cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Generic Decision Process for Marketing

An important task of marketing academicians and other theorists is bridging the gap between marketing theory and practice. This paper sets forth a decision-making process based on cause-and-effect thinking that is more rigorous than management practice but more practical than decision theory. The process is applied to the marketing channel decision for illustrative purposes, but it is generic and can be applied to any marketing decision.
Voices from the Steppe

This chapter introduces the problem of studying the nomadic states of Inner Asia and specifically the Xiongnu state of the third century BC. Nomadic peoples in general have not been portrayed with much veracity in the historical record and ethnographic accounts, although detailed, mostly describe the conditions of mobile herders during the mid- to late twentieth century in the context of modern nation states. archaeology offers one way of retrieving an indigenous record of the past lifeways of nomadic peoples and is a primary source of data on state formation among steppe nomads. An archaeological study of the Xiongnu state and its Bronze and Early Iron Age antecedents presents a valuable comparative perspective for understanding mainstream topics in anthropology including political transformations, changes in complexity, and inter-regional interaction.
Mutants of Staphylococcus aureus with Increased Sensitivity to Ultraviolet Radiation

Nitrosoguanidine (NG) mutagenesis of Staphylococcus aureus resulted in the isolation of eight mutants exhibiting 3 to 28 times greater sensitivity to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. These mutants were further characterized by their ability to repair UV-irradiated bacteriophage, to act as recipients in the transduction of antibiotic resistance, and their sensitivity to NG. Based on the available data, six of these mutants are reduced in their ability to perform host-cell reactivation. One of the remaining two mutants may be deficient in post-replication repair.
Governments as human capital providers: A rationale for strong government support of broad higher education access

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the case for governmental support of higher education access to further national competitiveness.Design/methodology/approach – A review of previous literature is used to examine different academic disciplines that impact the relationship between higher education access and national competitiveness. These bodies of knowledge are used to synthesize a rationale for impacting competitiveness through educational policy.Findings – A coherent argument can be made that is strongly in support of governmental provision of relatively high levels of access to higher education.Research limitations/implications – The recommendations are general. A specific cost‐benefit analysis of educational policies is beyond the scope of this paper.Practical implications – This paper equips readers to explain why higher education access influences national competitiveness. While this point seems obvious to many who work in higher education, the connection is seldom mad...
Reducing dropouts from youth-relevant treatment services:: The comprehensive referral pursuit and maintenance approach☆

Abstract This study compared the differential effectiveness of a homebased comprehensive referral pursuit and maintenance (CRPM) approach to a “traditional,” clinic-based service delivery approach at a community-based center for troubled children, youth, and families. The results of this quasi-experimental study indicated significantly lowered dropout rates for single-parent families, families on public assistance, and for all families in general during the time period that the CRPM approach was used in an outpatient clinic serving delinquent and predelinquent children and their families. A detailed description of the CRPM approach and a case example of its use is presented. The discussion focuses on the importance of multiple factors that combine to influence dropouts as well as influence treatment attendance.
Thermoelectric power and thermal conductivity of neutron-irradiated YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 − δ

Thermoelectric power and thermal conductivity have been measured as a function of temperature on ceramic ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\delta}}}$ exposed to fast-neutron fluences of up to 6\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{18}$ n${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}2}$. Irradiation causes large changes in the magnitude and temperature variation of the thermopower and, for the highest doses, results in a complete suppression of the peak in thermal conductivity that is characteristic of the nonirradiated 1:2:3 superconducting ceramics below ${T}_{c}$. The likely physical origin of the changes are the defects created in the structure by fast neutrons that drastically limit the mean-free path of phonons and the charge carriers.
Exact computation of 2–D intersections

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a technique for exact representation of the intersections between line segments in 2-D with vertices of a fixed-input resolution. The chapter explains how to represent a clipped line segment using bounded rational arithmetic, provided that both the clipping and clipped segments are defined by endpoints measured to fixed precision. The method for the exact computation of 2-D intersections allows a line segment to be clipped an arbitrary number of times without increasing storage requirements yet yielding the correct result. The output from a series of polygon-intersection operations must be composed of pieces of the line segments that make up the input polygons. A line subsegment is a portion of a line segment that is represented by: (1) two endpoints with integer coordinates whose precision is 15 bits and (2) two parameter values. The parameter value for the intersection point between two line subsegments is calculated by computing the intersection of the a priori line segments and then checking whether the intersection actually occurs within the subsegments. Given the parameter definition for an intersection point, cascaded clipping operations are supported by the ability to calculate the relative position of two such intersection points along a line segment.
A miniature mobile parts feeder: operating principles and simulation results

A miniature mobile vibratory parts feeder is proposed. This feeder, exploiting the unique capabilities of a closed-loop planar linear motor, is designed to reorient, separate, and position parts using only horizontal vibrations. The actuators used for generating the feed vibrations are also capable of large planar motions, allowing the feeder to serve multiple overhead robots. This feeder is designed with a minimum of critical physical dimensions, allowing different parts to be fed with only software changes. The basic feed principle is presented, followed by experimental verification. Although a prototype has not yet been fabricated, a model for the motion of parts on the complete feeder is derived and simulation results are presented.
Superficial fibrous tumors in childhood

A review is made of superficial fibrous tumors of childhood and differences between the pattern of fibrous tumor proliferation in children and adults are discussed. The fibrous tumors that occur specifically in childhood and infancy include recurring digital fibrous tumor, juvenile aponeurotic fibroma (cartilage analogue of fibromatosis), juvenile hyalin fibromatosis, fibrous hamartoma of infancy, congenital fibromatosis and fibromatosis colli (Torticollis). Palmoplantar fibromatosis and fibrosarcoma may appear in all ages. Dupuytren contracture, however, is not usually observed early in life. Similarly, the histiocytomas and dermatofibromas which are the most common fibrous tumors of adults are extremely rare in childhood.
Functional contribution of the α5 subunit to neuronal nicotinic channels expressed by chick sympathetic ganglion neurones

1Heterologous expression studies of the α5 subunit of the neuronal acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) gene family have demonstrated that it can participate in the function of ACh-gated channels if co-expressed with another α- and a β-subunit. Previous studies also indicate prominent expression of α5 in both central and peripheral nervous systems. The participation of α5 in native nAChRs and its functional role in these channels is, however, unknown. 2In this study, we present evidence that α5 has a role in at least two distinct subtypes of nAChR complexes expressed by embryonic chick sympathetic neurones. 3α5 contributes not only to agonist but also to antagonist sensitivity of natively expressed nAChR channels. Functional deletion of the α5 subunit by antisense oligonucleotide treatment removes the nAChRs with relatively low affinity to ACh and cytisine. Deletion of α5 also eliminates channels that are blocked by the α7-specific antagonist methyllycaconitine (MLA) while increasing the percentage of current carried by nAChRs that are sensitive to α-bungarotoxin (α-BgTx). 4Single channel analyses indicate that functional deletion of α5 results in the deletion of both the ‘brief’ and ‘long’ open duration, 50 pS subtypes of nAChR channels while increasing the expression of the 18 pS, α-BgTx-sensitive native nAChRs normally detected in sympathetic neurones at later developmental stages. 5The biophysical and pharmacological profiles of native nAChRs revealed by this study and previous work are discussed in the context of a proposed model of the nAChR channels expressed by chick sympathetic neurones throughout development.
Barotropic and Baroclinic Tides over the Continental Slope and Shelf off Oregon

Abstract During the Coastal Upwelling Experiment of 1973, several current meter moorings were deployed on the Oregon continental shelf and slope. Data from 16 current meters and temperature sensors which were deployed along a line perpendicular to the bathymetric contours were analyzed by the response method of tidal analysis (Cartwright et al., 1969). The diurnal tidal current was predominantly barotropic over the slope and shelf. The semi-diurnal current was strongly baroclinic. Semi-diurnal characteristics were computed from the model of Mooers (1970, 1975a) using STD data taken during the period of mooring deployment. The computed semi-diurnal characteristics, combined with the distribution of signal-to-noise ratios and the phase of the horizontal and vertical velocities, are consistent with generation of the internal tide as a wide beam (∼80 m) along the continental slope between 474 and 1050 m. The beam reflects from the sea surface and from the sea floor over the shelf as it passes through the moor...
Soluble epoxide hydrolase gene deletion reduces inflammation after stroke

The brain's inflammatory response to stroke exacerbates ischemic damage 1. Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) are cytochrome P450 metabolites of arachidonic acid that are produced in brain 2 and exhibit anti-inflammatory properties 3. Mice with targeted deletion of soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH), a key enzyme in EETs breakdown, are protected from ischemic brain injury 4. We tested the hypothesis that inflammatory cytokine expression after MCA occlusion is blunted in sEH knockout (sEHKO) mice due to higher brain EETs.
Incidence of Post-Pyelonephritic Renal Scarring: A Meta-Analysis of the Dimercapto-Succinic Acid Literature

Purpose: We investigated ethnic differences in the risk of post-pyelonephritic renal scarring in infants and children for possible genetic determinants.Materials and Methods: We searched all peer reviewed articles published from 1980 through 2006 in the PubMed®, MEDLINE® (Ovid), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and EMBASE® databases for the keywords, “renal scarring and pyelonephritis,” “renal fibrosis” and “kidney scarring.” References were included only when they specified acute pyelonephritis defined by a fever, positive urine culture and areas of photopenia in the renal cortex on 99mtechnetium dimercapto-succinic acid renal scans, repeat dimercapto-succinic acid scans obtained at least 3 months after acute pyelonephritis to assess for renal cortical scar formation and absence of recurrent urinary tract infection during followup. When possible data were analyzed according to patients and renal units.Results: Among 23 references the overall rates of renal scarring in terms of patients and ...
Analysis of stress waves induced from single hole stemmed blasts

Abstract Blasting in an underground mine produces potentially harmful elastic stress waves that propagate down the walls and back of the entry. Stemming may be used to maximize the effectiveness of an explosive at the face and minimize the magnitude of the elastic waves that propagate down the entry. This study was directed towards establishing a procedure for determining the type of stemming that would be the most effective in accomplishing the task. In studying the effects of stemming on the wave magnitude, two factors were considered: changing the blast location on the face changes the distance to the transducer, and repeated blasting on a single face causes face and roof deterioration that attenuates the strength of the blast wave. These factors were considered in order to allow the characteristics of the waves from the various single hole stemmed blasts to be compared. In addition, a laboratory study was conducted on polymer models of a mine opening to compare stemmed and non-stemmed blasts. Analysis of the data showed that stemmed blasts produce lower energy waves than non-stemmed blasts.
Cation permeability ratios of sodium channels in normal and grayanotoxin-treated squid axon membranes

Permeabilities of squid axon membranes to various cations at rest and during activity have been measured by voltage clamp before and during internal perfusion of 4×10−5m grayanotoxin I. The resting sodium and potassium permeabilities were estimated to be 6.85×10−8 cm/sec and 2.84×10−6 cm/sec, respectively. Grayanotoxin I increased the resting sodium permeability to 7.38×10−7 cm/sec representing an 11-fold increase. The potassium permeability was increased only by a factor of 1.24. The resting permeability ratios as estimated by the voltage clamp method before application of grayanotoxin I were Na (1): Li (0.83): formamidine (1.34): guanidine (1.49): Cs (0.87): methylguanidine (0.86): methylamine (0.78). Grayanotoxin I did not drastically change the resting permeability ratios with a result of Na (1): Li (0.95): formamidine (1.27): guanidine (1.16): Cs (0.47): methylguanidine (0.72): methylamine (0.46). The membrane potential method gave essentially the same resting permeability ratios before and during application of grayanotoxin I if corrections were made for permeability to choline as the cation substitute and for changes in potassium permeability caused by test cations. The permeability ratio choline/Na was estimated to be 0.72 by the voltage clamp method and 0.65 by the membrane potential method. Grayanotoxin I decreased the ratio to 0.43. The permeability ratios during peak transient current were estimated to be Na (1): Li (1.12): formamidine (0.20): guanidine (0.20): Cs (0.085): methylguanidine (0.061): methylamine (0.036). Thus the sodium channels for the peak current are much more selective to cations than the resting sodium channels. It appears that the resting sodium channels in normal and grayanotoxin I-treated axons are operationally different from the sodium channels that undergo a conductance increase upon stimulation.
Structural and functional analysis of amino-terminal enhancer of split in androgen-receptor-driven transcription.

We previously demonstrated that the Groucho protein AES (amino-terminal enhancer of split) functions as a co-repressor of the AR (androgen receptor). It physically interacts with the N-terminal domain of AR and inhibits AR-driven transcription, but the molecular mechanism of its action remained unclear. In the present paper we report that the AES protein contains one inhibitory domain, and one positive and one negative regulatory domain. The negative regulatory domain inhibits AES dimerization and AES-mediated inhibition of AR-driven transcription through an interaction with the inhibitory domain. The positive regulatory domain blocked this interaction and relieved the inhibitory effect. In addition, we discovered mechanisms by which AES regulates AR transcriptional activity, which included disruption of the interaction between the AR N-terminal and C-terminal domains, and inhibition of AR–DNA interaction. Although AES broadly inhibited the activity of androgen-dependent luciferase reporters in a transient transfection assay, it selectively regulated the expression of endogenous androgen-dependent genes in prostate cancer cells.
On a vector space analogue of Kneser's theorem

In a previous paper [X. Hou, K.H. Leung, Q. Xiang, A generalization of an addition theorem of Kneser, J. Number Theory 97 (2002) 1–9], the following result was established: let E⊂K be fields such that the algebraic closure of E in K is separable over E. Let A,B be E-subspaces of K such that 0<dimEA<∞ and 0<dimEB<∞. Then dimEAB⩾dimEA+dimEB-dimEH(AB), where AB is the E-space generated by {ab:a∈A,b∈B} and H(AB)={x∈K:xAB⊂AB}. The separability assumption was essential in the proof of this result. However, even without the separability assumption, no counterexample is known. The present paper shows that no counterexample can be found if dimEA⩽5.
Internal carotid artery dissection: an unusual cause of postpartum headache

We report a case of postpartum headache caused by internal carotid artery dissection in a 36-year-old woman following uneventful epidural analgesia for spontaneous labor and vaginal delivery. Cervicocerebral arterial dissection requires rapid diagnosis and anticoagulation to prevent thrombus formation and to avoid secondary cerebral thromboembolism. Fortunately, our patient suffered ischemic symptoms, but no permanent neurologic deficit. Anesthesiologists should consider carotid artery dissection in the differential diagnosis of postpartum headache.
Therapy insight: how changes in renal function with increasing age affect cardiovascular drug prescribing.

Cardiovascular disease is a major concern in elderly adults, particularly in those with age-related reductions in renal function. Physicians are often cautious when prescribing therapy because of the perceived frailty of older patients and limited understanding of adverse effects. This review tackles the issue of prescribing considerations in elderly patients with concomitant renal and cardiovascular disease.
Francophone sub-Saharan Africa, 1880-1995

List of illustrations Acknowledgements Note on the second edition 1. Prologue 2. Economy and society, 1880-1940 3. Government and politics, 1880-1940 4. Culture and religion, 1880-1940 5. Economy and society, 1940-85 6. Government and politics, 1940-85 7. Culuture and religion, 1940-85 8. Democracy and dependence, 1985-95 9. Epilogue Bibliographical essay Index.
A structural basis for the acute effects of HIV protease inhibitors on GLUT4 intrinsic activity

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease inhibitors (PIs) act as reversible noncompetitive inhibitors of GLUT4 with binding affinities in the low micromolar range and are known to contribute to alterations in glucose homeostasis during treatment of HIV infection. As aspartyl protease inhibitors, these compounds all possess a core peptidomimetic structure together with flanking hydrophobic moieties. To determine the molecular basis for GLUT4 inhibition, a family of related oligopeptides containing structural elements found in PIs was screened for their ability to inhibit 2-deoxyglucose transport in primary rat adipocytes. The peptide oxybenzylcarbonyl-His-Phe-Phe-O-ethyl ester (zHFFe) was identified as a potent inhibitor of zero-trans glucose flux with a K(i) of 26 mum. Similar to PIs, transport inhibition by this peptide was acute, noncompetitive, and reversible. Within a Xenopus oocyte expression system, zHFFe acutely and reversibly inhibited GLUT4-mediated glucose uptake, whereas GLUT1 activity was unaffected at concentrations as high as 1 mm. The related photoactivatable peptide zHFF-p-benzoylphenylalanine-[(125)I]Tyr-O-ethyl ester selectively labeled GLUT4 in rat adipocytes and indinavir effectively protected against photolabeling. Furthermore, GLUT4 bound to a peptide affinity column containing the zHFF sequence and was eluted by indinavir. These data establish a structural basis for PI effects on GLUT4 activity and support the direct binding of PIs to the transport protein as the mechanism for acute inhibition of insulin-stimulated glucose uptake.
Role of calcium ion in maintenance of vascular smooth muscle tone

Recent evidence indicates that vascular smooth muscle tone can be increased either by increasing cytoplasmic calcium ion (Ca++) levels or by increasing the sensitivity of the contractile apparatus to calcium. Data obtained with both luminescent and fluorescent calcium indicators indicate that the amount of force produced at a specific Ca++ is variable in intact vascular smooth muscle. Data obtained with the luminescent calcium indicator aequorin indicate that the calcium force curve is very steep in intact vascular smooth muscle cells; i.e., small changes in Ca++ can cause large changes in vascular tone. Therapeutic agents designed to directly decrease intrinsic myogenic tone could be designed to either decrease Ca++ or to decrease the sensitivity of the contractile apparatus to calcium. Considerable selectivity might be obtained by the latter approach.
Assessing How Adolescents Think About the Morality of Substance Use

SUMMARY A phenomenological cognitive model of how adolescents think about the socio-moral aspects of substance use is presented. It is argued that the ways in which adolescents make meaning of substance use has been neglected. A four-construct assessment battery is described, including measures of moral judgment stage, social knowledge domain categorization of substance use behaviors, ethical relativism, and interpersonal problem-solving. The methods employed include oral interviews, card sorts, objective questionnaires, and videotaped family conflict resolutions. A second example of the phenomenological approach presented is the study of adolescent risk-taking, derived from a theoretical model posited by Levitt, Selman and Richmond (1991). It is operationalized, assessed, and measured with objective questionnaires, oral interview questions, and videotaped family interactions. This approach offers new insight into the more traditional means of understanding adolescent substance use and a potential source ...
Effects of Serum Creatinine Calibration on Estimated Renal Function in African Americans: The Jackson Heart Study

Abstract Background The calibration to isotope dilution mass spectrometry-traceable creatinine is essential for valid use of the new Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation to estimate the glomerular filtration rate. Methods For 5,210 participants in the Jackson Heart study (JHs), serum creatinine was measured with a multipoint enzymatic spectrophotometric assay at the baseline visit (2000–2004) and remeasured using the Roche enzymatic method, traceable to isotope dilution mass spectrometry in a subset of 206 subjects. The 200 eligible samples (6 were excluded, 1 for failure of the remeasurement and 5 for outliers) were divided into 3 disjoint sets—training, validation and test—to select a calibration model, estimate true errors and assess performance of the final calibration equation. The calibration equation was applied to serum creatinine measurements of 5,210 participants to estimate glomerular filtration rate and the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Results The selected Deming regression model provided a slope of 0.968 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.904–1.053) and intercept of −0.0248 (95% CI, −0.0862 to 0.0366) with R 2 value of 0.9527. Calibrated serum creatinine showed high agreement with actual measurements when applying to the unused test set (concordance correlation coefficient 0.934, 95% CI, 0.894–0.960). The baseline prevalence of CKD in the JHS (2000–2004) was 6.30% using calibrated values compared with 8.29% using noncalibrated serum creatinine with the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation ( P Conclusions A Deming regression model was chosen to optimally calibrate baseline serum creatinine measurements in the JHS, and the calibrated values provide a lower CKD prevalence estimate.
An Interim Evaluation of Sulfur Dioxide Emissions Trading

ide IV of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments established the first large-scale, long-term environmental program to rely on tradable emissions permitscalled "allowances" in this program-to control pollution. This program was designed to cut acid rain by reducing sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from electric generating plants to about half their 1980 level, beginning in 1995. It is of interest both as a response to an important environmental issue and as a landmark experiment in environmental policy. This experiment comes at a particularly important time, since emission trading is under serious consideration, with strong U.S. backing, for use to deal with global climate change by curbing emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). The economic stakes in climate change surpass those in acid rain by several orders of magnitude (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 1996). This article summarizes the results to date of our ongoing empirical analysis of compliance costs and allowance market performance under the U.S. acid rain program.'
Analysis of sugars in bacterial endotoxins by gas-liquid chromatography

Abstract Techniques are described for analysis of the sugars in bacterial endotoxins by gas-liquid chromatography and representative chromatograms are presented for endotoxins from smooth and rough variants of Salmonella abortus equi, S. typhimurium, Escherichia coli 0:113, E. coli 0:111, and Proteus mirabilis . Gas-liquid chromatography gave rapid and accurate analysis of the sugars in bacterial endotoxins.
Transport of pyrimidine nucleosides across human erythrocyte membranes

Abstract The transport of pyrimidine nucleosides in human erythrocytes has been shown to occur by a facilitated diffusion mechanism. Transport studies of these nucleosides are not complicated by metabolic conversions as in the case of the action of phosphorylases and deaminases on purine nucleosides. The transport carrier K m and v max were K m = 3.5, 1.7, 1.3 and 0.7 mM and v max = 16.5, 6.9, 4.7 and 10.0 mM/min for cytidine, cytosine-β-arabinoside, thymidine and uridine, respectively. The initial rates for nucleoside exit competition experiments are in good agreement with those calculated using the above K m 's and v max 's. Some preliminary evidence that the pyrimidine and purine nucleosides are transported by a common system is also presented.
Synthesis and Characterization of Akaganeite-Like Ferric Oxyhydroxides

Akaganeite, β-FeOOH, a natural ferric oxyhydroxide mineral, has a structure containing tunnel-like cavities in which chloride ions reside. Analogs of akaganeite in which carbonate or sulfate groups replace the chloride ions have also been synthesized. Both akaganeite and its substituted analogs are known to be precursors for active hydrocracking catalysts. We present powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy (XAFS) data confirming the synthesis of new ferric oxyhydroxides having structures similar to akaganeite, but contain molybdate and tungstate oxy-anions. We also present a new hydrothermal method to prepare this family of materials.
Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with total lymphoid irradiation: long-term survival.

Objective Total lymphoid irradiation (TLI) has been used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) since the 1970s. This study reviews long-term (15–20-year) mortality outcomes of patients treated with TLI for RA at Stanford University Medical Center and compares these outcomes with those in patients treated with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Methods Fifty-three patients with RA were treated with full-dose TLI at Stanford University Medical Center. All had failed previous therapy with gold salts and penicillamine. One hundred six control patients were selected from the Arthritis, Rheumatism, and Aging Medical Information Systems database and were matched with the patients for age, sex, disease duration, and mean Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) score. Survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox proportional hazards regression. Results No significant difference in age and sex was found between TLI-treated patients and controls. TLI-treated patients had more education (mean 13.4 years versus 11.8 years; P = 0.016) and received more DMARDs prior to TLI (mean 2.1 versus 1.3; P = 0.0001). TLI-treated patients had lower mean HAQ scores at the time of TLI (2.0 versus 2.4; P = 0.0002). TLI had no significant overall effect on survival in treated patients compared with controls (P = 0.62). The survival curves appeared to cross over at ∼11 years of followup, with better early survival in the TLI group and better late survival in the control group. There was a total of 25 deaths in the TLI group. There were 45 deaths in the control group, with causes of death available for 20 patients. There were 3 patients with lymphoma and 2 with myelodysplastic syndrome in the TLI group, and none in the control group. The most common cause of death in both groups was infection. Conclusion TLI had no significant effect on overall survival, with trends toward higher early mortality in controls and trends toward higher late mortality in TLI-treated patients. Overall, there was no difference in mortality, but it appears that there may have been more lymphoproliferative malignancies in the TLI cohort. We would recommend that TLI be used cautiously for patients with refractory RA in whom the benefits outweigh the risks.
Extensive target cell loss during development results in mossy fibers in the regio superior (CA1) of the rat hippocampal formation

Abstract The axons of dentate granule cells (mossy fibers) have been reported to appear in the regio superior (CA1) of the rat hippocampal formation following destruction of the pyramidal cells in the regio inferior (CA3). We undertook the present experiments to confirm this finding and to determine the requirements for this dramatic neuronal rearrangement. We found that extensive (> 80%) loss of CA3 cells, as well as the presence of surviving CA1 neurons within a narrow period of development (postnatal days 3–5) is necessary, however apparently not sufficient, for the appearance of CA1 mossy fibers. That the absence of normal target cells during a restricted period of mossy fiber development will lead to their association with novel targets suggests that much of the specificity of this developing connection depends on the presence of normal targets during a critical period.
Wireless network aware cloud scheduler for scalable cloud mobile gaming

Cloud Mobile Gaming (CMG) [1][10][11] has been proposed as an approach to enable rich Internet games on mobile devices, where the rendering of the games is performed on cloud servers, as opposed to on mobile devices. Though promising, the CMG approach may require significant cloud computing resources for the concurrent gaming sessions, and even more critically, significant bandwidth for delivering the rendered videos back to mobile devices, leading to high cloud costs, and questions regarding resource constrained wireless networks. This paper addresses the problem of making the CMG approach scalable and economically feasible by proposing a novel Wireless Cloud Scheduler (WCS), which can increase the number of simultaneous CMG sessions that can be supported while ensuring Mobile Gaming User Experience (MGUE)[1] with the available wireless network resources, while minimizing the cloud service cost incurred by the CMG provider. Unlike conventional network schedulers, WCS considers simultaneously the constraints of the wireless networks that may be available to each CMG user, including cellular and WiFi, as well as the cost of available cloud resources, while scheduling the most optimal wireless link and cloud server for each CMG session. To further enhance the performance of WCS, we also propose a joint scheduling-adaptation algorithm, that can systematically leverage adaptation techniques introduced in [10][11] to adapt the communication needs of in-service users if the available wireless network bandwidth is not sufficient for a new CMG user. Our simulation results demonstrate that the use of WCS, and the joint scheduling-adaptation algorithm, can significantly improve the performance of the CMG approach, increasing the number of simultaneous CMG sessions that can be supported, while maximizing aggregate MGUE and minimizing the average cloud service cost.
Markov models of use-dependence and reverse use-dependence during the mouse cardiac action potential.

The fast component of the cardiac transient outward current, IKtof, is blocked by a number of drugs. The major molecular bases of IKtof are Kv4.2/Kv4.3 voltage-gated potassium channels. Drugs with similar potencies but different blocking mechanisms have differing effects on action potential duration (APD). We used in silico analysis to determine the effect of IKtof-blocking drugs with different blocking mechanisms on mouse ventricular myocytes. We used our existing mouse model of the action potential, and developed 4 new Markov formulations for IKtof, IKtos, IKur, IKs. We compared effects of theoretical IKtof-specific channel blockers: (1) a closed state, and (2) an open channel blocker. At concentrations lower or close to IC50, the drug which bound to the open state always had a much greater effect on APD than the drug which bound to the closed state. At concentrations much higher than IC50, both mechanisms had similar effects at very low pacing rates. However, an open state binding drug had a greater effect on APD at faster pacing rates, particularly around 10 Hz. In summary, our data indicate that drug effects on APD are strongly dependent not only on IC50, but also on the drug binding state.
Density and Viscosity for a Binary Mixture of cis-3-Hexenyl Formate, Butyl Acetate, trans-2-Hexenyl Acetate, and cis-3-Hexenyl Acetate with Ethanol at Several Temperatures

The density and viscosity of binary mixtures cis-3-hexenyl formate (1) + ethanol (2), butyl acetate (1) + ethanol (2), trans-2-hexenyl acetate (1) + ethanol (2), and cis-3-hexenyl acetate (1) + ethanol (2) over the whole range of composition have been measured at three different temperatures (293.15 K, 303.15 K, and 313.15 K). The excess molar volume and viscosity deviation of these systems were also calculated, and the results were fitted to a well-known Redlich−Kister-type polynomial equation.
Sirolimus-eluting stent implantation in small coronary arteries: A three dimensional intravascular ultrasound study from the SIRIUS trial

Abstract Aim To assess the efficacy of the sirolimus-eluting stent when implanted in smaller caliber vessels using three-dimensional intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) analysis. Methods One hundred and twenty-three patients (69 sirolimus-coated Bx Velocity and 54 control) who underwent successful three-dimensional IVUS at follow up comprised this IVUS substudy from the SIRIUS (SIRolImUS-coated Bx Velocity stent in the treatment of patients with de novo coronary artery lesions) population. To evaluate the impact of vessel size, 2 groups were created using QCA reference vessel diameter (RVD; large vessel group: RVD≥2.75 mm and small vessel group: RVD Results Sirolimus-eluting stents significantly reduced neointimal hyperplasia by the same relative magnitude within the stent in small vessels as well as in large vessels. Although sirolimus-eluting stents had favorable effects on lumen area at stent edges in larger vessels, the effect was less in smaller vessels, especially at the proximal edge. IVUS-detected adverse vessel response, such as late-acquired incomplete apposition, did not increase in smaller vessels even with relatively higher dose exposure. Conclusion Sirolimus-eluting stents showed inhibition of neointimal hyperplasia in small vessels compared to bare metal stents with no increase of vascular complications.
Maternal Diet and the Influence of Thiamine Deficiency on Theiler's GD-VII Encephalomyelitis in Mice.

resistance or susceptibility to infection.1 A possibility not previously studied experimentally is that a deficiency of one factor in the diet of the mother may modify the subsequent response of the young to a deficiency of another in nutrition-infection studies. Of the factors which might well be studied in the diet of the mother, folic acid and unidentified factor(s) in liver were regarded as most likely since the addition of these factors to purified rations containing 9 crystalline B vitamins has improved reproduction and lactation.2-5 The fact that thiamine deficiency results in a prolongation of the incuba-
PEGASUS: a spoken dialogue interface for on-line air travel planning

Abstract This paper describes PEGASUS, a spoken dialogue interface for on-line air travel planning that we have recently developed. PEGASUS leverages off our spoken language technology development in the ATIS domain, and enables users to book flights using the American Airlines EAASY SABRE system. The input query is transformed by the speech understanding system to a frame representation that captures its meaning. The tasks of the System Manager include transforming the semantic representation into an EAASY SABRE command, transmitting it to the application backend, formatting and interpreting the resulting information, and managing the dialogue. Preliminary evaluation results suggest that users can learn to make productive use of PEGASUS for travel planning, although much work remains to be done.
Chemotherapy of the gastrointestinal tract with reference to surgery

There are certain agents that should and can be used with safety and efficacy in the preoperative preparation of the colon for elective colon surgery. While there are certain dangers in the use of any drug, the advantages to be gained from preoperative intestinal antisepsis so far outweigh the disadvantages that one should not omit this therapeutic adjunct.
A Turbomachinery Blade Design and Optimization Procedure

With the development of the advanced technology, the combustion temperature is raised for increased efficiencies. At the same time, the turbine and compressor pressure ratio and the mass flow rate rise; thus causing turbine and compressor blades turning and blade lengths increase. Moreover, the high efficiency requirements had made the turbine and compressor blade design difficult. A turbine airfoil has been custom designed for many years, but an optimization for the section design in a three-dimensional consideration is still a challenge. For a compressor blade design, standard section cannot meet the modern compressor requirements. Modern compressor design has not only needs a custom designed section according to flow situation, but also needs three-dimensional optimizations. Therefore, a good blade design process is critical to the turbines and compressors. A blade design of the turbomachines is one of the important steps for a good turbomachine design. A blade design process not only directly influences the overall machine efficiency but also dramatically impact the design time and cost. In this study, a blade design and optimization procedure was proposed for both turbine and compressor blade design. A compressor blade design was used as a test case. It was shown that the current design process had more advantages than conventional design methodology.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
PopTherapy: coping with stress through pop-culture

Stress is considered to be a modern day "global epidemic"; so given the widespread nature of this problem, it would be beneficial if solutions that help people to learn how to cope better with stress were scalable beyond what individual or group therapies can provide today. Therefore, in this work, we study the potential of smart-phones as a pervasive medium to provide therapy for the general population - "popular therapy". The work melds two novel contributions: first, a micro-intervention authoring process that focuses on repurposing popular web applications as stress management interventions; and second, a machine-learning based intervention recommender system that learns how to match interventions to individuals and their temporal circumstances over time. After four weeks, participants in our user study reported higher self-awareness of stress, lower depression-related symptoms and having learned new simple ways to deal with stress. Furthermore, participants receiving the machine-learning recommendations without option to select different ones showed a tendency towards using more constructive coping behaviors.
Temperature Dependent Models To Predict Regional Differences in Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Phenology

Western corn rootworms, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, only recently have become a serious corn pest in New York and other states in the Northeast. Because soil conditions, topography, and climate differ from the Midwest corn belt, questions arose as to the validity of previously published phenology models. Our study evaluated larval occurrence and adult emergence of western and northern corn rootworm, D. barberi Smith & Lawrence, in 11 fields in central New York during 1991 (2 fields), 1992 (3 fields), and 1993 (6 fields). Logistic regression models predicted cumulative occurrence/emergence from Julian date or degree-day accumulations calculated from either soil (base 11°C) or air temperatures. Air temperature degree-days were calculated for minimum thresholds ranging from 1-16°C. Additional accumulations were determined by varying the maximum developmental threshold from 1°C above the lower threshold to 30°C. Minimum thresholds in the latter series of calculations were set equal to 4, 6, 9, and 11°C. Julian date was a relatively poor predictor of all immature and adult stages. However, accuracy of air temperature models was dependent on choice of thresholds. The best fitting air temperature models either used minimum developmental thresholds near 6°C for immature stages and 1-2°C for adult emergence or calculated degree-days using a minimum threshold of 11°C and a maximum threshold of 18°C. Both soil and air temperature models indicated regional differences in immature development and adult emergence. Although site-specific models gave the best prediction of western corn rootworm adult emergence, adult emergence at New York and Illinois sites could be predicted by adjusting daily air temperature degree-days by the expected accumulations from 1 January to 30 September.
Histopathological, hematological, condition-factor, and organ weight changes associated with selenium accumulation in fish from Belews Lake, North Carolina

Green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) were collected from two study sites in Belews Lake, North Carolina, for assessment of correlations between several biological parameters and bioaccumulation of selenium. The fish had elevated concentrations of selenium in the hepatopancreas (liver) and exhibited histopathological and other manifestations of selenium poisoning. Condition-factors of Belews Lake fish were significantly correlated with selenium concentrations in hepatopancreas and skeletal muscle, indicative of capillary permeability changes and resultant edema, supported by the occurrence of significantly increased hepatopancreas-weight-to-body weight ratios in the fish having the higher tissue selenium levels. Gill lamellae were noticeably swollen and vacuolated. Hematocrits of the selenium-contaminated fish were significantly lower than those of the reference fish. The hepatopancreas exhibited lymphocyte infiltration, vacuolation of parenchymal hepatocytes around the central veins, and increased numbers of Kupffer cells. The mesonephros exhibited focal intra-capillary proliferative glomerulonephritis. Hearts showed swollen, inflammatory cell-filled pericardial spaces, diagnosed as possible uremia-induced pericarditis. Ovaries in fish with the higher liver selenium levels exhibited numerous necrotic and ruptured egg follicles. These conditions were observed in the Belews Lake Site 2 fish, but did not occur in reference green sunfish, nor did they occur consistently in fish from the less-contaminated Belews Lake Site 1.
Treatment of Intraocular Proliferation with Intravitreal Injection of Triamcinolone Acetonide

We studied the inhibitory effect of triamcinolone acetonide on experimental intraocular proliferation. Autotransplantation of fibroblasts from rabbit rump skin into the vitreous cavity resulted in intravitreal strand formation and traction retinal detachment in 36 of 43 eyes (84%) over a period of three months. A single intravitreal injection of 1 mg of triamcinolone acetonide inhibited fibroblast growth and significantly reduced the number of retinal detachments in 15 of 44 eyes (34%). Retinal neovascularization caused by fibrous strands coming into contact with vacularized retina was also reduced by triamcinolone acetonide (31 of 43 control eyes [72%] vs eight of 44 treated eyes [18%]). Intravitreal corticosteroid therapy may be an important adjunct to the therapy of perforating injuries and massive periretinal proliferation.
Antagonism of opiate-like, lanthanum-induced analgesia by naloxone, 2 mg/kg, in rats.

Abstract Lanthanum chloride (La +3 ; 1 mol) was microcannulated into the ventral central gray of rats. The latency to tail-flick and to face-rub (both evoked by noxious heat) was elevated to about 250% of a sham control condition. Naloxone, 2 mg/kg, antagonized the analgesia, reducing the latencies to values not different, in most cases, from control values.
Two decades of urban soil interpretations in fairfax county, Virginia

Two decades of soil interpretation in rapidly expanding Fairfax County, Virginia, caught in the urban sprawl of metropolitan Washington, D.C., have dramatically demonstrated the essential role of soil information as a basic tool for diversified land utilization. Merging the traditionally separated roles of soil interpretation for agricultural and urban sectors, the Fairfax program has pioneered the role of the urban soil scientist and paved the way for widespread usage of soil surveys in urban areas. Emerging from isolated problem solving, the program has integrated with existing agencies and other disciplines on a functional basis to provide protection and economic savings to the general public.
Artificial adaptive systems and fuzzy measures for translation of clinical trial results to the bedside

Medical science relies uniquely on statistical evidence from large clinical trials or laboratory experiments to deal with uncertainties regarding clinical decisions. The statistical evidence is stated in probabilities. Probability theory is based on the logical rules set forth by Aristotle: the law of noncontradiction, excluded middle, and identity. Thus, medical science assumes that variables such as disease and treatment relate or interact only in certain ways and the statistical evidence defines the presence of these relations. Experiments seek to find these certain predefined relations among variables, relations that then predict in terms of probabilities their behavior over time. Living systems are nonlinear and complex, which means that the relations among variables not only change over time, but their behavior over time changes in response to the change in one another in unpredictable ways. A patient is a living system and as such is a dynamic system of the type described. Because patients have different genetic and contextual makeup, there is no reason to assume they share a common dynamic. One goal of medical science should be to discover the behavioral dynamic of variables of interest in a given patient to individualize treatment appropriate to that system. Ideally this would be in real time so that diagnostic and treatment decisions adapt to dynamic change. Artificial adaptive systems on the one hand and fuzzy theory on the other are two scientific approaches toward this end.