cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Palliative exenteration--what, when, and why?

Between 1955 and 1981, 323 pelvic exenterations were performed at the Mayo Clinic. Fifty-nine (18%) were considered retrospectively to be palliative because of pelvic or aortic nodal metastasis, pelvic peritoneal involvement, pelvic wall involvement, bone involvement, or, in two cases, distant metastasis. The survivals were 47% at 2 years and 17% at 5 years. When metastasic nodal disease was found after irradiated pelvic recurrence, the 2- and 5-year survivals were 46% and 23%, respectively. Although exenteration procedures are designed to be curative, the palliative benefits obtained in this group of patients appear to be worthwhile and comparable to those achieved in advanced epithelial ovarian carcinoma for which aggressive surgical management is now strongly advocated.
Application of the cell potential method to predict phase equilibria of multicomponent gas hydrate systems.

We present the application of a mathematical method reported earlier 1 by which the van der Waals-Platteeuw statistical mechanical model with the Lennard-Jones and Devonshire approximation can be posed as an integral equation with the unknown function being the intermolecular potential between the guest molecules and the host molecules. This method allows us to solve for the potential directly for hydrates for which the Langmuir constants are computed, either from experimental data or from ab initio data. Given the assumptions made in the van der Waals-Platteeuw model with the spherical-cell approximation, there are an infinite number of solutions; however, the only solution without cusps is a unique central-well solution in which the potential is at a finite minimum at the center to the cage. From this central-well solution, we have found the potential well depths and volumes of negative energy for 16 single-component hydrate systems: ethane (C2H6), cyclopropane (C3H6), methane (CH4), argon (Ar), and chlorodifluoromethane (R-22) in structure I; and ethane (C2H6), cyclopropane (C3H6), propane (C3H8), isobutane (C4H10), methane (CH4), argon (Ar), trichlorofluoromethane (R-11), dichlorodifluoromethane (R-12), bromotrifluoromethane (R-13B1), chloroform (CHCl3), and 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (R-134a) in structure II. This method and the calculated cell potentials were validated by predicting existing mixed hydrate phase equilibrium data without any fitting parameters and calculating mixture phase diagrams for methane, ethane, isobutane, and cyclopropane mixtures. Several structural transitions that have been determined experimentally as well as some structural transitions that have not been examined experimentally were also predicted. In the methane-cyclopropane hydrate system, a structural transition from structure I to structure II and back to structure I is predicted to occur outside of the known structure II range for the cyclopropane hydrate. Quintuple (Lw-sI-sII-Lhc-V) points have been predicted for the ethane-propane-water (277.3 K, 12.28 bar, and xeth,waterfree ) 0.676) and ethane-isobutanewater (274.7 K, 7.18 bar, and xeth,waterfree ) 0.81) systems.
NMR study of the equilibrium between trimeric and tetrameric ring structures of dimethylgermanium oxide

The equilibria in solution between trimeric and tetrameric forms of dimethylgermanium oxide have been studied by proton NMR. From the data obtained in this study equilibrium constants for the reaction: 4[(CH3)2GeO]3 ⇄ 3[(CH3)2GeO]4 were determined; Koo4,3  5.98 at 35°, and 0.52 at 103°. The rate of equilibration has been studied in dilute solution and catalytic effects by dimethyldihalogermanes are interpreted in terms of oxygen-halogen exchange reactions.
Erosion of a strong aluminum alloy

Abstract The erosion of a strong aluminum alloy (7075-T6) and annealed commercially pure aluminum was modelled with impacts by ball bearings of diameter 5 mm at velocities of 140–185 m s −1 . Single impacts caused significant erosive loss only at low impact angles (20°–35°). Single impacts normal to the surface removed negligible amounts of metal. Erosion by impacts normal to the surface occurred only when the deformation field from one impact overlapped that of an earlier impact. Erosion resistance, as measured by velocity threshold for weight loss, was much lower for the high strength 7075-T6 alloy than for pure aluminum. Thus alloying for strength diminishes erosion resistance. Treatments that improve the fracture toughness of the 7075 alloy did not improve erosion resistances. Metal left the target as one or two chips per impact. These separated along narrow bands of intense shear. While particle impacts always deform the surface, it is postulated that this deformation results in metal loss (erosion) only when a shear instability (adiabatic shear) develops under the ball prior to the tensile stresses set up in the surface upon particle rebound.
Mutations in GJA1 (connexin 43) are associated with non-syndromic autosomal recessive deafness

Mutations in four members of the connexin gene family have been shown to underlie distinct genetic forms of deafness, including GJB2 [connexin 26 (Cx26)], GJB3 (Cx31), GJB6 (Cx30) and GJB1 (Cx32). We have found that alterations in a fifth member of this family, GJA1 (Cx43), appear to cause a common form of deafness in African Americans. We identified two different GJA1 mutations in four of 26 African American probands. Three were homozygous for a Leu-->Phe substitution in the absolutely conserved codon 11, whereas the other was homozygous for a Val-->Ala transversion at the highly conserved codon 24. Neither mutation was detected in DNA from 100 control subjects without deafness. Cx43 is expressed in the cochlea, as is demonstrated by PCR amplification from human fetal cochlear cDNA and by RT-PCR of mouse cochlear tissues. Immunohistochemical staining of mouse cochlear preparations showed immunostaining for Cx43 in non-sensory epithelial cells and in fibrocytes of the spiral ligament and the spiral limbus. To our knowledge this is the first alpha connexin gene to be associated with non-syndromic deafness. Cx43 must also play a critical role in the physiology of hearing, presumably by participating in the recycling of potassium to the cochlear endolymph.
A microstructurally based method for stress estimates

Abstract A method is described in which quantitative microstructural analysis is used to estimate the local stress and strain states occurring within near-surface layers due to frictional contact. Quantitative estimates of local stress and strain have applications in friction and wear models, in finite element analysis of sliding interfaces, and as a basis for formulating and evaluating models on a local scale. This method is illustrated for three cases of dry sliding on nominally flat surfaces. Sliding tests were performed on a flat plate friction tester, developed at Sandia, which used copper friction samples and a steel test platen. The evolving friction coefficients were measured as a function of normal load and sliding speed. Microstructural analyses included both scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) of the cross-sectioned friction samples. The sliding-induced dislocation substructures were quantitatively characterized and measured as a function of subsurface depth and normal load. Two simple relationships between the size scale of the dislocation substructure and the flow stress were used to estimate the material properties and the stress state as a function of depth and normal load.
A conceptual decision model for impact analysis of industry regulation: a MILP approach

Abstract It is imperative that a careful and thorough process of evaluation of the effects of any governmental regulation on industry be instituted. The immediate effects are on the firm and then on the industry with perhaps implications for the economy, as a whole, in some cases. The evaluation, termed impact analysis, includes costs, benefits and alternatives to the proposed government action. This paper develops the broad outline of a mixed-integer linear programming model to assess the impacts of regulation of toxic substances production by process industries. The model is designed to capture the two principal characteristics of such industries, namely, interdependence and economies of scale in investment.
The Distribution of the Income in the Great Depression: Preliminary State Estimates

State-level estimates of income shares for the top one and five percent of the population are presented for 1929, 1933, and 1939. Significant cross-sectional variation is found in 1929, but the range narrows as the shares fall dramatically to 1933. Analysis indicates that property incomes influence the shares but provides little evidence of a tradeoff between per capita income and inequality as measured by the shares.
Regulation of K-Cl cotransport during reticulocyte maturation and erythrocyte aging in normal and sickle erythrocytes

The age/density-dependent decrease in K-Cl cotransport (KCC), PP1 and PP2A activities in normal and sickle human erythrocytes, and the effect of urea, a known KCC activator, were studied using discontinuous, isotonic gradients. In normal erythrocytes, the densest fraction (d ∼33.4 g/dl) has only about ∼5% of the KCC and 4% of the membrane (mb)-PP1 activities of the least-dense fraction (d ∼24.7 g/dl). In sickle and normal erythrocytes, density-dependent decreases for mb-PP1 activity were similar (d50% 28.1 ± 0.4 vs. 27.2 ± 0.2 g/dl, respectively), whereas those for KCC activity were not (d50% 31.4 ± 0.9 vs. 26.8 ± 0.3 g/dl, respectively, P = 0.004). Excluding the 10% least-dense cells, a very tight correlation exists between KCC and mb-PP1 activities in normal (r2 = 0.995) and sickle erythrocytes (r2 = 0.93), but at comparable mb-PP1 activities, KCC activity is higher in sickle erythrocytes, suggesting a defective, mb-PP1-independent KCC regulation. In normal, least-dense but not in densest cells, urea st...
VisR ultrasound evaluation of dystrophic muscle degeneration in a dog cross-section and comparison to histology and MRI

Viscoelastic Response (VisR) ultrasound is a new Acoustic Radiation Force (ARF)-based imaging method that uses two successive ARF excitations, delivered to the same region of excitation, to approximate a creep response in tissue and thereby estimate viscoelastic property. The viscoelasticity of dystrophic muscle is altered over time by ongoing necrotic, fatty, and fibrous degenerative changes. Evaluating such changes by VisR in the Golden Retriever Muscular Dystrophy (GRMD) canine model, with comparison to matched MRI and histology, is the purpose of this work. In a cross-sectional study, in vivo VisR imaging was performed on the vastus lateralis (VL) and cranial sartorius (CS) muscles in 20 dogs (n=10 control and GRMD age-matched pairs) aged 3, 6, 12, 24, or 60 months. Following VisR, T2-weighted MRI imaging was performed, and run percentage (RP) was calculated to reflect heterogeneity. Finally, muscle tissue samples were acquired by open surgical biopsy, sectioned, and stained, and percent collagen and fat were calculated from digital microscopy. In the VL, SD of VisR τ was consistently larger in GRMD versus age-matched control dogs (p=0.001, Wilcoxon two-sample test). This VisR result was consistent with higher MRI RP measures and higher histology percent collagen. Similarly in the CS, SD of VisR τ was larger in GRMD than control (p=0.001), consistent with higher MRI RP and with histology percent collagen. These results suggest that VisR measures of τ SD reflect heterogeneity due to collagen deposition in dystrophic muscles.
Hyperalgesia-associated spinal synthesis and release of prostaglandins.

Following tissue injury, an animal will display spontaneous pain behavior and an exaggerated response to a noxious stimulus, a state otherwise referred to as hyperalgesia. Consistent with the behavioral effects, injury or inflammation produces a left shift in the relationship between discharge rates of primary afferents and stimulus intensity (Reeh et al., 1986). This peripheral hypersensitivity can be explained, in part, by a local release of pro-inflammatory substances, such bradykinin or prostaglandins (Baccaglini and Hogan, 1983). Vane (1971) and Smith and Willis (1971) revealed that agents such as acetylsalicylic acid and indomethacin, which were known to alter the hyperalgesia which occurred secondary to inflammation (e. g. tissue injury), inhibited cyclooxygenase (COX), the enzyme responsible for prostaglandin synthesis. This observation provided a unifying link in explaining the ability of a diverse class of agents called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), to normalize the otherwise lowered thresholds (i. e. hyperalgesia) observed in the face of local tissue injury (Ferreira et al., 1971).
Videopsy: dissecting visual data in space-time

Network camera, made possible by recent advances in the integration of sensing, compression, and communication hardware, is a new video source that can be easily deployed and remotely managed. Unobtrusively located along highways, at airports, or in office buildings, such cameras can form a visual sensor network, or camera web, an extremely rich source of visual information. In its infancy today, camera web deployment will likely accelerate in the future and one can expect visual sensing devices to eventually become as ubiquitous as electric bulbs. While the capturing hardware has evolved tremendously, hardware and algorithms necessary for effective analysis and efficient communication of multi-camera data clearly lag. In this article, I overview one particular aspect of visual data analysis, namely, space-time video segmentation that is often a pre-requisite for motion estimation, video compression, event detection, scene understanding, etc. I introduce the concept of object tunnel, a 3-D surface in space-time through which a video object travels, and the associated concept of occlusion volume. I present examples of object tunnels and occlusion volumes on surveillance data that, upon further processing, may lead to automatic event detection or scene understanding. Finally, I describe challenges in extending video analysis algorithms to visual sensor networks, and I outline some possible approaches
Carbon Nanotube Sensors for Gas and Organic Vapor Detection

A gas sensor, fabricated by the simple casting of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) on an interdigitated electrode (IDE), is presented for gas and organic vapor detection at room temperature. The sensor responses are linear for concentrations of sub ppm to hundreds of ppm with detection limits of 44 ppb for NO2 and 262 ppb for nitrotoluene. The time is on the order of seconds for the detection response and minutes for the recovery. The variation of the sensitivity is less than 6% for all of the tested devices, comparable with commercial metal oxide or polymer microfilm sensors while retaining the room-temperature high sensitivity of the SWNT transistor sensors and manufacturability of the commercial sensors. The extended detection capability from gas to organic vapors is attributed to direct charge transfer on individual semiconducting SWNT conductivity with additional electron hopping effects on intertube conductivity through physically adsorbed molecules between SWNTs.
Surface Morphology of Nanoscale TiSi 2 Epitaxial Islands on Si(00l)

The morphologies of nanoscale epitaxial islands of TISi 2 are studied. The islands are prepared by deposition of ultrathin Ti (3-20A) on both smooth and roughened.Si(001) substrates. The island formation is initiated by annealing to 800-1000°C. The roughened substrates are prepared by etching with atomic H produced in a plasma. The morphologies of the substrate before and after island formation are examined by atomic force microscopy (AFM). In particular, the influence of surface-roughness on both the formation of islands and the size distribution of islands is investigated. On a rough substrate islands with a lateral dimension of ~350A and a vertical dimension of ~25A were observed with size uniformity of ~20%. Also it was observed that the roughness of the surface reduced the island size and affected the island distribution. The results are discussed in terms of surface energy and the strain field around the islands.
THE RELATION OF THE ADRENALS TO THE RETARDED HAIR GROWTH IN UNDERFED ALBINO RATS

APREVIOUS PAPER (I) contained statistics showing to what extent hair growth in rats was affected by underfeeding. When the quantity of feed was reduced so that little body weight was gained the body increased in length, but hair growth was delayed. Since some skeletal growth occurred in these underfed animals, building factors were present in the body. It would, therefore, seem that in all probability the retarded hair growth was due to the deviation of factors from the hair follicles. Since a precocious hair growth occurred in well fed adrenalectomized rats (2), and adrenals hypertrophied in underfed animals (3, 4), it occurred to the authors that the adrenal might be responsible for this retardation of hair growth upon underfeeding. Investigations were accordingly undertaken in underfed animals to see if adrenalectomy would induce hair growth and if there were any indications that the adrenals changed and caused the retarded effect.
Toying with a Capstone Design Course

Oakland University has pioneered a unique approach to capstone design projects. Multidisciplinary student groups invent a new electrical, mechanical, or electromechanical game or toy, design it, and build a working prototype. The prototype is then delivered to an internationally-known toy and game agency. The best of the prototypes are then presented by the agency to major national and international game and toy companies. If the toy or game is selected for production, the possibility exists for significant financial benefit both for the school and the students. Real world considerations such as creativity, project feasibility, and costs (particularly in mass quantity), all factor into the ultimate student goal, which is to have their project selected by the agents. The burden of devising the projects is largely removed from the professor and copying from earlier projects is virtually impossible. Design of a good game or toy is often much more difficult than it appears—projects invariably knit together the many engineering skills a student has acquired through the course of obtaining a bachelor's degree as well as from the rest of their life experiences. Ultimately, the engineering school also benefits from these projects through the possibility of substantial publicity, either with local display of student projects, or through press coverage surrounding a successful project picked up by a major international toy company.
c-kit expression in adenoid cystic carcinoma does not have an impact on local or distant tumor recurrence.

Background. Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a neoplasm with unpredictable behavior with frequent late relapses that lacks good prognostic indicators. c-kit tyrosine kinase oncogene has recently been found to be expressed in ACC. The aim of this study is to correlate the expression of c-kit in ACC with clinical follow-up. Methods. Paraffin sections of 45 cases of ACC diagnosed during a 15-year period were immunostained for c-kit. Results. Seventy-eight percent of tumors stained positive for c-kit. Mean follow-up time was 6 years. No degree/pattern of c-kit expression correlated to local or distant tumor recurrence. However, there was a significant association between surgical margin involvement by tumor and cell membrane expression of c-kit. Staining quality was not affected by storage time. Conclusions. Our results suggest that expression of c-kit may not serve as a useful marker for predicting outcome in ACC, although they need to be confirmed in a larger patient population with longer clinical follow-up. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck27: XXX–XXX, 2005
Humidity-responsive polymeric films based on AOT-water reverse microemulsions

Hydrophobic polymer films, having an aqueous phase distributed throughout the matrix, were formed by polymerizing a solution of dodecyl acrylate and 1,6 hexanediol diacrylate containing nanometer-sized drops of water stabilized by sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT). Photopolymerization-induced aggregation of the water drops and/or phase separation occurred, as the initially clear solutions became opaque films. The polymerized films became clear, as the relative humidity was reduced. Clear films still contained 20–50% of the initial water. The transition from opaque to clear films was reversible provided that the film did not become completely dry and form cracks. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007
On the Structure of Invertible Operators in a Nest-Subalgebra of a von Neumann Algebra

The topological structure of the collection of all invertible elements of certain operator algebras is investigated. The first such algebra A will be a nest subalgebra of a von Neumann algebra. It is shown that, the collection of invertible elements of A with inverse also in A, satisfying certain boundary conditions, are in the principal component of the identity when assigned the strong operator topology. The second /A is a subalgebra of A. When assigned the uniform topology, it is shown that the invertible elements of /A are in the principal component of the identity. The results are applied to a large variety of examples where /A is shown to be extensive.
Lesion-Induced Mutation in the Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius and Its Avoidance by the Y-Family DNA Polymerase Dbh

Hyperthermophilic archaea offer certain advantages as models of genome replication, and Sulfolobus Y-family polymerases Dpo4 (S. solfataricus) and Dbh (S. acidocaldarius) have been studied intensively in vitro as biochemical and structural models of trans-lesion DNA synthesis (TLS). However, the genetic functions of these enzymes have not been determined in the native context of living cells. We developed the first quantitative genetic assays of replication past defined DNA lesions and error-prone motifs in Sulfolobus chromosomes and used them to measure the efficiency and accuracy of bypass in normal and dbh− strains of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. Oligonucleotide-mediated transformation allowed low levels of abasic-site bypass to be observed in S. acidocaldarius and demonstrated that the local sequence context affected bypass specificity; in addition, most erroneous TLS did not require Dbh function. Applying the technique to another common lesion, 7,8-dihydro-8-oxo-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG), revealed an antimutagenic role of Dbh. The efficiency and accuracy of replication past 8-oxo-dG was higher in the presence of Dbh, and up to 90% of the Dbh-dependent events inserted dC. A third set of assays, based on phenotypic reversion, showed no effect of Dbh function on spontaneous −1 frameshifts in mononucleotide tracts in vivo, despite the extremely frequent slippage at these motifs documented in vitro. Taken together, the results indicate that a primary genetic role of Dbh is to avoid mutations at 8-oxo-dG that occur when other Sulfolobus enzymes replicate past this lesion. The genetic evidence that Dbh is recruited to 8-oxo-dG raises questions regarding the mechanism of recruitment, since Sulfolobus spp. have eukaryotic-like replisomes but no ubiquitin.
Requirement of PFKFB4 in anchorage independent growth and tumorigenesis

A88 Transformed cells need abundant glucose relative to normal cells in order to satisfy their increased anabolic and energetic needs. Fructose 2,6 bisphosphate (F2,6BP) is a potent allosteric activator of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase (PFK-1), the rate-limiting step in glycolysis. In previous studies, we have found that F2,6BP is required for increased glucose flux into anabolic pathways and is necessary for the anchorage-independent growth of neoplastic cells. The steady state concentration of F2,6BP depends on a family of bifunctional 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatases encoded by four genes (PFKFB1-4). Although the expression of the PFKFB3 isozyme has been observed to be increased in cancer cells and to be required for ras transformation, a methodical examination of the expression of all four isozyme mRNAs has not been previously performed. We examined the relative expression of the PFKFB1-4 mRNA species in 40 human tumor tissue samples using multiplex RT-PCR and surprisingly observed that the testes isozyme (PFKFB4) mRNA levels were increased in 85% of the samples relative to matched adjacent normal tissues. To further explore the requirement of PFKFB4 in transformed cells, we used small interfering RNA (siRNA) species to knock down PFKFB4 in a mammalian cancer cell line (A549 lung adenocarcinoma) and found a 50% reduction in PFKFB4 protein expression (by Western blot), decreased F2,6BP levels (~45% less than in control cells) and, in addition, a diminished capacity for anchorage independent growth in soft agar (oligofectamine control 110 ± 7colonies, siR1 23± 3 and siR2 17± 4 colonies (n=3), 15 days of culture). When siRNA treated A549 cells were injected subcutaneously into athymic mice, the PFKFB4 siRNA treated tumors were significantly smaller than control siRNA tumors (tumor volumes: PFKFB4 siR2 154± 50 mm3vs. lamin 496±98 mm3, 21 days of growth). In conclusion, our data indicate that PFKFB4 is necessary for tumorigenicity as demonstrated by soft agar colony formation and tumor growth in vivo and support its further investigation as a possible new target for the development of anti-neoplastic therapies.
PN Signal Acquisition and Convolution Via the Characters of the Additive Group

Spread Spectrum signal acquisition refers to the problem of establishing the time difference between a received signal containing a known signal (spreading code or “pilot code”) and a copy of the known signal at the receiver. If the spreading code has an impulse-like autocorrelation function and the noise in the signal is white, the optimal calculation at the receiver is to correlate the incoming signal, S (t), with the spreading code, a (t) generated at the receiver: $$ R(t)\quad = \quad \int_0^T {S(t} + t')a(t')\;dt' $$ This can be implemented as the impulse response with the time reverse of the pilot signal. When R(t) passes a threshold the received signal is synchronized with the pilot signal. Typically, implementation of acquisition circuits allow the timing of the locally generated signal to slowly slide past the signal. When S (t) contains multiple periods of a (t), the implementation gives reliable results although the elapsed time may be as large as T 2/Δ where Δ is the width of the correlation peak at zero time. Modern high speed signal processing chips allow an alternative algorithm. One period worth of samples of S (t) can be stored in an array and all of the correlations with time delays of a (t) are performed as a convolution. If the sampling is done synchronously at the chip rate and t = 0 is defined as the time of the first sample, the correlations can be written, except for an amplitude factor, as a sum: $$ R(\tau )\quad = \quad \sum\limits_{{k = 0}}^{{P - 1}} {S(k)a(k + \tau )} $$ where P=T/chip-time.
Role of Agriculture in Economic Development—A Review

Significant shifts in the viewpoints expressed on the role of agriculture in economic development have occurred in the past 15 years. This article summarizes these views as they have evolved towards an emphasis on balanced development effort, with a recognition of the critical importance of the intersectoral relationships between agriculture and nonagriculture. Problems in increasing food production and expanding food marketing during development are discussed, and the specific contributions of the agricultural and nonagricultural sectors are identified. The article is directed principally to the nonspecialists in economic development.
Coordination Copolymerization Mediated by Zn4O(CO2R)6 Metal Clusters: a Balancing Act between Statistics and Geometry

Isolated successes of coordination copolymerization for the production of microporous coordination polymers (MCPs) have been reported recently; the logic for this synthetic approach has not been established nor have the key features of the synthetic conditions needed to generalize the method. Here, we establish guidelines for application of the copolymerization technique by exploring coordination modes and report, in addition to details on two previous coordination copolymers with exceptional properties, three new MCPs: UMCM-3 (Zn4O(2,5-thiophenedicaboxylate)1.2(1,3,5-tris(4-carboxyphenyl)benzene)1.2), UMCM-4 (Zn4O(1,4-benzenedicarboxylate)3/2(4,4′,4′′-tricarboxytriphenylamine)), and UMCM-5 (Zn4O(1,4-naphthalenedicarboxylate)(1,3,5-tris(4-carboxyphenyl)benzene)4/3). The MCPs prepared by the copolymerization technique demonstrate Brunauer−Emmett−Teller (BET) surface areas between 3500−5200 m2/g and high pore volumes (1.64−2.37 cm3/g). In addition, the alignment of poly(3-hexylthiophene) within mesoporous c...
All Immature Fossil Ephemeroptera (Ephemeridae) from the Ruby River Basin (Oligocene) of Southwestern Montana

A fossil impression of part of an immature Hexagenia (Ephemeridae) from paper shales of Ruby Basin (Oligocene) of southwestern Montana is reported.
Studies on platelets. XVI. Glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase activity of human platelets.

Summary1) Platelets are a source of glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase in human blood. 2) The enzyme is an intimate constituent of platelets, being found principally in a water soluble fraction of platelets after separation of lipoids by ethyl ether.
Relative Susceptibility of Six Soybean Caterpillars to a Standard Preparation of Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki

The LC50 of a standard preparation of B. thuringiensis Berliner var. kurstaki against 1-day-old larvae of Trichoplusiani (Hubner) was 90 ng/cm2 of diet surface. One-day-old larvae of Anticarsia gemmatalis Hubner and Plathypena scabra (F.) were > 10 × more susceptible than T. ni; Pseudoplusia includens (Walker) was equally susceptible, and Spodoptera exigua (Hubner) and Heliothis zea (Boddie) were ca. 3 × less susceptible. The LC50 against 4-day-old T. ni was 1800 ng/cm2 of diet surface, and the relative ranking for susceptibility of 4-day-old larvae of the other species was similar to that for 1-day-old larvae. Also ranking for susceptibility based on weight of larvae that survived was identical to that based on larval mortality.
Between Nostalgia and Apocalypse: Popular Music and the Staging of Brazil

Exploring the Afro-Brazilian samba de coco (coconut samba), ethnomusicologist Daniel B. Sharp focuses on three families of musicians and dancers located in and around Arcoverde, Pernambuco. Between...
Simulation Analysis on Starting and Stopping of CNOOC Wenchang VSC-HVDC Transmission System

In comparison with the conventional HVDC transmission method,VSC-HVDC has certain advantages,for example being able to supply power to offshore platforms,isolated islands and other passive networks.Establishing a simulation model for the CNOOC Wenchang VSC-HVDC transmission system in the PSCAD/EMTDC environment,this paper makes simulations of the system on the AC system start-up,DC system start-up,DC motor access start-up and DC system shutdown.The results show that the control and protection measures proposed in the paper can well reduce the impact of the start-up and shutdown on the system so that it reaches a steady state quickly.
Optimization of viral resuspension methods for carbon-rich soils along a permafrost thaw gradient

Permafrost stores approximately 50% of global soil carbon (C) in a frozen form; it is thawing rapidly under climate change, and little is known about viral communities in these soils or their roles in C cycling. In permafrost soils, microorganisms contribute significantly to C cycling, and characterizing them has recently been shown to improve prediction of ecosystem function. In other ecosystems, viruses have broad ecosystem and community impacts ranging from host cell mortality and organic matter cycling to horizontal gene transfer and reprogramming of core microbial metabolisms. Here we developed an optimized protocol to extract viruses from three types of high organic-matter peatland soils across a permafrost thaw gradient (palsa, moss-dominated bog, and sedge-dominated fen). Three separate experiments were used to evaluate the impact of chemical buffers, physical dispersion, storage conditions, and concentration and purification methods on viral yields. The most successful protocol, amended potassium citrate buffer with bead-beating or vortexing and BSA, yielded on average as much as 2-fold more virus-like particles (VLPs) g–1of soil than other methods tested. All method combinations yielded VLPs g–1of soil on the 108order of magnitude across all three soil types. The different storage and concentration methods did not yield significantly more VLPs g–1ofmore » soil among the soil types. In conclusion, this research provides much-needed guidelines for resuspending viruses from soils, specifically carbon-rich soils, paving the way for incorporating viruses into soil ecology studies.« less
New modes of engagement for big data research

ABSTRACTHealth leaders in the US and abroad are seeking to aggregate diverse health data from millions of people to enable new architectures for research. The integration of large health data sets raises significant social and ethical questions around the control of health information, human subjects research protection, and access to treatments. Because of the social stakes involved, policy-makers have begun to consult and engage publics with the idea that this might improve the quality, credibility, or relevance of big data health research. While policy-makers aim to engage publics, they might learn from experiments in patient engagement emanating from the private sector and patient advocacy organizations. Three modes of engagement have co-evolved out of new information technology and the cultures of disease advocacy: crowdsourcing, social networking platforms, and dynamic consenting. These modes of engagement are promising avenues of responsible innovation. Together, they project an alternative and mor...
Dispersion effects and implementation errors on uniform fiber Bragg grating based true-time-delay beamforming networks

Dispersion effects and implementation error on uniform fiber Bragg grating based true-time delay beamforming networks are studied. Two modulation schemes using double-side-band (DSB) modulation and single-side-band (SSB) modulation are considered.
SMOKED MULLET QUALITY: AN ASSESSMENT

A survey of 12 smoked mullet processors in Florida was conducted and 33 retail samples were analyzed. Although microbiological analyses of the finished product did not indicate that any overt hazard existed, certain aspects of production, handling, and marketing could potentially generate a health hazard if not carefully controlled.
The Occupational Socialization of German Physical Education Teachers.

To date, most of the work on the occupational socialization of physical education (PE) teachers has been completed in the United States and Britain. The purpose of this study was to examine and des...
Newspapers and the Making of Modern America: A History by Aurora Wallace Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2005. 214 pp

(2006). Newspapers and the Making of Modern America: A History by Aurora Wallace Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2005. 214 pp. American Journalism: Vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 140-141.
A White-Bearded Plainsman: The Memoirs of Archaeologist W. Raymond Wood

Review of: "A White-Bearded Plainsman: The Memoirs of Archaeologist W. Raymond Wood," by W. Raymond Wood.
Photocontrolled Interconversion of Cationic and Radical Polymerizations

The ability to combine two polymerization mechanisms in a one-pot setup and switch the monomer selectivity via an external stimulus provides an excellent opportunity to control polymer sequence and structure. We report a strategy that enables monomer incorporation to be determined via the selection of the wavelength of light through selective activation of either cationic or radical processes. This method enables the synthesis of varying polymeric structures under identical solution conditions but with simple modulation of the external stimulus. Additionally, changes in the ratios of the two photocatalysts afford complementary chemical control over these reactions to design elaborated polymeric structures. Our strategy takes advantage of the unique regulation that can be accessed through light.
Semaphores, Locks, and Conditional Critical Regions

Looping by a process to wait for a condition consumes processor cycles without helping the awaited condition to become true. Other processes must be executed if we want the condition truthified. Since it is the operating system that multiplexes a processor among processes, wasted processor cycles are avoided if the operating system implements primitives to await and signal conditions. These primitives implement conditional atomic actions because they can block, but their execution also changes which processes the operating systems considers eligible for execution.
Benefit of Preemptive Pharmacogenetic Information on Clinical Outcome

The development of new knowledge around the genetic determinants of variable drug action has naturally raised the question of how this new knowledge can be used to improve the outcome of drug therapy. Two broad approaches have been taken: a point-of-care approach in which genotyping for specific variant(s) is undertaken at the time of drug prescription, and a preemptive approach in which multiple genetic variants are typed in an individual patient and the information archived for later use when a drug with a "pharmacogenetic story" is prescribed. This review addresses the current state of implementation, the rationale for these approaches, and barriers that must be overcome. Benefits to pharmacogenetic testing are only now being defined and will be discussed.
In situ, real time studies of thermal reaction film formation temperatures for iron and 304SS surfaces immersed in 5% tricresyl phosphate in base oil

Abstract The temperature at which TCP forms a thermal reaction film with Fe and 304SS surfaces has been measured in real time, in situ liquid environments utilizing a QCM immersed in a synthetic dibasic ester base stock containing 5% TCP, and observed to be 210 °C. The thermal reaction films were characterized by AFM, and observed to be uniform on Fe and non-uniform and nodular in nature on 304SS substrates, with the thicknesses in the range of 60–100 nm. The chemical composition of the thermal reaction films was studied with EDS. The methods employed here demonstrate an effective means for screening of reaction film formation, and are extendable to systems involving multiple additives and/or complex metal composite materials.
Revised Constraint-Induced Aphasia Therapy (CIAT II): Neuroscience Foundations Traced from Basic Laboratory Research to Increased Spontaneous Real-World Speech and Cerebral Cortical Structure (P4.217)

Objective: Trace the course of Constraint-Induced (CI) therapies from basic neuroscience research origins to the current, revised Constraint-Induced Aphasia therapy (CIAT II) effects on spontaneous real-world speech improvement and CNS structural neuroplasticity in post-stroke aphasia. Background: Basic neuroscience research with primates suggested that chronic experimental hemiparesis could be maintained by “learned nonuse,” which results from the development of compensatory modes for everyday living activities but which then impedes recovering usage of the more-impaired body part. CI therapies were shown to counter-condition this inhibited use of the more affected part of the body by behavior analysis training methods. The initial trials improved hemiparesis in diverse neurological disorders. The treatment was subsequently adapted for inhibited spontaneous speech in aphasia (CIAT I), and it has recently been substantially modified (CIAT II). We describe pilot results of CIAT II, including structural brain MRI. Design/Methods: Post-stroke aphasic patients with chronically suppressed spontaneous speech ( n =6) underwent 3 weeks of CIAT II, 3.5 hours/day. Outcomes included changes in amount and quality of speech as recorded by the structured Verbal Activity Log (VAL), an instrument validated against an objective quantification of home-based speech by audio recorders. 4 patients also underwent structural brain MRI and subsequent voxel-based morphometry (VBM) of cortical changes. Results: Patients improved immediately after CIAT II on the VAL ( d′ =2.1); at 6 months there was no decrement in retention. In contrast, earlier CIAT I had produced only 10% of the gains from CIAT II. VBM in CIAT II demonstrated increased grey matter in bihemispheric frontotemporal cortices, that was short of significance ( p >0.05) for this pilot sample but in accordance with prediction. Conclusions: CIAT II has promise for promoting enduring increased spontaneous real-world speech as well as brain structure for chronic aphasia, convergent with earlier forms of CI therapies for movement. Further trials are warranted. Study Supported by: NIH grant HD0 53750. Disclosure: Dr. Mark has nothing to disclose. Dr. Taub has nothing to disclose.
Anti-Helicobacter pylori Activity of Natural Substances

Helicobacter pylon is well established as an etiological agent of chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer as well as a risk factor for development of gastric cancer.’ Eradication of H. pylori by antibiotics is thought to be an essential therapy for such gastric diseases. In early studies, clinical trials with an antibiotic alone have mostly failed to eradicate H. pylori.2,3 However, current triple therapy with antibiotics and a proton pump inhibitor shows a high eradication rate and a low incidence of harmful side effects.4, 5 Although high eradication rates have been achieved in clinical trials, some problems still remain for this therapy, such as non-compliance and development of antibiotic resistance.6 Furthermore, such treatments with antibiotics are designed for therapy, not for a prophylactic purpose to prevent re-infection with H. pylori. Under such circumstances, many natural substances obtained from plants, vegetables and tea have been studied and promoted as alternative or additional strategies for treatment of H. pylori infection. Since some of these natural substances are consumed as a part of the daily diet intake, their safety is traditionally established. Furthermore, they have been known to have some beneficial effects against gastric diseases. In this chapter, the effects of such natural products on H. pylori in vitro and in vivo are highlighted and the value for H. pylori treatment discussed.
THE BENEFITS ARISING FROM INTEGRATING MONITORED AND SIMULATED DATA ANALYSIS

ABSTRACT The integrated monitoring/simulation system is identified as a valuable tool for anyone who is concerned with the performance of built solar heating systems. The main components of such a system are discussed from a functional point of view. The data acquisition requirements are conventional. The simulation requirements are demanding, but the requisite network theoretic techniques exist. The analysis requirements fall into two categories: system identification which is well developed; and fault identification, which is implementable using a production or rule based knowledge representation scheme. Such a system could be implemented in a research environment for less than 2 man-years investment, systems tailored to commercial applications could be distributed in less than 2 years.
Minimum-Order Observer-Based Multivariable MRAC Systems

Traditionally, for output tracking control of multivariable systems, either a state feedback or output feedback controller is used. This paper studies what are the minimal system signals sufficient for building a feedback controller to achieve output tracking, and the corresponding minimum-order feedback controllers. It is shown that there exist feedback controllers which use a scalar signal measurement from an $M$ -output system for constructing an effective feedback controller to achieve output tracking or matching of an $M$ -dimensional reference signal or system. Such a feedback controller thus has a minimum order as compared with other output tracking controllers. This new concept is generalized to the design of feedback controllers with a vector of $n_{0}$ signal measurements from the controlled system for output tracking of $M$ signals, to provide more design flexibilities. Such a set of feedback signals may be a part of the system outputs or a combination of the outputs or may not be a part of the outputs. Adaptive versions of such minimum-order controllers are also developed. All developed controllers ensure desired closed-loop system stability and asymptotic output tracking. Simulation results verify the effectiveness and the advantages of the new model reference adaptive control (MRAC) systems.
An Uncommon Meridional Globe Rupture due to Blunt Eye Trauma

Open globe injury (OGI) is a severe form of eye trauma. It is an important cause of monocular blindness worldwide. Ruptures from blunt trauma are most common at the sites where the sclera is thinnest, at the insertions of the extraocular muscles, and at the limbus. Most often, rupture is equatorial. We present a unique case of open globe injury due to blunt ocular trauma from a thrown rock that resulted in a meridional rupture of the eye. The pertinent literature is reviewed.
Deep geoelectrical investigation to bound a coastal thermal outflow area

The coastal carbonate Apulian aquifers, located in southern Italy, feed several coastal fresh springs and constitute the main local source of high quality water. The Santa Cesarea Terme cave system is almost unique case of hypogenic coastal spring caves, located along the Adriatic Sea coastline and hosting spring coastal outflow of mixed groundwater (from 22°C to 33°C) mainly of thermal groundwater due to infiltration offshore, in the sea bottom, and pure fresh groundwater due rainfall infiltration.Thermal springs and the outflow system are strictly controlled by both the discontinuity network and the karst processes involving the foreland environment. Detailed geoelectrical prospecting were carried out to bound the upflow continental area of this system, considering the geoelectrical effects of deep water mixing with different salinity and temperature close the Adriatic coast.
Categorical-attributes-based item classification for recommender systems

Many techniques to utilize side information of users and/or items as inputs to recommenders to improve recommendation, especially on cold-start items/users, have been developed over the years. In this work, we test the approach of utilizing item side information, specifically categorical attributes, in the output of recommendation models either through multi-task learning or hierarchical classification. We first demonstrate the efficacy of these approaches for both matrix factorization and neural networks with a medium-size real-word data set. We then show that they improve a neural-network based production model in an industrial-scale recommender system. We demonstrate the robustness of the hierarchical classification approach by introducing noise in building the hierarchy. Lastly, we investigate the generalizability of hierarchical classification on a simulated dataset by building two user models in which we can fully control the generative process of user-item interactions.
Faccia d’angelo: “The Allure of Evil”

This chapter considers acting, performance, marketing, and varied network programming around the Sky miniseries Faccia d’angelo (Angel Face, Andrea Porporati, 2012), which offers a melodramatic take on gangster Felice Maniero and the criminal organization the Venetian Mala del Brenta. It addresses Maniero’s mythologization as a prototypical small screen criminal antihero who loves, suffers loss, has a powerful emotional bond with his mother, and intimate ties with his fellow gang members. This chapter also considers how Faccia d’angelo dialogues with controversies surrounding Romanzo criminale: le serie and Michele Placido’s biopic Vallanzasca – gli angeli del male (Vallanzasca, 2010), all of which angered stakeholders who objected to glamorous depictions of criminals.