cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The overlooked costs of the permanent war economy: A market process approach

How does the permanent war economy interact, and subsume, the private, non-military economy? Can the two remain at a distance while sharing resource pools? This paper argues that they cannot. Once the U.S. embarked upon the path of permanent war, starting with World War II, the result was a permanent war economy. The permanent war economy continuously draws resources into the military sector at the expense of the private economy, even in times of peace. We explore the overlooked costs of this process. The permanent war economy does not just transfer resources from the private economy, but also distorts and undermines the market process which is ultimately responsible for improvements in standards of living.
Recommended climatological networks based on the representativeness of climatic stations for different elements

Climatological stations are of two kinds, those established for climatological purposes, and those set up as part of a network for short range forecasting. The closeness of network and choice of sites for stations is not the same in these two classes; in general, the networks for forecasting are closer than those required for climatology. Climatological networks may be most open for insolation, daily maximum temperature, precipitation, wind, and visibility and least open for dally minimum temperature, and snowfall. Temporary stations and climatic profiling tributary to a long established primary station may serve in lieu of many permanent stations within a climatically coherent region. Thus the number of permanent stations can be made as few as one for each zone of one or two degrees of latitude and each zone of 509 to 2000 feet altitude within a large coherent region, each serving some 2000 sq mi in rough or coastal terrain or some 200,000 sq mi in interior plains country. Each zone, however, would require climatic tables for the several types of topographic locations, and detailed maps for completeness. The primary stations would have to be maintained with great care, to guard against errors and changing conditions of exposure.
A new technique for measuring extragalactic distances

A relatively direct technique of determining extragalactic distances is described. The method relies on measuring the luminosity fluctuations that arise from the counting statistics of the stars contributing the flux in each pixel of a high signal-to-noise CCD image of a galaxy. The amplitude of these fluctuations is inversely proportional to the distance of the galaxy. This approach bypasses most of the successive stages of calibration required in the traditional extragalactic distance ladder; the only serious drawback to this method is that it requires an accurate knowledge of the bright end of the luminosity function. Potentially, this method can produce accurate distances of elliptical galaxies and spiral bulges at distances out to about 20 Mpc. In this paper, it is explained how to calculate the value of the fluctuations, taking into account various sources of contamination and the effects of finite spatial resolution, and the feasibility and limitations of this technique are demonstrated via simulations and CCD images of M 32 and N 3379.
What does ‘go green’ mean to children?

The curricula for young children rarely provide specific teaching about how to conserve earth's resources. Yet, adults need to help children early in life become aware of and actively involved in ecologically sensitive and sound practices. Interviews were conducted individually with 41 children (4- to 6-year-olds; 7- to 9-year-olds and 10- to 12-year-olds) to discover their ideas about ‘Going green’, ‘Recycling’ and ‘How they could help the earth’. With increasing age and cognitive maturity, children's responses showed a marked change toward more awareness of, and more feelings of responsibility toward, conserving earth's resources. The youngest children responded with references to the colour green when asked about the idea ‘Go Green’. Young elementary school age children expressed some ideas about how important it is to recycle and to conserve resources. All the older children understood what ‘Go Green’ means and gave examples of their own responsibility for helping conserve in order to help other peopl...
Positron emission tomography quantification of serotonin-1A receptor binding in medication-free bipolar depression.

Background Little is known about the serotonin-1A receptor (5-HT1A) in bipolar depression despite altered 5-HT1A binding in major depressive disorder. Utilizing positron emission tomography (PET) and the radioligand N-(2-(4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinyl)ethyl)-N-(2-pyridinyl)cyclohexanecarboxamide ([Carbonyl-C-11]WAY-100635), 5-HT1A binding was compared between depressed bipolar disorder (BD) and controls. Methods Brain 5-HT1A binding potential ( BP F = B max / K D , where B max = total available receptors, and 1/ K D = ligand affinity) was measured in 32 currently depressed, medication-free BD subjects and 47 controls. Participants were genotyped for the 5-HT1A promoter polymorphism C(-1019)G. Results The bipolar depressed group demonstrated higher 5-HT1A BP F across all regions of interest (ROIs; p = .022). Post hoc analyses indicated that male BD patients had higher 5-HT1A BP F than male controls ( p = .025), with higher 5-HT1A BP F found in every region (by 102% in raphe nuclei and 29% to 50% in the forebrain ROIs); whereas, female subgroups did not differ in 5-HT1A BP F ( p = .32). Serotonin-1A BP F did not correlate with depression severity. The GG genotype was overrepresented at trend level in the BD group ( p = .057). Number of G-allele copies was associated with higher 5-HT1A BP F in raphe ( p = .0050), amygdala ( p = .022), and hippocampus ( p = .041). Conclusions Higher 5-HT1A BP F in bipolar depressed males suggests higher raphe autoreceptor binding, potentially causing less serotonin release and compensatory upregulation of forebrain postsynaptic 5-HT1A receptors. The raphe effect may be partly genetic. No difference in 5-HT1A BP F between BD and control females may reflect greater effect of prior antidepressant exposure in BD females.
Magnetoacoustic Effect in Cesium

The magnetoacoustic effect has been observed in high-purity cesium single crystals. Longitudinal waves of frequencies 30-70 MHz were employed. The momentum obtained from the period of the geometric oscillations indicates that the Fermi surface of cesium is distorted from a sphere, bulging about 4% in the [110] direction and depressed approximately 1% in the [100] and [111] directions. The results are compared with the de Haas-van Alphen measurements in cesium, and the positions of the attenuation extrema are compared with the free-electron theory of ultrasonic attenuation.
T-type current modulation by the actin-binding protein Kelch-like 1

We report a novel form of modulation of T-type calcium currents carried out by the neuronal actin-binding protein (ABP) Kelch-like 1 (KLHL1). KLHL1 is a constitutive neuronal ABP localized to the s...
MGMT immunohistochemical expression and promoter methylation in human glioblastoma

O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) expression has been recently proposed as a useful prognostic and/or predictive marker in glioblastoma patients receiving adjuvant therapy after the surgery. We studied samples from 50 patients with histologically confirmed GBM to evaluate MGMT expression by immunohistochemistry and its relation to promoter methylation status. Genomic DNA was extracted from scrapings of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue corresponding to hematoxylin and eosin sections. Using the mouse monoclonal antibody MT3.1, MGMT expression was assessed and scored in tumor cells: (1=negative or limited to 50%). Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction was performed after bisulfite treatment. Assessment of MGMT expression in neoplastic tissue required careful scrutiny because of its expression in a variety of non-neoplastic cells. MGMT expression was present in tumor cells with a score of 1, 2, and 3, respectively in 36 (72%), 13 (26%), and 1 (2%) cases. Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction yielded interpretable results in 39 cases (78%). MGMT promoter methylation was detected in 15 cases (38.5%), whereas 24 (61.5%) were unmethylated. Among the methylated samples, 14 (of 15) had a score of 1, and 1 had a score of 3 by immunohistochemistry. Of the 24 unmethylated samples, 18 had a score of 1, and 6 of 2. There was no significant correlation between MGMT expression and methylation, and no significant survival difference was observed between patients whose tumors were negative versus positive for MGMT protein by immunohistochemistry. This study underscores some of the difficulties in applying immunohistochemistry to assess MGMT expression.
Radioimmunoassays for prostaglandins. I. Technical validation of prostaglandin F2α measurements in human plasma using Sephadex G-25 gelfiltration☆

Human plasma samples of 1 ml were processed according to three different procedures prior to Radioimmunoassay (RIA) of Prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2alpha). Serial dilutions of ethyl acetate extracts as such, or combined with either silicic acid or Sephadex G-25 chromatography were assessed for linearity, homogeneity and parallelism with the corresponding standard dose response line. For plasma extracts used as such, non-parallelism is observed. Subsequent chromatography on silicic acid of such extracts gave only a limited linear and parallel portion upon serial dilution. However, purification of the extracts by gelfiltration on Sephadex G-25 results in linear and parallel lines over the full range of the standard dose response line (B/BO 0.9-0.2). Upon comparison of separation by Polyethylene glycol (PEG) and Dextran coated charcoal (DCC) in these systems, PEG proved to give the best results. It was found that in the Sephadex G-25 procedure, separation by PEG is essential. The method of gelfiltration on Sephadex G-25 is simple and reliable. Intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation are 6% and 12%, respectively. Accuracy, as measured by recovery of added known amounts of PGF2alpha is 97.6%.
Cellular Basis of Triggered Arrhythmias in Heart Failure

Abstract Ventricular tachycardia in nonischemic heart failure (HF) initiates by a nonreentrant mechanism that appears to be due to triggered activity primarily from delayed afterdepolarizations that arise from altered cellular Ca handling and ionic currents. In HF, factors that conspire to enhance triggered arrhythmias include upregulated Na/Ca exchange, preserved β-adrenergic responsiveness, and decreased IK1. Overall, the further delineation of key factors that underlie triggered arrhythmias in HF will provide the basis for new therapeutic strategies directed toward novel targets that can reduce the high incidence of sudden death in patients with HF.
Constant factor approximation of vertex-cuts in planar graphs

We devise the first constant factor approximation algorithm for minimum quotient vertex-cuts in planar graphs. Our algorithm achieves approximation ratio 1+4/3(1+e) with running time O(W• n3+2/e), where W is the total weight of the vertices. The approximation ratio improves to 4/3(1+e+o(1)) if there is an optimal quotient vertex-cut (A*,B*,C*) where the weight of C* is of low order compared to those of A* and B*; this holds, for example, when the input graph has uniform weights and costs. The ratio further improves to 1+e+o(1) if, in addition, min[w(A*),w(B*)] ≤ 1/3 W.We use our algorithm for quotient vertex-cuts to achieve the first constant-factor pseudo-approximation for vertex separators in planar graphs.Our technical contribution is two-fold. First, we prove a structural theorem for planar graphs, showing the existence of a near-optimal quotient vertex-cut whose high-level structure is that of a bounded-depth tree. Second, we develop an algorithm that optimizes over such complex structures in running time that depends (exponentially) not on the size of the structure, but rather only on its depth. These techniques may be applicable in other problems.
Trace element profiles of biological samples using radioisotope X-ray fluorescence

Abstract The trace element content determination of biological samples such as provided by biopsy or tissue section, require a unique approach. Radioisotope induced X-ray fluorescence (RIXRF) methods have been adopted to provide these criteria. Sensitivities of 10 15 atoms has been achieved in a nondestructive approach and utilized in tumor growth studies and studies involving atherosclerosis. Techniques for sample preparation and mounting and data reduction are presented.
Isotopic disorder and the electronic pairing mechanism in superconducting fullerenes.

We examine the effects of isotopic disorder on the shift of ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$ in the superconducting fullerenes within the electronic pairing mechanism of Chakravarty et al. Isotopic disorder leads to anisotropic changes in electronic hopping on an individual fullerene molecule, which in turn slightly alters the pair binding energy on that molecule. While isotopic disorder does tend to suppress ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$ within this model, we find that these effects are too small to account for anomalous isotope shifts reported for partial $^{13}\mathrm{C}$ substitution.
Cooling and ventilating the Abyssal Ocean

The abyssal ocean is filled with cold, dense waters that sink along the Antarctic continental slope and overflow sills that lie south of the Nordic Seas. Recent inte- grations of chlorofluorocarbon-11 (CFC) measurements are similar in Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) and in lower North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW), but Antarctic inputs are ≈ 2 ◦ C colder than their northern counterparts. This indicates comparable ventilation rates from both polar re- gions, and accounts for the Southern Ocean dominance over abyssal cooling. The decadal CFC-based estimates of recent ventilation are consistent with other hydrographic observa- tions and with longer-term radiocarbon data, but not with hypotheses of a 20 th -centuryslowdown in the rate of AABW formation. Significant variabilityis not precluded bythe available ocean measurements, however, and interannual to decadal changes are increasinglyevident at high latitudes.
An Interview with G. Michael Pressley

It is with great sadness that I write with news that Mike Pressley died peacefully last night at his home. We will miss Mike greatly as a friend, colleague, and mentor. There are not enough words to honor Mike's distinguished career. His reputation as a scholar and his stature in the field of education and psychology are shared by few. His honors distinguish him with national and international renown. His awards from the most prestigious professional associations are testimony to his prominence and national impact. He received the Sylvia Scribner Award for career contributions to research in education from AERA (1995), the Oscar Causey Career Award for research in reading from the National Reading Conference (2000), and the E.L. Thorndike Award for career contributions to educational psychology from APA (2003). Mike served as editor of Journal of Educational Psychology (1996-2002), Applied Cognitive Psychology (1991—1994), and co-editor of the Journal of Reading Behavior (1992-1994), and co-author of the K-6 elementary language arts program titled Open Court. In 2005, Mike was awarded the title of University Distinguished Professor of Michigan State University, the highest academic honor within the university. Mike was a prolific author and his research led to balanced approaches to reading research instruction and assessment, to greater understanding of the cognitive processes underlying reading comprehension, and to policies and practices in education that have improved reading achievement of children in elementary schools. Mike is listed in the Thompson ISI highly cited list which is indicative of a citation rate in the top half of 1% of those cited in the research literature. Indeed, Mike was a prolific scholar but he was also deeply committed to graduate students. He involved students as
Comparison of D2 and D3 dopamine receptor affinity of dopaminergic compounds in rat brain

Abstract This study used quantitative autoradiography to simultaneously evaluate the relative affinities of dopaminergic compounds for dopamine D 2 and D 3 receptors in rat brain. PD 152255, PD 128907, and l-nafadotride exhibited significantly higher affinity for cerebellar dopamine D 3 sites than [ 3 H]quinpirole-labeled sites in caudate/putamen (6.3-, 6.0-, and 2.3-fold, respectively). In contrast, chlorpromazine, risperidone, and domperidone were more potent at striatal dopamine D 2 receptors (3.8-, 31-, and 40-fold, respectively). Dopamine, quinelorane, (+)-UH 232, and RS- trans -7-OH-PIPAT exhibited relatively little D 2 D 3 selectivity.
Unraveling the racial disparities associated with kidney disease1

Unraveling the racial disparities associated with kidney disease. In the United States, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and in particular end-stage renal disease (ESRD), represent a growing problem. Many other countries also have an increasing number of ESRD cases. Racial/ethnic disparities have been documented globally in the prevalence, incidence, and treatment of CKD, most extensively in the United States, but also in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, among others. In many circumstances, these disparities are of a negative nature, that is, certain racial/ethnic groups fare worse than their white counterparts with respect to the treatment or outcome of CKD. However, in a few circumstances, they are of a positive nature, such as the survival advantage seen in minorities with ESRD compared with whites. The reasons for racial disparities in the prevalence, incidence, and treatment of CKD are not fully understood, although they are explained partly by coexisting medical conditions and modifiable risk factors, such as socioeconomic, lifestyle, and cultural. It is likely, however, that the complete picture incorporates a complex interaction between these sociocultural, genetic, and environmental factors. In a global society that prides itself on a high level of sensitivity and equality, there is an ethical and moral imperative to address the continuing racial/ethnic disparities in CKD and many of the factors underlying this epidemic. We review data highlighting the racial/ethnic disparities that exist in the incidence and treatment of CKD, with particular emphasis on ESRD. A better understanding of both the negative and positive racial/ethnic disparities may yield important insights, which can inform future research strategies and improve health outcomes for all patients afflicted with CKD. 1 See Editorial by Pugsley, p. 1364.
Optimization of rectangular transmission gratings: Applications to new monochromator design

Abstract In this paper we examine the conditions under which a rectangular grating may have its zeroth order of diffracted light completely suppressed, yielding approximately 41% output efficiency into each first order. We show that the higher orders will always be present in any grating with discrete bars, and thus that the above condition is also optimal in an important sense. Other equally important optimization conditions are discussed and practical consequences in terms of new monochromator design are presented.
The Romantic Conception of Robert J. Richards

In his new book, The Romantic Conception of Life: Science and Philosophy in the Age of Goethe, Robert J. Richards argues that Charles Darwin's true evolutionary roots lie in the German Romantic biology that flourished around the beginning of the nineteenth century. It is argued that Richards is quite wrong in this claim and that Darwin's roots are in the British society within which he was born, educated, and lived.
Marine Swimming-Related Illness: Implications for Monitoring and Environmental Policy

There is increasing evidence that environmental degradation may be contributing to an increase in marine-related diseases across a wide range of taxonomic groups. This includes a growing number of reports of both recreational and occupational users of marine waters developing gastrointestinal, respiratory, dermatologic, and ear, nose, and throat infections. The duration and type of exposure, concentration of pathogens, and host immunity determine the risk of infection. Public health authorities may not be able to accurately predict the risk of waterborne disease from marine waters due to the limitations of conventional monitoring, as well as erroneous perceptions of pathogen life span in marine systems. Pathogens undetectable by conventional methods may remain viable in marine waters, and both plankton and marine sediments may serve as reservoirs for pathogenic organisms, which can emerge to become infective when conditions are favorable. In this paper we address the environmental factors that may contribute to illness, the types of associated economic costs, the issues of water quality monitoring and the policy implications raised by the apparent rise in incidence of marine water-related illnesses.
Discovering patterns in sequences of events

Abstract Given a sequence of events (or objects), each characterized by a set of attributes, the problem considered is to discover a rule characterizing the sequence and able to predict a plausible sequence continuation. The rule, called a sequence-generating rule , is nondeterministic in the sense that it does not necessarily tell exactly which event must appear next in the sequence, but rather, defines a set of plausible next events. The basic assumption of the methodology presented here is that the next event depends solely on the attributes of the previous events in the sequence. These attributes are either initially given or can be derived from the initial ones through a chain of inferences. Three basic rule models are employed to guide the search for a sequence-generating rule: decomposition, periodic, and disjunctive normal form (DNF). The search process involves simultaneously transforming the initial sequences to derived sequences and instantiating models to find the best match between the instantiated model and the derived sequence. A program, called SPARC/E, is described that implements most of the methodology as applied to discovering sequence generating rules in the card game Eleusis. This game, which models the process of scientific discovery, is used as a source of examples for illustrating the performance of SPARC/E.
Iris Pigmentation and AC Thresholds

Data from 160 White children were used to analyze possible associations between iris pigmentation and AC pure-tone thresholds. Iris pigmentation was graded from iris color using glass models of eye...
A low rate of cell proliferation and reduced DNA uptake limit cationic lipid-mediated gene transfer to primary cultures of ciliated human airway epithelia

Complexes of DNA and cationic lipid offer potential advantages for gene transfer to airway epithelia. However, we found that application of DNA–lipid (DMRIE–DOPE) complexes to primary cultures of human ciliated airway epithelia or explants of rabbit trachea generated only low levels of gene transfer. In contrast, when we applied the DNA–lipid to immature human epithelia shortly after seeding, transgene expression was substantially higher. We identified two barriers that limit gene transfer. First, uptake of the DNA–lipid complexes into airway cells across the apical membrane decreased rapidly with time after seeding and paralleled the decrease in transgene expression. Second, cell division decreased with time after seeding, and we found that cells in mitosis (labeled with BrdU) were much more likely to express transgene than BrdU-negative cells. These data suggest that the entry step across the apical membrane and the low rate of cell division are important barriers for cationic lipid-mediated gene transfer to airway epithelia. Attempts to modify these two processes may yield improvements in the efficiency of gene transfer to the airways in cystic fibrosis.
On the prediction of means in a finite population

Abstract For predicting a mean in a finite population, two predictors are compared in large samples under some superpopulation models. The study is extended to investigate the effects of measurement errors on the predictors.
Asperity Excited Temperature Field in a Coated Medium With a Random Uniform Coating Thickness

Etude du champ de temperature cree par une asperite se deplacant sur un materiau revetu. On considere des revetements d'epaisseur uniforme mais variant de facon aleatoire d'un echantillon a un autre
A local iteration scheme for nonlinear two-dimensional steady-state heat conduction: a BEM approach

Abstract An efficient algorithm is proposed to solve the steady-state nonlinear heat conduction equation using the boundary element method (BEM). Nonlinearity of the heat conduction equation arises from nonlinear boundary conditions and temperature dependence of thermal conductivity. Using Kirchhoff's transformation, the case of temperature dependence of thermal conductivity can be transformed to the nonlinear boundary conditions case. Applying the BEM technique, the resulting matrix equation becomes nonlinear. The nonlinearity, however, only involves the boundary nodes that have nonlinearboundary conditions. The proposed local iterative scheme reduces the entire BEM matrix equation to a smaller matrix equation whose rank is the same as the number of boundary nodes with nonlinear boundary conditions. The Newton-Raphson iteration scheme is used to solve the reduced nonlinear matrix equation. The local iterative scheme is first applied to two one-dimensional problems (analytical solutions are possible) with different nonlinear boundary conditions. It is then applied to a two-region problem. Finally, the local iterative scheme is applied to two cavity problems in which radiation plays a role in the heat transfer.
Quantity and spatial variability of soil carbon in the conterminous United States

We estimated the soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil inorganic carbon (SIC) inventory for the conterminous USA using the State Soil Geographic Database (STATSGO). The relative contribution of each soil order and Land Resource Region (LRR) to the national SOC and SIC inventory was determined. There are 302 to 1499 310 8 Mg of SOC and 226 to 937 3 10 8 Mg of SIC in the upper 2 m of soil in the conterminous USA. About 30 and 80% of the upper 2-m SOC is in the 0- to 0.20- and 0- to 1.0-m soil layers, respectively. For SIC, only about 8% of the upper 2-m SIC is in the upper 0.2 m, and about 50% is in the top 1.0-m layer. The relative spatial variability of SOC increases dramatically as soil depth increases while the largest relative variability of SIC is in the surface layer. Because of its large area (27% of the soil area in the conterminous USA), Mollisols are the largest contributors both to the SOC stock (about 31 to 39%) and to the SIC stock (about 43 to 44%) in the conterminous USA. The results ofthisstudyprovideaviewofsoilCpartitioningbytaxonomicgroup and land resource area, information that may be useful for assessing the impact of land use and climatic change on SOC and SIC pools.
Studies of atmospheric propagation in the maritime environment at NRL

The US Naval Research Laboratory has an ongoing research effort in the continuous observation of the maritime environment for free space optical communications. One of the goals of our research program is to characterize the behavior of the maritime environment for lasercomm systems, and use the data gathered from the Lasercomm Test Facility (LCTF) at NRL-Chesapeake Bay Detachment (CBD) to develop a method of predicting the global availability of maritime lasercomm. The LCTF has provided volumes of information about maritime laser propagation and atmospheric turbulence. Highlights of the work on the characterization of the maritime atmosphere are provided in this paper.
Immune Dysregulation in Patients Persistently Infected with Human Papillomaviruses 6 and 11

Human Papillomaviruses (HPVs) 6 and 11 are part of a large family of small DNA viruses, some of which are commensal. Although much of the population can contain or clear infection with these viruses, there is a subset of individuals who develop persistent infection that can cause significant morbidity and on occasion mortality. Depending on the site of infection, patients chronically infected with these viruses develop either recurrent, and on occasion, severe genital warts or recurrent respiratory papillomas that can obstruct the upper airway. The HPV-induced diseases described are likely the result of a complex and localized immune suppressive milieu that is characteristic of patients with persistent HPV infection. We review data that documents impaired Langerhans cell responses and maturation, describes the polarized adaptive T-cell immune responses made to these viruses, and the expression of class select II MHC and KIR genes that associate with severe HPV6 and 11 induced disease. Finally, we review evidence that documents the polarization of functional TH2 and T-regulatory T-cells in tissues persistently infected with HPV6 and 11, and we review evidence that there is suppression of natural killer cell function. Together, these altered innate and adaptive immune responses contribute to the cellular and humoral microenvironment that supports HPV 6 and 11-induced disease.
Implementation of MOSFET-C filters based on active RC prototypes

It is suggested that MOSFET-C circuits exist which|although they do not obey previously suggested topological restrictions, are input-output linear. The results presented yield circuits with low op-amp count and enlarge the class of active RC prototypes that can be converted to MOSFET-C circuits.
U.S. Nuclear Forces, 2010

Two important recent events—the signing of New START and the release of the Obama administration’s Nuclear Posture Review—will shape the configuration of the U.S. nuclear arsenal for years to come.
Diagnosis and management of blunt pancreatic ductal injury in the era of high-resolution computed axial tomography.

Abstract Background Blunt pancreatic ductal injury is an uncommon but potentially morbid injury that can be difficult to diagnose and manage. Computed axial tomography (CAT) scan has historically been unreliable for the detection of ductal injury, but the advent of high-resolution CAT should improve diagnostic accuracy. Methods From our prospectively maintained trauma registry, consecutive patients who had a diagnosis of blunt pancreatic injury with or without a subsequent laparotomy during the time period from January 1995 through December 2004 were retrospectively reviewed. Pancreatic ductal injury was treated exclusively with distal pancreatic resection (DPR) without adjunctive endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography or magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography. Results Of 50 patients with blunt pancreatic injury, 33 patients had both preoperative CAT scan and laparotomy. Although the CAT scan interpretation and operative findings corresponded precisely for all pancreatic injuries in only 55% of cases, CAT scan was 91% sensitive and 91% specific for identifying pancreatic ductal injury. Eleven patients with confirmed pancreatic ductal injury underwent DPR. There were no postoperative pancreas-related deaths and only 1 pancreas-related complication among survivors, a patient with a low-output pancreatic fistula that resolved after 5 weeks. Conclusions Blunt pancreatic ductal injury may be accurately diagnosed with preoperative CAT scan, without adjunctive endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography or magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, and is effectively and safely treated with DPR.
Effects of buried layer geometry on characteristics of double polysilicon bipolar transistors

Dependences of electrical characteristics of double polysilicon transistors on n/sup +/ buried islands (subcollector) are examined. By simply modifying layouts of the buried island, the Early voltage (V/sub A/), collector-to-emitter breakdown voltage (BV/sub CEO/), and /spl beta//spl times/V/sub A/ product of transistors are increased from 42, 5.6, and 3070 V to 61, 6.7, and 3820 V, respectively, while the peak cutoff frequency at a V/sub CE/ of 1.5 V is decreased from around 21 to 17 GHz. Exploiting these results, it may be feasible to inexpensively integrate transistors with better f/sub T/-BV/sub CEO/ and f/sub T/-V/sub A/ tradeoffs for analog and power handling characteristics along with transistors optimized for high-speed operation. These results also indicate that the buried island geometry control could be an issue for controlling electrical characteristics for scaled bipolar transistors.
An ontology for component-based models of water resource systems

[1] Component-based modeling is an approach for simulating water resource systems where a model is composed of a set of components, each with a defined modeling objective, interlinked through data exchanges. Component-based modeling frameworks are used within the hydrologic, atmospheric, and earth surface dynamics modeling communities. While these efforts have been advancing, it has become clear that the water resources modeling community in particular, and arguably the larger earth science modeling community as well, faces a challenge of fully and precisely defining the metadata for model components. The lack of a unified framework for model component metadata limits interoperability between modeling communities and the reuse of models across modeling frameworks due to ambiguity about the model and its capabilities. To address this need, we propose an ontology for water resources model components that describes core concepts and relationships using the Web Ontology Language (OWL). The ontology that we present, which is termed the Water Resources Component (WRC) ontology, is meant to serve as a starting point that can be refined over time through engagement by the larger community until a robust knowledge framework for water resource model components is achieved. This paper presents the methodology used to arrive at the WRC ontology, the WRC ontology itself, and examples of how the ontology can aid in component-based water resources modeling by (i) assisting in identifying relevant models, (ii) encouraging proper model coupling, and (iii) facilitating interoperability across earth science modeling frameworks.
Impacts of foot orthoses on pain and disability in rheumatoid arthritics

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) frequently causes foot pain and swelling that affect ambulation. Pharmaceutical management of pain and disability is standard in clinical practice. The use of functional posted foot orthoses, as an adjunct to pharmaceutical treatment, is a promising treatment for managing foot pain and disability in RA. Its effectiveness, however, has not been rigorously evaluated. We performed a double-blind clinical trial using foot orthoses vs. placebo orthoses in the management of the rheumatoid arthritic foot, while subjects continued customary treatment. On the basis of findings of no effect on disability and pain measures, this study indicates no benefit of functional posted foot orthoses over placebos.
Performance characterization of molecular dynamics techniques for biomolecular simulations

Large-scale simulations and computational modeling using molecular dynamics (MD) continues to make significant impacts in the field of biology. It is well known that simulations of biological events at native time and length scales requires computing power several orders of magnitude beyond today's commonly available systems. Supercomputers, such as IBM Blue Gene/L and Cray XT3, will soon make tens to hundreds of teraFLOP/s of computing power available by utilizing thousands of processors. The popular algorithms and MD applications, however, were not initially designed to run on thousands of processors. In this paper, we present detailed investigations of the performance issues, which are crucial for improving the scalability of the MD-related algorithms and applications on massively parallel processing (MPP) architectures. Due to the varying characteristics of biological input problems, we study two prototypical biological complexes that use the MD algorithm: an explicit solvent and an implicit solvent. In particular, we study the AMBER application, which supports a variety of these types of input problems. For the explicit solvent problem, we focused on the particle mesh Ewald (PME) method for calculating the electrostatic energy, and for the implicit solvent model, we targeted the Generalized Born (GB) calculation. We uncovered and subsequently modified a limitation in AMBER that restricted the scaling beyond 128 processors. We collected performance data for experiments on up to 2048 Blue Gene/L and XT3 processors and subsequently identified that the scaling is largely limited by the underlying algorithmic characteristics and also by the implementation of the algorithms. Furthermore, we found that the input problem size of biological system is constrained by memory available per node. In conclusion, our results indicate that MD codes can significantly benefit from the current generation architectures with relatively modest optimization efforts. Nevertheless, the key for enabling scientific breakthroughs lies in exploiting the full potential of these new architectures.
State-Level Benefits of Energy Efficiency

This paper describes benefits attributable to state-level energy efficiency programs. Nationwide, state-level energy efficiency programs have targeted all sectors of the economy and have employed a wide range of methods to promote energy efficiency. Standard residential and industrial programs typically identify between 20% and 30% energy savings in homes and plants, respectively. Over a 20-year period of time, an average state that aggressively pursues even a limited array of energy efficiency programs can potentially reduce total state energy use by as much as 20%. Well-designed energy efficiency programs can be expected to help overcome numerous barriers to the market penetration of energy efficient technologies and accelerate the market penetration of the technologies. Energy efficiency programs are cost-effective; typical benefit–cost ratios exceed 3:1 and are much higher when non-energy and macroeconomic benefits are included. Indeed, energy efficiency and associated programs and investments can create significant numbers of new jobs and enhance state tax revenues. Several states have incorporated energy efficiency into their economic development programs. It should also be noted that increasing amounts of venture capital are being invested in the energy sector in general and in specific technologies like solar power in particular.
Manipulation of coupling between individual nanoparticles

We investigate the emission dynamics of a single semiconductor quantum dot near a single Au nanoparticle. Due to coupling between the nanoparticles, the quantum dot exhibits a strong polarization dependence and reduced blinking.
Ac Stark shifts in a two-zone Raman interaction

We have measured the ac Stark effect in a two-zone stimulated Raman interaction in a sodium atomic beam. In addition, we have derived simple theoretical expressions for the ac Stark shift, based on a closed three-level system, in the Λ configuration, and have achieved qualitative agreement with the data. In particular, the magnitude and sense of the ac Stark shifts are found to depend on laser intensities as well as on the initial populations of the two low-lying levels of the Λ configuration. Specifically, the observed ac Stark shifts are smaller for larger laser intensities and also for smaller initial population differences between the two low-lying levels. The ac Stark effect must be considered for many potential applications of the Raman effect, such as a Raman clock. In this connection, we have identified conditions for the reduction of the ac Stark shift in our sodium Raman clock.
Effects of arsenic incorporation on jarosite dissolution rates and reaction products

Abstract Batch dissolution experiments were undertaken on synthetic arsenojarosites at pH 2, pH 8, and in ultra-pure water to better understand the influence of As incorporation on the kinetics and reaction products of jarosite dissolution. Incongruent jarosite dissolution was observed in all experiments. Arsenojarosite lacks the pH dependency observed in K-jarosite dissolution, likely the result of surface arsenate–iron complexes preventing protonation at low pH and repelling hydroxyls at high pH. The stronger bonding of arsenate to iron, compared to sulfate to iron, leads to an enrichment of surface layer arsenate–iron complex sites, inhibiting the dissolution of jarosite with time. The secondary reaction products formed during the dissolution of arsenojarosite include maghemite, goethite, and hematite in ultra-pure water, and ferrihydrite in pH 8 Tris buffered solution. Maghemite initially forms and transitions to hematite with time in ultra-pure water, but increasing arsenic concentrations slow this transition. At pH >3.5, arsenic from the dissolution of arsenojarosite adsorbs onto newly formed reaction products. Arsenic also inhibits the formation of goethite and reduces the crystallinity of the observed maghemite reaction products. The coprecipitation of iron oxides with increasing amounts of arsenic results in a change from spherical to “worm-like” aggregate morphology and provides a sink for arsenic released during arsenojarosite dissolution. This study shows that in open systems with a flush of fresh solution, arsenic incorporation in jarosite results in an increase in dissolution rates. In closed systems, however, increasing surface arsenate–iron complexes inhibit further dissolution of the underlying bulk material, causing a reduction in dissolution rates as arsenic incorporation increases.
On the hazard rate of the lognormal distribution

It is argued that plots of the hazard rate for the lognormal random variable which have appeared in some recent literature are incorrect and/or misleading; the hazard rate always begins at zero, rises to a maximum, then decreases very slowly to zero. An equation for the location of the maximum of the hazard rate is derived. The maximum lies in a finite interval for all positive values of the standard deviation of the associated normal random variable. Approximations that can be used to compute the hazard rate for parameter values outside of the usual range in the tables associated with the normal (Gaussian) random variable are presented. >
Stress Gradients In Heteroepitaxial Gallium Nitride Films

Heteroepitaxial GaN films grown on sapphire are usually in a compressive residual biaxial stress state that is typically 100 - 500 MPa but can be as high as 1 GPa. Spatially resolved measurements of GaN film stresses obtained via micro-Raman spectroscopy using shifts in the frequency of the E2 phonon are presented. The spatial resolution of this stress measurement technique is ca. 2 urn laterally and 10 um in the axial (growth) direction. Two interesting stress gradients are found near cleaved edges. (1) On the surface of the cleaved edge the compressive film stress is a maximum at the GaN/sapphire interface and relaxes to a nearly stress-free state towards the free edge. (2) In the lateral direction, the stress increases away from the edge, reaching a steady-state value at approximately lOx the film thickness. It is shown that the effects are consistent with existing finite element models used to treat strained growth of surface structures in other semiconductor systems. An axial stress gradient that is not associated with edge effects is found in some thick (>20 μm) HVPE-grown films. The interface region is found to be up to 500 MPa in compression, but this stress declines toward the film surface, which is found to be nearly stress free.
A computer-based system to analyze neuron images

We present a system of analyzing microscopy neuron images and archiving image data and analyzed results. The system focuses on processing 3D neuron images and extracting features concerning dendrites and spines. To extract dendrite and spine features, we apply morphology analysis to identify dendrites at first. Based on detected dendrites, we use region-growing to detect spines, which are short protrusions attached to the dendrite. The system has been shown to help researchers to reduce time in analyzing neuron images.
The localization of transforming growth factor alpha and epidermal growth factor receptor in stromal and epithelial compartments of developing human prostate and hyperplastic, dysplastic, and carcinomatous lesions.

Abstract To gain insight into autocrine/paracrine mechanisms that may influence normal and abnormal growth of the human prostate, we studied the immunohistochemical localization of transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-α) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFr) in fetal, neonatal, prepubertal, and young adult glands. Results were compared with findings in specimens of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), dysplasia (prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia—PIN), and carcinoma. EGFr was strongly and exclusively expressed in fetal basal cells, whereas TGF-α was localized in these and secretory cells as well as in differentiating smooth muscle cells. In neonatal and prepubertal glands, EGFr continued to be found only in basal cells, whereas TGF-α was now present in smooth muscle and infrequently in secretory cells. In the normal adult prostate, the receptor was strictly localized in basal cells and in the lateral plasma membranes of secretory cells, whereas its ligand was exclusively expressed in smooth muscle. This pattern persisted in PBH, but both EGFr and TGF-α staining appeared to be enhanced in their respective cellular compartments. Irrespective of grade, in dysplasia diffuse-moderate EGFr and strong TGF-α staining were both present in a majority of secretory cells. Similarly, most cells in Gleason grade 3 and 4 carcinomas expressed both EGFr and TGF-α. Our findings suggest that an unregulated paracrine mode of growth attends the development of BPH, whereas malignant transformation and progression involves autocrine/paracrine mechanisms reminiscent of those found in the developing prostate.
Teaching Medicine to Non-English Speaking Background Learners in a Foreign Country

Teaching abroad exposes medical educators to unfamiliar teaching methods and learning styles that can enhance their overall teaching repertoire. Based on the author's experience teaching residents for one month at a community hospital in Japan and a review of the non-English speaking background (NESB) educational literature, pedagogical principles and lessons for successful international NESB instruction are outlined. These methods include understanding the dissimilar linguistic, cultural, and academic backgrounds of the learners, emphasizing pace and clarity of speech, presenting a conceptual framework instead of detailed discourse on subjects, and regular visual reinforcement of spoken words. The limitations introduced by the language barrier and the use of interpreters are briefly discussed. As society and institutions of higher learning become more global and multicultural, clinician-educators may benefit from teaching in other countries in order to enhance their teaching skills with NESB learners, both abroad and in their own institutions.
Pentoxifylline lowers plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 levels in obese individuals: a pilot study.

Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), the primary inhibitor of fibrinolysis and C-reactive protein (CRP), is a predictor of myocardial infarction. Both are upregulated by tumor necrosis factor...