cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Advances in molecular hematopathology: T-cell receptor γ and bcl-2 genes

The two articles by Signoretti et al 1 and Bohling et al 2 published in this issue of the Journal demonstrate ongoing advances in amplifying T-cell receptor γ gene rearrangements (TCRγGR) and the translocation of the major breakpoint region of bcl-2 with the immunoglobulin heavy chain gene (MBR/JH). Both use variations in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology. During the first few years’ use of PCR in these two genes, analysis of PCR products occurred in standard agarose and polyacrylamide gels. There have been many technical advances since the 1988 description of manual PCR to detect MBR/JH rearrangements by Stetler-Stevenson et al. 3 Recent progress has seen the utilization of fluorescent detection and methods of separating gene rearrangements focused on the differences in DNA sequences of the rearrangements. Three key methods are single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis, 4 denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), 5 and temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE). 6 Pathologists interested in understanding the basics of DNA sequence separation technologies should read these three articles.
PREIMPLANTATION GENETIC DIAGNOSIS OF HUMAN EMBRYOS FOR MARFAN'S SYNDROME

Purpose:Single-cell nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Dde1 endonuclease digestion were used to detect the presence of a Marfan's syndrome mutation in human preimplantation embryos derived from in vitro fertilization (IVF). These procedures were conducted to eliminate the possibility of transmission of the affected allele from the father to his offspring. The mutation on chromosome 15 is transmitted as an autosomal dominant trait, and the chance of having a child affected with the disease is 50%.
The common thread: diversion in juvenile justice

A central objective of those who created the juvenile court was to protect young delinquents from the destructive punishments of the criminal justice system. This promotion of juvenile court as a diversion from criminal justice is distinct from more ambitious programs of "child saving" intervention because avoiding harm can be achieved even if no effective crime prevention treatments are available. This essay shows diversion has been an important motive in juvenile justice from the beginning, and became the dominant purpose of a separate juvenile court after In Re Gault in 1967. The past thirty years have been the juvenile court's finest hour as a diversion project; the rate of juvenile incarceration has been stable, while incarceration of young adults has soared.
An exploration of search session patterns in an image-based digital library

Three months of server transaction logs containing complete clickstream data for an image collection digital library were analysed for usage patterns to better understand user searching and browsing behaviour in this environment. Eleven types of user actions were identified from the log content. The study is novel in its combined analytical techniques and use of clickstream data from an image-based digital library. Three analytical techniques were used to analyse the data: a network analysis to better understand the relationship between sequential actions; b sequential pattern mining to identify frequent action sequences; and c k-means cluster analysis to identify groups of session patterns. The analysis revealed strong ties between several pairs of actions, relatively short pattern sequences that frequently duplicate previous actions and largely uniform session behaviour with little individual item browsing within sessions, indicating users are primarily engaged in purposeful and directed searching. Developers of image-based digital libraries should consider design features that support rapid browsing.
Electron d -band width of nickel

We compare the conflicting Ni $d$-band widths measured by Himpsel et al. and Lapeyre et al. and find Lapeyre's results in excellent agreement with theoretical surface-photoemission calculations based on Wang and Callaway's energy bands.
Singular value decompositions and inversion methods for the exterior Radon transform and a spherical transform

Abstract The classical Radon transform, R, maps an integrable function in Rn to its integrals over all n − 1 dimensional hyperplanes, and the exterior Radon transform is the transform R restricted to hyperplanes that do not intersect a given disc. A singular value decomposition for the exterior transform is given for spaces of square integrable functions on the exterior of the disc. This decomposition in orthogonal functions explicitly produces the null space and range of the exterior transform and gives a new method for inverting the transform modulo the null space. A modification of this method is given that will exactly invert functions of compact support. These results generalize theorems of R. M. Perry and the author. A singular value decomposition for the Radon transform that integrates over spheres in Rn containing the origin is also given. This follows from the singular value decomposition for R and yields the null space and a new inversion method for this transform.
Information theory provides a comprehensive framework for the evaluation of protein structure predictions

Protein structure prediction has a number of important ad hoc similarity measures for evaluating predictions, but would benefit from a measure that is able to provide a common framework for a broad range of comparisons. Here we show that a mutual information-like measure can provide a comprehensive framework for evaluating protein structure prediction of all types. We discuss the concept of information, its application to secondary structure, and the obstacle to applying it to 3D structure. Based on insights from the secondary structure case, we present an approach to work around the 3D difficulties, and develop a method to measure the mutual information provided by a 3D structure prediction. We integrate the evaluation of all types of protein structure prediction into a single frame work, and compare the amount of information provided by various prediction methods, including secondary structure prediction. Within this broadened framework, the idea that structure is better preserved than sequence during evolution is evaluated quantitatively for the globin family. A nearly perfect sequence match in the globin family corresponds to about 300 bits of information, whereas a nearly perfect structural match for the same two proteins corresponds to about 2500 bits of information, where bits of information describes the probability of obtaining a match of similar closeness by chance. Mutual information provides both a theoretical basis for evaluating structure similarity and an explanatory surround for existing similarity measures.
Dipole interactions in monomolecular layers

Abstract Dipole interaction energies have been calculated for two-dimensional arrays of point dipoles in a medium of unit dielectric constant for point dipole moments of 1.5 Debye spaced 4.81 A apart. The latter values were selected to correspond to single alkane chain amphipathic molecules in a hexagonal close-packed state. For horizontal dipole planar arrays the following values (kcal/mole) are reported: polarized hexagonal, −0.805; antipolarized square, −0.744; locally polarized hexagonal with holes, −0.598; and locally polarized hexagonal sites at centers of hexagons filled with dipoles in a triangularly polarized superlattice, −0.462. Calculations for a perpendicular dipole planar array showed excellent agreement with a previously reported value. Applications to gas-condensed phase interfacial dipole arrays are discussed with the emphasis placed on the air-water interface. It is concluded that dipole-dipole interactions are not normally a structure determining factor in close-packed monomolecular films but they may play a role in certain special cases such as with monolayers of zwitterionic phospholipids.
New Amphiphilic Poly[bis(2,2,2-trifluoroethoxy)phosphazene]/Poly(propylene glycol) Triblock Copolymers: Synthesis and Micellar Characteristics

Amphiphilic triblock copolymers were synthesized with two hydrophobic poly(bis(2,2,2-trifluo- roethoxy)phosphazene) blocks linked to a central poly(propylene glycol) block. These were synthesized via the cationic polymerization of chlorophosphoranimines and coupling of these blocks to a diamine functionalized poly(propylene glycol) followed by macromolecular substitution. The micellar characteristics of these amphiphilic triblock copolymers were examined using fluorescence techniques, dynamic light scattering, and transmission electron microscopy. The critical micelle concentrations (cmcs) of PN-PPG-PN polymeric micelles determined by a fluorescence technique were in the range 9.5-12.4 mg/L. The mean diameters of the micelles of the PN- PPG-PN polymeric micelles, measured by dynamic light scattering, were between 197 and 364 nm.
An explosion point for the set of endpoints of the Julia set of λ exp ( z )

The Julia set Jλ of the complex exponential function Eλ: z → λez for a real parameter λ(0 < λ < 1/e) is known to be a Cantor bouquet of rays extending from the set Aλ of endpoints of Jλ to ∞. Since Aλ contains all the repelling periodic points of Eλ, it follows that Jλ = Cl (Aλ). We show that Aλ is a totally disconnected subspace of the complex plane ℂ, but if the point at ∞ is added, then is a connected subspace of the Riemann sphere . As a corollary, Aλ has topological dimension 1. Thus, ∞ is an explosion point in the topological sense for Âλ. It is remarkable that a space with an explosion point occurs ‘naturally’ in this way.
Modeling Data and Process Quality in Multi-Input, Multi-Output Information Systems

This paper presents a general model to assess the impact of data and process quality upon the outputs of multi-user information-decision systems. The data flow/data processing quality control model is designed to address several dimensions of data quality at the collection, input, processing and output stages. Starting from a data flow diagram of the type used in structured analysis, the model yields a representation of possible errors in multiple intermediate and final outputs in terms of input and process error functions. The model generates expressions for the possible magnitudes of errors in selected outputs. This is accomplished using a recursive-type algorithm which traces systematically the propagation and alteration of various errors. These error expressions can be used to analyze the impact that alternative quality control procedures would have on the selected outputs. The paper concludes with a discussion of the tractability of the model for various types of information systems as well as an application to a representative scenario.
Bicritical points in 2 + ϵ dimensions

Abstract Polyakov's theory of fixed length classical spins near two dimensions is applied to symmetry-breaking perturbations about the isotropic spin system. Inclusion of a quadratic symmetry-breaking term allows an analysis of bicritical phenomena in 2 + ϵ dimensions.
Towards an empirical measure of spacecraft innovation: The case of communication satellites

Abstract This paper seeks to frame the discussion of innovation in the space sector and creates a platform for future analysis. To accomplish this, it addressed three aspects of the task of measurement. First, it surveys several distinct literatures to establish precedence for defining a spacecraft innovation metric. Second, the conceptual trade-offs associated with adopting this principle in the context of communication satellites are elucidated and treated. By defining product boundaries along the dimensions of product scope and market transactions, three paradigms for measurement are proposed; namely: (1) the communication satellite enterprise; (2) the physical satellite; and (3) communication service. Third, under the constraints of historical data collection realities, next-best estimators are put forward as proxies for the parameters required to implement the proposed metrics. Based on these proxies, the relative merits of each measurement paradigm are illustrated through an analysis of the innovation history of communication satellites.
Computational scalability of large size image dissemination

We have investigated the computational scalability of image pyramid building needed for dissemination of very large image data. The sources of large images include high resolution microscopes and telescopes, remote sensing and airborne imaging, and high resolution scanners. The term 'large' is understood from a user perspective which means either larger than a display size or larger than a memory/disk to hold the image data. The application drivers for our work are digitization projects such as the Lincoln Papers project (each image scan is about 100-150MB or about 5000x8000 pixels with the total number to be around 200,000) and the UIUC library scanning project for historical maps from 17th and 18th century (smaller number but larger images). The goal of our work is understand computational scalability of the web-based dissemination using image pyramids for these large image scans, as well as the preservation aspects of the data. We report our computational benchmarks for (a) building image pyramids to be disseminated using the Microsoft Seadragon library, (b) a computation execution approach using hyper-threading to generate image pyramids and to utilize the underlying hardware, and (c) an image pyramid preservation approach using various hard drive configurations of Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) drives for input/output operations. The benchmarks are obtained with a map (334.61 MB, JPEG format, 17591x15014 pixels). The discussion combines the speed and preservation objectives.
Control of spin ambiguity during reorientation of an energy dissipating body

A quasi-rigid body initially spinning about its minor principal axis and experiencing energy dissipation will enter a tumbling mode and eventually reorient itself such that stable spin about its major principal axis is achieved. However, in this final state the body may be spinning in a positive or negative sense with respect to its major axis and aligned in a positive or negative sense with the inertially fixed angular momentum vector. This ambiguity can be controlled only through an active system. The associated dynamical formulations and simulations of uncontrolled reorientations are presented. Three control schemes are discussed and results offered for specific examples. These schemes include displacement of internal masses, spinning up of internal inertia, and reaction jets, all of which have demonstrated the ability to control spin ambiguity.
Evolution of lava flow-fields at Mount Etna, 27–28 October 1999, observed by Landsat 7 ETM+

Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper + (ETM+) data are presented which document the thermal characteristics of a series of lava flows emplaced at Mount Etna volcano, Sicily, during 27–28 October 1999. By examining the composition of the short-wave infrared (SWIR) signal emitted from the flow surface, we identified distinctive flow units. The first unit appears to comprise recently active lava flows with relatively cool crusts which, by virtue of the integrity of this crust as determined from the ETM+ data, we infer are stationary or barely moving. The second unit is characterized by much higher levels of SWIR radiance, consistent with a channel-fed active flow unit. Analysis of the SWIR data confirm that this is fed by a lava channel, the properties of which are consistent with vigorously active channels observed on Kilauea, Hawaii. Model predictions of the maximum length that such flows could attain compare favorably with the actual flow lengths observed in the ETM+ data, indicating that the cooler flows had indeed stopped advancing, and may have attained a cooling-limited, rather than volume-limited, maximum length. Our observations and modeling provide a physical corroboration for the supposition made by Wadge (1978) in his analysis of the shape of lava flow fields on Mount Etna, which in the cooling-limited case principal flows are active one after the other and not at the same time.
Calcium-Mediated Neurofilament Protein Degradation in Rat Optic Nerve In Vitro: Activity and Autolysis of Calpain Proenzyme☆

In this study, we examined calcium-mediated degradation of a neurofilament protein (NFP), and autolytic activation of calpain in Lewis rat optic nerve in vitro. After incubation with calcium, homogenized optic nerve samples were analysed by SDS-PAGE in association with ECL immunoblot techniques. 68 kD NFP, calpain, and calpastatin antibodies were used for identification of the respective proteins. The extent of calcium-mediated 68 kD NFP degradation compared to EGTA controls, served to quantify calpain activity, while the extent of calpain autolysis measured the activation of the enzyme. A progressive loss of 68 kD NFP was observed at 15 min (42.1%), 1 hr (52.7%) and 6 hr (73.4%) incubation periods compared to EGTA controls. The immunoreactive calpain bands showed progressive autolysis after 15 min (26.6%), 1 hr (31.4%) and 6 hr (43.4%) incubations. We also found degradation of low molecular weight isoforms of calpastatin (43 kD and 27 kD) in the presence of calcium compared to controls. These results indicate that calpain is present in optic nerve in its inactive form but when calcium is added, it undergoes autolysis and becomes active. Thus, active calpain is capable of degrading endogenous substrates (e.g. cytoskeletal and myelin proteins) and may promote the degeneration of optic nerve in optic neuritis.
Isolation and characterization of 7S IgG, a γ-fragment, β2-microglobulin and a Bence Jones protein in urine of a patient with plasma cell leukemia☆

Abstract Large quantities of a monoclonal 7S IgGκ, a κ type Bence Jones protein, and β 2 -microglobulin along with a smaller amoung of a γ-fragemnt were found in the urine of a patient, TSCH, with plasma cell leukemia. The serum of this patinet also contained a monoclonal 7S IgGκ. Comparison of the isolated urinary IgG and the serum IgG disclosed no significant differences between the two proteins with respect to amino acid composition, amino-terminal amino acid sequence, amino sugar composition, sodium dodecyl sulfate acrylamide gel elecgtrophoresis, ultracentrifugation and antigenicity. Both IgG proteins were intact 7S molecules with a γ chain of γl subclass and with a κ chain of VκIII subgroup. A double immunodiffusion study showed that teh γ-fragment represents a portion of the Fc fragment. This γ-fragment was previously shown to be noncovalently bound to β 2 -microglobulin (Seon & Pressman, 1977). A relatively simple procedure was successfully used to isolate a large amoung of β 2 -microglobulin from the urine of the patient.
Intramembrane Aspartyl Proteases: Structure, Mechanism and Inhibition

Gamma-secretase catalyzes proteolysis within the boundaries of the lipid bilayer as the last step in the formation of amyloid beta-protein, the major protein component of the cerebral plaques of Alzheimer's disease. This enzyme is comprised of four different membrane proteins, with presenilin as the catalytic component of an unusual intramembranous aspartyl protease. The discovery of presenilin homologues that do not require other protein cofactors for proteolytic activity has cemented the idea of presenilin as the gamma-secretase subunit responsible for hydrolysis within the membrane. Small molecule probes, biochemical analysis, molecular biology and biophysical approaches have been combined to advance our understanding of the structure, function, and mechanism of these biologically important and medically relevant membrane-embedded enzymes. (This work was supported by grants AG17574, NS41355 and AG15379 from the NIH and IIRG 4047 from the Alzheimer's Association.)
Comparison of life-cycle energy and emissions footprints of passenger transportation in metropolitan regions

A comparative life-cycle energy and emissions (greenhouse gas, CO, NOX, SO2, PM10, and VOCs) inventory is created for three U.S. metropolitan regions (San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City). The inventory captures both vehicle operation (direct fuel or electricity consumption) and non-operation components (e.g., vehicle manufacturing, roadway maintenance, infrastructure operation, and material production among others). While urban transportation inventories have been continually improved, little information exists identifying the particular characteristics of metropolitan passenger transportation and why one region may differ from the next. Using travel surveys and recently developed transportation life-cycle inventories, metropolitan inventories are constructed and compared. Automobiles dominate total regional performance accounting for 86–96% of energy consumption and emissions. Comparing system-wide averages, New York City shows the lowest end-use energy and greenhouse gas footprint compared to San Francisco and Chicago and is influenced by the larger share of transit ridership. While automobile fuel combustion is a large component of emissions, diesel rail, electric rail, and ferry service can also have strong contributions. Additionally, the inclusion of life-cycle processes necessary for any transportation mode results in significant increases (as large as 20 times that of vehicle operation) for the region. In particular, emissions of CO2 from cement production used in concrete throughout infrastructure, SO2 from electricity generation in non-operational components (vehicle manufacturing, electricity for infrastructure materials, and fuel refining), PM10 in fugitive dust releases in roadway construction, and VOCs from asphalt result in significant additional inventory. Private and public transportation are disaggregated as well as off-peak and peak travel times. Furthermore, emissions are joined with healthcare and greenhouse gas monetized externalities to evaluate the societal costs of passenger transportation in each region. Results are validated against existing studies. The dominating contribution of automobile end-use energy consumption and emissions is discussed and strategies for improving regional performance given private travel's disproportionate share are identified.
Divergent Label-free Cell Phenotypic Pharmacology of Ligands at the Overexpressed β2-Adrenergic Receptors

We present subclone sensitive cell phenotypic pharmacology of ligands at the β2-adrenergic receptor (β2-AR) stably expressed in HEK-293 cells. The parental cell line was transfected with green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged β2-AR. Four stable subclones were established and used to profile a library of sixty-nine AR ligands. Dynamic mass redistribution (DMR) profiling resulted in a pharmacological activity map suggesting that HEK293 endogenously expresses functional Gi-coupled α2-AR and Gs-coupled β2-AR, and the label-free cell phenotypic activity of AR ligands are subclone dependent. Pathway deconvolution revealed that the DMR of epinephrine is originated mostly from the remodeling of actin microfilaments and adhesion complexes, to less extent from the microtubule networks and receptor trafficking, and certain agonists displayed different efficacy towards the cAMP-Epac pathway. We demonstrate that receptor signaling and ligand pharmacology is sensitive to the receptor expression level, and the organization of the receptor and its signaling circuitry.
Silica coating at the nanometer level on an α-alumina fine powder

Alumina fine powder which adsorbed a given amount of water was dispersed in a hydrophobic solution of n-hexane and ethyl silicate with a small amount of surfactant such as fatty acid, alkyl amine or sorbitan monostearate (Span 60). Ultra-fine particles and a thin film of silica were formed on the alumina particles after being coated in the solution with stearic acid and stearylamine, respectively. The addition of Span 60 reduced the catalytic activity of stearic acid and stearylamine for the hydrolysis. The silica content of the powder after coating treatment in the presence of stearylamine was nearly equal to that calculated from the amount of water adsorbed on the alumina powder. This silica content was controllable up to 15 wt.% by adjusting the amount of adsorbed water.
Clinical and radiological relationship between posterior lumbar interbody fusion and posterolateral lumbar fusion.

Abstract Background Posterolateral lumbar fusion (PLF) is the most popular technique for stabilizing the lumbar spine. Biomechanically, PLF decreases segmental motion in the posterior column, which presumably reduces facet joint pain. Posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) may decompress nerve roots by distracting the collapsed disc space, and achieving optimal fusion in relation to load-bearing capacity. The purpose of the study was to examine the role of interbody fixation vs pedicle fixation in transverse lumbar fusion and to assess treated and adjacent disc space height changes over time. Methods One hundred patients who underwent PLIF and noninstrumented transverse process fusion (n = 55) or instrumented PLF (n = 45) between 1996 and 1998 were evaluated retrospectively. Outpatient charts and follow-up films were reviewed. Bone fusion was determined using Brantigan and Steffee's classification and clinical outcome by the Prolo scale. Disc space heights at the fusion and adjacent levels were measured. Analysis of variance and χ2 statistical techniques were used for data analysis. Results Disc space height was increased and better maintained in PLIF patients. PLIF resulted in a nonsignificant tendency toward higher fusion rates. No differences in clinical and functional outcomes were found between the groups. There was no correlation between preservation of disc space height and clinical outcome. Conclusions Disc space height does not seem to impact clinical outcome in lumbar fusion, and efforts to maintain it may be unwarranted.
Actions of Superrigid Non-Kazhdan Lattices on Compact Manifolds

In this paper, we examine the actions of lattices in superrigid non-Kazhdan simple groups on compact manifolds. The geometric results are obtained by analyzing the properties of amenable ergodic groupoids.
Viral hepatitis and its sequelae

A number of our ideas about the etiology and treatment of hepatitis need constant re-examination if our ability to prevent and treat the disease is to be improved. No progress will be made until the best scientific methods are consistently applied to the clinical studies that may result from this re-examination.
A 94-GHz planar monopulse receiver

Initial results for a 94-GHz integrated monopulse receiver are presented. The receiver is based on a 23-GHz local oscillator driving four separate phase-coherent 94-GHz subharmonic mixers, and performs monopulse processing on the IF signals. All circuits are integrated on a single wafer, and are realized using uniplanar coplanar waveguides (CPW), slot lines, and coplanar striplines (CPS). These features result in a compact, low-cost system suitable for tracking systems operating in poor visibility conditions, as well as in collision avoidance receivers for automotive applications. >
A BLUEPRINT FOR INCREASING THE RELEVANCE OF FAMILY THERAPY RESEARCH

Family therapy research and psychotherapy research in general have been criticized for their lack of relevance to clinical practice. This paper presents a fivestage model that family therapy researchers can follow to increase the relevance of their work for clinicians and other consumers of family therapy research. Using lessons derived from private industry, the research model is based on a marketing and developmental perspective.
Effects of grain isolation on magnetic properties of c-axis uniaxially in-plane oriented barium hexaferrite thin films

Magnetic properties of c-axis uniaxially in-plane aligned Ba-ferrite thin films were studied. Ba-ferrite thin films on [110] a-plane single-crystal sapphire substrates were deposited by low-power RF diode sputtering. Different degrees of grain isolation were achieved via postdeposition annealing at various temperatures in a rapid thermal annealing furnace. In this study, a magnetic evaluation of intergranular interaction was carried out using the well-established remanent magnetization /spl Delta/M curve. The results presented indicate a positive magnetostatic interaction, the strength of which is correlated with grain separation when measured along the magnetic easy axis direction. A predominant negative magnetostatic interaction was observed when measured along the magnetic hard axis direction, the magnitude of which is relatively independent of further grain separation.
The International Politics of Southern Asia

There is now a major policy convergence among the major nations of southern Asia: all are pro-economic growth, pro-international trade, against the retention of excessive governmentally-imposed barriers to trade and growth, and generally against tensions and conflicts that may inhibit trade and growth. These policies are backed by a common commitment to economic liberalization at home and to employing market-oriented methods to achieve high economic growth. But the set of security definitions guiding the Southern Asian states creates opportunities for conflict as well as cooperation. A core characteristic of the region is what Southern Asian states often define as intrusive roles played by certain extra-regional nation-states, namely the United States and Russia.
Improving database quality through eliminating duplicate records

Redundant or duplicate data are the most troublesome problem in database management and applications. Approximate field matching is the key solution to resolve the problem by identifying semantically equivalent string values in syntactically different representations. This paper considers token-based solutions and proposes a general field matching framework to generalize the field matching problem in different domains. By introducing a concept of String Matching Points (SMP) in string comparison, string matching accuracy and efficiency are improved, compared with other commonly-applied field matching algorithms. The paper discusses the development of field matching algorithms from the developed general framework. The framework and corresponding algorithm are tested on a public data set of the NASA publication abstract database. The approach can be applied to address the similar problems in other databases.
The Actress, the Court, and What Needs to Be Done to Guarantee the Future of Clinical Genomics

On May 14 of this year, the actress Angelina Jolie wrote an essay in the New York Times that received enormous attention around the world. She revealed that, after receiving genetic testing and counseling, she had undergone a double mastectomy. She had the surgery even though she did not have breast cancer [1].
Sudden Death in Children Treated with a Tricyclic Antidepressant

In its June 1st issue , The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics (1990) reported on three cases of sudden death in 8to 9-year-old children during routine treatment with the tricyclic antidepress ant (TCA) drug desipramine (DMI) (Norpramin", Pertofrane'>, generic) ove r an uncert ain period of time. The first case of sudden death , which has been included in the new Norpramin'" labeling, occurred in an 8-year-old boy, without known cardi ac disease , treated with unknown doses of the drug for 2 years for attent ion deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The second case was that of an 8-ye ar-old boy treat ed for attention deficit disorder with 50 mg/d of DMI for 6 months , and the third one was a 9-year-old boy treated with DMI with unknown doses and for an unknown time. Plasma levels of DMI obtained postarrest from all three children were reportedly "in the therapeutic or subtherapeutic range ." The tragic deaths of these children are presumed to have occurred secondary to cardiac abnormalities . However , the limited information available leaves many unan swe red questions . It is unclear if these patients had a recent dose increase , a preexisting medical or cardi ac abnormality, or whether they were adequately monitored. For example, while there is not much more additional information available, Merrel Dow ' s records indicated that the second child had a muscle biopsy performed 4 yea rs before this child's death that showed nondefined skel etal muscle abnormality . It is also noted that paroxysmal atr ial tachycardia was obse rved durin g the biopsy procedure and that that child had a famil y history of sudden cardiac death. Thus, the causal relationship between DMI and these children ' s deaths is uncle ar , and the impli cations for the use of TCAs in the pediatric age group remains ambiguous . TCAs, mainly imipramine, have been used in the treatment of several childhood psychiatric disorders over the last 3 decades. With stimulants and ant ipsychotics , they represent the mainstay of pediatric psychopharmacology. In pediatric psychiatry , TCAs have been used in the treatment
Potential of the angiotensin II receptor 1 blocker eprosartan in the management of patients with hypertension or heart failure.

When angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition first became available to block the renin system, few could have predicted the evolution that would occur in this field. The advent of angiotensin II receptor 1 (AT1) blockers has created new opportunities. These agents, including eprosartan, are extraordinarily well tolerated, not only when compared with antihypertensive agents but also in comparison with the ACE inhibitors, which are rather well tolerated. The AT1 blocker class is growing rapidly, at least in part because many believe that these drugs will share with the ACE inhibitors the special ability to reduce morbidity and mortality. Does eprosartan have a special role within this class? Eprosartan differs structurally from the other AT1 blockers in that it is not a biphenyl tetrazole. It differs functionally in vitro in being a pure competitive antagonist, as opposed to the nonequilibrium, insurmountable characteristics of the other blockers. This feature may prove to be useful for titration in the fragile patient. The reduction in catecholamine release induced by eprosartan that has been observed in animal models may account for some special examples of increased efficacy. One such example pertains to the difference in the doseresponse relationship for the action of eprosartan on the renal blood supply in comparison with other AT1 blockers. Eprosartan doses well below those required for control of blood pressure have a pronounced effect on the kidney. If research already under way supports these early suggestions, then eprosartan will be an important addition to our therapeutic armamentarium.
Selection of a Model for a Two-Factor Analysis of Variance

There are three models for a two-factor analysis of variance, Model I (effects fixed), Model II (effects random) and Model III (mixed). In Model I main effects and interaction effects may always be estimated, but the results of the analysis may not be generalized to any effects other than those represented in the study. If there is a significant interaction in Model II, neither main effects nor interaction effects may be meaningfully estimated, but the results of the analysis may be generalized to the populations of which the main effects are random samples. Empirical evidence suggests application of Model I procedures to Model II data can produce results comparable to those obtained by “proper” usage of Model I methods.
The theory of joins in relational databases

Answering queries in a relational database often requires that the natural join of two or more relations be computed. However, the result of a join may not be what one expects. In this paper we give efficient algorithms to determine whether the join of several relations has the intuitively expected value (is lossless) and to determine whether a set of relations has a subset with a lossy join. These algorithms assume that all data dependencies are functional. We then discuss the extension of our techniques to the case where data dependencies are multivalued.
Novel A-ring cleaved analogs of oleanolic and ursolic acids which affect growth regulation in NRP.152 prostate cells

Abstract Syntheses of eight novel A-ring cleaved oleanane and ursane analogs are described. These compounds were assessed for their ability to inhibit cell proliferation in NRP.152 prostate cells. Four A-ring cleaved derivatives showed significant activity; 5β-(1-methyl-2-ethyl)-10α-(3-aminopropyl)-des-A-urs-12-en-28-oic acid was the most active compound, (IC50, 0.3μM).
Flavor changing neutral processes and Bd0−B̄d0 mixing

Abstract We propose that the observed B d 0 −B d 0 mixing reported by ARGUS and CLEO is due to the tree-level flavor changing neutral coupling of the standard model Higgs scalar, H 0 , or the Z 0 , induced by new physics with a mass scale beyond the standard model. The strengths of the flavor changing couplings of H 0 and Z 0 are shon to be increasing with the masses of the fermion flavors involved. If the observed B d 0 -B d 0 mixing is due to the flavor changing coupling of H 0 , the key predictions are D D 0 -D 0 mixing of O (10%) of the present experimental upper limit and BR(μ − a e − γ) ≅ (1.1 ± 0.6) × 10 −12 , and the mass of the Higgsscalar M H ≅(200–300) GeV. In case the observed B d 0 - B d 0 mixing is due to the flavor changing coupling of Z 0 , the rare decay mode μ − ae − e + e − is predicted to be observable at any time in the near future with the branching ratio in the neighborhood of the present experimental upper limit, while other predictions include: D 0 -D 0 mixing of O(1–10)% of the present upper limit, BR(B s 0 a μ + μ − X) ≅ (8.5 ± 4.2) × 10 −5 , BR(τ t- a μ − μ+μ − ) ≅ (8.8 ±4.8) × and the branching ratios for the flavor changing decay modes of Z 0 , BR(Z 0 abs + ss) × 10 7 ≅ (14 ±7), BR (Z 0 a tc + ct) × 10 7 ± (1500 ± 700)( m t /60 GeV ), BR(Z 0 a b′b +bb′) × 10 7 ≅ (4800 ± 2300)( m b /50 GeV), BR (Z 0 a μ − τ + + μ + τ − ) × 3.6 ± 1.8, and BR (Z 0 a τ′ τ + τ′τ) × 10 7 ≅ (1300 ± 600) ( m τ /40 GeV). These flavor changing branching ratios of Z 0 can be tested at LEP with 10 7 Z 0 ′s. From the observed strength of B d 0 -B d 0 mixing the scale of new physics can be inferred to be M ≅ 250 GeV.
A genome-wide survey of small interfering RNA and microRNA pathway genes in a galling insect☆

Deployment of resistance (R) genes is the most effective control for Hessian fly, Mayetiola destructor (Say); however, deployment of R genes results in an increased frequency of pest genotypes that display virulence to them. RNA interference (RNAi) is a useful reverse genetics tool for studying such insect virulence pathways, but requires a systemic phenotype, which is not found in all species. In an effort to correlate our observed weak RNAi phenotype in M. destructor with a genetic basis, we have aggregated and compared RNAi related genes across M. destructor, three other insect species, and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We report here the annotation of the core genes in the small interfering RNA (siRNA) and microRNA (miRNA) pathways in M. destructor. While most of the miRNA pathway genes were highly conserved across the species studied, the siRNA pathway genes showed increased relative variability in comparison to the miRNA pathway. In particular, the Piwi/Argonaute/Zwille (PAZ) domain of Dicer-2 (DCR-2) had the least amount of sequence similarity of any domain among species surveyed, with a trend of increased conservation in those species with amenable systemic RNAi. A homolog of the systemic interference defective-1 (Sid-1) gene of C. elegans was also not annotated in the M. destructor genome. Indeed, it is of interest that a Sid-1 homolog has not been detected in any dipteran species to date. We hypothesize the sequence architecture of the PAZ domain in the M. destructor DCR-2 protein is related to reduced efficacy of this enzyme and this taken together with the lack of a Sid-1 homolog may account for the weak RNAi response observed to date in this species as well as other dipteran species.
Adsorption Kinetics and Dynamic Behavior of a Carbon Monolith

The zero length column (ZLC) method has been applied to study the adsorption and diffusion of CO2 in a carbon monolith adsorbent. ZLC desorption curves, measured over a wide range of flow rates, are shown to be very well accounted for assuming a linear equilibrium isotherm with the kinetics controlled by diffusion into a parallel sided slab. The data, at all flow rates, are characterized by a single pair of parameters (K and D s). Diffusivities for a He carrier are about double those for a N2 carrier reflecting both the difference in molecular diffusivities and some contribution from Knudsen diffusion. Breakthrough curves for CO2-He and CO2-N2 were also measured for columns packed with the monolith adsorbent. Both the equilibrium and diffusion parameters derived from analysis of the breakthrough curves in accordance with the Golay/Spangler models are consistent with the values derived from the ZLC measurements. Dispersion in the monoliths is shown to be controlled by mass transfer resistance rather than axial mixing.
Design of mimo antenna with low correlation characteristic for low band applications

In this letter, we propose a frequency tunable multiple input multiple output antenna at the frequency ranges of 704–960 MHz and low correlation performance over the tuning frequencies. The proposed antenna covers various long-term evolution service bands: band17 (704–746 MHz), band13 (746–787 MHz), band5 (824–894 MHz), and band8 (880–960 MHz). To achieve wideband operation for the main antenna, an inverted L-shaped slit is adopted on the conventional folded PIFA structure. The subantenna has multiple resonance from which on operating bands can be chosen by controlling the capacitance of a microelectromechanical system that is connected to the end of the proposed loop antenna. By choosing different antenna types for the main and subantennas, acceptable isolation characteristic was achieved as well as suitable envelope correlation coefficient characteristics. Both simulated and measured results are shown to illustrate the MIMO capabilities of the proposed structures. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:833–838, 2015
1108 AMELIORATION OF COMPENSATORY CHANGES AFTER RELEASE OF UNILATERAL URETERAL OCCLUSION

Following release of unilateral ureteral occlusion (UUO), the adaptive changes which occur in the contralateral kidney have been poorly documented and the mechanisms involved in these compensatory changes are unknown. In the present study, rats were subjected to 24 hrs of UUO, and adaptive changes in the contralateral kidney were studied after relief of UUO.
An implementation of mixed enhanced finite elements with strains assumed in Cartesian and natural element coordinates using sparse B (overline)‐matrices

The use of enhanced strains leads to an improved performance of low order finite elements. A modified Hu‐Washizu variational formulation with orthogonal stress and strain functions is considered. The use of orthogonal functions leads to a formulation with B (overline) ‐strain matrices which avoids numerical inversion of matrices. Depending on the choice of the stress and strain functions in Cartesian or natural element coordinates one can recover, for example, the hybrid stress element P‐S of Pian‐Sumihara or the Trefftz‐type element QE2 of Piltner and Taylor. With the mixed formulation discussed in this paper a simple extension of the high precision elements P‐S and QE2 to general non‐linear problems is possible, since the final computer implementation of the mixed element is very similar to the implementation of a displacement element. Instead of sparse B‐matrices, sparse B (overline) ‐matrices are used and the typical matrix inversions of hybrid and mixed methods can be avoided. The two most efficient four‐node B (overline) ‐elements for plane strain and plane stress in this study are denoted B (overline)(x, y)‐QE4 and B (overline)(ξ, η)‐QE4.
Beyond the Debate: Why Some Adolescents Report Stable Self‐Worth Over Time and Situation, Whereas Others Report Changes in Self‐Worth

Within the field of personality and social psychology, there has been historical controversy over whether constructs such as self-esteem are stable over time and situation or whether they are changeable. One response to this question has been to invoke two types of self-esteem or self-worth, trait self-esteem and state self-esteem. Thus it has been asserted that adolescents, the participants in this paper, have both a baseline self-esteem as well as a barometric self-esteem that represents short-term fluctuations (Rosenberg, 1986). In this paper, we contend that constructs such as self-esteem are not, in and of themselves, trait-like or state-like in nature. Rather, certain individuals display trait-like behavior, whereas others demonstrate change in self-esteem or self-worth across relatively long periods of time, on a short-term basis, and across situations. Three studies document these claims. The first addresses self-worth as a function of the transition from high school to college. The second examines short-term fluctuations in self-worth. The third investigates variability in self-worth across relational contexts, namely, relational self-worth. In each study, findings reveal that certain adolescents report stability in self-worth whereas others report change, fluctuations, or variability. Social causes of these individual differences are identified in each study, as are mental health implications. It is argued that such approaches provide a clearer understanding of the complexity of self-processes.
Influence of Gold Nanoshell on Hyperthermia of Super Paramagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (SPIONs)

A gold nanoshell around superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) was synthesized, and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) analysis suggests a gold coating of approximately 0.4-0.5 nm thickness. On application of low frequency oscillating magnetic fields (44-430 Hz), a 4-5-fold increase in the amount of heat released with gold-coated SPIONs (6.3 nm size) in comparison with SPIONs (5.4 nm size) was observed. Details of the influence of frequencies of oscillating magnetic field, concentration, and solvent on heat generation are presented. We also show that in the absence of oscillating magnetic field, both SPIONs and SPIONs@Au are not particularly cytotoxic to mammalian cells (MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells and H9c2 cardiomyoblasts) in culture, as indicated by the reduction of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium by viable cells in a phenazine methosulfate-assisted reaction.