 0.019) and with comparison sites (p = 0.005). Conclusions Our work suggests that the SC model, whose key feature is building partnerships among community stakeholders, may be a promising approach to injury prevention. Significance and contribution This is the first US-based investigation considering the impact of SC accreditation on injury-related outcomes at the community level. Further research is warranted to replicate these findings in other communities.
Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase C677T: Hypoplastic Left Heart and Thrombosis

The incidence of congenital heart defects is higher in infants with mutation of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene. The MTHFR C677T gene decreases the bioavailability of folate and increases plasma homocysteine, a risk factor for thrombosis. There have been no reported cases in the literature on the clinical implications of this procoagulable state in the setting of cyanotic heart disease, which itself has prothrombotic predisposition. Two patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome developed postoperative thrombotic complications, both were homozygous for MTHFR C677T. We present these cases and highlight the implications of MTHFR mutation in the management of complex congenital heart disease.
Amyopathic Dermatomyositis: A Concise Review of Clinical Manifestations and Associated Malignancies

Amyopathic dermatomyositis is a rare, idiopathic, connective tissue disease that presents with dermatologic lesions of classic dermatomyositis but lacks the myopathy of this disease. Cutaneous manifestations may include Gottron’s sign, heliotrope rash, and characteristic patterns of poikiloderma. There is a substantial risk for developing interstitial lung disease or malignancy in patients with amyopathic dermatomyositis. A literature review of amyopathic dermatomyositis was performed using the PubMed medical database. The key features of amyopathic dermatomyositis, including autoantibodies, clinical presentation and dermatologic manifestations, epidemiology, history, associated malignancies, management, and pathogenesis, are summarized in this review. Cancer (solid tumor) (73/79, 89 %) and hematologic malignancies (9/79, 11 %) were reported in 79 patients, with three patients having more than one malignancy. In addition, there were six patients with amyopathic dermatomyositis who had tumor of unknown primary, and eight patients with cancer-associated amyopathic dermatomyositis for whom no additional details were provided. From the group of 73 tumors for whom primary origin and sex were available, malignancy of the genitourinary organs (24/73, 33 %), aerorespiratory organs (15/73, 21 %), and breast (14/73, 19 %) were the most commonly observed solid organ tumors. Tumors of the genitourinary organs (15/48, 31 %) and breast (14/48, 29 %) were the most frequent neoplasms in women, accounting for 29 of 48 (60 %) cancers, with the most common sites being breast (14/48, 29 %), ovary (8/48, 17 %), and cervix or uterus (5/48, 10 %). In men, tumors of the aerorespiratory (9/25, 36 %) and genitourinary (9/25, 36 %) tracts were the most common neoplasms, accounting for 72 % (18/25) of cancers; the most common sites of primary malignancy were nasopharyngeal (6/25, 24 %), bladder (4/25, 16 %), and either colorectal, lung or prostate cancer (three cancers each, 12 %). In summary, the search for an undiagnosed associated malignancy in patients with amyopathic dermatomyositis should focus towards the organs most frequently affected. Similar to classic dermatomyositis, ovarian and nasopharyngeal cancers are also common in amyopathic dermatomyositis. However, in contrast to lung cancer, which is the most frequent malignancy associated with classic dermatomyositis, breast cancer was the most common type of malignancy reported in patients with amyopathic dermatomyosotis.