cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Radial ion diffusion induced by cyclotron resonance heating at the thermal barrier region in the Phaedrus-B tandem mirror

Experiments with and without ion cyclotron resonance (1.275 MHz, fundamental ion cyclotron frequency of hydrogen plasma) as the thermal-barrier region have been carried out by varying the thermal-barrier magnetic field strength. Radial density profiles, potential profiles, and currents have been measured, as well as the fueling at the thermal-barrier region. The density at the plasma edge increased and the potential at the plasma edge decreased as the B field was decreased to bring the resonance into the thermal-barrier cell in both a balanced and imbalanced gas-puffing case. The data indicated that a possible mechanism is that ions can escape from the confinement region along the open resonance surface (the same as the mod-B surfaces) because the turning point of the trapped ions has a tendency to center on mod-B surfaces. An increasing potential observed in the present experiments in the edge region of the plasma with increasing B field may be related to the higher degree of fluctuation of radial current to the collector. >
Genomic ancestry and somatic alterations correlate with age at diagnosis in Hispanic children with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Hispanic children have a higher incidence of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) than non-Hispanic whites but tend to be diagnosed at older ages. In genome-wide association studies, Native American ancestry and polymorphisms in six genes have been associated with ALL risk. In multivariable regression models, we investigated whether genomic ancestry, inherited risk SNPs, or acquired somatic alterations were associated with differences in age at diagnosis in Hispanic children with B-cell ALL. Genome-wide array data were used to estimate each participant's percent membership in the three Hispanic ancestral populations: Native American, African, and European. Each 20% increase in European ancestry was associated with a six month younger age at diagnosis (95% CI = 0.36–11.6 months, P = 0.037). Correspondingly, each 20% increase in Native American ancestry was associated with a six-month older age at diagnosis (P = 0.037). Both the TEL-AML1 translocation and high-hyperdiploidy were associated with younger age at diagnosis (24.4 months, P = 2.0 x 10−4 and 12.4 months, P = 0.011, respectively), while CDKN2A and IKZF1 deletions were associated with older age at diagnosis (19.7 months, P = 7.0 x 10−4 and 18.1 months, P = 0.012, respectively). No associations with age at diagnosis were observed for RAS mutation, PAX5 deletion or for known heritable risk alleles in IKZF1, CDKN2A, PIP4K2A, GATA3, ARID5B, or CEBPE. Because younger age at diagnosis is associated with improved treatment outcomes for children with ALL, the effect of European ancestry on ALL survival may be mediated by its effect on age at diagnosis, or by proxy, its association with more treatable molecular subtypes of ALL. Am. J. Hematol. 89:721–725, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A dynamic power profiling of embedded computer systems

Power consumption is one of the most critical system design parameters, particularly in the case of battery powered computer systems. This paper presents a novel method of data acquisition and processing suited for the dynamic power estimation of computer systems. It is the goal of the designer of these systems to maximize the useful system operation time with a fixed battery charge. In order to achieve the goal of maximum lifetime, several key data points about the real-time power consumption of the system are needed. These include average, maximum, and minimum current drawn over a period of time and also instantaneous current drawn by the system while it is active. We developed a separate power measurement device to provide the real-time data sets generated by the system under test. The power measurement device will determine the current drawn by the system under test, and will provide to the user the average, maximum, and minimum current drawn by the system during the period of the test. The power measurement device can also provide real-time current draw of the system under the test, within the precision of the power measurement device. We use a very low power microcontroller, Texas Instruments MSP430F149, for data acquisition and processing. We also provide a real-time data stream of average samples to the standard RS-232 serial communications port with the sampling frequency of approximately 6.9 kHz. Real-time traces of the dynamic power consumption collected by this power measurement device allow designers to modify hardware and software architecture to extend the system lifetime with a given battery charge.
Type structured file system

Describes the design of Nebula, a dynamic, object-based, typed file system. Nebula uses types to create well-structured files as well as to export existing files in the Internet environment. This allows for backward scalability. Files in Nebula are abstractions and are defined by objects. Nebula assumes a flat global namespace, and operations are provided to manipulate logical namespaces. >
Naïve Electronic Health Record phenotype identification for Rheumatoid arthritis.

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) provide a real-world patient cohort for clinical and genomic research. Phenotype identification using informatics algorithms has been shown to replicate known genetic associations found in clinical trials and observational cohorts. However, development of accurate phenotype identification methods can be challenging, requiring significant time and effort. We applied Support Vector Machines (SVMs) to both naive (i.e., non-curated) and expert-defined collections of EHR features to identify Rheumatoid Arthritis cases using billing codes, medication exposures, and natural language processing-derived concepts. SVMs trained on naive and expert-defined data outperformed an existing deterministic algorithm; the best performing naive system had precision of 0.94 and recall of 0.87, compared to precision of 0.75 and recall of 0.51 for the deterministic algorithm. We show that with an expert defined feature set as few as 50–100 training samples are required. This study demonstrates that SVMs operating on non-curated sets of attributes can accurately identify cases from an EHR.
Infant and child deaths: Parent concerns about subsequent pregnancies

AbstractPurpose:Examine parents' concerns about subsequent pregnancies after experiencing an infant or child death (newborn to 18 years).Data sources:Thirty-nine semistructured parent (white, black, Hispanic) interviews 7 and 13 months post infant/child death conducted in English and/or Spanish, aud
Adenovirus-Associated Virus Multiplication IX. Extent of Transcription of the Viral Genome In Vivo

Abstract Nucleic acid hybridization procedures were used to measure the extent of transcription of adenovirus-associated virus (AAV) deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in KB cells in the presence of either adenovirus or herpes simplex virus as the helper. Annealing of AAV ribonucleic acid to AAV DNA was monitored by a hybridization inhibition assay on nitrocellulose filters or by hydroxyapatite chromatography. These experiments confirmed the previous observation that, in the presence of either type of helper virus, only one strand of AAV DNA (the thymidine-rich or “minus” strand) is transcribed in vivo. However, it was found that only 70 to 80% of this strand appears to be transcribed in vivo. Furthermore, studies with minus strands employing hydroxyapatite chromatography and nuclease S1, which specifically degrades single-stranded DNA, indicated that up to 20% of the minus strand is self-complementary. It seems likely that these self-complementary sequences account for the bulk of that portion of the minus strand (20 to 30%) which is not transcribed in vivo.
Targeting lipid metabolism for the treatment of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma.

Introduction: Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is the rarest subtype of thyroid cancer; however, it disproportionately accounts for a large percentage of all thyroid cancer-related deaths and is considered one of the most lethal solid tumors in humans, having a median survival of only a few months upon diagnosis. Although a variety of treatment options are available including surgery, radiation and targeted therapies, response rates are low, due in part to the drug-resistant nature of this disease; therefore, new avenues for therapeutic intervention are surely needed. Recent investigation into the metabolic profile of ATC has revealed a tumor-specific dependency for increased de novo lipogenesis, offering new insight into the molecular mechanisms that govern disease initiation and progression.Areas covered: Herein we summarize known oncogenic signaling pathways and current therapeutic strategies for the treatment of ATC. We further discuss the unique expression pattern of lipid metabolism constituents i...
Pleural ultrasound & the pulmonologist's toolkit

Background: The timely and safe investigation,intervention and management of pleural effusions remains discrepant with varying practices; possibly impacting upon quality of care and patient safety. Following the National Patient Safety Agency 2008 report highlighting 12 deaths from intercostal chest drain, the BTS recommended using ultrasound guidance when inserting chest drains. Moreover,patients with a pleural effusion conventionally have either diagnostic/therapeutic thoracentesis without any image guidance or an “X mark the spot” in the radiology department and then transferred back to the wards for the actual procedure; also posing potential for patient harm. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 3 years experience in a DGH of providing a chest physician deliver inpatient pleural service with bedside pleural ultrasound. Results: Since 2010 over 600 pleural ultrasounds have been performed; with only 3 dry taps and 2 clinically insignificant iatrogenic pneumothoraces. 43% were therapeutic thoracentesis,25% diagnostic,18% ultrasound only with no intervention,and 14% pre chest drain insertion or thoracoscopy, and "X” marks the spot are now obsolete. Conclusions: Pleural ultrasound is becoming an essential component in the pulmonologist's armanentarium, enabling prompt assessment and management of pleural effusions. Though it requires work planning and resources it does result in substantial qualitative and quantitative improvements in patient care.Though not all pleural effusions need be aspirated under ultrasound guidance, it is not an exact science to ascertain which effusions can be safely aspirated without imaging. Not infrequently, with the benefit of pleural ultrasound, an invasive pleural intervention may be avoided altogether.
Transferrin Polymorphism and Population Differences in the Genetic Variability of Chimpanzees

Genetic divergencies between chimpanzee populations, not only.between Pan panicus and Pan troglodytes but also between different groups of the latter, are revealed by typing of transferrin. In particular, differences in the incidence of polymorphic transferrins occur between the groups formed by subdividing a large captive chimpanzee colony of heterogeneous geographic origins into racial types solely on the basis of morphological traits. Genetic variability is extremely high in one of these groups, intermediate in another, and relatively low in a third, with the pattern of changing frequencies of allelic genes at the T f locus following the pattern of geographic distribution of the actual conspecific populations or races for which the groups are named.
Outcomes and prosthesis choice for active aortic valve infective endocarditis: analysis of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database.

Background National prosthesis use in active aortic valve infective endocarditis (IE) is unreported. Prosthesis usage and outcomes in patients undergoing an aortic valve operation with active IE was evaluated. Methods The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database was used to identify patients with active IE who underwent an aortic valve operation from January 1, 2005, to June 30, 2011. All patients with active IE were included. Demographics, procedures, outcomes, and trends were analyzed. Results Of 11,560 patients who were identified as having active IE, 8,421 (73%) had no prior operations (primary) and 3,139 (27%) had a history of any prior cardiac operation (reoperative). Operations for primary vs reoperative patients included isolated replacement in 88.5% vs 58.7% and root replacement in 7.2% vs 29.9%. Major morbidity was 60.8% vs 68%, and the unadjusted mortality rate was 9.8% vs 21.1%. Over time, for primary operations, biologic valve use increased (57% to 67%), and mechanical and homograft valve use decreased (30% to 24% and 9% to 6%; p Conclusions Morbidity and mortality rates death are high for operations for active IE. Biologic valves were increasingly used vs mechanical and homograft valves. Homograft valves were used more often in reoperative patients after any prior cardiac operation. The mortality rate varied among prosthesis groups but may be related to the severity of infection and type of procedure performed.
The Adaptation and Cooperation of Minority Muslims in Russian History

The present essay examines the common approach in reading the relationship between Muslims and Russian society as if they were bound by perpetual conflict. Following this angle, historians argue that the Russians underwent long term conflict with Muslims and claim that the Russians have suffered more than any other people in facing the hostile world of Islam. Some also argue that Muslims were completely subdued by the Russians due to Islam’s incompatibility with the secular and atheist Soviet regime. A careful survey of literature on the history of Muslims in Russia, however, does not always lead to the conclusion that the two sides were in continuous conflict. In fact, aside from conflict and subjugation, both Russians and the Muslims enjoyed a considerable level of peace and shared a similar attitude of flexibility in mutual cooperation. Given the extent of flexibility of Muslims in their encounter with the Russians throughout the Czar and the Soviet regimes, I argue that contemporary scholars have scaled down the dynamic of both Russian and Muslims intellectual articulations in relation to modern politics as well as to the internal relationship between the two sides, and that the relationship between them can be written as other than perpetual conflict. [Artikel ini mengulas hubungan Islam dan Rusia yang kerap dijelaskan dalam konteks relasi saling bertentangan. Dari cara pandang demikian, ahli sejarah kerap berpendapat bahwa konflik antara keduanya sudah terjadi lama dan orang Rusia adalah korban paling parah yang diakibatkan kebrutalan Islam. Semantara itu, ahli sejarah lainnya berpendapat bahwa orang Islam sepenuhnya terjajah oleh kekuasaan Rusia karena Islam tidak cocok dengan sistem sekuler dan ateis Soviet. Jika dibaca literatur mengenai sejarah Islam di Rusia, maka relasi konfliktual antara keduanya tidak sepenuhnya benar. Faktanya, terlepas dari konflik dan penaklukan, baik orang Rusia dan umat Islam dapat hidup secara damai dan fleksibel dalam kehidupan sosial mereka. Dengan menjelaskan fleksibelitas relasi antara Muslim dan Rusia pada masa kerajaan Rusia dan rejim Soviet, penulis berargumen bahwa kebanyakan ilmuwan kontemporer menyederhanakan relasi Islam dan Rusia dalam konteks politik modern serta relasi internal antara keduanya, karenanya relasi Islam dan Rusia perlu dijelaskan secara seimbang bahwa relasi konflik antara Islam dan Rusia tidak sepenuhnya benar.]
Performance analysis of piezoelectric cantilever bending actuators

Abstract Bimorph and unimorph are two typical bending mode actuators, either consisting two piezoelectric layers or one piezoelectric layer and one elastic layer. In the case of bimorph actuator, when an electric field is applied to the piezoelectric layers, one layer expands while the other contract along length direction, producing a pure bending deformation. In unimorph actuator, when piezoelectric layer is driven to expand or contract, the elastic layer will resist this dimension change, both bending and stretching deformation will be resulted. These actuators can generates very large tip displacement, in the range of tens micron to several millimeters, depending on the geometrical dimensions of actuators. In this paper, to describe the performance of cantilever bimorph/unimorph actuators in quasi-static driving condition, analytical expressions are derived to relate bending resonance frequency, tip deflection, blocking force and equivalent moment with actuator geometrical dimensions. Young's modulus,...
Completing the Picture: The Challenges of Bringing "Consumption" into the Population-Environment Equation

The issue of environmentally significant consumption is closely linked to population–environment relationships, but with some exceptions the two literatures have proceeded along separate tracks. We explore three consumption–environment research agendas: household–level consumption; ecological footprints and material flow accounting; and values, attitudes, behaviors and lifestyles. In each of these we note areas of overlap with the population–environment literature, and ways in which the population–environment literature might benefit or borrow from conceptual or methodological approaches in the consumption–environment literature. We also propose ways in which consumption research might be integrated into the largest (in terms of funding) of the population–environment research agendas, land-use and land-cover change research. In the concluding section we present a conceptual framework for understanding the population–environment literature that incorporates production and consumption into the model, and we propose some population–consumption–environment (PCE) research areas to which the population-environment research community could make significant contributions.
Moral and Ethical Issues Related to Academic Dishonesty on College Campuses

In today’s goal driven society, cheating has become more prevalent among college students. These students first look for ways to cheat in secondary school and continue unethical practices in college. Some universities have implemented an honor code to hold students responsible for academic honesty. Researchers have investigated factors associated with college students and cheating that include personal and situational characteristics of this group of individuals, the influence of technological advances, and even influences from realms outside of academia. Many professionals in higher education argue that teaching students to behave in ethical ways and to develop core values that will influence lifelong decisions must become priorities.
Colony specificity in the colonial tunicate botryllus and the origins of vertebrate immunity

SYNOPSIS. Colonies of the compound tunicate Botryllus show the capacity for self—nonself discrimination by fusion between separated pieces of the same colony and rejection between pieces of unrelated colonies. We have found that genes controlling this colony specificity are similar to those which cause transplant rejection in the vertebrates. Like the loci within the vertebrate major histocompatibility complex (MHC), Botryllus fusibility (or histocompatibility) genes are highly polymorphic. In Botryllus , the histocompatibility complex also controls self—sterility, and limits cross—fertilization between colonies sharing histocompatibility alleles. The mouse MHC, the H-2 region, is linked to loci which also affect the frequencies of alleles at H-2 loci in mouse populations. Thus both systems contain characters which could act to promote the heterozygous condition at the linked histocompatibility loci. We suggest that such linked characters are responsible for the evolution of allogeneic polymorphism in vertebrates (however currently maintained), and that tunicate fusibility loci may be the evolutionary precursors of vertebrate MHC genes.
Patterning flows using grooved surfaces

Through a simple analytical description we quantify how pressure-driven flows over grooved surfaces develop transverse components, which, for shallow grooves, can be modeled with simple anisotropic effective boundary conditions. Helical recirculation results in channels or capillaries with grooved walls. An experimental validation of our model is presented. Our analysis provides a workable guide for the design of 3D flows with simple patterns of grooved regions, e.g., to control the position of streams in the cross section of a channel or to promote mixing. Potential applications in microfluidics are outlined.
Fear or Moral Indignation? Predicting Attitudes Toward Parolees1

Instrumental beliefs, value-expressive beliefs, and attitudes related to parolees were investigated in 2 contexts. In Study I, students (N= 180) responded to value-expressive measures in a mass survey and then, a month later, read 2 scenarios and completed measures of instrumental beliefs, attitudes, and intentions. Instrumental beliefs were better predictors of behavioral attitudes than were value-expressive beliefs. In Study 2, the format of the measures was altered and all measures were administered concurrently. As in Study I, results showed that instrumental beliefs were consistent and strong predictors of attitudes toward parolees. Attitudes related to parolees appear to be based more on practical concerns (instrumental beliefs) than on moral or symbolic issues (value-expressive beliefs).
Macroeconomic Sources of Foreign Exchange Risk Premium: Evidence from South Africa

This study investigates the macroeconomic sources of foreign exchange risk premium in South Africa using the stochastic discount factor (SDF) approach based on observable macroeconomic factors. Using the multivariate GARCH-in-mean model with no-arbitrage condition, I find support for the role of nominal and real macroeconomic factors as important determinants of foreign exchange risk premium in South Africa. However, while inflation rate and broad money growth are associated higher risk premium, consumption growth appears to be associated with lower risk premium. Finally, the time varying nature of foreign exchange risk premia in South Africa suggest that, policymakers in South Africa need to broaden their analysis of fluctuations in foreign exchange rates to include an assessment of the foreign exchange risk premia.
Patterns of glutamate, glycine, and GABA immunolabeling in four synaptic terminal classes in the lateral superior olive of the guinea pig

The goal of this study was to correlate synaptic ultrastructure with transmitter specificity and function in the lateral superior olive (LSO), a nucleus that is thought to play a major role in sound localization. This was accomplished by means of postembedding immunogold immunocytochemistry. Four classes of synaptic terminals were identified in the LSO. They were distinguishable from one another both morphologically and on the basis of their different patterns of immunolabeling for glutamate, glycine, and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). The highest level of glutamate immunoreactivity was found in terminals that contained round vesicles (R) and formed synaptic contacts with asymmetric synaptic junctions. Round-vesicle terminals predominated on small caliber dendrites by a ratio of at least 2:1 over the other classes combined. The thinnest dendrites were typically contacted by R terminals only. The ratio of R terminals to the other types decreased as the caliber of the dendritic profiles they apposed increased so that on the soma, R terminals were outnumbered by at least 2:1 by the other types. Terminals containing flattened vesicles (F) exhibited intense immunoreactivity for both glycine and glutamate, although the glutamate immunolabeling was not as high as that in the R terminals. Flattened-vesicle terminals formed symmetric synaptic contacts with their targets and their distribution was the reverse of that described for R terminals; i.e., they were most abundant on LSO perikarya and fewest on small caliber dendrites. Two terminal types, both containing pleomorphic vesicles and forming symmetric synaptic junctions, were found in far fewer numbers. One group contained large pleomorphic vesicles (LP) and was immunoreactive for both glycine and GABA. The other group contained small pleomorphic vesicles (SP) along with a few dense-core vesicles and labeled for GABA only. The LP terminals were preferentially distributed on somata and large–caliber dendrites, while the SP terminals most often contacted smaller dendrites. Previous work suggests that a large percentage of the R terminals arise from spherical cells in the ipsilateral cochlear nucleus and are excitatory in action. This pathway may use glutamate as a transmitter. Many of the F terminals are thought to originate from the ipsilateral medial nucleus of the trapezoid body and appear to be the inhibitory (glycinergic) terminals from a pathway that originates from the contralateral ear. The origins and functions of LP and SP terminals are unknown, but a few possibilities are discussed along with the significance of cocontainment of neuroactive substances in specific terminal types. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Variations in referral patterns for hypophysectomies among pediatric patients with sellar and parasellar tumors.

Purpose It has been shown that patients admitted to high-volume hospitals for resection of sellar and parasellar lesions experience reduced mortality and morbidity. It remains unknown what preoperative factors influence admission to high-volume centers. We report a nationwide analysis of patients <18 years of age undergoing neurosurgical intervention for these lesions.
Quantitative Technique for Analysis of Radiation-Induced Tumorization in Fern Prothalli

Preliminary results are reported from an analysis of the process of tumorization in fern gametophytes, and especially its increased frequency of occurrence after exposure of dormant spores to ionizing radiations.
Thermodynamics of the hydroxyl radical addition to isoprene.

Oxidation of isoprene by the hydroxyl radical leads to tropospheric ozone formation. Consequently, a more complete understanding of this reaction could lead to better models of regional air quality, a better understanding of aerosol formation, and a better understanding of reaction kinetics and dynamics. The most common first step in the oxidation of isoprene is the formation of an adduct, with the hydroxyl radical adding to one of four unsaturated carbon atoms in isoprene. In this paper, we discuss how the initial conformations of isoprene, s-trans and s-gauche, influences the pathways to adduct formation. We explore the formation of pre-reactive complexes at low and high temperatures, which are often invoked to explain the negative temperature dependence of this reaction’s kinetics. We show that at higher temperatures the free energy surface indicates that a pre-reactive complex is unlikely, while at low temperatures the complex exists on two reaction pathways. The theoretical results show that at low t...
A Remote Irrigation Monitoring and Control System for continuous move systems. Part A: description and development

Continuous move irrigation systems have been modified since the 1990s to support variable rate irrigation. Most of these systems used PLC (Programmable Logic Controllers) technology that performed well for on-site control but were very expensive to add remote, real-time monitoring and control aspects that have been made possible by wireless sensor networks and the Internet. A new approach to the monitoring and control of continuous move irrigation systems is described. This system uses a Single Board Computer (SBC) using the Linux operating system to control solenoids connected to individual or groups of nozzles based on prescribed application maps. The main control box houses the SBC connected to a sensor network radio, a GPS (Global Positioning System) unit, and an Ethernet radio creating a wireless connection to a remote server. A C-software control program resides on the SBC to control the on/off time for each nozzle group using a “time on” application map developed remotely. The SBC also interfaces with the sensor network radio to record measurements from sensors on the irrigation system and in the field that monitor performance and soil and crop conditions. The SBC automatically populates a remote database on the server in real time and provides software applications to monitor and control the irrigation system through the Internet.
Effects of several in vitro systems on the potencies of putative adrenocorticotropin secretagogues on rat anterior pituitary cells.

We examined the effects of several in vitro experimental systems on the apparent potencies of putative secretagogues for stimulating ACTH release from rat anterior pituitary cells. Cells were prepared by trypsin digestion and gentle mechanical dispersion. Aliquots of the same cell preparations were tested in 1) a microperifusion system immediately after dispersion (day 0), 2) the same microperifusion system after 4 days of static suspension culture on a layer of Sephadex G-10 gel particles (day 4), 3) a static suspension system after 4 days of static suspension culture, and 4) a static monolayer system after 4 days of monolayer culture. Ovine CRF stimulated release of similar amounts of ACTH in all of the systems on days 0 and 4, except in one experiment, in which the response was less on day 4. Arginine vasopressin (AVP), oxytocin, and angiotensin II all appeared to be more potent in day 4 than in day 0 cells in the perifusion system, and the synergism of AVP with ovine CRF was also increased. Dioctanoyl...
Social interactions of information systems development teams: a performance perspective

We report results from a longitudinal study of information systems development (ISD) teams. We use data drawn from 60 ISD teams at 22 sites of 15 Fortune 500 organizations to explore variations in performance relative to these teams' social interactions. To do this, we characterize ISD as a form of new product development and focus on team-level social interactions with external stakeholders. Drawing on cluster analysis, we identify five patterns of team-level social interactions and the relationships of these patterns to a suite of objective and subjective measures of ISD performance. Analysis leads us to report three findings. First, data indicate that no one of the five identified patterns maximizes all performance measures. Second, data make clear that the most common approach to ISD is the least effective relative to our suite of performance measures. Third, data from this study show that early indications of ISD project success do not predict actual outcomes. These findings suggest two issues for research and practice. First, these findings indicate that varying patterns of social interactions lead to differences in ISD team performance. Second, the findings illustrate that singular measures of ISD performance are an oversimplification and that multiple measures of ISD performance are unlikely to agree.
Targeted transduction of CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells in nonpurified human mobilized peripheral blood mononuclear cells

Background Conventional gene-therapy applications of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) involve purification of CD34+ progenitor cells from the mobilized peripheral blood, ex vivo transduction of the gene of interest into them, and reinfusion of the transduced CD34+ progenitor cells into patients. Eliminating the process of purification would save labor, time and money, while enhancing HSCs viability, transplantability and pluripotency. Lentiviral vectors have been widely used in gene therapy because they infect both dividing and nondividing cells and provide sustained transgene expression. One of the exceptions to this rule is quiescent primary lymphocytes, in which reverse transcription of viral DNA is not completed. Methods In the present study, we tested the possibility of targeting CD34+ progenitor cells within nonpurified human mobilized peripheral blood mononuclear cells (mPBMCs) utilizing vesicular stomatitis virus G (VSV-G) pseudotyped lentiviral vectors, based on the assumption that the CD34+ progenitor cells would be preferentially transduced. To further enhance the specificity of vector transduction, we also examined utilizing a modified Sindbis virus envelope (2.2) pseudotyped lentiviral vector, developed in our laboratory, that allows targeted transduction to specific cell receptors via antibody recognition. Results Both the VSV-G and 2.2 pseudotyped vectors achieved measurable results when they were used to target CD34+ progenitor cells in nonpurified mPBMCs. Conclusions Overall, the data obtained demonstrate the potential of ex vivo targeting of CD34+ progenitor cells without purification. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Goodness gracious great balls of fire.

A 54-year-old caucasian man with a history of hypertension and traumatic splenectomy presented with an enlarged right inguinal lymph node. During the work-up, the patient received a contrast-enhanced CT scan of the chest, abdomen and pelvis that identified an enhancing 3×3.5 cm mass in the region of the left kidney and multiple small nodules throughout the mesentery, above the liver and adjacent to the sigmoid colon. These findings were related to metastatic renal cell carcinoma. A complete metastatic work-up was ordered including …
Preparing Middle School Music Teachers to Teach Jazz

This mixed-methods study combined qualitative and quantitative data to identify middle school music teachers who perceive themselves as highly effective jazz teachers and to uncover the experiences that have best prepared them to teach middle school jazz. Quantitative data suggested that (a) playing in college jazz ensembles, (b) taking a college jazz pedagogy course, (c) mentorship in jazz, and (d) taking a college improvisation course all significantly correlate with one’s perceived ability to teach middle school jazz. However, both qualitative and quantitative data indicated that listening to jazz and playing as a professional jazz musician are among the most closely associated experiences to perceived ability, suggesting that the college jazz experience, although important, may not be the most important way of preparing future middle school jazz educators.
Magnetic properties of substituted M-type hexagonal ferrites

We have studied the BaFe12-2xMxTixO19 system where M = Co, Ni and Zn and 0 < x < 1. We have measured static and dynamic properties of single crystal platelets. We find that Co introduces a strong temperature dependence of the magnetic anisotropy field Ha, and large intrinsic magnetic relaxation, but Ni and Zn do not.
Student Attendance Problems and School Organization: A Case Study.

Although student absences are seen as an important problem, the schools studied are badly organized to deal with them.
Environmental analysis units and strategic decision‐making: A field study of selected ‘leading‐edge’ corporations

In response to increasing environmental change many corporations have developed specialized environmental scanning units. Previous research reveals conflicting findings regarding the viability of these units for introducing environmentally relevant information into strategic decision processes. A field study was conducted on 10 ‘leading-edge’ corporations. The results show continuing experimentation with alternative administrative structures and the vulnerability of units that are not tightly linked with strategic planning processes.
The Nexus of Tet1 and the Pluripotency Network

Resetting DNA methylation and reactivation of pluripotency genes are late events in the formation of iPSCs. Recent work by Costa et al. (2013) and Gao et al. (2013) has examined the role of Tet proteins in the hydroxymethylation of pluripotency genes, with the latter replacing Oct4 with Tet1 for reprogramming.
Laparoscopic Management of Interstitial Pregnancy

ABSTRACT Interstitial pregnancy is an uncommon form of ectopic gestation that can be difficult to diagnose. Present management often consists of an exploratory laparotomy with resection of the cornual portion of the uterus or hysterectomy. Laparoscopic management of tubal ectopic gestations is becoming common. This report describes a case of interstitial pregnancy managed successfully by laparoscopy, resulting in a shorter hospital stay and a quicker recovery time than would have been expected had a laparotomy been performed. (J GYNECOL SURG 5:209, 1989)
Generalization of results on almost closed compartment systems

Abstract The results of Rubinow [1] on closed or almost closed compartment systems are generalized. It is shown that observation of only one compartment uniquely determines the fractional material transport rates and the compartment sizes provided certain restrictions are fulfilled. The system does not need to be mammillary or catenary, nor does it need to be almost closed.
The clinical investigator as fiduciary: discarding a misguided idea.

One of the most important questions in the ethics of human clinical research asks what obligations investigators owe the people who enroll in their studies. Research differs in many ways from standard care - the added uncertainties, for instance, and the nontherapeutic interventions such as diagnostic tests whose only purpose is to measure the effects of the research intervention. Hence arises the question whether a physician engaged in clinical research has the same obligations toward research subjects that he owes his medical patients, or whether they differ in any fundamental way. Perhaps the most common answer is that the relationship is the same. Investigators, like physicians, are said to be fiduciaries of the volunteers who enroll in research trials. Each owes the best available medical care, which means that a physician can only justify enrolling his patient in research if the study meets the requirements of clinical equipoise, namely, that there is legitimate disagreement within the medical community as to whether the standard treatment or the investigational intervention is superior.
Improving Software Quality Estimation by Combining Boosting and Feature Selection

The predictive accuracy of a classification modelis often affected by the quality of training data. However, there are two problems which may affect the quality of the training data: high dimensionality (too many independent attributes in a dataset) and class imbalance (many more instances of one class than the other class in a binary-classification problem). In this study, we present an iterative feature selection approach working with an ensemble learning method to solve both of these problems. The iterative feature selection approach samples the dataset k times and applies feature ranking to each sampled dataset, the k different rankings are then aggregated to create a single feature ranking. The ensemble learning method used is RUSBoost, in which random under sampling(RUS) is integrated into a boosting algorithm. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of feature selection as well as the RUSBoost approach on the classification performance in the context of software quality prediction. In the experiment, we explore six rankers, each used along with RUS in the iterative feature selection process. Following feature selection, models are built either using a plain learner or byusing the RUSBoost algorithm. We also examine the case of no feature selection and use this as the baseline for comparisons. The experimental results demonstrate that with the exception of one learner, feature selection combined with boosting provides better classification performance than when either is applied alone or when neither are applied.
Commentary on 'A scoring system (DISTAL) for predicting failure of snuffbox arteriovenous fistulas'.

Snuffbox fistulas are uncommonly performed by most access surgeons. There are only 8 reports in the literature, by search of HUBNET, over the last 30 years referencing this access, despite relatively good results reported in all series. The fistula first initiative and updated 2006 K-DOQI guidelines 1 do not even mention snuffbox fistulas as an alternative access site. The UK Renal Association guidelines 2 strongly recommend the use of arteriovenous fistula over graft, however, do not discuss any specific access sites. Dr Twine and colleagues suggest that approximately 50% of their patients would be potentially suitable for snuffbox fistulas, and undertook such a fistula in about 25% of their patients. They present a scoring system to assess failure of snuffbox fistulas. The authors created the pneumonic DISTAL to indicate the risk factors associated with failure. These factors included commonly identified issues for access complications, including: diabetes, ischemic heart disease, stroke, multiple previous access-2 snuffbox procedures, age over 70, and vein diameter less than 2 mm. Using a DISTAL score of <3 to determine who would receive the snuffbox fistula, would have still permitted creation of this access in 88% of the patients who actually underwent the procedure, with an excellent 1 year primary patency rate of 71%. By using these criteria, the authors find that they would have decreased early failure by 23%, thereby improving primary patency rates. They also suggest that if patients have scores greater than 3, this might prompt the surgeon to follow the access more closely for early signs of failure which might need intervention. In this series, however, the DISTAL score did not correlate with need for later intervention in patent access. This was felt to be secondary to intrinsic or iatrogenically caused injuries to the vein in the forearm, with development of later vein stenoses. Clearly in this day and age of fistula first initiatives, while it is laudable to attempt the most distal fistula first, it is equally important to choose the best fistula, avoiding the need for multiple interventions to mature the fistula, with the associated cost, as well as the risk of prolonging catheter time for patients in need of urgent hemodialysis, or currently on hemodialysis. Dr Twine and associates are to be congratulated for their excellent results, and for providing us with a method of assessing these very distal access sites, which might increase creation of distal access while potentially decreasing primary failure rates. Clearly this scoring system does need to be validated by other centers, before concluding that indeed, the DISTAL scoring will predict successful snuffbox fistula creation.
Three-dimensional statistical reduction of the N-body Schrödinger equation for electrons with pairwise Coulomb interactions

Based on a second-quantized representation of the nonrelativistic Hamiltonian of a system of $N$ electrons with pairwise Coulomb interactions, we demonstrate the exact statistical reduction of the $N$-body problem to a three-dimensional Schr\"odinger equation for the motion of a single active electron with all other $N\ensuremath{-}1$ electrons acting as spectators. As a by-product, three-dimensional Schr\"odinger equations for the ground and excited states of two-electron atoms and ions are derived and the dynamical role of Pauli's exclusion principle is established. The classical limit $\ensuremath{\hbar}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$ of the quantal all-electron equations is examined, and the Thomas-Fermi equation including the Amaldi correction is obtained.
Dependence among Sites in RNA Evolution

Although probabilistic models of genotype (e.g., DNA sequence) evolution have been greatly elaborated, less attention has been paid to the effect of phenotype on the evolution of the genotype. Here we propose an evolutionary model and a Bayesian inference procedure that are aimed at filling this gap. In the model, RNA secondary structure links genotype and phenotype by treating the approximate free energy of a sequence folded into a secondary structure as a surrogate for fitness. The underlying idea is that a nucleotide substitution resulting in a more stable secondary structure should have a higher rate than a substitution that yields a less stable secondary structure. This free energy approach incorporates evolutionary dependencies among sequence positions beyond those that are reflected simply by jointly modeling change at paired positions in an RNA helix. Although there is not a formal requirement with this approach that secondary structure be known and nearly invariant over evolutionary time, computational considerations make these assumptions attractive and they have been adopted in a software program that permits statistical analysis of multiple homologous sequences that are related via a known phylogenetic tree topology. Analyses of 5S ribosomal RNA sequences are presented to illustrate and quantify the strong impact that RNA secondary structure has on substitution rates. Analyses on simulated sequences show that the new inference procedure has reasonable statistical properties. Potential applications of this procedure, including improved ancestral sequence inference and location of functionally interesting sites, are discussed.
Luxury shopping in tourism

This study explores the concept of luxury shopping behaviour in tourism and identifies the perceived importance of different types and characteristics of the luxury products and services that tourists buy on vacation, as well as the importance of various shopping venues and destinations for luxury shopping. The study examines the significant differences in luxury purchasing patterns among various types of tourists identified on the basis of the frequency of shopping and the degree of importance attached to shopping. The results show that three groups, infrequent shoppers, sometimes shoppers and frequent shoppers, as well as non-shoppers, neutral shoppers and great shoppers, significantly differ in their luxury shopping behaviour. The implications of study results and recommendations for future studies are discussed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS AS A RETIREMENT RESOURCE FOR U.S. NEAR‐RETIREES

This paper analyzes Social Security benefits as a retirement resource (wealth and income) for U.S. near-retirees. We look at how the average values of several measures of benefits such as Social Security wealth and earnings replacement rates have changed from earlier cohorts to today's near-retirement cohort, examine differences among demographic and socioeconomic groups within cohorts, and discuss reasons for these changes and differences. We use improved data (actual earnings history data) to produce more accurate measures of benefits. The paper also uses some new benefit measures. Three key findings are: (1) average real Social Security wealth increases markedly as we move to later cohorts primarily because of increases in average real lifetime earnings; (2) replacement rates fall as we move from the cohorts of persons reaching 61 in 1993–97 to later cohorts primarily because of the phase-in of increases in the age of eligibility for full benefits and the increasing labor market activity of women; and (3) median Social Security wealth is much higher for women than for men because women live longer.