cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relationship of Cognitive Appraisals and Attachment to Emotional Events within the Family of Origin

Appraisal theorists believe that discrete emotional states are the result of specific cognitive appraisals. This theory has not been tested with familyrelated events, especially negative emotions and the potential influence of attachment towards significant others. This study found that individuals cognitively process family events much as predicted by appraisal theorists and that attachment does not appear to have a global influence on this process. This finding suggests that cognitivefamily therapists can directly link appraisals with negative affect.
The effect of growth medium on B. anthracis Sterne spore carbohydrate content

The expressed characteristics of biothreat agents may be impacted by variations in the culture environment, including growth medium formulation. The carbohydrate composition of B. anthracis spores has been well studied, particularly for the exosporium, which is the outermost spore structure. The carbohydrate composition of the exosporium has been demonstrated to be distinct from the vegetative form containing unique monosaccharides. We have investigated the carbohydrate composition of B. anthracis Sterne spores produced using four different medium types formulated with different sources of medium components. The amount of rhamnose, 3-O-methyl rhamnose and galactosamine was found to vary significantly between spores cultured using different medium formulations. The relative abundance of these monosaccharides compared to other monosaccharides such as mannosamine was also found to vary with medium type. Specific medium components were also found to impact the carbohydrate profile. Xylose has not been previously described in B. anthracis spores but was detected at low levels in two media. This may represent residual material from the brewery yeast extract used to formulate these two media. These results illustrate the utility of this method to capture the impact of growth medium on carbohydrate variation in spores. Detecting carbohydrate profiles in B. anthracis evidentiary material may provide useful forensic information on the growth medium used for sporulation.
Discrete nonlinear equations and the Fučı´k Spectrum

Abstract We consider matrix-vector equations of the form Ax = f ( x ) that are motivated by nonlinear oscillating systems such as the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. We identify a particular set, called the Fuci´k Spectrum, which is relevant to questions of solvability, and we develop theorems to describe the spectrum and show how it relates to the solvability of the matrix equation.
Characterization of an immune response gene in mice controlling IgE and IgG antibody responses to ragweed pollen extract and its 2,4-dinitrophenylated derivative

The strain distribution of IgE and IgG antibody responses to ragweed extract (RE) and its dinitrophenylated derivative (DNPRE) characterize a new immune response gene, Ir-RE. Responder strains show higher primary and secondary levels of both antibody classes than nonresponders after immunization with these antigens in aluminium hydroxide gel, the differences being most marked at low doses, but present over a wide dose range (10 to 500 μg/mouse). High responses are associated with H-2a, d, h, k, m, n and p types; low responses with H-2b, f, i, j and u. The Ir-RE gene has been mapped to the H-2 region by the use of congenic resistant strains, and to the H2K-Ir-1 region with H-2 recombinants. The high response allele is dominant and appears, by its regulation of anti-hapten responses in the DNP-RE hapten-carrier system, to act at the cellular level of thymus-derived lymphocytes. T cells possessing this gene control responses of IgG and IgE·B lymphocytes in a parallel fashion.
Light-scattering noise limits to optical signal processing in photorefractive media

This paper investigates the effects of thermal light-scattering fluctuations and demonstrates that these are the dominant noise source inherent in photorefractive and electro-optic media. Fundamental noise limits to dynamic range and channel capacity are determined. Two sources of light-scattering fluctuations are examined: (1) thermal fluctuations in the space-charge field, which induce corresponding fluctuations in the dielectric constant through the electro-optic effect, and (2) fluctuations associated with the optical Kerr effect. Calculations are present for BaTiO3 and several other materials and are discussed in light of recent experimental measurements of dynamic range. Our results suggest a very large dynamic range for photorefractive materials (120 - 140 dB) that should prove useful for optical signal processing applications.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Immediate postmastectomy reconstruction.

The role of reconstruction in the management of patients with problems related to breast cancer is of increasing importance. Immediate reconstruction is particularly applicable in those situations where prophylactic mastectomy is performed. High-risk groups who warrant such prophylactic mastectomy and reconstruction include those with florid cyst disease, a strong family history of breast cancer, the finding of lobular carcinoma in situ, multiple previous biopsies, and those who have severe and progressive mastodynia. In those with smaller amounts of breast tissue, reconstruction is based on a double layer of tissue over a graft, one layer consisting of pectoral muscle and the other of breast skin. In those with more abundant breast tissue, the two layers placed over the graft are both derived from skin flaps, the inner layer a free, denuded dermal graft from the inferior flap and the second layer, the superior breast skin flap itself.
Management of Forage Fishes in Impoundments of the Southern United States

Abstract Forage-fish management in southern ponds began in the early 1940s, and in reservoirs in the 1950s. Need for management arises from situations of both too many and too few prey for existing predators. The principal forage fishes stocked have been shads and silversides in reservoirs, sunfishes in ponds. Recent advances have been made in predator-prey assessment methodologies, with respect to both the need for and the effects of management, but these techniques have not yet been applied widely. Management of forage fishes has included direct control of forage populations with toxicants, drawdown of water levels to increase forage availability, supplemental stocking and diversification of predators, and predator harvest regulations. Forage-fish management has progressed from forage control to forage utilization and predator management, which makes efficient use of excess forage. Forage and predator species have been introduced with little evaluation of ecological relationships. Additional research mu...
Colony-specific cuticular hydrocarbon profile in Formica argentea ants.

The cuticular hydrocarbons of the ant Formica argentea were identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Behavioral bioassays tested the role of each class of cuticular hydrocarbon in nestmate recognition, and statistical analyses looked for potential colony-specific signatures. The cuticular hydrocarbons of F. argentea consist of n-alkanes, alkenes, and methyl-branched alkanes. Behavioral bioassays demonstrated that changes in the alkene and methyl-branched alkane signature of F. argentea increased aggression, but changes in alkanes did not. Statistical analyses demonstrated that F. argentea workers present a colony-specific hydrocarbon profile based on their methyl-branched C29 alkane signature. Using this signature alone, it is possible to group worker ants statistically by nest, suggesting that methyl-branched C29 alkanes may be important in nestmate recognition for this species. These results support the idea that variation in positional isomers of cuticular hydrocarbons of the same carbon chain length may provide enough information for nestmate recognition. Although the addition of alkenes increased aggression in F. argentea, alkenes did not provide a colony-specific signature. This study reinforces the idea that investigators studying nestmate recognition should not examine cuticular hydrocarbon profiles as a whole but rather, should look for colony-specific signatures embedded in parts of the profile.
NuA4 Links Methylation of Histone H3 Lysines 4 and 36 to Acetylation of Histones H4 and H3

Cotranscriptional methylation of histone H3 lysines 4 and 36 by Set1 and Set2, respectively, stimulates interaction between nucleosomes and histone deacetylase complexes to block cryptic transcription in budding yeast. We previously showed that loss of all H3K4 and H3K36 methylation in a set1Δset2Δ mutant reduces interaction between native nucleosomes and the NuA4 lysine acetyltransferase (KAT) complex. We now provide evidence that NuA4 preferentially binds H3 tails mono- and dimethylated on H3K4 and di- and trimethylated on H3K36, an H3 methylation pattern distinct from that recognized by the RPD3C(S) and Hos2/Set3 histone deacetylase complexes (HDACs). Loss of H3K4 or H3K36 methylation in set1Δ or set2Δ mutants reduces NuA4 interaction with bulk nucleosomes in vitro and in vivo, and reduces NuA4 occupancy of transcribed coding sequences at particular genes. We also provide evidence that NuA4 acetylation of lysine residues in the histone H4 tail stimulates SAGA interaction with nucleosomes and its recruitment to coding sequences and attendant acetylation of histone H3 in vivo. Thus, H3 methylation exerts opposing effects of enhancing nucleosome acetylation by both NuA4 and SAGA as well as stimulating nucleosome deacetylation by multiple HDACs to maintain the proper level of histone acetylation in transcribed coding sequences.
Stability versus flocculation of particle suspensions in water—correlation with the extended DLVO approach for aqueous systems, compared with classical DLVO theory

Abstract Stability versus flocculation is studied for aqueous suspensions of a variety of mineral particles (e.g. clay, asbestos, glass), via the extended DLVO (XDLVO) approach (which includes Lewis acid–base interactions in addition to van der Waals and electrostatic interactions), as well as via classical DLVO theory, as a function of absence or presence of plurivalent counterions. Also discussed are XDLVO and DLVO analyses of polymers, biopolymers, cells and phospholipids, in aqueous media, under similar conditions. It is concluded that, in aqueous media, XDLVO analysis practically always describes the interactions of immersed or dissolved particles, cells, vesicles, polymers, biopolymers or phospholipids more accurately than classical DLVO theory.
A Quasi-3-D Theory for Impedance Eduction in Uniform Grazing Flow

A 2-D impedance eduction methodology is extended to quasi-3-D sound fields in uniform or shearing mean flow. We introduce a nonlocal, nonreflecting boundary condition to terminate the duct and then educe the impedance by minimizing an objective function. The introduction of a parallel, sparse, equation solver significantly reduces the wall clock time for educing the impedance when compared to that of the sequential band solver used in the 2-D methodology. The accuracy, efficiency, and robustness of the methodology is demonstrated using two examples. In the first example, we show that the method reproduces the known impedance of a ceramic tubular test liner. In the second example, we illustrate that the approach educes the impedance of a four-segment liner where the first, second, and fourth segments consist of a perforated face sheet bonded to honeycomb, and the third segment is a cut from the ceramic tubular test liner. The ability of the method to educe the impedances of multisegmented liners has the potential to significantly reduce the amount of time and cost required to determine the impedance of several uniform liners by allowing them to be placed in series in the test section and to educe the impedance of each segment using a single numerical experiment. Finally, we probe the objective function in great detail and show that it contains a single minimum. Thus, our objective function is ideal for use with local, inexpensive, gradient-based optimizers.
Enhancing RUSLE to include runoff-driven phenomena

RUSLE2 (Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation) is the most recent in the family of Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE)/RUSLE/RUSLE2 models proven to provide robust estimates of average annual sheet and rill erosion from a wide range of land use, soil, and climatic conditions. RUSLE2's capabilities have been expanded over earlier versions using methods of estimating time-varying runoff and process-based sediment transport routines so that it can estimate sediment transport/deposition/delivery on complex hillslopes. In this report we propose and evaluate a method of predicting a series of representative runoff events whose sizes, durations, and timings are estimated from information already in the RUSLE2 database. The methods were derived from analysis of 30-year simulations using a widely accepted climate generator and runoff model and were validated against additional independent simulations not used in developing the index events, as well as against long-term measured monthly rainfall/runoff sets. Comparison of measured and RUSLE2-predicted monthly runoff suggested that the procedures outlined may underestimate plot-scale runoff during periods of the year with greater than average rainfall intensity, and a modification to improve predictions was developed. In order to illustrate the potential of coupling RUSLE2 with a process-based channel erosion model, the resulting set of representative storms was used as an input to the channel routines used in Chemicals, Runoff, and Erosion from Agricultural Management Systems (CREAMS) to calculate ephemeral gully erosion. The method was applied to a hypothetical 5-ha field cropped to cotton in Marshall County, MS, bisected by a potential ephemeral gully having channel slopes ranging from 0·5 to 5% and with hillslopes on both sides of the channel with 5% steepness and 22·1 m length. Results showed the representative storm sequence produced reasonable results in CREAMS indicating that ephemeral gully erosion may be of the same order of magnitude as sheet and rill erosion. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
MRI in headache

Headaches are described as primary, where no contributing cause is found, or secondary, where a discrete lesion or other condition has triggered the phenotype. Primary headache is a common condition; migraine causes much of the morbidity in this population, at great personal and economic cost. The decision to use MRI is a common dilemma facing clinicians, particularly as primary headache phenotypes can be triggered by secondary causes. Studies demonstrate that there is no appreciable difference in the frequency of pathological and incidental findings in common headache populations compared with the general community. Imaging is therefore not routinely required where a primary headache diagnosis can be made. Clinicians must be aware of the risk of manufacturing morbidity in uncovering incidental and nonsignificant imaging changes. However, patients demonstrating 'red flags' on medical history and examination do require imaging to help exclude a secondary cause of symptoms. Other headache phenotypes, such as the trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias, also generally require MRI.
Renal Artery Aneurysm Secondary to Fibromuscular Dysplasia in a Young Patient

An 8-year-old male was found on routine physical examination to have a blood pressure of 220/110. Renal angiography demonstrated bilateral renal artery stenosis and an aneurysm of the distal left renal artery with branch involvement. At operation, the left renal artery stenosis and aneurysm was repaired by ex vivo arterial reconstruction and autotransplantation of the kidney. Pathologic evaluation of the resected aneurysm confirmed the diagnosis of fibromuscular dysplasia. Fibromuscular dysplasia is the most common cause of renal artery stenosis in children over 1 year of age and can in rare cases be associated with the development of renal artery aneurysms. In complex cases of renal artery stenosis with involvement of renal artery branches, ex vivo repair and orthotopic autotransplantation is an excellent approach for surgical management.
Total factor productivity and returns to investment in Ragi (finger millet) crop research in Karnataka state, India

Background: Total factor productivity indicates the contribution of non inputs to the growth of agricultural productivity. In this study, estimation of total factor productivity in ragi crop and returns to investment in ragi research in Karnataka is attempted. Method: For the study, the time series data on cost of cultivation of ragi was collected from farm management reports, published by Directorate of agriculture, Government of Karnataka. The Tornqvist Theil index of TFP is used for measuring TFP growth and regression analysis is employed to identify sources of TFP growth. Findings: The result indicates that The Total Factor Productivity index of ragi grew at 4.75 per cent per annum. Public research significantly contributed to TFP growth in ragi. The additional investment of one rupee in ragi research generated additional income of Rs. 26.84, indicating substantial rate of returns to investment on research in ragi in Karnataka. Conclusion/Application: The total factor productivity in ragi crop registered a substantial growth in Karnataka. Hence the Government should allocate substantial funds to public research in ragi for productivity improvement of ragi crop providing food security to masses.
Closed Loop, High Sensitivity Fiberoptic Gyroscope

The possibility of using a multiturn fiber Sagnac interferometer as a sensor of absolute rotation has aroused much interest over the past few years. Because such sensors are based on the detection of very small nonreciprocal phase shifts in kilometer long fibers, the research has been very challenging as well as very exciting. A number of different approaches have been studied [1–14] and, as these studies progressed, a number of interesting problems have been uncovered [15–19]. Methods of solving such problems have been develobed enabling a rather rapid improvement in performance, particularly over the past few months [13,14].
The Effect of the Variability in the Physical and Chemical Properties of Magnesium Stearate on the Properties of Compressed Tablets

AbstractA series of magnesium stearate samples, supplied by foreign and domestic manufacturers, were characterized by their physical and chemical properties. The results Indicated that the samples differed significantly with respect to chemical purity, particle size and surface area. The properties of magnesium stearate lots, manufactured by the same company, were very similar. Whatever variation that was seen was principally due to different suppliers.Microcrystall1ne cellulose tablet formulations were prepared and evaluated using samples of magnesium stearate obtained from 16 sources. Differences 1n tablet quality were observed 1n regard to bulk volume of the blends, tablet tensile strength, and tablet friability. The data revealed that the smaller particle sized magnesium stearate samples (2.4–7.0 μm), with a large surface area (10.6–14.8 m2/g), had the most detrimental effects on the physical properties of mlcrocrystalHne cellulose tablets. Regression analysis and modeling was used to define quantltat...
Action Potential Duration Restitution and Alternans in Rabbit Ventricular Myocytes The Key Role of Intracellular Calcium Cycling

Action potential duration (APD) restitution properties and repolarization alternans are thought to be important arrhythmogenic factors. We investigated the role of intracellular calcium (Ca2+i) cycling in regulating APD restitution slope and repolarization (APD) alternans in patch-clamped rabbit ventricular myocytes at 34 to 36 degrees C, using the perforated or ruptured patch clamp techniques with Fura-2-AM to record Ca2+i. When APD restitution was measured by either the standard extrastimulus (S1S2) method or the dynamic rapid pacing method, the maximum APD restitution slope exceeded 1 by both methods, but was more shallow with the dynamic method. These differences were associated with greater Ca2+i accumulation during dynamic pacing. The onset of APD alternans occurred at diastolic intervals at which the APD restitution slope was significantly <1 and was abolished by suppressing sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+i cycling with thapsigargin and ryanodine, or buffering the global Ca2+i transient with BAPTA-AM or BAPTA. Thapsigargin and ryanodine flattened APD restitution slope to <1 when measured by the dynamic method, but not by the S1S2 method. BAPTA-AM or BAPTA failed to flatten APD restitution slope to <1 by either method. In conclusion, APD alternans requires intact Ca2+i cycling and is not reliably predicted by APD restitution slope when Ca2+i cycling is suppressed. Ca2+i cycling may contribute to differences between APD restitution curves measured by S1S2 versus dynamic pacing protocols by inducing short-term memory effects related to pacing-dependent Ca2+i accumulation.
Evaluation of data discretization methods to derive platform independent isoform expression signatures for multi-class tumor subtyping

Many supervised learning algorithms have been applied in deriving gene signatures for patient stratification from gene expression data. However, transferring the multi-gene signatures from one analytical platform to another without loss of classification accuracy is a major challenge. Here, we compared three unsupervised data discretization methods--Equal-width binning, Equal-frequency binning, and k-means clustering--in accurately classifying the four known subtypes of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) when the classification algorithms were trained on the isoform-level gene expression profiles from exon-array platform and tested on the corresponding profiles from RNA-seq data. We applied an integrated machine learning framework that involves three sequential steps; feature selection, data discretization, and classification. For models trained and tested on exon-array data, the addition of data discretization step led to robust and accurate predictive models with fewer number of variables in the final models. For models trained on exon-array data and tested on RNA-seq data, the addition of data discretization step dramatically improved the classification accuracies with Equal-frequency binning showing the highest improvement with more than 90% accuracies for all the models with features chosen by Random Forest based feature selection. Overall, SVM classifier coupled with Equal-frequency binning achieved the best accuracy (> 95%). Without data discretization, however, only 73.6% accuracy was achieved at most. The classification algorithms, trained and tested on data from the same platform, yielded similar accuracies in predicting the four GBM subgroups. However, when dealing with cross-platform data, from exon-array to RNA-seq, the classifiers yielded stable models with highest classification accuracies on data transformed by Equal frequency binning. The approach presented here is generally applicable to other cancer types for classification and identification of molecular subgroups by integrating data across different gene expression platforms.
A Review of Pharmacist Contributions to Diabetes Care in the United States

This paper summarizes the outcomes associated with pharmacist involvement in diabetes care in all pharmacy practice settings. Published literature was identified through a search of MEDLINE (1960 to September, week 1, 2008) and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts using the search terms "pharmacist," "pharmaceutical care," and "diabetes mellitus." Only articles reporting clinical or behavior change outcomes were selected for review; papers written outside the United States and citations only in abstract form were not reviewed. The specific data extracted included the following: practice setting, model of care, roles of the pharmacist, study design, number of patients studied, duration of the evaluation, and documented outcomes such as changes in hemoglobin A(1c) values, adherence to standards of care (lipids, blood pressure, eye exams, foot exams, aspirin use), and changes in quality of life. The greatest improvements in hemoglobin A(1c) values tend to be observed when pharmacists work in collaborative practice models. Growing evidence demonstrates that pharmacists, working as educators, consultants, or clinicians in partnership with other health care professionals, are able to contribute to improved patient outcomes.
A theoretical framework for developing distributed admissions control over delay-sensitive media flows

The performance of most real-time streaming media applications is sensitive to transmission delays. This paper describes a distributed admissions control method to ensure the required sending rates for the real-time media streams. A utility function is first developed to model the satisfaction of delay-sensitive media streams. Then, the optimal admissions control on streams are formulated into a social optimum oriented network utility maximization (NUM) problem. The existence of an optimal solution to the NUM problem has been demonstrated through constructing a centralized algorithm for the determining the admissions for all streams. The centralized algorithm provides insights to find the optimal solution through a distributed algorithm. A distributed admissions control method can be developed based on the dual decomposition of the primal problem. The construction of this distributed admissions control method follows the DiffServ approach.
Correlation of cytokine elaboration with mononuclear cell adhesion to platelet storage bag plastic polymers: a pilot study.

The basis for many febrile nonhemolytic transfusion reactions associated with platelet transfusion therapy is cytokine elaboration and accumulation in the storage bag, which correlate with the leukocyte content and the length of platelet storage. We propose that a possible additional variable in the elaboration and accumulation of cytokines is the differential adhesion of mononuclear cells to the plastic substrate of the platelet storage bag. We hypothesize that mononuclear cell adhesion-induced cytokine release is greater in random-donor platelet bags composed of the polyolefin polymer compared to the single-donor apheresis platelet bags composed of the polyvinyl chloride polymer with the tri-(2-ethylhexyl) trimellitate (TEHTM) plasticizer. For four blood donors, we demonstrate preferential mononuclear cell adhesion, in vitro, to discs of polyolefin polymer versus discs of polyvinyl chloride polymer with the TEHTM plasticizer. Scanning electron microscopy corroborates this. In addition, proinflammatory cytokine (interleukin 1β [IL-1β] and tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α]) levels are greater in culture wells containing discs of polyolefin polymer than in those containing discs of polyvinyl chloride polymer with the TEHTM plasticizer, and even more so in storage bags containing polyolefin polymer versus polyvinyl chloride polymer with the TEHTM plasticizer (IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-8). This study suggests, for the first time, that differential plastic substrate mononuclear cell adhesion may contribute to cytokine release during platelet storage. This may represent an additional variable in the pathophysiology of febrile nonhemolytic transfusion reactions in patients receiving stored platelet units.
Effects of Antibiotics on Bone and Soft-Tissue Healing Following Immediate Single-Tooth Implant Placement Into Sites With Apical Pathology

Overprescription of antibiotics can cause bacterial resistance problems, leading to life-threatening illnesses and public health crises. Clinicians often believe antibiotics can prevent dental impl...
Comprehensive evaluation of apolipoprotein H gene (APOH) variation identifies novel associations with measures of lipid metabolism in GENOA

Apolipoprotein H (apoH, also named β-2 glycoprotein I) is found on several classes of lipoproteins, and is involved in the activation of lipoprotein lipase in lipid metabolism. We have comprehensively investigated the association of variation in the apoH gene (APOH) with lipid traits in hepatic cholesterol transport, dietary cholesterol transport (DCT), and reverse cholesterol transport (RCT). Our study population consisted of families from the Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy multicenter study that include African Americans, Mexican Americans, and European Americans. We individually tested 36 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that span the APOH locus, including nonsynonymous variants that result in known apoH charge isoforms. In addition, we constructed haplotypes from SNPs in the 5′ promoter region that comprise cis-acting regulatory elements, as well as haplotypes for multiple amino acid substitutions. We found point-wise significant associations of APOH variants with various lipid measures in the three racial groups. The strongest associations were found for DCT traits (triglyceride and apoE levels) in Mexican Americans with a nonsynonymous variant (SNP 14917, Cys306Gly) that may alter apoH protein folding in a region involved in phospholipid binding. In conclusion, family-based analyses of APOH variants have identified associations with measures of lipid metabolism in three American racial groups.
Short- and Long-Term COX-2 Inhibition Reverses Endothelial Dysfunction in Patients With Hypertension

Hypertension is associated with endothelial dysfunction that is attributable to oxidative stress and a proinflammatory state. Under these conditions, enhanced expression of cyclooxygenase-2 might lead to increased production of vasoconstrictor prostanoids and reactive oxygen species that reduce the bioavailability of endothelium- derived nitric oxide. To investigate the contribution of cyclooxygenase-2 activity to endothelial dysfunction in human hypertension, we evaluated brachial artery vasodilator function by ultrasound in 29 hypertensive patients before and after treatment with the selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor celecoxib or placebo in a randomized, double-blind study. Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation improved from a baseline of 7.94.5% to 9.95.1% (P0.005) 3 hours after the first dose and to 10.16.1% (P0.006) after 1 week of treatment with celecoxib. In contrast, placebo treatment had no significant effect on flow-mediated dilation (8.14.4%, 8.33.5%, and 8.03.2%, respectively). Neither treatment altered nitroglycerin-mediated dilation, extent of reactive hyperemia, or baseline arterial diameter. Celecoxib treatment had no significant effect on the urinary concentrations of F 2 isoprostane or thromboxane metabolites. However, urinary concentrations of the prostacyclin metabolite 2,3-dinor-6-ketoprostglandin F 1 were significantly lower after 1 week of celecoxib treatment. Thus, cyclooxygenase-2 products contribute to endothelial dysfunction in hypertension, and treatment with a cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor could have a beneficial effect in this setting. However, cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition also has an adverse effect on prostacyclin production that could promote thrombosis, and the net clinical consequences of improved endothelial function versus loss of prostacyclin merits further investigation. (Hypertension. 2003;42:310-315.)
Television Studies: The Basics

Television Studies: The Basics is a lively introduction to the study of a powerful medium. It examines the major theories and debates surrounding production and reception over the years and considers both the role and future of television.
Response of American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) olfactory receptors to selected alcohol odorants and their binary combinations

The cockroach is known to possess several morphologically distinct types of sensilla on its antenna, each of which contain a couple or a few receptor cells that respond to an array of compounds. We recorded the response of cells exclusively from one type of sen- sillum to evaluate the variation in the response of the cells in these sensilla to three closely related alcohols and their binary mixtures. Our results indicate that cells within the class of those responsive to aliphatic alcohols are otherwise variable in their response to particular aliphatic alcohols and not easily classifiable into sub- classes. They also indicate that patterns of responses among cells are not robust with respect to concentration. Finally, a considerable level of inhibition is indicated in the response of the receptor cells to binary mixtures compared with the response to pure odorants. The data suggest that discrimination of alcohols (and other odorants of general but not special significance) by the cockroach cannot be understood simply in terms of la- beled lines or linear filters.
Matrix-based software test data decompression for systems-on-a-chip

This paper describes a new compression/decompression methodology for using an embedded processor to test the other components of a system-on-a-chip (SoC). The deterministic test vectors for each core are compressed using matrix-based operations that significantly reduce the amount of test data that needs to be stored on the tester. The compressed data is transferred from the tester to the processor's on-chip memory. The processor executes a program which decompresses the data and applies it to the scan chains of each core-under-test. The matrix-based operations that are used to decompress the test vectors can be performed very efficiently by the embedded processor thereby allowing the decompression program to be very fast and provide high throughput of the test data to minimize test time. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach provides greater compression than previous methods.
Venus: Mapping the Surface Reflectivity by Radar Interferometry

The surface reflectivity of Venus obtained by radar interferometry at a wavelength of 3.8 centimeters has been mapped for a region extending approximately from -80 degrees to 0 degrees in longitude (Carpenter's definition) and from -50 degrees to +40 degrees in latitude. The map is free from the twofold range-Doppler ambiguity because the interferometer fringe pattern makes possible the separation of two points of equal range and Doppler shift. The map presents many new features and clearly delineates features already observed. Most notably, the map shows large circular regions of significantly lower reflectivity than their surroundinigs.
A time-space decomposition method for calculating the nearfield pressure generated by a pulsed circular piston

A time-space decomposition approach is derived for numerical calculations of the transient nearfield pressure generated by a circular piston. Time-space decomposition analytically separates the temporal and spatial components of a rapidly converging single integral expression, thereby converting transient nearfield pressure calculations into the superposition of a small number of fast-converging spatial integrals that are weighted by time-dependent factors. Results indicate that, for the same peak error value, time-space decomposition is at least one or two orders of magnitude faster than the Rayleigh-Sommerfeld integral, the Schoch integral, the Field II program, and the DREAM program. Time-space decomposition is also faster than methods that directly calculate the impulse response by at least a factor of 3 for a 10% peak error and by a factor of 17 for a 1% peak error. The results show that, for a specified maximum error value, time-space decomposition is significantly faster than the impulse response and other analytical integrals evaluated for computations of transient nearfield pressures generated by circular pistons.
Lateral dynamic analysis and classification of barotropic tidal inlets

The dynamical balances at shallow tidal inlets are highly nonlinear, and can vary substantially over sub-kilometer scales. In this study, barotropic dynamics are examined with numerical experiments on a series of idealized inlets with differing inlet widths and lengths. Circulation and elevation fields obtained from fully nonlinear depth-integrated circulation models are used to reconstruct the contribution of each term in the momentum equations. Momentum terms are rotated into a streamline coordinate system to simplify interpretation of the dynamics. Spatial patterns in momentum reveal that the lateral balances at inlets can vary from nearly geostrophic to strongly cyclostrophic. Marked dynamical differences are seen between inlets with different lengths and widths. Inlet regions of geostrophic or cyclostrophic balances can be predicted using two dimensionless parameters, the dynamic length L* and dynamic width W*. A classification scheme is proposed using L* and W* to compare the idealized inlets analyzed here with inlets from 20 previous studies. Four distinct inlet types are identified and discussed.
Long-term patterns of relapse and survival following definitive intensity-modulated radiotherapy for non-endemic nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Summary Background We report treatment outcomes for a large non-endemic cohort of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and chemotherapy. Methods We identified 177 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed, non-metastatic nasopharyngeal cancer treated with definitive IMRT between 1998 and 2011. Endpoints included local, regional, distant control, and overall survival. Results Median follow-up was 52 months. The 3-/5-year actuarial rates of local control, regional control, distant control, and overall survival were 92%/83%, 93%/91%, 86%/83%, and 87%/74%, respectively. The median time to local recurrence was 30 months; the annual hazard of local recurrence did not diminish until the 6th year of follow-up. Conclusions Overall, we observed excellent rates of disease control and survival consistent with initially reported results from our institution. Attaining locoregional control in patients with extensive primary tumors remains a significant clinical challenge. With mature follow-up we observed that more than half of observed local relapses occurred after 2 years, a pattern distinct from that of carcinomas arising from other head and neck sites. These findings raise the possibility that patients with NPC may benefit from close follow-up during post-treatment years 3–5.
An Innovative Assessment Tool in the Accounting Curriculum: An Accounting Capstone Course Focusing on the Public Sector

Publisher Summary This chapter elaborates Capstone accounting course focusing on the public sector. The capstone accounting course is in the fourth year of a five-year program. Like a senior intern experience, the course can be used as a measurement assessment tool. In addition, though, a capstone course in the fourth year of the five-year curriculum can also be used as a diagnostic tool. Identification of student's weaknesses can result in the implementation of specialized plans for improvement, followed by monitoring of students' progress during the remaining one year of the program. The purpose of this capstone course is to provide an integrating course suitable for all accounting majors, regardless of their area of concentration. Accounting issues arise across organizational functions. The emphasis in this course is on developing an understanding of the many interrelated applications of accounting. One of the objectives of the course is to expose the accounting student to the unique environment, and issues facing governmental and nonprofit entities in order to increase his or her competence as an auditor, finance officer, accountant, and/or taxpayer.
Co-designing review conversations – visual and material dimensions

This special issue of CoDesign presents papers selected from work initially presented at the 10th Design Thinking Research Symposium (DTRS 10), which took place at Purdue University in the fall of ...
Nonlinear Parameter Estimation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in Wind Shear Using Artificial Neural Networks

Operation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for Earth science missions often ensures subjection to hostile environments where external disturbances induce highly nonlinear and unsteady aerodynamic behavior. For autonomous control of an aircraft to be feasible and guarantee stability in such conditions, the physics based model of the vehicle must account for unsteadiness and nonlinearities in the flight envelope where stability and control derivatives are nonlinear and time-varying. Modeling unsteady and nonlinear characteristics of system parameters is a challenging task requiring high fidelity parameter estimation algorithms, such as fuzzy logic modeling, which are computationally expensive and often take weeks or months to converge to a trustworthy output. This work presents a novel system identification method of parameter estimation from real flight test data using artificial neural networks (ANNs) in which the ANNs have the capability of mimicking input-output relationships of existing high fidelity methods. The method is successfully validated using flight test data in high wind shear to estimate select lateral-directional stability derivatives of a small UAV. Other novelties of this work include the use of reduced frequencies to account for unsteadiness and validation and testing on two sets of flight test data, in considerably dissimilar flight conditions, with both radio controlled and autonomous piloting modes considered.
The system usability scale and non-native English speakers

The System Usability Scale (SUS) was administered verbally to native English and non-native English speakers for several internally deployed applications. It was found that a significant proportion of non-native English speakers failed to understand the word "cumbersome" in Item 8 of the SUS (that is, "I found the system to be very cumbersome to use.") This finding has implications for reliability and validity when the questionnaire is distributed electronically in multinational usability efforts.
Making a Success of "Algebra for All": The Impact of Extended Instructional Time and Classroom Peer Skill in Chicago.

In 2003, Chicago launched “Double-Dose Algebra,” requiring students with pretest scores below the national median to take two periods of math–algebra and supplemental coursework. In many schools, a...
Mapping the inherited defects associated with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A, multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2B, and familial medullary thyroid carcinoma to chromosome 10 by linkage analysis.

This article reviews genetic mapping experiments that lead to the assignment of the genes responsible for MEN 2A, MEN 2B, and familial medullary thyroid carcinoma to the pericentromeric region of chromosome 10, and ultimately to the identification of mutations in the RET proto-oncogene in association with MEN 2A and familial medullary thyroid carcinoma.
APERTURE: a precise extremely large reflective telescope using re-configurable elements

One of the pressing needs for the UV-Vis is a design to allow even larger mirrors than the JWST primary at an affordable cost. We report here the results of a NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts phase 1 study. Our project is called A Precise Extremely large Reflective Telescope Using Reconfigurable Elements (APERTURE). The idea is to deploy a continuous membrane-like mirror. The mirror figure will be corrected after deployment to bring it into better or equal lambda/20 deviations from the prescribed mirror shape. The basic concept is not new. What is new is to use a different approach from the classical piezoelectric-patch technology. Instead, our concept is based on a contiguous coating of a so called magnetic smart material (MSM). After deployment a magnetic write head will move on the non-reflecting side of the mirror and will generate a magnetic field that will produce a stress in the MSM that will correct the mirror deviations from the prescribed shape.
A stable high-order perturbation of surfaces method for numerical simulation of diffraction problems in triply layered media

The accurate numerical simulation of linear waves interacting with periodic layered media is a crucial capability in engineering applications. In this contribution we study the stable and high-order accurate numerical simulation of the interaction of linear, time-harmonic waves with a periodic, triply layered medium with irregular interfaces. In contrast with volumetric approaches, High-Order Perturbation of Surfaces (HOPS) algorithms are inexpensive interfacial methods which rapidly and recursively estimate scattering returns by perturbation of the interface shape. In comparison with Boundary Integral/Element Methods, the stable HOPS algorithm we describe here does not require specialized quadrature rules, periodization strategies, or the solution of dense non-symmetric positive definite linear systems. In addition, the algorithm is provably stable as opposed to other classical HOPS approaches. With numerical experiments we show the remarkable efficiency, fidelity, and accuracy one can achieve with an implementation of this algorithm.
Fuzzy Control of Large Civil Structures Subjected to Natural Hazards

In this chapter, a new semiactive nonlinear fuzzy control (SNFC) system design framework is proposed through integration of a set of Lyapunov-based state feedback controllers and Kalman filters. A nonlinear multi-input multi-output (MIMO) autoregressive exogenous (ARX) Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy model is constructed out of a set of linear dynamic models. Subsequently, multiple Lyapunovbased state feedback controllers are formulated in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) such that the resulting system is globally asymptotically stable. The resulting state feedback controllers are integrated with Kalman filters and a converting algorithm using a T-S fuzzy interpolation method to construct a semiactive output feedback controller. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed design framework, the resulting scheme is applied to a three- and a twenty-story building employing nonlinear hysteretic control devices. It is demonstrated from numerical simulations that the proposed approach is effective in controlling the responses of seismically excited large civil structures equippedwith magnetorheological (MR) dampers: both displacement and acceleration responses of both three- and twenty-story buildings subjected to the 1940 El-Centro earthquake disturbance are dramatically reduced when the proposed control approach is applied.
An Assessment of Concrete over Asphalt Pavement using Both the Ultrasonic Surface Wave and Impact Echo Techniques

ABSTRACT A portable seismic property analyzer (PSPA) was used to simultaneously acquire both ultrasonic surface wave (PSPA-USW) and impact-echo (PSPA-IE) data at predetermined locations along a section of multi-layered pavement. The pavement consisted of a basal concrete layer (∼220 mm), an intervening layer of hot-mix asphalt (∼60 mm), and a concrete overlay (∼220 mm). The section of multi-layered pavement was cored at multiple PSPA test locations for verification purposes. The conditions of the extracted cores were assessed visually, and the static elastic modulus, as well as the compressional wave velocity of each concrete overlay core, were measured in the laboratory. Results from this study demonstrated that the PSPA-USW tool can be used to evaluate the conditions of concrete overlay, the interlayer (hot-mix asphalt), and their bonding conditions from a qualitative perspective. A good correlation between the static and laboratory dynamic modulus from core specimens of concrete overlay were confirmed ...