cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Narrative Perspective on Entrepreneurial Opportunities

The article discusses entrepreneurial opportunities from a narrative perspective that is based on actor-network theory. The article notes the narrative perspective on entrepreneurial agency and entrepreneurial opportunities suggests there is an entrepreneurial journey in which discovery and creation are dynamic forces and meaning making results from an interaction of relational space and durational time when the past, present, and future are intertwined. The argument is supported with references to related research on topics such as the narrative inquiry research method and the source of emerging ideas.
Steroid-resistant, cyclosporine-responsive, relapsing nephrotic syndrome

Eighteen children with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome received cyclosporine A (CsA), including 7 patients with minimal change disease, 4 with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and 7 with mesangial hypercellurarity. Doses were adjusted to maintain whole blood trough levels at 80–200 ng/ml and ranged from 5 to 10 mg/kg (mean 7 mg/kg). Fourteen patients responded after 2 months of therapy with either a complete or partial remission, and received a total of 12 months of CsA with low-dose corticosteroids. Remission rates were similar among the three histological types, although complete remissions occurred more commonly in minimal change disease, while the other two histological types tended to have partial responses. Serum creatinine values ranged from 0.3 to 1.2 mg/dl at the start of treatment and were stable in 17 of 18 patients during CsA therapy. CsA was discontinued after 12 months in 11 responders. Relapses were a significant problem. Nine patients had 16 relapses, all occurring within 6 months after discontinuing CsA; 13 of 16 relapses responded to CsA and corticosteroids. Five children had multiple relapses. Three patients who initially responded to treatment had CsA-resistant relapses. There were no differences among the histological types with respect to the occurrence of relapses or response to CsA after relapsing. Four patients developed chronic renal failure, including 2 of 4 who failed initial therapy and 2 of 3 who developed CsA-resistant relapses. In conclusion, initial therapy with CsA was effective in resolving nephrotic syndrome in steroid-resistant patients. However, CsA dependency, frequent relapses and the development of chronic renal failure presented significant problems.
Physical and mechanical properties of reactively sputtered chromium boron nitride thin films

Abstract This paper reports on the first study of physical and mechanical properties of reactively sputtered chromium boron nitride coatings as a function of chemical composition, bias voltage and substrate temperature. Several sets of coatings were deposited by reactive unbalanced magnetron sputtering on Si(100) substrates. The chemical composition was deduced from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Auger electron spectroscopy measurements, and was found to be influenced primarily by nitrogen flow rate. The phase composition was determined using X-ray diffraction in conjunction with spectroscopic ellipsometry. Atomic force microscopy was utilized to determine surface roughness and average surface grain size. Both surface roughness and surface grain size were largely independent of the nitrogen concentration and decreased with increasing bias voltage. The nanohardness and elastic modulus of each sample were measured by nanoindentation. The hardest films were produced using −150 V bias voltage and either very low (0.5–1 sccm) or very high (12–15 sccm) nitrogen flow rates.
An Inverted Repeat in the ospC Operator Is Required for Induction in Borrelia burgdorferi

Borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochete that causes Lyme disease, differentially regulates synthesis of the outer membrane lipoprotein OspC to infect its host. OspC is required to establish infection but then repressed in the mammal to avoid clearance by the adaptive immune response. Inverted repeats (IR) upstream of the promoter have been implicated as an operator to regulate ospC expression. We molecularly dissected the distal inverted repeat (dIR) of the ospC operator by site-directed mutagenesis at its endogenous location on the circular plasmid cp26. We found that disrupting the dIR but maintaining the proximal IR prevented induction of OspC synthesis by DNA supercoiling, temperature, and pH. Moreover, the base-pairing potential of the two halves of the dIR was more important than the nucleotide sequence in controlling OspC levels. These results describe a cis-acting element essential for the expression of the virulence factor OspC.
Effects of Sublethal Dissolved Oxygen Stress on Blood Glucose and Susceptibility to Streptococcus agalactiae in Nile Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus

Abstract The stress effects of sublethal dissolved oxygen (DO) exposures on blood glucose levels and susceptibility to Streptococcus agalactiae infection in Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus were determined with the One Touch Ultra blood glucose monitoring system. Fish were monitored for temporal changes in blood glucose concentration before, during, and after exposure to up to 1 mg DO per liter for 24 h. Blood glucose was found to increase significantly (P < 0.001) in response to sublethal DO exposure. In additional experiments, fish were exposed to acceptable or sublethal DO. After exposure, fish were administered 9.5 × 101 or 7.5 × 102 colony-forming units (CFU) of S. agalactiae (infected) or tryptic soy broth (uninfected) by intraperitoneal injection. Significantly higher mean blood glucose levels were found in both infected and uninfected fish following sublethal DO exposure. None of the fish exposed to acceptable DO died due to streptococcal infection after challenge with either dose. Fish exposed ...
Automating customized computing

Customized computing has been of interest to the research community for over three decades. The interest has intensified in the recent years as the power and energy become a significant limiting factor to the computing industry. For example, the energy consumed by the datacenters of some large internet service provides is well over 109 Kilowatt-hours. FPGA-based acceleration has shown 10–1000X performance/energy efficiency over the general-purpose processors in many applications. However, programming FPGAs as a computing device is still a significant challenge. Most of accelerators are designed using manual RTL coding. The recent progress in high-level synthesis (HLS) has improved the programming productivity considerably where one can quickly implement functional blocks written using high-level programming languages as C or C++ instead of RTL. But in using the HLS tool for accelerated computing, the programmer still faces a lot of design decisions, such as implementation choices of each module and communication schemes between different modules, and has to implement additional logic for data management, such as memory partitioning, data prefetching and reuse. Extensive source code rewriting is often required to achieve high-performance acceleration using the existing HLS tools. In this talk, I shall present the ongoing work at UCLA to enable further automation for customized computing. One effort is on automated compilation to combining source-code level transformation for HLS with efficient parameterized architecture template generations. I shall highlight our progress on loop restructuring and code generation, memory partitioning, data prefetching and reuse, combined module selection, duplication, and scheduling with communication optimization. These techniques allows the programmer to easily compile computation kernels to FPGAs for acceleration. Another direction is to develop efficient runtime support for scheduling and transparent resource management for integration of FPGAs for datacenter-scale acceleration, which is becoming a reality (for example, Microsoft recently used over 1,600 servers with FPGAs for accelerating their search engine and reported very encouraging results). Our runtime system provides scheduling and resource management support at multiple levels, including server node-level, job-level, and datacenter-level so that programmer can make use the existing programming interfaces, such as MapReduce or Hadoop, for large-scale distributed computation.
Peripheral Vascular Endothelial Dysfunction in Patients With Angina Pectoris and Normal Coronary Arteriograms

Abstract Objectives. We sought to determine endothelium-dependent vasodilator function in the brachial artery of patients with microvascular angina pectoris. Background. Previous studies suggest the presence of endothelial dysfunction of the coronary microcirculation in patients with microvascular angina pectoris. It is not known whether endothelial dysfunction in these patients is a generalized process or whether it is confined to the coronary microcirculation only. Methods. In 11 women (mean [±SD] age 60.1 ± 7.8 years) with microvascular angina (anginal pain, normal epicardial coronary arteries, positive exercise stress test), endothelium-dependent vasodilation was assessed in the brachial artery by measuring the change in brachial artery diameter in response to hyperemic flow. Results were compared with 11 age- and gender-matched patients with known three-vessel coronary artery disease and 11 age- and gender-matched healthy control subjects. In all subjects, the intima–media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid artery was also measured. Results. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was comparable in patients with microvascular angina and coronary artery disease (1.9 ± 2.5% vs. 3.3 ± 3.3%, p = NS) but was significantly lower in patients with microvascular angina than in healthy control subjects (1.9 ± 2.5% vs. 7.9 ± 3%, p Conclusions. These findings suggest that endothelial dysfunction in microvascular angina is a generalized process that also involves the peripheral conduit arteries and is similar to that observed in atherosclerotic disease. IMT could be helpful in discriminating patients with microvascular angina and atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.
Nucleation of lattice-mismatched transition-metal nitride films: limitations on super-lattice growth

Abstract The nucleation of epitaxial transition-metal nitride films with different lattice mismatch and growth of the corresponding superlattices were studied. In-situ Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) was used to characterize the nucleation mechanisms of V0.3Nb0.7N films on TiN (1.7% mismatch), TiN films on VN (2.4% mismatch), TiN films on NbN (3.6% mismatch), NbN films on VN (5.7% mismatch), and VN films on NbN grown by ultra-high vacuum reactive magnetron sputtering. The initial growth mechanism was layer-by-layer for mismatch values up to 3.6%, but three-dimensional island nucleation occurred for 5.7% mismatch. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) observations of NbN films showed three-dimensional islands, confirming the AES results. X-ray diffraction spectra from the corresponding superlattices showed strong superlattice reflections except for the large-mismatch NbN VN combination. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy studies showed that the superlattice layers were well-defined and planar for low mismatch, but were irregular and non-planar for NbN VN , in agreement with the X-ray, AES, and STM results. The maximum lattice mismatch for epitaxial nitride superlattice growth was thus limited by island nucleation and in the range from 3.6 to 5.7%.
The maturing of development administration

This article traces the evolution of the concepts underlying development administration since its origin as a distinct subdiscipline in the early 1960s. It relates the main thrusts in development administration to changing theories and approaches to economic and social development, especially the appropriate functions of the state, the implications of modernization, and the capabilities of people outside the modern core in urban centres. Seven major themes have emerged during the past decade. Their acceptance among academics and practitioners has produced a more sophisticated, realistic and useful appreciation of the relationships of public administration to development. Though this bodes well for the future, an unsolved problem is the continuing intellectual hegemony of Western concepts and practices, despite an impressive number of highly trained Third World scholars and well-established Third World institutions operating in this field. There is evidence that the ongoing search for effective indigenous management practices will greatly enrich development administration as a field of inquiry and of practice.
Peripheral exudative hemorrhagic chorioretinopathy simulating choroidal melanoma in 173 eyes.

Purpose To evaluate the clinical features and outcomes of eyes with peripheral exudative hemorrhagic chorioretinopathy (PEHCR) simulating choroidal melanoma. Design Noncomparative case series. Participants A total of 173 eyes in 146 patients. Methods Retrospective chart review. Main Outcome Measures Clinical features and outcome. Results All cases were referred for possible choroidal melanoma. The mean patient age was 80 years, 145 (99%) were Caucasian, and 98 (67%) were female. The main lesion had a mean diameter of 10 mm and mean thickness of 3 mm. The lesion was located temporally in 103 eyes (77%), involved 1 or 2 quadrants in 123 eyes (92%), and was located between the equator and the ora serrata in 119 eyes (89%). Features included subretinal hemorrhage in 134 eyes (78%), retinal exudation in 37 eyes (21%), retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) detachment in 48 eyes (28%), and sub-RPE hemorrhage in 45 eyes (26%). Peripheral RPE alterations or drusen were found in 120 ipsilateral eyes (69%) and 73 contralateral eyes (42%). Macular RPE alterations, drusen, or choroidal neovascularization was found in 83 ipsilateral eyes (48%) and 97 contralateral eyes (56%). After observation (mean 15 months), lesion regression or stability was found in 80 eyes (89%) and progression was found in 10 eyes (11%). Conclusions PEHCR is a hemorrhagic retinal degenerative process that simulates choroidal melanoma. Financial Disclosure(s) The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.
Inhibition of caffeine metabolism by ciprofloxacin in children with cystic fibrosis as measured by the caffeine breath test.

The caffeine breath test was carried out in six children with cystic fibrosis, before and during a course of ciprofloxacin. There was a significant decrease in the 2 h cumulative labelled CO2 exhaled during ciprofloxacin treatment, mean difference (s.d.) -5.2(3.3)%, P < 0.02. The results suggest an inhibition of 3-N-demethylation of caffeine (CYP1A2 enzyme activity) by ciprofloxacin. Ciprofloxacin may cause significant drug interactions in children with cystic fibrosis. The caffeine breath test can be used to study drug interactions involving CYP1A2 in children.
The View from Main Street and the View from 40,000 Feet: Can a National Evaluation Understand Local Communities?.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation sponsors the Fighting Back initiative, in which communities across the country receive funding to combat alcohol and drug use. The evaluators of this initiative have tried to present an evaluation that is responsive to both national policy agendas and local community contextual differences, and thus offer important insight for both levels.
Loss of NHE1 activity leads to reduced oxidative stress in heart and mitigates high-fat diet-induced myocardial stress

Acute inhibition of the NHE1 Na(+)/H(+) exchanger protects against ischemia-reperfusion injury and chronic inhibition attenuates development of cardiac hypertrophy and failure. To determine the cardiac effects of chronic inhibition of NHE1 under non-pathological conditions we used NHE1-null mice as a model of long-term NHE1 inhibition. Cardiovascular performance was relatively normal in Nhe1(-/-) mice although cardiac contractility and relaxation were slightly improved in mutant mice of the FVB/N background. GSH levels and GSH:GSSG ratios were elevated in Nhe1(-/-) hearts indicating an enhanced redox potential. Consistent with a reduced need for antioxidant protection, expression of heat shock proteins Hsp60 and Hsp25 was lower in Nhe1(-/-) hearts. Similarly, expression of mitochondrial superoxide dismutase 2 was reduced, with no increase in expression of other ROS scavenging enzymes. GLUT1 levels were increased in Nhe1(-/-) hearts, the number of lipid droplets in myocytes was reduced, and PDK4 expression was refractory to high-fat diet-induced upregulation observed in wild-type hearts. High-fat diet-induced stress was attenuated in Nhe1(-/-) hearts, as indicated by smaller increases in phosphorylation of Hsp25 and α-B crystallin, and there was better preservation of insulin sensitivity, as evidenced by PKB/Akt phosphorylation. Plasma glucose and insulin levels were lower and high-fat diet-induced hepatic lipid accumulation was reduced in Nhe1(-/-) mice, demonstrating extracardiac effects of NHE1 ablation. These data indicate that long-term ablation of NHE1 activity increases the redox potential, mitigates high-fat diet-induced myocardial stress and fatty liver disease, leads to better preservation of insulin sensitivity, and may alter both cardiac and systemic metabolic substrate handling in mice.
Purification of cardiac cells from Drosophila embryos

Recent genome-level innovations have enabled the identification of the entire cadre of genes that are expressed in specific tissues at particular developmental times. However, to be informative as to how individual cell types develop, this process relies upon the successful and efficient purification of cells for a particular tissue. Here, we describe a method to isolate cardiac cells from Drosophila embryos. We generated transgenic embryos in which a cardiac-specific enhancer of the Sulphonylurea receptor (Sur) gene drove expression of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene. Homogenized embryos were subjected to fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS), resulting in approximately 50,000 cardiac cells purified. The prevalence of cardiac cells in the purified population was high, based upon a significant enrichment for cardiac-specific marker genes, including Sur and Toll. This enrichment also enabled the identification of cardiac-specific alternatively spliced isoforms of the Zasp66 gene. In the future, this approach can be used to describe the cardiac transcriptome of Drosophila at distinct stages of embryonic development.
The phenomenon of homeopathic instability in dynamical systems

In this paper we announce the discovery of a rather extraordinary mechanism of instability which has apparently been overlooked in the control literature. Unstable dynamical systems possessing this special mechanism of instability, which we call ‘ homeopathic instability ’, have the amazing property that they cannot be stabilized unless one employs a feedback controller which itself is unstable, The fact that system designers must employ unstable controllers to achieve stabilization of certain unstable systems raises some interesting technical and philosophical questions—especially in modern socio-economic applications of control theory where the ‘ controller ’ is often a committee or some other form of human operator. The occurrence of homeopathic instability is demonstrated by a family of examples from the class of completely controllable, completely observable time-invariant linearized dynamical systems.
pch1 +, a Second Essential C-type Cyclin Gene in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Abstract The Schizosaccharomyces pombe genepch1 + ( p ombe cyclinC homology) was isolated in a two-hybrid screen for proteins that interact with Cdc2. The cyclin box region of Pch1 protein shares greatest sequence identity with mammalian andDrosophila C-type cyclins (∼33% identity). Pch1 is significantly less similar to Mcs2 (19% identity), a second member of the C-type cyclin family in S. pombe. Cdc2 co-precipitates with Pch1 in S. pombe cell lysates, although Cdc2 may not be the major catalytic partner of a Pch1 kinase in vivo. Purified Pch1-associated kinase phosphorylated myelin basic protein, histone H1, and a peptide corresponding to the carboxyl-terminal domain repeat of RNA polymerase II. The amount of pch1 mRNA does not oscillate during the cell cycle, as is the case for mRNA transcripts of other C-type cyclin genes. Δpch1 cells are inviable, therefore S. pombe has two essential genes that encode members of the C-type cyclin family,pch1 + and mcs2 +. TheΔpch1 mutation causes pleiotropic morphological defects and an associated growth deficiency, but loss of Pch1 activity does not result in a cdc cell cycle-arrest phenotype.
Incidence of Inadvertent Intravascular Injection during CT Fluoroscopy-Guided Epidural Steroid Injections.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Inadvertent intravascular injection during epidural steroid injection can result in complications and has been investigated previously with conventional fluoroscopy, but not CT fluoroscopy. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of intravascular injections recognized during CT fluoroscopy–guided epidural steroid injection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 575 consecutive CT fluoroscopy–guided epidural steroid injections. Procedures were assessed to determine the incidence of intravascular injection. Cases positive for intravascular injection were classified on the basis of anatomic location, distance from the needle tip, washout pattern, and presence of combined epidural and vascular injection. Cases were also graded as either venous or arterial by using a 5-point scale. RESULTS: Intravascular injection was observed in 26% of cervical transforaminal epidural steroid injections (7/27), 9% of cervical interlaminar epidural steroid injections (4/47), 8% of lumbar transforaminal epidural steroid injections (22/275), and 2% of lumbar interlaminar epidural steroid injections (4/222). Vessels were most commonly identified close to the needle, but in 30% of cases, they were visualized in the anterior paraspinal soft tissues remote from the needle. Washout was most commonly delayed (86%), though rapid washout occurred in 14% of cases. Simultaneous epidural and vascular injections occurred in 32% of cases. Most visualized vessels were venous, but 2 cases were classified as probably arterial. CONCLUSIONS: Intravascular injections can be detected with CT fluoroscopy. The incidence in our study was similar to that in previous reports using conventional fluoroscopy. Technical factors such as the “double-tap” on CT fluoroscopy following contrast injection, assessment for discordance between injected and visualized contrast volume, and maintenance of an appropriate FOV facilitate the detection of such events.
Principles and practice of unification factoring

The efficiency of resolution-based logic programming languages, such as Prolog, depends critically on selecting and executing sets of applicable clause heads to resolve against subgoals. Traditional approaches to this problem have focused on using indexing to determine the smallest possible applicable set. Despite their usefulness, these approaches ignore the nondeterminism inherent in many programming languages to the extent that they do not attempt to optimize execution after the applicable set has been determined. Unification factoring seeks to rectify this omission by regarding the indexing and unification phases of clause resolution as a single process. This article formalizes that process through the construction of factoring automata. A polynomial-time algorithm is given for constructing optimal factoring automata that preserve the clause selection strategy of Prolog. More generally, when the clause selection strategy is not fixed, constructing such an optimal automaton is shown to be NP-complete, solving an open trie minimization problem. Unification factoring is implemented through a source code transformation that preserves the full semantics of Prolog. This transformation is specified in the article, and using it, several well-known programs show significant performance improvements across several different systems. A prototype of unification factoring is available by anonymous ftp.
Evaluating the Service Degradation of Large Hydrogen Cooled Generator Rotor Fields

The ideal operation of power plant equipment philosophically entails achieving the maximum useful life without experiencing an in service failure. This paper will describe generally known testing techniques and their application to generator rotor fields. This paper will propose a course of action when degradation begins to be detected. Risks which might be encountered are discussed as are precautionary measures which can be instituted. To support the techniques discussed, a case history will be described in detail.
Laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS) radical hysterectomy for the treatment of early stage cervical cancer

Abstract Background Laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS) represents one of the latest innovations in minimally invasive surgery and has several potential applications in gynecologic oncology surgery. The purpose of this surgical video is to demonstrate the indication and technique for LESS radical hysterectomy for the treatment of early stage cervical cancer. Case A 48year-old menopausal woman with a body mass index of 29 was diagnosed with a well differentiated, Stage IB1 cervical adenocarcinoma. She underwent a LESS radical hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy through a 2.0 centimeter (cm) umbilical incision. Estimated blood loss was 200ml and total operative time was 251min. No perioperative complications occurred and the patient was discharged the day after surgery. Final pathology revealed a residual 1.5cm tumor with a depth of invasion of 5.8mm and no lymph vascular space invasion. The parametria, ovaries and 16 lymph nodes were negative for malignancy. All margins, including a vaginal margin 3.5cm from the cervical tumor, were negative. Her umbilical incision healed well and was not visible at her 4week post operative visit. She did not require adjuvant therapy and is without evidence of disease 6months after surgery. Conclusions The performance of LESS radical hysterectomy is feasible and safe in select women with apparent early-stage cervical cancer. In an effort to optimize operative and long-term oncologic outcomes, it is critical to continue exploring novel surgical approaches for the treatment of gynecologic cancers.
Effect of low-dose scopolamine on autonomic control of the heart.

Background: In low doses, scopolamine paradoxically enhances parasympathetic outflow to the heart. The mechanisms which mediate this action are not fully understood. Moreover, there are conflicting data regarding the potential role of sympathetic activity. This study in 17 healthy individuals was designed to characterize the influence of low dose transdermal scopolamine on the gain of the baroreflex and respiratory heart rate reflex and to determine the role of sympathetic activity. Methods: The effect of scopolamine was analyzed in the time and frequency domain by computing heart rate variability indices. The gains of the respiratory heart rate reflex and the baroreflex were estimated simultaneously by means of a cardiovascular system identification approach using an optimized autoregressive moving average algorithm. Measurements were repeated in the upright posture to assess the influence of enhanced sympathetic activity. In six subjects ambulatory ECGs were recorded to determine whether there are diurnal variations of the effect of scopolamine. Results: Scopolamine enhances vagal modulation of heart rate through both the respiratory-heart rate reflex and the baroreflex, as the gains of both were augmented by the drug in the supine and in the upright postures. Conclusions: Scopolamine increases parasympathetic cardiac control by augmenting the gain of the respiratory-heart rate and baroreflex. This action is not attenuated in the upright posture when sympathetic tone is increased.
Magnetic Field Exposure in Relation to Leukemia and Brain Cancer Mortality among Electric Utility Workers

Reports of leukemia and brain cancer among men in electrical occupations suggest a small increase in risk, but most previous studies have failed to classify magnetic field exposure accurately or to consider potential confounders. The authors conducted an historical cohort mortality study of 138,905 men employed at five large electric power companies in the United States between 1950 and 1986 with at least 6 months of work experience. Exposure was estimated by linking individual work histories to data from 2,842 workshift magnetic field measurements. Mortality follow-up identified 20,733 deaths based on 2,656,436 person-years of experience. Death rates were analyzed in relation to magnetic field exposure history with Poisson regression. Total mortality and cancer mortality rose slightly with increasing magnetic field exposure. Leukemia mortality, however, was not associated with indices of magnetic field exposure except for work as an electrician. Brain cancer mortality was modestly elevated in relation to duration of work in exposed jobs and much more strongly associated with magnetic field exposure indices. Brain cancer risk increased by an estimated factor of 1.94 per microtesla-year of magnetic field exposure in the previous 2-10 years, with a mortality rate ratio of 2.6 in the highest exposure category. In contrast to other studies, these data do not support an association between occupational magnetic field exposure and leukemia but do suggest a link to brain cancer.
Finite-difference time-domain modeling of dispersive-material photonic bandgap structures

Photonic bandgap (PBG) structures constructed from lossy, dispersive dielectric and metallic materials are characterized in terms of their reflection and transmission properties. Particular emphasis is given to PBG structures with defects. These PBG structures are modeled analytically with an ABCD matrix method for their single-frequency response. They also are modeled numerically with a finite-difference time-domain approach to determine their operating characteristics over a wide set of frequencies in a single simulation. It is shown that material dispersion can significantly alter the characteristics of a PBG structure’s frequency response. Metallic PBG structures at optical frequencies thus exhibit bandgap characteristics significantly different from those of their nondispersive dielectric counterparts. It is shown that microcavities whose mirrors are constructed from dispersive-material PBG structures can be designed to outperform similar nondispersive-mirror microcavities.
Predictors of engagement in adolescent drug abuse treatment.

ABSTRACT Objective To identify key demographic, parent, and adolescent characteristics that influence engagement in outpatient drug abuse treatment. Method Youths aged 12 to 17 years ( N = 224; 81% male and 72% African American) referred for drug treatment and their parents participated in this study. Marijuana was the primary substance of abuse. Data were gathered prior to treatment on demographic variables as well as on both parent and youth perspectives on youth, parent, and family functioning. Results A discriminant function analysis revealed that engagement in treatment was related to, in order of weighting, more positive parental expectations for their adolescent's educational achievement (standardized discriminant function coefficient [SDF] = 0.68), higher parental reports of youth externalizing symptoms (SDF = 0.59), and higher levels of family conflict perceived by the youth (SDF = 0.36). Family income, gender, juvenile justice status, minority group status, family structure, parental age and psychopathology, and treatment characteristics did not distinguish treatment-engaged from unengaged adolescents. Conclusions The results suggest that both parent and youth perceptions are pivotal to whether or not adolescents are engaged in psychotherapy. These findings lead the authors to recommend adolescent engagement interventions focusing on both the youth and his or her parents and suggest a content focus for adolescent engagement interventions.
Glomerular lesions associated with proteinuria in clinically healthy dogs.

Spontaneous proteinuria in otherwise clinically normal adult Beagles 4–6 years old was studied for 2 years. Eighteen dogs, representing a population of 218 Beagles, were placed into three groups: g...
Measurement of the interfacial attraction between graphene oxide sheets and the polymer in a nanocomposite

The objective of this work was to character- ize and, thereby, achieve a fundamental scientific under- standing at the molecular level of the relationship of the intermolecular forces measured at the nanoscale between an individual nanoparticle and a polymer. In this study, we developed a method to directly characterize and mea- sure the relative strength of the interfacial attractive forces between graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles and the poly- mer matrix on the nanoscale using atomic force micros- copy techniques to evaluate individual particles. The method was successfully applied to study the interfacial attractive forces in GO-polymer nanocomposites. Two polymers (poly(methyl methacrylate) and poly(vinyl alco- hol)) were studied. The results support that this method is capable of characterizing the interfacial attractive forces directly at the nanoscale. The method can be applied to other nanoparticle-macromolecular systems, allowing the determination of the interaction strength between nanopar- ticles and the macromolecular material. This information paves the way to characterize the relationship between interfacial forces at the nanometer level to a nanocompo- site's performance properties. V C 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 122: 3740-3744, 2011
Improvements in Advance Care Planning in the Veterans Affairs System: Results of a Multifaceted Intervention

Background: Advance care planning (ACP) aims to guide health care in the event of decisional incapacity. Interventions to promote ACP have had limited effectiveness. We conducted an educational and motivationalinterventioninDepartmentofVeteransAffairsoutpatient clinics to increase ACP use and proxy and health care provider understanding of patients’ preferences and values. Methods: We recruited 23 providers and up to 14 of each of their patients; the patients were randomized to the control or intervention group. Eligibility criteria included a preexisting relationship with the provider, age 55 years or older, chronic health condition(s), and no recorded advance directive. The intervention group (n=119)receivedanACPworkbook,motivationalcounseling by social workers, and cues to providers to discuss ACP. The control group (n=129) received an advance directive booklet. Results: The intervention patients reported more ACP discussions with their providers (64% vs 38%; P.001). Living wills were filed in the medical record twice as oftenintheinterventiongroup(48%vs23%;P.001).Provider-patient dyads in the intervention group had higher agreementscoresthanthecontrolgroupfortreatmentpreferences, values, and personal beliefs (58% vs 48%, 57% vs 46%, and 61% vs 47%, respectively;P.01 for all comparisons).Theagreementscoresfortheproxy-patientdyads did not differ between groups for treatment preferencesandvalues,butwerehigherintheinterventionthan the control group for personal beliefs (67% vs 56%). Conclusion: This intervention demonstrates mixed results and highlights the ongoing challenges of helping health care providers and potential proxy decision makers represent patient preferences and values. Arch Intern Med. 2005;165:667-674
Lords of the Desert Border: Frontier Feudalism in Southern Baluchistan and Eastern Ethiopia

Owen Lattimore, the premier chronicler of China's inner-Asian frontier, designated by the term ‘frontier feudalism’ a particularly significant and recurrent process in the social history of that area. By it he meant the pattern in which nomadic Turko-Mongol chiefs either sold their allegiance as ‘wardens of the march’ and border guardians to Chinese emperors in return for titles and land investitures, or else conquered territory along imperial frontiers in their own names. Ineither case, the chiefs' authority over his followers then changed from a kin-oriented tribal base to a patron–client-oriented feudal base, as his followers became peasantized and lost their ability to move away from the chief – anability that underlay what Lattimore viewed as the much more fluid tribal–nomadic social order and polity. To Lattimore frontier feudalism was an important vehicle in the establishment of social and political stratification along ethnically differentiated lines (as tribesmen settled down as rulers of a subordinate peasantry).It also created articulation between state and tribal polities and served as a major factor in the sedentarization of nomads (Lattimore 1962a, b). In this connection one recalls the proverb recited to Genghis Khan's son and successor, Ogotai, by an adviser: ‘The empire was created on horseback, but it cannot be governed on horseback’ (Grousset 1970: 257).
Primer hallazgo de la familia Amathillopsidae Pirlot, 1934 (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Gammaridea), en el Mar Caribe, con la descripción de una especie nueva

A new species of the genus Amathillopsis is described. Main characteristics include the absence of eyes, accessory flagellum 1-segmented, distally emarginate telson, medial dorsal spinous process on pereionites 4-7, pleonites 1-3 and urosomite 1. This is the first record of a species of the family Amathillopsidae Pirlot, 1934 for the Caribbean Sea.
Use of Miracil D to Suppress Bacterial Ribonucleic Acid and Protein Synthesis During Bacteriophage MS2 Infection

Under certain culture conditions, Miracil (35 μg/ml) halts the growth of uninfected Escherichia coli. Cellular ribonucleic acid (RNA) synthesis is almost completely suppressed, whereas deoxyribonucleic acid and protein synthesis are inhibited to a lesser extent. When the drug is added to host bacteria prior to infection with bacteriophage MS2, the phage adsorb to the cells, but penetration of the viral RNA is inhibited. Penetration may be achieved without further viral development by infection in the presence of chloramphenicol. If the bacteria are infected with MS2 in the presence of chloramphenicol, subsequently washed to remove the chloramphenicol, and then treated with Miracil at any time between 0 and 20 min postinfection, a second viral function is inhibited and the yield of progeny phage is reduced. Addition of the drug after 20 min postinfection does not inhibit the infection process. When Miracil is present from early times in infection, only a limited synthesis of both double- and single-stranded virus-specific RNA is observed. The viral RNA species thus produced do not appear to differ from those made in the absence of the drug. A comparison of the activities of the viral RNA synthetase produced during the course of infection in the presence and in the absence of Miracil suggests that a possible cause of the inhibition is the synthesis of an unstable enzyme in the presence of the drug.
Liquidus Temperature and Primary Crystallization Phases in High-Zirconia High-Level Waste Borosilicate Glasses

Liquidus temperature (T L) studies of high-Zr high-level waste (HLW) borosilicate glasses have identified three primary phases: baddelyite (ZrO2), zircon (ZrSiO4), and alkali-zirconium silicates, such as parakeldyshite (Na2ZrSi2O7). Using publishedT L data for HLW glasses with these primary phases, we have computed partial specificT LS for major glass components. On the Na2O-SiO2-ZrO2 submixture, we have determined approximate positions of the boundaries between the baddelyite, zircon, and parakeldyshite primary phase fields. The maximum that can dissolve at 1150’C in a borosilicate HLW glass subjected to common processability and acceptability constraints appears to be 16.5 mass% ZrO2.
Automated Spore Measurements Using Microscopy, Image Analysis, and Peak Recognition of Near-Monodisperse Aerosols

Rapid detection of airborne fungal and bacterial spores would enable public agencies to respond quickly and appropriately to intentional releases of hazardous aerosols. Automated analysis of microscope images and automated detection of near-monodisperse peaks in aerosol size distribution data offer complementary approaches to traditional methods for the identification and counting of fungal and bacterial spores. First, spores of the fungus Scopulariopsis brevicaulis were aerosolized in a chamber and then collected with a slit impactor; later, digital microscope images were analyzed manually to determine spore cluster distributions. The images also were analyzed with ImageJ, a program that automatically outlined objects and measured Feret's diameter, area, perimeter, and circularity. These characteristics were used to identify spore clusters automatically using two data analysis methods. Second, a computer program was developed to discriminate near-monodisperse bioaerosol peaks from those for polydisperse ...
Hormonally Sensitive Esterase Activity in the Mouse Uterus Results from Uptake of Plasma Esterase

Mouse uterine homogenates contain an estrogen- sensitive serine esterase (hydrolase II). In immature animals, hydrolase II levels increase rapidly after the administration of estradiol. However, stimulation of de novo synthesis in the uterus has not been demonstrated. In this communication we show that hydrolase II activity in the uterus results from uptake of an esterase from the blood. We describe the purification of this protein from mouse plasma and discuss some of its properties. It appears to be similar if not identical to a sexually dimorphic plasma esterase called albumin esterase or esterase 1 by others. Consistent with this, hydrolysis of estradiol valerate and β-alanine nitrophenyl ester by either uterine homogenates or purified esterase 1 was blocked by heating or by incubation with diisopropyl flurophosphate or antibody to esterase 1. Levels of the plasma esterase (esterase 1) were 50% higher in adult female mice than in adult males. Levels in juvenile males were in between those in the adult...
GAP-JUNCTION COMMUNICATION IN CHEMICAL CARCINOGENESIS

In a recent review article, “Risk Assessment for Possible Carcinogens: A Critical Look” [1], Dr. Emmanuel Farber states, “There is a developing speculation that agents or circumstances are [tumor] ...
How recent advances in immunotherapy are changing the standard of care for patients with metastatic melanoma

In 2011, two therapies were approved for the treatment of metastatic melanoma: ipilimumab, an immunotherapeutic agent, and vemurafenib, a BRAF kinase inhibitor. These approvals were based on data from phase III trials, which showed that treatment with these agents produced substantial improvements in overall survival (OS). Ipilimumab has been investigated in two phase III trials: one as monotherapy in patients with pretreated metastatic melanoma at a dose of 3 mg/kg and the second in combination with dacarbazine (DTIC) chemotherapy in patients with previously untreated metastatic melanoma at a dose of 10 mg/kg. Among the pretreated patients, ipilimumab monotherapy significantly improved median OS (Hazard ratio (HR): 0.66, P = 0.003) from 6.4 months in gp100 vaccine controls to 10.1 months. The rates of OS in the ipilimumab-alone group and the gp100 group, respectively, were 45.6% and 25.3% at 12 months and 23.5% and 13.7% at 24 months. In the second trial, OS was significantly longer in previously untreated patients receiving ipilimumab plus DTIC than those receiving DTIC plus placebo (11.2 months versus 9.1 months; HR: 0.72, P < 0.001), with higher survival rates in the ipilimumab plus DTIC group at 1 year (47.3% versus 36.3%), 2 years (28.5% versus 17.9%) and 3 years (20.8% versus 12.2%). When using ipilimumab in the clinic, special consideration should be given to immune-related adverse events (irAEs) and assessment of response. Established guidelines can be used to manage the majority of irAEs effectively. Proposed modifications made to the existing response criteria mean that the clinician can accurately detect immune-related responses that would have been considered representative of progressive disease using conventional criteria. Further research is warranted to establish how immunotherapeutic agents can be combined with conventional agents, with each other or with molecularly targeted agents such as vemurafenib, to further optimise clinical outcomes.
The HIV-1 protease inhibitor nelfinavir activates PP2 and inhibits MAPK signaling in macrophages: a pathway to reduce inflammation

The HIV-1 PI NFV has off-target effects upon host enzymes, including inhibition of the 20S proteasome, resulting in activation of PP1. HIV-1-associated monocyte/macrophage activation, in part a result of systemically elevated levels of microbial products including LPS, is associated with risk of mortality, independent of viremia or CD4 T cell loss. This study tested the hypothesis that activation of protein phosphatases by NFV would reduce activation of monocytes/macrophages through dephosphorylation of signal transduction proteins. NFV uniquely blocked LPS-induced production by human monocyte-derived macrophages of the inflammatory cytokines TNF and IL-6, as well as sCD14. Although NFV failed to modulate NF-κB, NFV treatment reduced phosphorylation of AKT and MAPKs. Inhibition of PP2 with okadaic acid blocked the anti-inflammatory effect of NFV, whereas the PP1 inhibitor calyculin A failed to counter the anti-inflammatory effects of NFV. For in vivo studies, plasma sCD14 and LPS were monitored in a cohort of 31 pediatric HIV-1 patients for over 2 years of therapy. Therapy, including NFV, reduced sCD14 levels significantly compared with IDV or RTV, independent of ΔLPS levels, VL, CD4 T cell frequency, or age. The hypothesis was supported as NFV induced activation of PP2 in macrophages, resulting in disruption of inflammatory cell signaling pathways. In vivo evidence supports that NFV may offer beneficial effects independent of antiviral activity by reducing severity of chronic innate immune activation in HIV-1 infection.
Building intelligence for software defined data centers: modeling usage patterns

As both the amount of data to be stored and the rate of data production grows, data center designers and operators face the challenge of planning and managing systems whose characteristics, workloads, and performance, availability, and reliability goals change rapidly. As we move towards software-defined data centers (SDDCs) the ability to reconfigure and adapt our solutions is increasing, but to take full advantage of that increase we must design smarter, more intelligent systems that are aware of how they are being used and able to deliver accurate predictions of their characteristics, workloads, and goals. In this paper we propose a novel algorithm for use in an intelligent, user-aware SDDC which performs run-time analysis of user storage system activity in a manner that has a minimal impact on performance and provides accurate estimations of future user activity.Our algorithm can produce both generalized models, and specific models, depending on the parameters used. Our algorithms are efficient, and have low overhead, making them ideal to use to add intelligence to SDDCs and build intelligent storage systems. We use our algorithm to analyze actual data from two real systems, monitoring user activity two and three times a day for each system respectively, over a period of roughly two years, for almost 500 distinct users.