cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Right ventricular function is reduced during cardiac surgery independent of procedural characteristics, reoperative status, or pericardiotomy.

Abstract Objectives Long-axis right ventricular (RV) function, which provides nearly 80% of RV ejection, acutely decreases during cardiac surgery. RV dysfunction increases risk for perioperative morbidity and mortality. Our objective was to characterize the change in perioperative RV long-axis and global function by determining the influence of procedure type, surgical approach, and reoperative status and examining its temporal relationship to pericardiotomy versus cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and cardioplegia. Methods Standardized transesophageal echocardiographic examinations (TEEs) were prospectively performed in 109 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, mitral or aortic valve surgery, and/or aortic surgery via full sternotomy, mini-sternotomy, or right thoracotomy. Mid-esophageal, 4-chamber views centered on the RV were recorded at 4 intraoperative time points, following: (1) anesthetic induction; (2) pericardiotomy; (3) CPB; and (4) chest closure. Long-axis RV function was assessed by tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion and 2-dimensional longitudinal RV strain, and global RV function by fractional area change (FAC), calculated off-line from 2-dimensional TEE images. Results TEE measures of RV function were significantly reduced after CPB compared with baseline (baseline vs after CPB: TAPSE 2.2 [Q1, Q3: 1.8, 2.5] vs 1.5 [1.1, 1.7] mm; RV strain −22 [−24, −18] vs −16 [−20, −14] %; FAC 45 [35, 51] vs 42 [34, 49] %), but not after pericardiotomy. Reduced RV function persisted after chest closure: tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion 1.3 [1.0, 1.6] mm, RV strain −16 [−18, −13]%, FAC 38 [31, 46] %. Reduced function was demonstrated across cardiac surgical procedures, approaches, and primary and reoperative surgery. Conclusions Acute intraoperative reduction in RV function occurs following CPB, independent of procedural characteristics and pericardiotomy. Etiology and clinical implications of reduced perioperative RV function remain to be determined.
CHA2DS2-VASc Score and In-Hospital Mortality in Critically Ill Patients With New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation.

Objective To examine the role of the CHA2DS2-VASc (Congestive heart failure; Hypertension; Age ≥75 years [doubled]; Diabetes; previous Stroke, transient ischemic attack, or thromboembolism [doubled]; Vascular disease; Age 65-75 years; and Sex category) score as a prognostic marker of in-hospital mortality in critically ill patients who develop new-onset atrial fibrillation (NOAF). Design Retrospective analyses. Setting A single-center study in a tertiary care academic medical center. Participants The study comprised all adult patients with NOAF admitted to noncardiac intensive care units (ICUs) at a tertiary care academic institution between January 2009 and March 2016. Interventions None. Measurements and Main Results The authors retrospectively reviewed electronic medical records of all adult patients admitted to noncardiac ICUs at a tertiary care academic institution between January 2009 and March 2016. Patients with NOAF were identified and their CHA2DS2-VASc score was calculated. The authors evaluated the association of CHA2DS2-VASc score and its individual components with in-hospital mortality in these patients. A total of 640 (1.7% [38,708 patients]; 95% CI 1.5%-1.8%) patients developed NOAF during the study period. The in-hospital mortality rate in patients included in the analysis was 14.3%. There was no association between in-hospital mortality and CHA2DS2VASc score. However, the likelihood of in-hospital death was 1.56 times greater for patients having atrial fibrillation and concomitant vascular disease (95% CI 1.003-2.429; p = 0.049). Conclusions New-onset atrial fibrillation is common in critically ill patients and is associated with high in-hospital mortality. The authors found that the CHA2DS2-VASc score itself is not a reliable prognostic marker of in-hospital mortality in these patients. However, the presence of vascular disease in patients with NOAF may increase the mortality associated with this disease.
Perceptions about air quality of individuals who work outdoors in the San Joaquin Valley, California

Abstract The San Joaquin valley (SJV) is known for having poor air quality and high rates of respiratory illnesses including asthma. This study was aimed to assess the perceptions about air quality of individuals who work outdoors in the San Joaquin Valley, California. Surveys were conducted with SJV residents (n = 198) to understand attitudes, perceptions of air quality, and behaviors related to air pollution of individuals who work outdoors. The results suggest that people who worry more about air quality tend to check air quality more often. It was found that individuals who suffer from asthma are more likely to check air quality when working and exercising outdoors. In addition, the differences on how people utilize informational sources regarding air quality were observed. Conclusion: Therefore, there is a need to further study attitudes and perceptions about air quality among populations who work outdoors.
Studies of hypoxia response and regulation of hypoxia-inducible factor HIF-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans

The human hypoxia-inducible transcription factor HIF-1 is a critical regulator of cellular and systemic responses to low oxygen levels. When oxygen levels are high, the HIFla subunit is hydroxylated and is targeted for degradation by the von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein (pVHL). This regulatory pathway is evolutionary conserved, and the Caenorhabditis elegans hif-1 and vhl-1 genes encode homologs of the HEF-la subunit and VHL. To understand and describe more fully the molecular basis for hypoxia response in this important genetic model system, we compared hypoxia-induced changes in mRNA expression in wild-type, hif-1 -deficient, and vhl-1 -deficient C. elegans using whole genome microarrays. These studies identified 110 hypoxia-regulated gene expression changes, 63 of which require hif-1 function. Mutation of vhl-1 abrogates most hif-1-dependent changes in
Reasoning With Interval-Valued Probabilities

Adequate representative statistical training data needed for machine learning algorithms are often unavailable and, when available, they are often mired in incomplete/missing data. Imputation of such data must be guided by the relationships among different variables and/or by data ‘missingness’ mechanisms. Interval-valued (IV) probabilities are better suited in situations where such information is unavailable. We take the viewpoint that IV probabilities (IVPs) emerge from a single underlying probability distribution about which one has only partial information. PrBounds, the IVPs that this vantage point engenders, offer a fresh perspective of the IV counterpart notions of conditioning and independence and enable reasoning to be carried out in much the same manner as one would with probabilities. When the attribute values are unknown/missing or are known to lie within a set of values, PrBounds can be efficiently learnt by a frequency counting method. The probabilities associated with an arbitrary imputation strategy, including the underlying ‘true’ probabilities, are guaranteed to lie within the PrBounds learnt in this manner. We present an experiment to illustrate the proposed framework.
The Same Dynamics, Different Tactics: Domestic Violence During COVID-19

The novel COVID-19 pandemic provides a space for new abusive tactics to be utilized by perpetrators of domestic violence (DV). The dynamics of DV situations have been researched and have been of cl...
Golgotha and the burial of Adam between Jewish and Christian tradition: Text and monument

The curious name of Golgotha, and its translations provided by the evangelists, became a focal point for interpretation, opening the door for new Christological concepts to become affixed to it. As these novel Christological interpretations accrued around Golgotha, they would eventually crystallise, and become a fixed part of the commemoration of Jesus in Palestine. Starting with Origen, third and fourth century Christian authors strongly associate the place of Jesus’s crucifixion with the burial place of Adam.
Network reinforcement

We give an algorithm for the following problem: given a graph G=(V,E) with edge-weights and a nonnegative integer k, find a minimum cost set of edges that contains k disjoint spanning trees. This also solves the following reinforcement problem: given a network, a number k and a set of candidate edges, each of them with an associated cost, find a minimum cost set of candidate edges to be added to the network so it contains k disjoint spanning trees. The number k is seen as a measure of the invulnerability of a network. Our algorithm has the same asymptotic complexity as |V| applications of the minimum cut algorithm of Goldberg & Tarjan.
Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs of Parents of Youth Basketball Players Regarding Sport Specialization and College Scholarship Availability:

Background:Previous surveys of youth sport parents have revealed that while parents believe early sport specialization is beneficial for improving sport ability, they also overestimate their child’...
High-resolution home location prediction from Twitter activities using consensus deep learning

Timely and high-resolution estimates of the home locations of a sufficiently large subset of the population are critical for effective disaster response and public health intervention, but this is still an open problem. Conventional data sources, such as census and surveys, have a substantial time lag and cannot capture seasonal trends. Recently, social media data has been exploited to address this problem by leveraging its large user-base and real-time nature. However, inherent sparsity and noise, along with large estimation uncertainty in home locations, have limited their effectiveness. Consequently, much of previous research has aimed only at a coarse spatial resolution, with accuracy being limited for high-resolution methods. In this paper, we develop a consensus deep-learning solution that uses two deep neural networks to deal with sparse and noisy social media data. In the first step, high accuracy is achieved by implementing a deep neural network that has more balanced home location candidates, using batch normalization, and duplicating home location records. We obtained over 92% accuracy for large subsets on a commonly used dataset. Compared to other high-resolution methods, our approach yields up to 60% error reduction by reducing high-resolution home prediction error from over 21% to less than 8%. Systematic comparisons show that our method gives the highest accuracy both for the entire sample and for subsets. Evaluation on a real-world public health problem further validates the effectiveness of our approach.
Wound Complications with Multiple Wrist Incisions in Distal Radius Reconstruction

Background Placement and spacing of skin incisions are important for maintaining soft tissue perfusion and viability, particularly in the setting of local trauma. Question/Purpose The aim of this article is to determine if multiple skin incisions in the surgical management of distal radius fractures result in an increased risk of postoperative wound complications, particularly in the setting of high-energy mechanisms of injury with substantial initial displacement and associated soft-tissue insult that require multiple incisions for distal radius reconstruction. Patients and Methods A multicenter, retrospective chart review was performed for all adult patients who underwent open reduction, internal fixation of a closed distal radius fracture with multiple (≥2) hand, and wrist incisions with minimum follow-up of 6 weeks. Primary outcome measures included wound healing complications such as partial or complete skin necrosis, dehiscence, delayed healing, and superficial or deep infections. Results For 118 wrists, a total of 305 incisions were utilized, averaging 2.6 incisions per patient (range: 2–6) with the flexor carpi radialis and dorsal distal radius approaches occurring in 86 and 78% of cases, respectively. One patient was identified as having a pyogenic granuloma along an incision. However, two patients were identified as having wound concerns, including fracture blisters (n = 1) and wound margin epidermolysis (n = 1) along the incision. There were no cases of skin bridge necrosis, delayed healing, wound dehiscence, or infection. Conclusions There is no increased risk of wound healing complications with the use of multiple skin incisions (≥2) in the surgical management of distal radius fractures, afforded by the abundant and robust angiosomes around the wrist. Surgeons should have the confidence to utilize the necessary number of skin incisions to effectively reconstruct distal radius fractures.
Cannabis and emotion processing: A review of behavioral, physiological, and neural responses.

While previous research has indicated that alcohol use is associated with difficulties in emotion processing and socioemotional functioning, less is known about the effects of cannabis on these functions. The purpose of this review article is to provide the current state of knowledge on the effects of cannabis on emotion processing with regard to behavioral, physiological, and neural responses. This narrative review synthesizes previous research investigating the effects of cannabis on emotion processing across studies that have utilized a number of experimental approaches to determine both the acute and chronic effects of cannabis on emotion processing. Limitations of current research and steps for future directions are discussed. Existing research has shown that cannabis use is associated with difficulties in emotion processing, such as impairments in correctly identifying emotions and problems with emotion differentiation. Electroencephalography (EEG) studies have produced mixed findings, but have considered a number of variables, such as participant sex, and comorbid depression. In addition, while there are mixed findings for the effects of cannabis on amygdalar brain activity across functional magnetic resonance imaging studies, several studies indicate that cannabis use is linked with decreased brain response in the frontal lobe while viewing emotional stimuli. To our knowledge, this is one of the first critical review articles focused on an emerging research area of cannabis and emotion processing. Synthesizing the existing findings in this developing research field is important for future prevention and intervention studies focused on promoting healthy socioemotional functioning in cannabis users. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Attribute Constrained Rules for Partially Labeled Sequence Completion

Sequential pattern and rule mining have been the focus of much research, however predicting missing sets of elements within a sequence remains a challenge. Recent work in survey design suggests that if these missing elements can be inferred with a higher degree of certainty, it could greatly reduce the time burden on survey participants. To address this problem and the more general problem of missing sensor data, we introduce a new form of constrained sequential rules that use attribute presence to better capture rule confidence in sequences with missing data than previous constraint based techniques. Specifically we examine the problem of given a partially labeled sequence of sets, how well can the missing attributes be inferred. Our study shows this technique significantly improves prediction robustness when even large amounts of data are missing compared to traditional techniques.
Anti-Forensics of double JPEG compression detection

In this paper, a simple yet effective anti-forensic scheme capable of misleading double JPEG compression detection techniques is proposed. Based on image resizing with bilinear interpolation, the proposed operation aims at destroying JPEG grid structure while preserving reasonably good image quality. Given a doubly compressed image, our attack modifies the image by JPEG decompressing, shrinking and zooming the image with bilinear interpolation before JPEG compression with the same quality factor as used in the given image. The efficacy of the proposed scheme has been evaluated on two prominent double JPEG detection techniques and the outcome reveals that the proposed scheme is mostly effective, especially in the cases that the first quality factor is lower than the second quality factor.
Gentrification, Transit, and Land Use: Moving Beyond Neoclassical Theory

Despite attention to social equity in the way public transit services are distributed, little work has considered how transportation systems may impact social equity through land use changes, particularly gentrification. Existing research on transportation and land use has been grounded primarily in a neoclassical urban economic perspective. However, the neoclassical framework is limited in its ability to handle issues of social justice such as the gentrification process. Meanwhile, critical gentrification literature has seldom considered the potential influence of transport systems to alter the distribution of accessibility benefits within a city. It is argued that a Marxist approach that considers the roles of capital and class in the gentrification process offers a better understanding of how transit infrastructure matters and contributes to a reinvigoration of transport geography. Finally, some directions for future research are suggested.
Apoptosis: A Process with a (β)NAC for Complexity

Most programmed cell deaths in the nematode C. elegans require ced-3 caspase activity. In a recent paper, Bloss et al. (2003) reveal a new C. elegans death inhibitor, icd-1, whose loss can promote apoptosis independently of ced-3.
Social scientists' satisfaction with data reuse

Much of the recent research on digital data repositories has focused on assessing either the trustworthiness of the repository or quantifying the frequency of data reuse. Satisfaction with the data reuse experience, however, has not been widely studied. Drawing from the information systems and information science literature, we developed a model to examine the relationship between data quality and data reusers' satisfaction. Based on a survey of 1,480 journal article authors who cited Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research ICPSR data in published papers from 2008-2012, we found several data quality attributes-completeness, accessibility, ease of operation, and credibility-had significant positive associations with data reusers' satisfaction. There was also a significant positive relationship between documentation quality and data reusers' satisfaction.
Co-Perpetration: German Dogmatik or German Invasion?

The ICC's doctrine of co-perpetration is heavily influenced by German criminal law theory. To some judges and observers, the ICC’s importation of Claus Roxin’s famous Control Theory of Perpetration is evidence that the ICC is finally getting serious about criminal law theory. To critics, though, the application of a particularly Germanic interpretation of co-perpetration is evidence that one legal culture is having an outsized influenced on the direction of the court’s jurisprudence.In order to understand and evaluate this complaint, it is necessary to situate the current doctrines within historical context, since in many respects the ICC’s doctrine of co-perpetration is a reaction against the modes of liability applied at the ICTY and the ICTR. After providing that historical context, this Commentary will analyze the foundations of the ICC doctrine, explain and evaluate the most notable objections to it, and consider alternate versions that could be applied by the ICC in place of Roxin’s Control Theory of Perpetration. The resulting picture suggests a growing influence of criminal law theory in The Hague as judges struggle to interpret Article 25 of the Rome Statute, a provision not known for its doctrinal sophistication. The result is a set of ICC decisions that might even lay the groundwork for an emerging international Dogmatik, a sui generis discipline that could also be described as "international criminal law theory." Despite these positive efforts, though, the court has done insufficient work to justify its methodology (in particular its substantial reliance on German sources) and to properly ground its importation of domestic criminal law theory within a general theory of sources of international law. The following Commentary will detail this emerging trend and critically evaluate the positive and negative aspects of the ICC doctrine of co-perpetration.
ROLE OF CARBON DIOXIDE IN THE CONTROL OF FRUITING OF SCHIZOPHYLLUM COMMUNE

Abstract Niederpruem, Donald J. (Indiana University Medical Center, Indianapolis). Role of carbon dioxide in the control of fruiting of Schizophyllum commune. J. Bacteriol. 85:1300–1308. 1963.—Compatible matings of Schizophyllum commune carried out in sealed chambers showed good vegetative growth and clamp-connection formation but fruiting was markedly inhibited. This inhibition was reversed by either aeration or the inclusion of alkali in the chambers. These phenomena occurred on a defined medium, with glucose as the primary carbon source, and were dependent on the level of carbohydrate employed. Gas mixtures of air-CO2 (95:5) severely restricted the fruiting process when applied during mating or before the formation of fruit body primordia. It is proposed that respiratory CO2 plays an important role in the regulation of form of S. commune.
Pituitary Adenylyl Cyclase‐Activating Polypeptide and Nerve Growth Factor Use the Proteasome to Rescue Nerve Growth Factor‐Deprived Sympathetic Neurons Cultured From Chick Embryos

Abstract: Removal of nerve growth factor (NGF) from sympathetic neurons initiates a neuronal death program and apoptosis. We show that pituitary adenylyl cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) prevents apoptosis in NGF-deprived sympathetic neurons. PACAP (100 nM) added to culture medium at the time of plating failed to support neuronal survival. However, in neurons grown for 2 days with NGF and then deprived of NGF, PACAP prevented cell death for the next 24–48 h. Uptake of [3H]norepinephrine ([3H]NE) was used as an index of survival and decreased >50% in NGF-deprived cultures within 24 h. PACAP (1–100 nM) restored [3H]NE uptake to 92 ± 8% of that of NGF-supported controls. Depolarization-induced [3H]NE release in neurons rescued by PACAP was the same as that in NGF-supported neurons. PACAP rescue was not mimicked by forskolin or 8-bromo-cyclic AMP and was not blocked by the protein kinase A inhibitor Rp-adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphothioate. Mobilization of phosphatidylinositol by muscarine failed to support NGF-deprived neurons. Thus, PACAP may use novel signaling to promote survival of sympathetic neurons. The apoptosis-associated caspase CPP32 activity increased approximately fourfold during 6 h of NGF withdrawal (145 ± 40 versus 38 ± 17 nmol of substrate cleaved/min/mg of protein) and returned to even below the control level in NGF-deprived, PACAP-rescued cultures (14 ± 7 nmol/min/mg of protein). Readdition of NGF or PACAP to NGF-deprived cultures reversed CPP32 activation, and this was blocked by lactacystin, a potent and specific inhibitor of the 20S proteasome, suggesting that NGF and PACAP target CPP32 for destruction by the proteasome. As PACAP is a preganglionic neurotransmitter in autonomic ganglia, we propose a novel function for this transmitter as an apoptotic rescuer of sympathetic neurons when the supply of NGF is compromised.
Deductive data modeling: a new trend in database management for decision support systems

Abstract Researches in data base are now placing more and more emphasis on deductive data base management systems (D-DBMS). This paper discusses the use of D-DBMS in decision support systems (DSS). A D-DBMS is an outgrowth of deductive systems in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data base management systems (DBMS). Initially, the paper discusses deductive systems and evaluative systems. A framework is then presented which ties the two systems together. A macro definition of a deductive data model is also presented.
Induction of immune tolerance to FIX following muscular AAV gene transfer is AAV-dose/FIX-level dependent.

Direct intramuscular injection (IM) of adeno-associated virus (AAV) has been proven a safe and potentially efficient procedure for gene therapy of many genetic diseases including hemophilia B. It is, however, contentious whether high antigen level induces tolerance or immunity to coagulation factor IX (FIX) following IM of AAV. We recently reported induction of FIX-specific immune tolerance by IM of AAV serotype one (AAV1) vector in mice. We hypothesize that the expression of high levels of FIX is critical to induction of FIX tolerance. In this study, we investigated the correlation among AAV dose, FIX expression, and tolerance induction. We observed that induction of immune tolerance or immunity to FIX was dependent on the dose of AAV1–human FIX (hFIX) given and the level of FIX antigen expressed in both normal and hemophilia mice. We then defined the minimum AAV1–hFIX dose and the lowest level of FIX needed for FIX tolerance. Different from hepatic AAV–hFIX gene transfer, we found that FIX tolerance induced by IM of AAV1 was not driven by regulatory T cells. These results provided further insight into the mechanism(s) of FIX tolerance, contributing to development of hemophilia gene therapy, and optimization of FIX tolerance induction protocols.
Power Struggles: Techniques to Defuse Them.

Student-adult power struggles, this writer warns, are inevitable. What is not inevitable are the ineffective ways educators typically respond to them. Some successful alternatives are outlined here.
Clonal heterogeneity of wild mouse leukemia viruses: host ranges and antigenicity.

Abstract Type C RNA virus from feral mice ( Mus musculus ) was found to consist of two distinct virus populations: mouse-tropic, positive in the XC test, and amphotropic, with broad host range and negative in the XC test. Serum neutralization revealed antigenic differences among mouse-tropic and amphotropic clonal isolates and between these viruses and standard laboratory leukemia virus strains.
The Effects of “Going Private” Using Private Equity: The Newly Private Corporation and the Dimensions of Corporate Performance

The trend toward private ownership of corporations prompts a reexamination of the dimensions of corporate performance under a governance system that includes powerful owners and a reduced public presence. Using insights from corporate social responsibility and stakeholder theories and informed by agency theory, we develop a model regarding the performance implications of public corporations going private through the use of private equity. We put forth that in general going private tends to result in greater emphasis on corporate financial performance and in lesser emphasis on corporate social performance (CSP). Yet several variables, including the firm's capitalization, its post-going-private exit strategy, and its managerial discretion, are proposed to moderate the negative relationship between going private and CSP.
The telecommuting paradox

Despite advances in information technology, telecommuting, or work away from the workplace (at home, on the road, etc.) via low‐bandwidth telephone lines, remains an inhibited phenomenon. High bandwidth communication available at the workplace, on the other hand, enables members of virtual teams to collaborate with peers and share information and knowledge despite being dispersed at several work locations. Members of virtual teams thus substitute real proximity to information resources and to knowledgeable peers with virtual proximity and are better positioned for effective group collaboration than telecommuters. The “telecommuting paradox” is that, despite enormous improvements in IT, the prevalence of telecommuting is lower than expected. In an attempt to shed light on the paradox, focuses on the infrastructural factors that have affected telecommuting throughout its history.
Algebraic improvements of numerical algorithms: Interpolation and economization of Taylor series

We improve the known solutions of the problems of numerical polynomial interpolation and economization of Taylor series; in both cases the improvement relies on the algebraic computation techniques.
ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A NEAR-DIPLOID DIFFERENTIATED CELL LINE FROM A MURINE TERATOCARCINOMA THAT DIFFERENTIATES INTO MUSCLE

Cell lines corresponding to various cell lineages of the mouse embryo have been isolated from murine teratocarcinomas. Embryonal carcinoma cell lines are developmentally equivalent to the embryonic ectoderm or inner cell mass. Most of these cell lines have a modal chromosome number equal or close to 40, the normal mouse complement. However, cell lines corresponding to more advanced cell lineages (e. g., endoderm) are tetraploid or hypotetraploid and display multiple chromosomal rearrangements. This paper describes the isolation of a near-diploid differentiated cell line (LT-D) from an LT teratocarcinoma. The modal chromosome number of LT-D is 40, and this number is stable during at least 12 mo of continuous culture. LT-D cells are morphologically distinct from embryonal carcinoma cells and no longer express the SSEA-1 cell surface antigen or high alkaline phosphatase activity characteristic of embryonal carcinoma cells. LT-D cells can be induced to fuse into structures resembling myotubes. The formation of these structures is accompanied by expression of the muscle-specific isozyme of creatine phosphokinase and desmin, a muscle-specific component of intermediate filaments. Lastly, LT-D cells do not form tumors in syngenetic mice.
A new paradigm: Data-aware scheduling in grid computing

Efficient and reliable access to large-scale data sources and archiving destinations in a widely distributed computing environment brings new challenges. The insufficiency of the traditional systems and existing CPU-oriented batch schedulers in addressing these challenges has yielded a new emerging era: data-aware schedulers. In this article, we discuss the limitations of the traditional CPU-oriented batch schedulers in handling the challenging data management problem of large-scale distributed applications; give our vision for the new paradigm in data-intensive scheduling; and elaborate on our case study: the Stork data placement scheduler.
Time series prediction using chaotic neural networks on the CATS benchmark

K"I"I"I is a strongly biologically inspired neural network model. It has a multi-layer architecture with excitatory and inhibitory neurons, which have massive lateral, feedforward, and delayed feedback connections between layers. K"I"I"I has been shown to be an efficient tool of classification and pattern recognition. In this work, we develop a methodology to use K"I"I"I for multi-step time series prediction. This method is applied to the IJCNN CATS benchmark data. Taking into account the results of CATS competition, we improve upon our method by tuning the K-network parameters, therefore providing a better set of parameters for prediction task.
Crystal and molecular structure of a hexaazamacrocycle

The crystal and molecular structure of the hexaazamacrocycle C24H14N6 has been determined from X-ray diffractometer data. The crystals are monoclinic, space groupP21/c witha = 4.416(1),b = 9.972(4),c = 18.955(12) A, β = 95.48(4) °, andZ = 2. The structure was derived from 536 reflections using direct and Fourier methods and was refined by least squares toR = 0.038. The polar molecules form stacks along thea axis with an inclination of 68 ° and an interplanar distance of 3.32 A. The size of the central hole of the molecule is defined by the diagonal distances N(2) ⋯ N(2′) = 3.681(10) and N(3) ⋯ N(3′) = 3.771(9) A of theo-phenanthroline nitrogens. This is too small to accommodate Pd2+ or Pt2+ in the hole.
Elastic strain energy and the distribution coefficient of radium in solid solutions with calcium salts

Distribution coefficients for radium in heterogeneous equilibrium with gypsum and calcite were determined with solid solutions containing Ra in the mole fraction range 10−10 to 10−7 at 25 ± 3°C. The correlation approach of Langmuir and Riese for predicting empirical distribution coefficients is improved when a term for the elastic strain energy is included for the case in which the Ca atom is replaced by the larger Ra atom. A method is described in which distribution coefficients can be estimated and applied in geochemical equilibrium models to account for Ra incorporation into sulfates, carbonates, and halides when radium-containing wastes are chemically treated. It is suggested that the method may have application to radium-containing minerals, in general.
Gurney Flap Experiments on Airfoils, Wings, and Reflection Plane Model

The effect of Gurney e aps on two-dimensional airfoils, three-dimensional wings, and a ree ection plane model were investigated. There have been a number of studies on Gurney e aps in recent years, but these studies have been limited to two-dimensional airfoil sections. A comprehensive investigation on the effect of Gurney e aps for a wide range of cone gurations and test conditions was conducted at Wichita State University. A symmetric NACA 0011 and a cambered GA (W)-2 airfoil were used during the single-element airfoil part of this investigation. The GA (W)-2 airfoil was also used during the two-element airfoil study with a 25% chord slotted e ap dee ected at 10, 20, and 30 deg. Straight and tapered ree ection plane wings with natural laminar e ow (NLF) airfoil sections were tested for the three-dimensional wing part of this investigation. A fuselage and engine were attached to the tapered NLF wing for the ree ection plane model investigation. In all cases the Gurney e ap improved the maximum lift coefe cient compared to the baseline clean cone guration. However, there was a drag penalty associated with this lift increase.
Seasonal inhibitory effects of marine plants on sea urchins: structuring communities the algal way

Natural and manipulative experiments were used to evaluate the effect of algal cover on sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus polyacanthus) distribution on submarine pinnacles at Shemya Island in the western Aleutian Archipelago. In July, pinnacle tops had dense kelp stands with low densities of sea urchins. In subsequent months, urchin densities increased as annual algal cover declined. In the summer, removal of specific combinations of macroalgae from the pinnacle tops resulted in an increase in urchin density. Artificial structures that imitated certain common seaweeds were placed on pinnacle tops and inhibited urchin movement. Clod cards that were used to measure relative abrasion rates on vegetated and cleared pinnacles demonstrated that algae cause a significant amount of abrasion. This study showed that the physical structure of the dominant annual alga, Desmarestia viridis, is capable of limiting sea urchin distribution, movement, and grazing. In this study, a potential food source actively controlled herbivore distribution and was the primary cause for the persistence of isolated kelp communities surrounded by barrens dominated by sea urchin grazing.
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Diagnosis and Treatment

Traditionally, the goal of therapy in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) has been palliative, with first-line therapy using alkylating agents and/or involved field radiotherapy (depending on the stage of disease and sites of involvement) because of the older age of affected patients and the low rate of complete remissions (CRs) with no improvement in overall survival despite treatment. With increasing knowledge about the biology, molecular genetics, and prognostic factors of the disease, the philosophy of care for patients with CLL has evolved from palliation to aiming for a potential cure, especially in younger patients. Furthermore, multiple treatment options have emerged, including purine analogues, monoclonal antibodies, and potentially stem cell transplantation. These have been associated with higher frequencies of CRs and longer durations of responses compared to conventional chemotherapy. In addition, a subset of patients treated with chemoimmunotherapy can achieve durable CRs and molecular remissions. This may translate into improved disease-free survival and potentially a "cure." Because of the heterogeneous nature of CLL, new prognostic markers are currently being incorporated into clinical trials to determine their role in routine clinical practice. This review summarizes current therapeutic regimens that are being evaluated in patients with CLL and management of disease-related complications.
Quinazolincs. X. Direct formation of aminoquinazolines from hydroxyquinazolines and phenyl phosphorodiamidate

Treatment of several types of liydroxyquinazoline ring systems with phenyl phosphorodiamidate resulted in direct formation of the corresponding aminoquinazolines. The reaction can be conducted either by fusion in the absence of solvent or with diphenyl ether added as a diluent. The main advantage of the method is that it obviates the usual requirement for chlori-nation or thiation prior to animation.
Unconscious thinking, feeling and behavior toward products and brands: Introduction to a Journal of Brand Management special issue

This introduction reviews the motivating forces behind this issue, exploring the role of nonconscious consumer behavior in branding environments. The article establishes a foundation of unconscious research in psychology and consumer behavior, and then provides an introduction to the four articles that follow. The article concludes with a call to adopt an inclusive interpretive–positivistic stance to the study of unconscious consumer–brand behavior, attitudes and beliefs.
Janus Kinase 2 Enhances the Stability of the Mature Growth Hormone Receptor

The abundance of surface GH receptor (GHR) is an important determinantofcellularGHsensitivityandisregulatedatboth transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. In previous studies of GHR-expressing Janus kinase 2 (JAK2)-deficient human fibrosarcoma cells (2A-GHR), we demonstrated that stable transfection with JAK2 resulted in increased steadystate levels of mature GHR (endoH-resistant; relative molecular mass, 115–140 kDa) relative to precursor GHR (endoHsensitive; relative molecular mass, 100 kDa). We now examine further the effects of JAK2 on GHR trafficking by comparing 2A-GHR to 2A-GHR cells stably reconstituted with JAK2 (C14 cells). In the presence of JAK2, GHR surface expression was increased, as assessed by surface biotinylation, 125 I-labeled human GH cell surface binding, and immunofluorescence microscopy assays. Although the absence of JAK2 precluded GH-stimulated signaling, GH-induced GHR disulfide linkage (a proxy for the GH-induced conformational changes in the GHR dimer) proceeded independent of JAK2 expression, indicating that the earliest steps in GH-induced GHR triggering are not prevented by the absence of JAK2. RNA interference-mediated knockdown of JAK2 in C14 cells resulted in a decreased mature to precursor ratio, supporting a primary role for JAK2 either in enhancing GHR biogenesis or dampening mature GHR degradation. To address these potential mechanisms, metabolic pulse-chase labeling experiments and experiments in which the fate of previously synthesized GHR was followed by anti-GHR immunoblotting after cycloheximide treatment (cycloheximide chase experiments) were performed. These indicated that the presence of JAK2 conferred modest enhancement (1.3- to 1.5-fold) in GHR maturation but substantially prolonged the t1/2 of the mature GHR, suggesting a predominant effect on mature GHR stability. Cycloheximide chase experiments with metalloprotease, proteasome, and lysosome inhibitors indicated that the enhanced stability of mature GHR conferred by JAK2 is not related to effects on constitutive receptor metalloproteolysis but rather is a result of reduced constitutive endosomal/lysosomal degradation of the mature GHR. These results are discussed in the context of emerging information on how JAKfamily members modulate surface expression of other cytokine receptors. (Endocrinology 146: 4755–4765, 2005)
Mixing of granular material in a drum mixer undergoing rotational and rocking motions : II. Segregating particles

Abstract This study examines mixtures of particles of unequal sizes in a cylindrical drum both for pure rotation and rotation with vertical rocking. These motions generate mixtures with complex patterns. Such structures are frozen in situ, sliced, and characterized quantitatively using image analysis. For short times, segregation patterns observed in these experiments differ from those anticipated from previous studies in the literature; the large particles tend to concentrate in segregated cores. For long times, the larger particles migrate to the ends of the cylinder, approaching the more commonly observed banding segregation patterns. Under some conditions, near-homogeneous structures are generated, but such systems are meta-stable; additional mixing time results in a more strongly segregated system.
A role of PDGFRα in basal cell carcinoma proliferation

Activation of the hedgehog pathway, through the loss of patched (PTC) or the activation of smoothened (SMO), occurs frequently in basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most common human cancer. However, the molecular basis of this neoplastic effect is not understood. The downstream molecule Gli1 is known to mediate the biological effect of the pathway and is itself up-regulated in all BCCs. Gli1 can drive the production of BCCs in the mouse when overexpressed in the epidermis. Here we show that Gli1 can activate platelet-derived growth factor receptor α (PDGFRα) in C3H10T½ cells. Functional up-regulation of PDGFRα by Gli1 is accompanied by activation of the ras-ERK pathway, a pathway associated with cell proliferation. The relevance of this mechanism in vivo is supported by a high level expression of PDGFRα in BCCs of mice and humans. In the murine BCC cell line ASZ001, in which both copies of the PTC gene are inactivated, DNA synthesis and cell proliferation can be slowed by re-expression of PTC, which down-regulates PDGFRα expression, or by downstream inhibition of PDGFRα with neutralizing antibodies. Therefore, we conclude that increased expression of PDGFRα may be an important mechanism by which mutations in the hedgehog pathway cause BCCs.
Adaptation to bipolar disorder and perceived risk to children: a survey of parents with bipolar disorder

Background Bipolar disorder (BPD) is a common condition associated with significant morbidity and reduced quality of life. In addition to challenges caused by their mood symptoms, parents affected with BPD harbor concerns about the mental health of their children. Among adult parents who perceive themselves to have BPD, this study aims to examine participants’ coping methods; identify predictors of adaptation; assess parental perceptions of risks for mood disorders among their children; and describe the relationships among illness appraisals, coping, adaptation to one’s own illness, and perceived risk to one’s children.
Out of Darkness: Helping the Blind See with Artificial Vision

Visual impairment is a major disability faced by millions around the world. People use sight to obtain information needed for mobility, reading, and motor skills, and thus loss of sight can severely restrict one's professional advancement and social interactions.
Design of orthonormal wavelets with better time-frequency resolution

The signal decomposition techniques are an important tool for analyzing nonstationary signals. The time-frequency resolution of the decomposition basis functionals is essential to a variety of signal processing applications. The recently introduced wavelet transform is a very promising tool for signal analysis, but little attention has been paid to the time-frequency resolution property of wavelets. This paper describes a procedure to design wavelets with better time-frequency resolution. Some design examples and comparisons with traditional wavelets are also presented.
Peer Influences on the College Plans of Canadian High School Students

Comment les projets des amis des etudiants du secondaire affectent-ils la decision de ceuxci de poursuivre des etudes au niveau collegial? L'auteur a etudiAeA cette question parmi 889 etudiants de 12e annee AaG Port-Arthur et Fort-William. Les etudiants et les etudiantes dont les amis se proposent d'entrer au college considerent davantage de le faire que ceux et celles dont les amis ne se le proposent pas. Quand on tient compte du quotient d'intelligence et du milieu socio-economique, cette association persiste sauf dans le cas des jeunes filles de statut economique faible. Parmi ces dernieres, les projets de leurs amis ne sont pas assoctes a leurs projets de poursuivre des etudes universitaires, quel que soit le quotient d'intelligence. L'auteur etablit des liens entre ses observations et les consequences de celles-ci et la notion que les jeunes forment un sousgroupe culturel.
Functionalization of living polyisobutylene: Preference for reduction over electrophilic addition

Abstract Polyisobutylene was synthesized using 2-chloro-2,4,4-trimethylpentane (TMPCl) as an initiator and TiCl4 as a coinitiator. After taking a base sample, the living cation was reacted with 5 equivalents of (4-vinylphenyl)dimethylsilane (VPDMSi). It was observed that the cation preferred reduction by hydride elimination from VPDMSi compared to electrophilic addition of even a single vinyl group. It was postulated that the reduction of the cation in presence of strong Lewis acid such as TiCl4 occurs readily before addition of cation to vinyl group. Thus saturated polyisobutylene was obtained with a terminal hydrogen group instead of chlorine group which is produced by conventional cationic polymerization.
Fragile X Dementia Parkinsonism Syndrome (FXDPS)

Background/Objective: The fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome is characterized by intention tremor and ataxia in people who are premutation carriers of the Fragile X gene. Patients with this disorder might also demonstrate signs of dementia with parkinsonian features. We report a patient with dementia and parkinsonian signs who did not demonstrate an intention tremor or gait ataxia. Methods: A 58-year-old woman who had 2 sons with fragile X retardation syndrome and was a carrier, developed progressive dementia, including impaired memory, executive dysfunction, nonfluent speech, and parkinsonian signs, but had no actionintention tremor and no gait ataxia. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed extensive abnormalities of the white matter. Results: On post-mortem examination, 7 years after this evaluation, she demonstrated extensive subcortical white matter pallor (spongiosis) and widespread ubiquitin-positive intranuclear inclusions in both neurons and in protoplasmic astrocytes characteristic of fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome, but no spongiosis in the cerebellar peduncles a defining feature of this tremor/ataxia syndrome. Conclusions: Patients who present with dementia and signs of Parkinson syndrome, even in the absence of ataxia or intention tremor should be evaluated for this fragile X dementia parkinsonism syndrome. (Cog Behav Neurol 2010;23:39–43)