cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Late Holocene desiccation of Lake Hoare and Lake Fryxell, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

Stable isotope data from waters of lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) of southern Victoria Land, Antarctica are presented in order to establish the climatic history of this region over the past two millennia. New data from Lake Fryxell and Lake Hoare in Toylor Valley, along with previously published data from Lake Vanda, Wright Valley and Lake Bonney, Taylor Valley are used to infer the recent climatic history of MDV. Lakes Vanda, Fryxell and Bonney appear to have lost their ice covers and evaporated to small, hypersaline ponds by 1000 to ~1200 yr BP. Lake Hoare either desiccated or did not exist prior to 1200 yr BP. These data indicate a major lowering of lake level prior to ~1000 yr BP, followed by a warmer and/or more humid climate since then.
Progressive airflow limitation is a feature of children with severe asthma.

Children with severe asthma have a premature loss of lung function during the adolescent years that is associated with increased symptom frequency and greater allergic sensitization during childhood.
Ak-47S For The Ancestors

Les haches (« gano » ou « humbwa ») et les couteaux rituels (« bakatwa ») sont de puissants symboles dans la croyance et le systeme de valeurs des Shona du Zimbabwe. Leur role a evolue avec la societe. Les deux objets possedaient des fonctions variees a la fois utilitaires (guerre, chasse et protection), religieuses et symboliques. Aujourd'hui, la hache est occasionnellement utilisee comme symbole politique mais l'emploi le plus frequent a lieu dans la sphere religieuse, en tant que symbolique des ancetres. Les Shona revitalisent ainsi leur culture artistique traditionnelle
Divergence in 3-manifold groups

The divergence of the fundamental group of compact irreducible 3-manifolds satisfying Thurston's geometrization conjecture is calculated. For every closed Haken 3-manifold group, the divergence is either linear, quadratic or exponential, where quadratic divergence occurs precisely for graph manifolds and exponential divergence occurs when a geometric piece has hyperbolic geometry. An example is given of a closed 3-manifoldN with a Riemannian metric of nonpositive curvature such that the divergence is quadratic and such that there are two geodesic rays in the universal cover∼N whose divergence is precisely quadratic, settling in the negative a question of Gromov's.
The Effect of Mood on Detection of Covariation

The purpose of this research is to explore the effect of mood on the detection of covariation. Predictions were based on an assumption that sad moods facilitate a data-driven information elaboration style and careful data scrutinizing, whereas happy moods predispose individuals toward top-down information processing and decrease the attention given to cognitive tasks. The primary dependent variable involved is the detection of covariation between facial features and personal information and the use of this information for evaluating new target faces. The findings support the view that sad mood facilitates both conscious and unconscious detection of covariation because it increases motivation to engage in the task. Limiting available cognitive resources does not eliminate the effect of mood on the detecting of covariation.
Cranial nerve conduction and needle electromyography in patients with acoustic neuromas: A model of compression neuropathy

Of 45 patients with acoustic neuromas (0.3-5.0 cm), 73% had facial nerve impairment on electrophysiologic testing, but only 16% had facial weakness. Cranial nerve conduction was the most sensitive measurement, especially prolongation of the ipsilateral R1 latency of the blink reflex compared with that of the contralateral reflex. The severity of nerve conduction abnormality was highly correlated with tumor size. Our results confirm and quantitate the sensitivity of nerve action potential latency in response to chronic nerve compression.
Spin-label assay for phospholipase A2.

Abstract A rapid and continuous method for measuring phospholipase A 2 activity using electron spin resonance spectroscopy and a spin-labeled phospholipid as a substrate has been developed. The substrate, 1-palmitoyl-2-(4-doxylpentanoyl)glycerophosphocholine, gives rise principally to a broad ESR line in aqueous solution due to strong spin-spin interactions, probably resulting from its micellar formation. Upon addition of bee venom phospholipase A 2 , the water-soluble product, 4-doxylpentanoic acid, is released which brings about a sharp three-line spectrum. Thus, the kinetics of phospholipase A 2 activity can be followed by monitoring the increase in the ESR signal amplitude of the three-line spectrum, which is linearly proportional to the amount of 4-doxylpentanoic acid produced; no separation of the product from the substrate is needed during the measurement. The rate of hydrolysis of 1 nmol min −1 can be accurately measured within a 5-min period of time in a sample volume of 100 μl. This new method should be useful for assaying phospholipase A 2 activities in various biological systems.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock

Background. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation circuits have recently been introduced for extracorporeal life support (ECLS) in adult patients in cardiogenic shock and have been shown to provide excellent oxygenation and hemodynamic support. Heparin coating of the extracorporeal circuit provides a more biocompatible surface, which has been shown to minimize early surface-induced complement activation and platelet dysfunction and hence may improve patient survival. This report reviews our experience with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation to treat postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock using minimal to no systemic heparinization in 23 patients. Methods. During the 22-month period September 1992 through July 1994, 23 patients in cardiogenic shock were placed on venoarterial ECLS using a heparin-bonded circuit. These patients' charts were retrospectively reviewed. A logistic regression analysis of the variables collected was performed to identify clear-cut predictors of ability to be weaned from ECLS. Results. Average patient age was 47.3 ± 16.4 years (range, 5 to 72 years). There were 17 male patients. Average time on ECLS was 58.4 ± 35.1 hours (range, 0.5 to 144 hours). Statistical analysis revealed that patients unable to be weaned from ECLS were more likely to have a critically dilated left ventricle on echocardiography and were female. Ten patients (43.5%) died while on ECLS. Four patients were transferred to an implantable left ventricular assist device, and 3 underwent successful transplantation. The 9 other patients were successfully weaned from ECLS, and 4 were discharged home from the hospital. Overall, 7 patients (30.4%) who were placed on ECLS were successfully discharged home. Conclusions. Extracorporeal life support using an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation system provides excellent cardiac support with similar hospital survival rates as centrifugal mechanical support. Extracorporeal life support has complications unique to itself, but with time, these are likely to be overcome. Women and patients with persistent left ventricular dilatation are less likely to be weaned.
CA AND P REGULATING HORMONES DURING THE 1ST YR OF LIFE: A LONGITUDINAL PROSPECTIVE STUDY

Ca and mineral requirements in term and premature infants are the subject of recent studies. We proposed to establish reference values for Ca and P regulating agents in healthy term formula fed infants. Ca, iCa, P, Mg, 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D (1,25D), 25 OH vitamin D (25D), parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcitonin (CT) and alkaline phosphatase (Alk Phos) were measured in 24 healthy term infants at 2,4,6,12,18 wks and 6, 9, 12 mo. All were exclusively formula fed (Similac 20-Fe) for the first 6 mo, when Gerber baby food was added for all. Mothers kept a 3d/wk record of all intake. In addition grps of infants receiving soy milk, human milk or a whey predominant formula were studied. Ca, Mg, iCa did not change significantly over the 1st yr of life, P decreased. PTH and CT did not change; Alk Phos 25OHD and 1,25OHD increased slightly. By preliminary analysis, whey predominant formula were not different from Similac fed infants. Soy milk infants showed significant differences compared to casein or whey formula fed infants. This provides a basis for data comparison in mineral nutritional studies in the 1st yr of life. (*=±S.D.)
Failsafe Mechanisms Couple Division and DNA Replication in Bacteria

The past 20 years have seen tremendous advances in our understanding of the mechanisms underlying bacterial cytokinesis, particularly the composition of the division machinery and the factors controlling its assembly [1]. At the same time, we understand very little about the relationship between cell division and other cell-cycle events in bacteria. Here we report that inhibiting division in Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus quickly leads to an arrest in the initiation of new rounds of DNA replication, followed by a complete arrest in cell growth. Arrested cells are metabolically active but are unable to initiate new rounds of either DNA replication or division when shifted to permissive conditions. Inhibiting DNA replication results in entry into a similar quiescent state in which cells are unable to resume growth or division when returned to permissive conditions. Our data suggest the presence of two failsafe mechanisms: one linking division to the initiation of DNA replication and another linking the initiation of DNA replication to division. These findings contradict the prevailing view of the bacterial cell cycle as a series of coordinated but uncoupled events. Importantly, the terminal nature of the cell-cycle arrest validates the bacterial cell-cycle machinery as an effective target for antimicrobial development.
Fuzzy logic in the formulation of decision functions from linguistic specifications

Focuses on the applications of fuzzy set theory as a tool for the construction of multi‐criteria decision functions from specifications expressed in natural language. Starting with the ability to represent individual criteria satisfactions in terms of membership of fuzzy subsets, shows how different types of linguistic specifications are implemented. Consideration is given to the representation of trade‐offs between criteria, quantifier‐guided aggregations, conditioned criteria and possibilistically qualified criteria.
Multiobjective adaptive feedback control of two-photon absorption coupled with propagation through a dispersive medium

This work uses shaped femtosecond laser pulses to control the two-photon absorption (TPA) of coumarin 153 in a dispersive toluene medium. The dispersive medium reshapes the pulse along the optical path, and management of this effect is used to achieve spatial localization of TPA. Other control objectives were successfully implemented, including dual localization and high resolution local optimization of TPA. The solutions to these objectives were explored by means of evolutionary single- and multi-objective algorithms within a laboratory feedback loop.
Optimal linear feature selection for a general class of statistical pattern recognition models

A dimension reduction method proposed by Odell (1979) and Decell, Odell, and Coberly (1981) for Gaussian models is extended to a general class of density functions known as @q-generalized normal densities. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a dimension reduction matrix which preserves the original Bayes classification regions is derived. Moreover, an explicit expression for the compression matrix is given.
Management of good-risk metastatic nonseminomatous germ cell tumors of the testis: current concepts and controversies.

Introduction/Methods : Approximately 30% of nonseminomatous germ-cell tumors (NSGCT) of the testis present with metastatic disease. In 1997, the International Germ Cell Cancer Collaborative Group (IGCCCG) stratified all patients with metastatic NSGCT into various risk groups based on serum tumor markers and presence of visceral disease. We review the literature and present optimal stage-dependent management strategies in patients with favorable-risk metastatic NSGCT. Results : Primary chemotherapy (3 cycles BEP or 4 cycles EP) has been shown to be the preferred modality in patients with Clinical Stage IS (cIS) and in patients with bulky metastatic disease (≥CS IIb) due to their high risk of systemic disease and recurrence. Primary retroperitoneal lymph node dissection appears to be the most efficient primary therapy for retroperitoneal disease 5 nodes involved, single node > 2 cm) and for those who are non-compliant with surveillance regimens. Following primary chemotherapy, STM and radiographic evaluation are used to assess treatment response. For patients with normalization of STM and retroperitoneal masses 1 cm and extra-retroperitoneal masses should be treated with surgical resection, which should be performed with nerve-sparing, if possible. Conclusions : In patients with favorable disease based on IGCCCG criteria, clinical stage, STM, and radiographic evaluation are used to guide appropriate therapy to provide excellent long-term cure rates (>92%) in patients with metastatic NSGCT.
Abstract C155: Targeting glucose metabolism to suppress Ph+B-ALL progression.

Philadelphia chromosome positive B cell derived acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+B-ALL) is a type of aggressive leukemia that lacks effective treatment. The high glucose metabolism observed in many other cancers suggests that targeting glucose metabolism may provide a novel therapeutic approach for Ph+B-ALL. However, metabolic features of Ph+B-ALL and metabolic stress responses have not been described. In this study, we examined human primary B-ALL samples, B-ALL cell lines and primary murine Ph+B-ALL to identify metabolic program and metabolic stress responses of Ph+B-ALL cells. Metabolic measurements of extracellular flux and glucose consumption showed that B-ALL cell lines are highly glycolytic and preferentially utilize glucose. Consistent with a dependence on elevated glycolysis, primary human B-ALL cells were more sensitive than normal B cells to inhibition of glycolysis with 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG). This metabolic stress induced cell death was likely to be mediated through p53 and Bcl-2 family proteins. 2-DG treatment induced expression of pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family protein Bim and primary murine Ph+B-ALL cells generated from p53-/- or Bim-/- background remained viable even when treated with 2-DG. To specifically investigate how inhibition of glucose metabolism impacts B-ALL survival and disease progression in vivo with genetic tools, we generated murine Ph+ B-ALL cells on a Glut1fl/fl Ubi-CreER background that allow specific deletion of Glut1 in cancer cells upon treatment of tamoxifen. In vitro deletion of Glut1 reduced glucose uptake and glucose metabolism, although glycolysis was not wholly suppressed. This partial reduction of glucose metabolism led to greatly reduced cell proliferation and some cell death in vitro. Importantly, in vivo deletion of Glut1 after transfer of B-ALL cells into congenic recipients suppressed B-ALL progression and prolonged animal survival. These data show that B-ALL cells exhibit high glucose metabolism similar to other types of cancer and are sensitive to glucose metabolism inhibition. Reduction of glucose metabolism can impede B-ALL proliferation or cause cell death through p53 and Bim and thus suppress B-ALL progression in vivo. Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):C155. Citation Format: Tingyu Liu, Handan Xiang, Amanda Nichols, Valerie Gerriets, Rigel Kishton, David Rizzieri, Jeffrey C. Rathmell. Targeting glucose metabolism to suppress Ph+B-ALL progression. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2013 Oct 19-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):Abstract nr C155.
The spatial epidemiology and clinical features of reported cases of La Crosse Virus infection in West Virginia from 2003 to 2007

La Crosse virus (LACV) is a major cause of pediatric encephalitis in the United States. Since the mid-1980s, the number of reported cases of LACV infection in West Virginia has continued to rise and the state currently reports the most cases in the United States. The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe the spatial epidemiology and clinical presentation of LACV infection cases reported in West Virginia, as well as to provide a description of the environmental conditions present at the residences of the LACV infection cases. Descriptive and spatial analyses were performed on LACV infection cases reported to the West Virginia Department of Health from 2003 to 2007. Clinical and environmental variables were available for 96 cases and residence data were available for 68 of these cases. Spatial analyses using the global Moran's I and Kulldorff's spatial scan statistic were performed using the population 15 years and younger at both the county and census tract levels to identify those geographic areas at the highest risk of infection. Two statistically significant (p < 0.05) high-risk clusters, involving six counties, were detected at the county level. At the census tract level, one statistically significant high-risk cluster involving 41 census tracts spanning over six counties was identified. The county level cumulative incidence for those counties in the primary high-risk cluster ranged from 100.0 to 189.0 cases per 100,000 persons (median 189.0) and the census tract level cumulative incidence for those counties in the high-risk cluster ranged from 61.7 to 505.9 cases per 100,000 persons (median 99.0). The counties and census tracts within high-risk clusters had a relative risk four to nine times higher when compared to those areas not contained within high-risk clusters. The majority of LACV infection cases were reported during the summer months in children 15 years and younger. Fever, vomiting, photophobia, and nausea were the most commonly reported signs and symptoms. A case fatality rate (CFR) of 3.1% was observed. Wooded areas and containers were present at the majority of case residences. The cumulative incidences of LACV infection from 2003 to 2007 were considerably higher than previously reported for West Virginia, and statistically significant high-risk clusters for LACV infection were detected at both the county and census tract levels. The finding of a high CFR and the identification of those areas at highest risk for infection will be useful for guiding future research and intervention efforts.
How Minorities Prevail: The Context/Comparison-Leniency Contract Model

The pioneering efforts of Moscovici in the late 1960s motivated social psychologists to understand how minority groups affected the majority, and conversely, how the majority affected the minority. The underlying processes of influence have been found to be quite different, and understanding their operation provides insight into the processes of social influence, persuasion, and intragroup conflict and cooperation. This review tracks some of the development of this progression and details some contributions to understanding fundamental features of the influence process that have been uncovered as a result of this work. We consider major explanatory models, with particular emphasis on Crano's (2001) context/comparison model, and its allied leniency contract, a comprehensive account of the conditions that prevail when majorities and minorities wield influence. Finally, how this work informs important processes of influence in the world outside the laboratory are discussed.
Practical Procedure to Collect Arterial Travel Time Data Using GPS-Instrumented Test Vehicles:

Arterial streets are interrupted flow facilities that balance two purposes: serving through trips and providing commercial and residential access to adjacent land. A dominant factor in urban arterial street operations is the presence of traffic signals, which govern the flow of vehicles entering and exiting an arterial segment. Consequently, the performance of an arterial street is predominately influenced by delays incurred at traffic signals, with measures of effectiveness primarily a function of the performance at the arterial segment level. This paper presents a practical procedure to collect and analyze travel time data, based on Global Positioning Systems (GPS), that readily reflect measures of performance for both segments and extended arterial sections. Underlying this procedure is an assumption that both average travel speed and average intersection approach delay can be calculated as a function of arterial segment travel time, resulting in travel time as a primary field measurement used for gaug...
Traumatic Brain Injury Alters Synaptic Homeostasis: Implications for Impaired Mitochondrial and Transport Function

This study utilized a unilateral controlled cortical impact model of traumatic brain injury to assess disruptions of synaptic homeostasis following trauma. Adult rats were subjected to a moderate (2 mm) cortical deformation and synaptosomes were prepared from the entire ipsilateral (injured) hemisphere or dissected into different regions (hippocampus, injured cortical area including penumbra, residual hemisphere) at various times postinjury (10 and 30 min, and 1, 6, and 24 h). Synaptosomes from the corresponding regions of the contralateral hemisphere were used as controls to assess alterations in synaptic ATP levels, lipid peroxidation, and glutamate and glucose transport. The results demonstrate significant time-dependent alterations in synaptic homeostasis, which included an immediate reduction in ATP levels, coupled with a significant increase in lipid peroxidation within 30 min postinjury. Lipid peroxidation demonstrated a biphasic response with elevations observed 24 h postinjury, a time at which decreases in glutamate and glucose transport occurred. These results suggest that disruption of synaptic homeostasis is an extremely early event following trauma that should be considered when designing pharmacological interventions.
Complications of spinal injections

Spinal injections are frequently performed for the relief of pain. These injections include both interlaminar and transforaminal approaches to the epidural space, spinal injections, and paravertebral injections. Frequently steroids are used, but neurolytic procedures may be performed as well. These injections have a good safety record, but a thorough understanding of the possible complications will improve patient safety even further. The goal of this article is to discuss these complications, including infections, hematomas, compromise of the vascular supply to the spinal cord, and reactions to contrast or corticosteroids.
The prigogine-herman kinetic model predicts widely scattered traffic flow data at high concentrations

The classical derivation of a traffic stream model (e.g. speed/concentration relation) from the equilibrium solutions of the Prigogine–Herman kinetic equation invokes the nontrivial assumption that the underlying distribution of desired speeds is nonzero for vanishingly small speeds. In this paper we investigate the situation when this assumption does not hold. It is found that the Prigogine–Herman kinetic equation has a one-parameter family of equilibrium solutions, and hence an associated traffic stream model, only for traffic concentrations below some critical value; at higher concentrations there is a two-parameter family of solutions, and hence a continuum of mean velocities for each concentration. This result holds for both constant values of the passing probability and the relaxation time, and for values that depend on concentration in the manner assumed by Prigogine and Herman. It is hypothesized that this result reflects the well-known tendency toward substantial scatter in observational data of traffic flow at high concentrations.
Possible protective and pathogenic roles of gamma delta T lymphocytes in HIV-infections (Review).

alpha beta and gamma delta T lymphocytes are largely responsible for the specificity of coordinated immune responses that are of crucial importance for protection from exogenous invaders and elimination of endogenous aberrations. One of the prominent distinguishing characteristics of primate gamma delta T lymphocytes is that most of their T cell receptors for antigen (gamma delta TCRs) are, unlike alpha beta TCRs, capable of recognizing nonpeptidic antigens in an MHC-unrestricted manner. Another interesting feature is that the gamma delta T cell subpopulation displays profound qualitative and quantitative changes in individuals with various infectious diseases. For example, the most frequent human peripheral blood gamma delta T cell subset expressing Vgamma9Vdelta2 TCRs is functionally disabled and numerically decreased in some HIV-infected persons. The nonresponsiveness of Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells is accompanied by their decreased IFNc and TNFa production. The overall level of gamma T cell activation at different stages of HIV-infection may be clinically relevant. At an initial stage of HIV-infection, the extremely potent antiviral cytotoxic activities of Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells may limit the viral spread. At later stages of disease, Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cell dysfunction may contribute to the loss of resistance to opportunistic pathogens (such as atypical mycobacteria) and neoplasms (e.g., lymphomas) frequently associated with HIV-infections. Also, it is possible that chronic stimulation of gamma delta T cells may result in immunopathology. In particular, the massive immunologic activation that appears to be the major contributing element of AIDS immunopathogenesis could be, at least in part, driven by gamma delta T cells overstimulated by repetitive exposures to HIV.
Recommended Reference Books for Poison Control/Information Centers

(1969). Recommended Reference Books for Poison Control/Information Centers. Clinical Toxicology: Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 165-169.
Urinary Tract Infection: An Overview

Urinary tract infection (UTI) remains very common. As many as 50% of women report having had at least one UTI in their lifetimes. Urinary tract infection is the most common cause of infection in nursing home residents and the most common source of bacteremia in the elderly population. Urinary tract infection occurs in patients with structurally or functionally abnormal urinary tracts (complicated UTI) and in patients with anatomically normal urinary tracts (uncomplicated UTI). Escherichia coli (E coli) is the most common cause of uncomplicated UTI, whereas antibiotic-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, enterococci, and Candida species often are the causes of complicated UTI. In this article we review current concepts of the epidemiology, microbiology, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of urinary tract infection.
Abrogation of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1-vitronectin interaction ameliorates acute kidney injury in murine endotoxemia.

Sepsis-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) contributes to the high mortality and morbidity in patients. Although the pathogenesis of AKI during sepsis is poorly understood, it is well accepted that plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and vitronectin (Vn) are involved in AKI. However, the functional cooperation between PAI-1 and Vn in septic AKI has not been completely elucidated. To address this issue, mice were utilized lacking either PAI-1 (PAI-1−/−) or expressing a PAI-1-mutant (PAI-1R101A/Q123K) in which the interaction between PAI-1 and Vn is abrogated, while other functions of PAI-1 are retained. It was found that both PAI-1−/− and PAI-1R101A/Q123K mice are associated with decreased renal dysfunction, apoptosis, inflammation, and ERK activation as compared to wild-type (WT) mice after LPS challenge. Also, PAI-1−/− mice showed attenuated fibrin deposition in the kidneys. Furthermore, a lack of PAI-1 or PAI-1-Vn interaction was found to be associated with an increase in activated Protein C (aPC) in plasma. These results demonstrate that PAI-1, through its interaction with Vn, exerts multiple deleterious mechanisms to induce AKI. Therefore, targeting of the PAI-1-Vn interaction in kidney represents an appealing therapeutic strategy for the treatment of septic AKI by not only altering the fibrinolytic capacity but also regulating PC activity.
Endowed chairs and professorships in schools of nursing: a 1999 update.

INCE 1984, when the first survey of endowed chairs in schools of nursing was published (Fitzpatrick, 1985), the number of recorded chairs has increased from 20 as of 1984 to 167 as of the first half of 1999. The 1990s have been particularly productive: many schools have enhanced their development efforts and thus substantially increased their private funding, including funding for endowed chairs. The increase in the numbers of chairs since the 1995 publication of the survey results (Fitzpatrick, 1995) is in itself impressive. From 1995 through the first half of 1999, 64 new chairs and professorships have been funded in schools of nursing. Several aspects of the survey data are noteworthy. First, deans were contacted to determine the initial endowment amount that was committed at the date that the professorship/chair was officially named. To the extent that the author has been able to determine, this is the amount reported in column three of Table 1. It Is prominent that, even with endowments committed in the same year, there are major differences in the total amounts. This variation can be attributed to differences in the college and university requirements for named professorships or chairs. In some universities, a smaller amount is required for an endowed professorship compared with an endowed chair. In other universities, there is no distinction made between endowed professorships and endowed chairs. Also, it can be noted from the data reported in Table 1 that there generally is an increase in the amount of an endowed professorship/chair as the years progress. For example, the amount required for an endowed chair in many of the top universities at this time is
Respiration induced fiducial motion tracking in ultrasound using an extended SFA approach

Radiation therapy (RT) plays an essential role in the management of cancers. The precision of the treatment delivery process in chest and abdominal cancers is often impeded by respiration induced tumor positional variations, which are accounted for by using larger therapeutic margins around the tumor volume leading to sub-optimal treatment deliveries and risk to healthy tissue. Real-time tracking of tumor motion during RT will help reduce unnecessary margin area and benefit cancer patients by allowing the treatment volume to closely match the positional variation of the tumor volume over time. In this work, we propose a fast approach which enables transferring the pre-estimated target (e.g. tumor) motion extracted from ultrasound (US) image sequences in training stage (e.g. before RT) to online data in real-time (e.g. acquired during RT). The method is based on extracting feature points of the target object, exploiting low-dimensional description of the feature motion through slow feature analysis, and finding the most similar image frame from training data for estimating current/online object location. The approach is evaluated on two 2 D + time and one 3 D + time US acquisitions. The locations of six annotated fiducials are used for designing experiments and validating tracking accuracy. The average fiducial distance between expert's annotation and the location extracted from our indexed training frame is 1.9±0.5 mm . Adding a fast template matching procedure within a small search range reduces the distance to 1.4±0.4 mm . The tracking time per frame is on the order of millisecond, which is below the frame acquisition time.
U.S. Navy Qualification of a GE LM2500+ Gas Turbine Engine

This report is a comprehensive document citing the events pertaining to the qualification of the GE LM2500+ gas turbine engine for US Navy Service. The purpose of this report is to serve as documentation of the entire Qualification process that includes the 500-hour Rating Qualification Test and subsequent teardown inspection, High Impact Shock Testing, and the subsequent 100-hour post shock endurance test and teardown inspection. This report includes an assessment of the overall performance of the engine, General Electric’s capacity to meet specified test requirements, any questions or concerns that may have arisen during testing, and a conclusive statement about the outcome of the tests.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
The insulin-like effects of mouse growth hormone on adipose tissue from virgin and pregnant mice.

Abstract The abilities of mouse prolactin (mPRL), growth hormone (mGH), placental lactogen (mPL)-I, and mPL-II to stimulate glucose oxidation were investigated, using adipose tissue from both virgin and pregnant mice. In separate experiments, adipose tissue segments from the parametrial fat pads of virgin and pregnant mice were collected on days 7, 13, and 17 of gestation. Tissue segments were first preincubated at 37°C for 3 hours in Krebs-Ringer-HEPES (KRH) buffer without any added hormones. Following the preincubation, mPRL, mGH, recombinant mPL-I, mPL-II (1 μg/mL), and porcine insulin (plns) (1 ng/mL) were added to the incubations, along with 0.5 μCi/mL d -[U-14C]glucose, and incubated for an additional 2 hours. After the second incubation, the 14CO2 produced by the oxidation of the d -[U-14C]glucose was collected and counted. Both mGH and plns significantly stimulated glucose oxidation in adipose tissue from virgin and pregnant mice. However, mPRL, mPL-I, and mPL-II failed to stimulate glucose oxidation in adipose tissue from either virgin or pregnant mice. Preincubating adipose tissue, from day 13 of gestation, with 0.5 μg/mL epinephrine (Epn) increased basal glucose oxidation and decreased both mGH- and plns-stimulated glucose oxidation. Preincubating adipose tissue, from day 13 of gestation, with 0.11 μg/mL dexamethasone (Dex) significantly decreased the ability of the tissue to oxidize glucose. However, the Dex-treated tissue retained its ability to increase glucose oxidation in response to mGH and plns. These results indicate that mGH, but not mPRL, mPL-I, or mPL-II, has insulin-like effects on adipose tissue, and that mGH and plns may affect glucose oxidation through similar pathways.
Fibronectin on excimer laser and diamond knife incisions

Abstract The experiment was designed to illustrate the difference between the diamond knife and the excimer laser (ArF 193 nm) on keratotomy incisions. The histopathologic effect of fibronectin applied to these wounds was observed. Fibronectin demonstrated a chemotactic effect on fibroblasts and increased the amount of newly synthesized collagen deposited at the incision sites. The excimer laser incisions treated with fibronectin had 43% more fibroblasts per 2,500 μm2 than the excimer laser incisions not treated with fibronectin. The adjustable diamond knife incisions treated with fibronectin had 42% more fibroblasts than the adjustable diamond knife incisions not treated with fibronectin. The excimer laser ArF 193 nm incisions had 18% more fibroblasts in the incision area than the adjustable diamond knife incisions independent of fibronectin usage. This indicates that the excimer laser incisions and the diamond knife incisions may have different healing mechanisms-perhaps because of the distinctive modes of action of these instruments.
Can liver transplantation improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of iron overload

We observed the development of phenotypic hereditary haemochromatosis in a non-hereditary haemochromatosis liver transplant recipient, following transplantation with a liver from a C282Y heterozygous donor. No cause for secondary iron overload was identified. Subsequent sequencing of the HFE gene of both donor and recipient revealed a strong candidate for a novel pathogenic HFE mutation. In the recipient, heterozygosity for a single base substitution in exon 1, g.18 G>C, resulting in the substitution of arginine by serine at codon 6 (R6S), was detected. This R6S variation is likely to represent a novel pathogenic missense mutation of the HFE gene. An interaction between R6S heterozygosity in the recipient and C282Y heterozygosity in the donor liver is the most likely explanation for the development of iron overload in this patient. The report suggests that an hepatic defect is required for expression of hereditary haemochromatosis and that the intestinal HFE genotype is not the exclusive determinant of iron status. It also raises the possibility that a hereditary haemochromatosis phenotype may result from transplantation of C282Y heterozygous donor livers into recipients with heterozygous pathogenic HFE mutations. This possibility may have significant implications for the common practice of transplanting C282Y heterozygous livers. (Gut 2003;52:433–435).
Report on the implementation of NSF-SFS scholarship grant #0210644 and NSF-SFS capacity grant # 0210147 from 2002-2004 at Morehouse College

Federal money was used to fund 15 students (including 8 students or 30% of the May 2004 Computer Science graduating class: 13 U.S. and 2 International) and train 50 students to develop information security skills in the context of an Operating Systems course at Morehouse College, the all male top ranked member of the group of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) from July 2002 to June 2004. The undergraduate teaching assistants were responsible for developing project descriptions, showing competency with a designated core Operating System program and with a corresponding Information Security program, leading the programming laboratories, grading programs, submitting grade sheets, writing teaching philosophies and teaching self evaluations and (in Spring 2004) giving oral and/or poster presentations at the Morehouse Mapp Symposium. Rivera- the Principal Investigator (Pl)-was responsible for teaching the lecture part of the course (partly in support of the laboratory section), selecting and developing the fundamental material in Operating Systems and Information Security, grant administration: (student selection, invited speaker selection and support, payroll procedures, employee paycheck retrieval and distribution, budgeting and accounting, advising scholarship students on how to complete their requirements and monitoring their progress in other Information Security courses, defending his PI-ship of the grant against the efforts of supervisors to appropriate that position for themselves), transportation of students to talks off campus, attending consortium meetings, developing a program web site, interacting productively with other co PIs, filing periodic reports with PIs at the major institution. The PI also provided students with guidance in all of their duties and productions.
The role of economists in social change: explaining the end of state socialism in Hungary

I analyze articles in the Hungarian reform economics journal ACTA Oeconomica from the 1960s to the 1980s, to show the ways Hungarian economists reconstructed the economy and the economics discipline. Through such reconstructions, Hungarian economists created a large network with economists at its center as essential mediators between the economy, the party-state, and the rest of society. Economists expanded economics as a discipline and extended economics beyond its disciplinary realm, undermining the party-state's hegemony and making economic solutions a panacea for all of Hungary's problems. The spread of economic discourse and economic solutions along these networks is an important explanation of the fall of state socialism. This paper is an attempt to bring together the sociology of science, the sociology of economics, and studies of Eastern Europe from a historical perspective.
Characterization of Power Optimizer Potential to Increase Energy Capture in Photovoltaic Systems Operating Under Nonuniform Conditions

Power optimizers, which perform power conversion and distributed maximum power point tracking (DMPPT) at the subarray level, are available to mitigate losses associated with nonuniform operating conditions in grid-tied photovoltaic (PV) arrays, yet there is not a good understanding of their potential to increase energy capture. This paper develops and demonstrates a methodology for the use of a detailed software tool that can accurately model both partial shading and electrical mismatch at the subpanel level in a PV array. Annual simulations are run to examine the device-independent opportunity for power recovery in arrays with light, moderate, and heavy shading, and subpanel electrical mismatch variations based on measurements from a monocrystalline silicon array. It is found that in unshaded arrays, the potential energy gain is <; 1% using power optimizers, but in shaded arrays it increases to 3-16% for panel-level DMPPT and 7-30% for cell-level DMPPT. In the set of simulated cases, panel-level power optimization recovers 34-42% of the energy that is lost to partial shading.
Validating a self-report measure of global subjective well-being to predict adverse clinical outcomes.

Objectives: To examine the relationship between a single-item indicator of subjective well-being (SWB) and (1) medical conditions frequently associated with adverse clinical outcomes, (2) health-related quality of life and depressive symptoms, (3) global self-rated health (SRH), and (4) increased risk of adverse clinical outcomes. Methods: Self-reports of depressive symptoms and HRQoL were obtained by mail surveys from 2317 men and women with hypertension and coronary artery disease. Subjects rated their overall SWB at clinic visits. Mean scores of subjects reporting excellent SWB were compared to scores of subjects rating SWB for HRQoL domains and depressive symptom scores using ANOVA. The association between SWB and individual endpoints was assessed using the χ2 test. The adjusted association between SWB and the composite endpoint of mortality, nonfatal stroke or nonfatal myocardial infarction was estimated using binary logistic regression. Results: Excellent SWB was associated with fewer depressive symptoms and more favorable HRQoL scores. The proportion of subjects suffering one of the adverse health outcomes within 1 year increased (p < 0.002) with poorer reported SWB. One-year mortality was higher in subjects with poor/fair SWB (5.7%) than in subjects with good or excellent SWB (3.4 and 4.5%, respectively; p = 0.05). Subjects rating their SWB as poor/fair were more likely to suffer a nonfatal stroke (unadjusted RR = 2.67, 95% CI = 1.24, 5.74). SWB added to the prediction of adverse outcomes after adjusting for demographics, baseline medical conditions, and SRH (OR = 2.49, 95% CI = 1.51, 4.11). Conclusion: A global indicator of SWB may be a useful addition to a screening instrument for identifying persons at increased risk for adverse health outcomes.
DISPERSION THEORY OF LOW-ENERGY LIMITS.

Abstract A general technique for obtaining dispersion relations in the mass variable is proposed. The method is used in order to translate the low-energy theorems valid for “mathematical pions” of zero four-momentum into physically meaningful expressions for real pions. Our procedure is explicitly applied to low-energy pion scattering and electroproduction of pions on nucleons.
The vascular plants of Joseph Dalton Hooker's An enumeration of the plants of the Galapagos Archipelago; with descriptions of those which are new

The first floristic work on the Galipagos Islands was published by J. D. Hooker in 1847. It was based mainly on the Beagle collections of Charles Darwin, but those of James McRae, John Scouler, Hugh C
The Prediction of Suicide and Homicide Rates Cross-Nationally by Means of Stepwise Multiple Regression

Stepwise multiple regression techniques were used to find predictors of the male and female suicide and homicide rates in a sample of eighteen industrialized nations. The best predictors of both male and female suicide rates were the birth rate and the nation's need to affiliate. The best pre dictors of the male and female homicide rates were somewhat different: thunderstorm days and population density for the male rate, and ciga rette consumption and thunderstorms for the female rate.
High-performance liquid chromatographic separation of femtomolar quantities of endogenous carboxylic acids, including arachidonic acid metabolites, as 4-bromomethyl-7-acetoxycoumarin derivatives.

Abstract A major limitation of high-performance liquid chromatographic techniques for measuring biologically active eicosanoids has been the inadequate sensitivity of most on-line detection systems. In addition, the availability of a technique suitable for measuring small quantities of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs) in plasma would allow longitudinal studies of plasma levels of these lipids in small animals. To improve the sensitivity of detection, the compounds with acyl groups containing carboxylic acids were derivatized with the highly fluorescent compound, 4-bromomethyl-7-acetoxycoumarin. All classes of NEFA and arachidonic acid metabolites, including the cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase products, and hydroxy acid compounds could be derivatized with this reagent. The derivatized metabolites were separated with a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic system using a radial compression column and a gradient elution technique. Reproducible measurements of plasma NEFAs from as little as 5 μl of plasma, and femtomolar concentrations of eicosanoids, could be detected using an on-line fluorescent spectrometer. This improvement in sensitivity should permit the quantification of all eicosanoids, including the leukotrienes, in biologic fluids and the longitudinal measurement of changes in plasma NEFA levels in small animals.
Carotid endarterectomy in women: challenging the results from ACAS and NASCET.

Randomized carotid trials have clearly shown the importance of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) in reducing the risk of stroke for specific symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. 1–5 Public acknowledgment of the results from these trials has led to an apparent change in the practice patterns of surgeons performing this procedure, resulting in a dramatic increase in the number of CEAs being performed in the United States. 6,7 Unfortunately, the randomized trials have not remained free from criticism. Male patients represented the majority of the trial populations, making it difficult to evaluate the outcome of surgery for certain patient subgroups, such as women and minorities. As a result, the short- and long-term benefits of CEA in women appear to be less clear, and the role of CEA surgery among women with carotid disease remains uncertain. 5,8 A review of the more recent literature has provided conflicting information regarding the effect of female gender on the outcome after CEA. Several multicenter reviews, reviews of state-based hospital discharge databases, collective reviews, and large single-center studies have suggested that female gender may be a predictor of complications after CEA and have questioned the value of surgery in women. 6,9–13 Meanwhile, other reports have shown no evidence of gender-based differences in terms of outcome after CEA. 14,15 Various single-institution reviews have specifically addressed the stroke and death rates between women and men after CEA. 16–20 The authors of these reviews concluded that CEA can be performed safely in women, with success rates similar to those observed in men. The present report highlights our experience with CEA during a 21-year period. The purpose of this review was to evaluate and compare the short- and long-term outcomes in women and men after CEA. By doing so, we sought to provide answers to the following questions: Can CEA be performed safely in women with symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid artery disease? Are the early results in women after CEA comparable to the results in men? Is female gender a risk factor for nonneurologic complications after CEA? Does female gender adversely affect late stroke and death rates after CEA compared with the rates in men? Are the results from our study comparable to the early and late results reported in the Asymptomatic Carotid Atherosclerosis Study (ACAS) and the North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial (NASCET)? Should the indications for CEA in women remain the same as for men?