cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
How to Evaluate a Meta-Analysis

You encounter a meta-analysis evaluating treatments for child and adolescent problems. The abstract suggests that the reviewed treatments are highly effective. The author states that current results challenge many widely held beliefs in the field and have strong implications for future research and practice. Your dilemma is that you know nothing about meta-analysis. How can you tell if this meta-analysis is trustworthy? This review could be very important but perhaps it was not conducted carefully enough to justify its findings and conclusions. What do you do?
Aedes albopictus production in urban stormwater catch basins and manhole chambers of downtown Shanghai, China.

Background The near-surface urban drainage system in Shanghai is highly complex, with hundreds of thousands of catch basins (CBs) and manhole chambers (MCs). Comparatively little is known about the breeding of mosquitoes in this vast system, especially for the locally predominant species Aedes albopictus. A cross-sectional mosquito sampling study was conducted from late July to early August of 2017 using 539 CBs and 309 MCs located in 10 communities of downtown Shanghai. We measured the water-holding status of the drainage systems and density of mosquito larvae. Mosquito species were examined on site and in the laboratory later. Results The CBs were characterized by a lower percentage of standing water compared to MCs (47.0% vs. 79.9%, respectively; X2 = 76.407, P<0.001), but CBs contained a higher percentage of stagnant water percent than MCs (45.2% vs. 35.3%, respectively; X2 = 11.465, P = 0.001). There were exclusively two species of mosquito larvae found in the drainage systems, Ae. albopictus and Culex pipiens complex. Compared with MCs, the structures of CBs were more conducive to larval production and yielded more larvae-positive samples (43.4% vs 14.2%, X2 = 53.136, P<0.001) and higher larval density (8.23 vs. 4.09 per dipper, t = 3.287, P = 0.001). Aedes albopictus was the predominant species in CBs, with a constituent ratio of 71.7%. Regarding structures with different features in different locations, CBs that had a vertical grate with an unsealed lid and MCs with plastic composite covers were the most favorable types for mosquito breeding, and residential neighborhoods yielded the highest number of Ae. albopictus. Conclusion Aedes albopictus was the predominant species in both CBs and stormwater MCs, especially in residential neighborhoods. CBs, particularly those with vertical grates, were a major source of mosquito production in downtown Shanghai. MCs featured more running water and fewer larvae by percentage, and few larvae were found in Sewage MCs. However, due to the tremendous baseline amount, MCs were still an important breeding source of mosquitoes. We suggest that Aedes control in Shanghai should focus on CBs or other potential larvae habitats in and around residential neighborhoods. The use of permeable materials and completely sealed covers should be adopted in the construction of CBs and MCs henceforth.
DARPA and its ARPA-E and IARPA clones: a unique innovation organization model

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) was formed in 1958 as a research and development (RD DARPA has an unparalleled record of technological advance, and the other two are rapidly building their own records. ARPA-E and IARPA show that the DARPA model is now a proven one in the innovation space, clearly relevant for consideration in other technology development mission sectors.
Rare earth oxides Eu2O3 and Nd2O3 analyzed by XPS

Trioxide compounds of the critical rare earth elements Eu and Nd were characterized using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy after heating to remove surface carbonate and greatly reduce the contribution from surface hydroxide. High-resolution 3d and 4d spectra of the elements are presented along with O 1s spectra. The 3d and 4d spectral regions of the oxides reported here are complicated by several shake-up and shake-down satellites resulting from core-hole screening effects in the final state.
The effect of ozone and simulated high altitude on murine lung elastin: Quantitation by image analysis

Four subgroups of a colony of 50 mice were housed in environmental chambers supplied by particle- and pollutant-filtered air. The animals were exposed to 0.35 ppm ozone and/or simulated high altitude (380 mm Hg) for four weeks, with exposure 4 1/2 hours/day and 5 days/week. Lung elastin area and alveolar wall area were quantitated by computer assisted image analysis of paraffin embedded sections stained with aldehyde fuchsin and metanil yellow. Compared to the controls, the combination of ozone and simulated high altitude resulted in a 54.5% increase in lung elastin area (p less than 0.005), and simulated high altitude by itself increased elastin area by 19.6% (p less than 0.05). Simulated high altitude with and without ozone exposure also increased alveolar wall area (24.8%, p less than 0.01; and 9.7%, NS, respectively). Ozone exposure alone had a reverse effect: a 16.1% decrease in elastin area (p less than 0.1), and a 6.5% decrease in alveolar wall area (NS). Since an intact lung scaffolding is required for full restoration of injured alveolar epithelium and since intact lung elastin is critical for proper lung compliance, the results suggest that ozone exposure at high altitude is most likely to have an adverse effectmore » on lung structure and function.« less
Children and Adolescents with Medically Unexplained Symptoms: A Systematic Review of the Literature

AbstractMedically unexplained symptoms (MUS) in children and adolescents are confounding and concerning for patients, parents, and health care practitioners. Our goal was to review and summarize th...
The effect of electrode potential on stress corrosion cracking in highly sensitized Al–Mg alloys

Abstract The potential dependence of intergranular environmental cracking phenomena in highly sensitized AA5456-H116 is defined in Cl−-containing solution. Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) occurrence is compared with the propensity for corrosion attack, subsequent alloy degradation, and gaseous H evolution/H absorption phenomena as a function of potential in both the anodic and cathodic polarization regions. The SCC susceptibility is low (threshold stress intensity for SCC (KTH) approaching the fracture toughness) in Al–Mg under cathodic polarization conditions and high when anodically polarized (low KTH). The lack of environmental cracking susceptibility was directly proportional to low area normalized levels of H generation estimated to occur at the crack tip at each polarization level. Chemical blunting is shown to be an operative phenomenon at the crack tip to suppress cathodic crack growth by attenuating the mechanical driving force. This blunting phenomenon is demonstrated to have no effect on the threshold stress intensity or crack growth rate for SCC during anodic crack growth where the crack tip readily re-sharpens through the IGC/β phase dissolution process followed by H-induced crack advance.
Targeting Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors for the Treatment of Psychiatric and Neurological Disorders

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChR) play important roles in regulating complex behaviors such as cognition, movement, and reward, making them ideally situated as potential drug targets for the treatment of several brain disorders. Recent advances in the discovery of subtype-selective allosteric modulators for mAChRs has provided an unprecedented opportunity for highly specific modulation of signaling by individual mAChR subtypes in the brain. Recently, mAChR allosteric modulators have entered clinical development for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and schizophrenia, and have potential utility for other brain disorders. However, mAChR allosteric modulators can display a diverse array of pharmacological properties, and a more nuanced understanding of the mAChR will be necessary to best translate preclinical findings into successful clinical treatments.
High Performance Polymers

Several high-performance or engineering polymers, such as the polyfluorocarbons, acetals, ABS, nylons, polyurethanes (PUs), silicones, and phosphazenes, have been described in previous chapters. Several elastomers, such as butyl rubber, EPDM (elastomeric terpolymer from ethylene, propylene, and a nonconjugated diene), and Neoprene, which play a vital role in engineering, and a host of classic thermosets should also be considered high-performance polymers. The properties of other high-performance polymers are described in this chapter.
Considerations in the Preparation of Library Exhibits Featuring Rare Books and Manuscripts

Abstract Most libraries have an exhibit area with rotating displays highlighting the library's holdings. Many displays do not feature rare or unique materials but those that do raise a host of special issues and concerns. Unfortunately, libraries often operate under time, staffing, and budget constraints that make achieving ideal exhibit conditions for these materials nearly impossible. In an effort to help librarians make informed decisions about the safe display of unique materials, this paper examines the following issues: materials selection and duration of exhibits, environmental conditions, security, display methods and materials, and record-keeping.
Modular graph functions and odd cuspidal functions. Fourier and Poincaré series

Modular graph functions are SL(2, ℤ)-invariant functions associated with Feynman graphs of a two-dimensional conformal field theory on a torus of modulus τ. For one-loop graphs they reduce to real analytic Eisenstein series. We obtain the Fourier series, including the constant and non-constant Fourier modes, of all two-loop modular graph functions, as well as their Poincare series with respect to Γ∞\PSL(2, ℤ). The Fourier and Poincare series provide the tools to compute the Petersson inner product of two-loop modular graph functions using Rankin-Selberg-Zagier methods. Modular graph functions which are odd under τ → − $$ \overline{\tau} $$ are cuspidal functions, with exponential decay near the cusp, and exist starting at two loops. Holomorphic subgraph reduction and the sieve algorithm, developed in earlier work, are used to give a lower bound on the dimension of the space $$ \mathfrak{A} $$ w of odd two-loop modular graph functions of weight w. For w ≤ 11 the bound is saturated and we exhibit a basis for $$ \mathfrak{A} $$ w.
Construction and Biological Evaluation of Small Libraries Based on the Intermediates within the Total Synthesis of Uvaretin

Discovering therapeutic agents: New bioactive agents, either as sole or combinational agents, have been constructed through the synthetic manipulation of the intermediates within the total synthesis of the uvaretin class of natural products. It was found that increasing the hydrophobic character of the phenolic core correlates to a decrease in sole agent cytotoxicity. The synthesis of new, small chemical screening libraries (CSL) constructed from the intermediates of our total synthesis route of the uvaretin class of natural products is demonstrated herein. Numerous chalcone-based CSLs with various substitution on the phenolic groups within the chalcone core were assembled. Through cytotoxicity investigations, it was found that the level of hydrophobicity of the phenolic core of the chalcones gives biases: less cytotoxicity with more hydrophobic cores. In addition, it was observed that the potentiation, evaluated with 6-thiopurine in the pancreatic cancer cell line MIA PaCa-2, is tunable by the inclusion of less-hydrophobic character on the phenolic core. The role of the o-hydroxybenzyl group, present within the uvaretin family, was revealed to be cytotoxic in character. Merging all of the structure-activity relationship studies performed on the CSLs constructed in this effort led to the construction of a new chalcone hybrid possessing both a cytotoxic enone group and a small-molecule-potentiating, reduced enone group.
Catholicism and the Making of Politics in Central Mozambique, 1940–1986: by Eric Morier-Genoud, Rochester, University of Rochester Press, 2019, xviii + 245 pp.

Eric Morier-Genoud reveals that the Catholic Church in Central Mozambique, embodied in the Diocese of Beira, was not one holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, but rather a medley of Catholic groups,...
Establishing Self-regulatory Guideline for the Functional Claims of Health Foods Including Dietary Supplements in Japan

Within the scopeof the Revitalization Strategypolicies and elongating healthy life span, government of Japan has been in the process to set a new labeling system of health claims for processed food...
Matching of flow-cytometry histograms using information theory in feature space.

Abstract Flow cytometry is a widely available technique for analyzing cell-surface protein expression. Data obtained from flow cytometry is frequently used to produce fluorescence intensity histograms. Comparison of histograms can be useful in the identification of unknown molecules and in the analysis of protein expression. In this study, we examined the combination of a new smoothing technique called SiZer with information theory to measure the difference between cytometry histograms. SiZer provides cross-bandwidth smoothing and allowed analysis in feature space. The new methods were tested on a panel of monoclonal antibodies raised against proteins expressed on peripheral blood lymphocytes and compared with previous methods. The findings suggest that comparing information content of histograms in feature space is effective and efficient for identifying antibodies with similar cell-surface binding patterns.
C. elegans Vulval Induction

Study of Caenorhabditis elegans vulval development has improved our understanding of inductive signalling and pattern formation at the single cell level, and has led to the definition of signalling cascades. Studies of signal transduction during vulval development have led to the discovery of what is considered a universal signalling pathway from growth factor receptor to RAS to MAP kinase to the nucleus, and the discovery of the LIN-12/Notch family of receptors that mediate lateral signalling. Keywords: intercellular signalling; signal transduction; pattern formation; organogenesis; cell lineage
Glycerolipid biosynthesis in rat adipose tissue: 7. Effect of age, site of adipose tissue and cell size

Abstract Adipose glycerolipid formation was studied in relation to age, site of adipose tissue and cell size in developing rats. Glycerolipid formation was measured in vitro in the presence of [14C]glycerol 3-phosphate, palmitate, ATP, CoA and Mg2+ by using adipocyte homogenates derived from various age groups of animals. In the epididymal fat pads, glycerolipid formation was very low in 15-day-old rats, increased 5–6 fold in 30-day-old rats and reached maximal at 60 days of age. This rise in glycerolipid formation with age was related to increase in the adipocyte size. At later ages, in spite of the increase in adipocyte size, glycerolipid formation declined. The decline in glycerolipid formation with age was also apparent in the perirenal and subcutaneous adipocytes. Adipocyte homogenates derived from various age groups of animals and from various fat depots formed phosphatidate, diacylglycerol and triacylglycerol as the major reaction products from [14C]glycerol 3-phosphate. The proportions of the various lipids formed changed significantly as a function of age of the animal. In addition, changes in the adipocyte size with age were determined. Adipose tissues from 15-day-old rats contained smaller adipocytes with a mean cell diameter around 30 μm. As the rats grew older, the presence of more larger adipocytes was detected in their fat depots. These studies suggest that adipose glycerolipid synthesis changes with age and anatomical location of the adipose organ independently of the adipocyte size.
Task-oriented planning for manipulating articulated mechanisms under model uncertainty

Personal robots need to manipulate a variety of articulated mechanisms as part of day-to-day tasks. These tasks are often specific, goal-driven, and permit very little bootstrap time for learning the articulation type. In this work, we address the problem of purposefully manipulating an articulated object, with uncertainty in the type of articulation. To this end, we provide two primary contributions: first, an efficient planning algorithm that, given a set of candidate articulation models, is able to correctly identify the underlying model and simultaneously complete a task; and second, a representation for articulated objects called the Generalized Kinematic Graph (GK-Graph), that allows for modeling complex mechanisms whose articulation varies as a function of the state space. Finally, we provide a practical method to auto-generate candidate articulation models from RGB-D data and present extensive results on the PR2 robot to demonstrate the utility of our representation and the efficiency of our planner.
Killing of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis within macrophages.

Background Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (M. paratuberculosis) is a facultative intracellular pathogen that resides within host macrophages during infection of ruminant animals. We examined survival of M. paratuberculosis infections within cultured macrophages to better understand the interplay between bacterium and host.
Effect of socioeconomic status as measured by education level on survival in breast cancer clinical trials

Objectives This paper aims to investigate the effect of socioeconomic status, as measured by education, on the survival of breast cancer patients treated on 10 studies conducted by the Cancer and Leukemia Group B. Methods Sociodemographic data, including education, were reported by the patient at trial enrollment. Cox proportional hazards model stratified by treatment arm/study was used to examine the effect of education on survival among patients with early stage and metastatic breast cancer, after adjustment for known prognostic factors. Results The patient population included 1020 patients with metastatic disease and 5146 patients with early stage disease. Among metastatic patients, factors associated with poorer survival in the final multivariable model included African American race, never married, negative estrogen receptor status, prior hormonal therapy, visceral involvement, and bone involvement. Among early stage patients, significant factors associated with poorer survival included African American race, separated/widowed, post/perimenopausal, negative/unknown estrogen receptor status, negative progesterone receptor status, >4 positive nodes, tumor diameter >2 cm, and education. Having not completed high school was associated with poorer survival among early stage patients. Among metastatic patients, non-African American women who lacked a high school degree had poorer survival than other non-African American women, and African American women who lacked a high school education had better survival than educated African American women. Conclusions Having less than a high school education is a risk factor for death among patients with early stage breast cancer who participated in a clinical trial, with its impact among metastatic patients being less clear. Post-trial survivorship plans need to focus on women with low social status, as measured by education. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Made in CEO Factories

We find that over 20% of CEOs appointed at S&P 1500 firms from 1992 to 2010 came from 36 CEO factories. CEOs originated from CEO factories, factory CEOs, have significantly higher cumulative abnormal returns at the appointment announcement than do non-factory CEOs. We show that CEO factories provide unique leadership development opportunities through which executives acquire general managerial skills. In their first three years, factory CEOs tend to discontinue large, underperforming segments, improve the performance of remaining segments, and invest heavily in R&D. As a result, firms hiring factory CEOs exhibit better long-run performance and award greater CEO compensation.
The Impact of Self-Monitoring Paired With Positive Reinforcement on Increasing Task Completion With A Student Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case Study

It is not uncommon for students diagnosed with ASD to struggle with the ability to self-regulate on-task behavior and translates into failure within an academic setting. This case study implemented a single-subject withdraw design with repeated measures to evaluate the impact of self-monitoring paired with positive reinforcement on the task completion for a student diagnosed ASD. Results indicated that self-monitoring paired with positive reinforcement increased the student’s homework completion each time the intervention was presented
Network programming technique for unit commitment

Abstract In this paper, a new approach for short-term unit commitment is proposed. The unit commitment problem is formulated as a network problem and solved by a network programming technique. The proposed algorithm has been tested on a system of up to 61 units to be scheduled over 24 hours. Experimental results show that this algorithm can obtain a satisfactory solution in 46.51 seconds on a VAX 11/750 computer.
Foveated 3D graphics

We exploit the falloff of acuity in the visual periphery to accelerate graphics computation by a factor of 5-6 on a desktop HD display (1920x1080). Our method tracks the user's gaze point and renders three image layers around it at progressively higher angular size but lower sampling rate. The three layers are then magnified to display resolution and smoothly composited. We develop a general and efficient antialiasing algorithm easily retrofitted into existing graphics code to minimize "twinkling" artifacts in the lower-resolution layers. A standard psychophysical model for acuity falloff assumes that minimum detectable angular size increases linearly as a function of eccentricity. Given the slope characterizing this falloff, we automatically compute layer sizes and sampling rates. The result looks like a full-resolution image but reduces the number of pixels shaded by a factor of 10-15.We performed a user study to validate these results. It identifies two levels of foveation quality: a more conservative one in which users reported foveated rendering quality as equivalent to or better than non-foveated when directly shown both, and a more aggressive one in which users were unable to correctly label as increasing or decreasing a short quality progression relative to a high-quality foveated reference. Based on this user study, we obtain a slope value for the model of 1.32-1.65 arc minutes per degree of eccentricity. This allows us to predict two future advantages of foveated rendering: (1) bigger savings with larger, sharper displays than exist currently (e.g. 100 times speedup at a field of view of 70° and resolution matching foveal acuity), and (2) a roughly linear (rather than quadratic or worse) increase in rendering cost with increasing display field of view, for planar displays at a constant sharpness.
Celerometer and idling reminder: persuasive technology for school bus eco-driving

We are designing a feedback system to encourage more fuel-efficient driving habits among school-bus drivers. We chose to design for the school bus because as one of the largest public transport systems in the U.S., it is a major contributor to the country's total fuel consumption and pollutant emissions. Our design uses persuasive technology to discourage excessive idling and aggressive driving by providing real-time in-vehicle feedback for self-monitoring.
Partial converses to lagrange's theorem

(1978). Partial converses to lagrange's theorem. Communications in Algebra: Vol. 6, No. 5, pp. 421-482.
High power CW sum-frequency generation near 243 nm using two intersecting enhancement cavities

Abstract We have generated up to 4 mW of single frequency cw ultraviolet (UV) radiation between 243 and 247 nm by mixing the output of an ultraviolet argon-ion laser at 363.8 nm and a red LD 700 dye laser in a 90° phase matched ammonium dihydrogen phosphate crystal. Both the dye laser intensity and the UV laser intensity within the crystal have been enhanced by using two intersecting actively locked passive ring cavities. Wavelengths near 243.1 nm are of particular interest for high resolution spectroscopy of atomic hydrogen.
Three Amphioxus Wnt Genes (AmphiWnt3, AmphiWnt5, and AmphiWnt6) Associated With the Tail Bud: The Evolution of Somitogenesis in Chordates

The amphioxus tail bud is similar to the amphibian tail bud in having an epithelial organization without a mesenchymal component. We characterize three amphioxus Wnt genes (AmphiWnt3, AmphiWnt5, and AmphiWnt6) and show that their early expression around the blastopore can subsequently be traced into the tail bud; in vertebrate embryos, there is a similar progression of expression domains for Wnt3, Wnt5, and Wnt6 genes from the blastopore lip (or its equivalent) to the tail bud. In amphioxus, AmphiWnt3, AmphiWnt5, and AmphiWnt6 are each expressed in a specific subregion of the tail bud, tentatively suggesting that a combinatorial code of developmental gene expression may help generate specific tissues during posterior elongation and somitogenesis. In spite of similarities within their tail buds, vertebrate and amphioxus embryos differ markedly in the relation between the tail bud and the nascent somites: vertebrates have a relatively extensive zone of unsegmented mesenchyme (i.e., presomitic mesoderm) intervening between the tail bud and the forming somites, whereas the amphioxus tail bud gives rise to new somites directly. It is likely that presomitic mesoderm is a vertebrate innovation made possible by developmental interconversions between epithelium and mesenchyme that first became prominent at the dawn of vertebrate evolution.
Distributed optimal technology networks: an integrated concept for water reuse

Abstract The mounting necessity for recycle and reuse of water presents global challenges to our abilities to meet ongoing needs for water suitable for human consumption. Coupled with this is the reality that current practices of treating the total water demands of communities to levels required for human consumption are not indefinitely sustainable. Viable alternative strategies that integrate more effective water recovery for potable reuse with improved means for production and delivery of higher quality water for human consumption are thus essential. Given the inherent advantages of flexibility and responsiveness associated with decentralization of complex functions and operations, the strategic dispersal of flexible advanced treatment and control technologies throughout water transport and storage networks is one logical alternative to consider. Integration of advanced technology satellite systems with cost-critical components of current water infrastructures would facilitate optimal cost-effective applications of highly sophisticated advanced technologies within the context of existing treatment and distribution/collection systems. Most importantly, it would provide markedly enhanced “personal water” quality and significant potential for energy recovery.
S2S: structural-to-syntactic matching similar documents

Management of large collection of replicated data in centralized or distributed environments is important for many systems that provide data mining, mirroring, storage, and content distribution. In its simplest form, the documents are generated, duplicated and updated by emails and web pages. Although redundancy may increase the reliability at a level, uncontrolled redundancy aggravates the retrieval performance and might be useless if the returned documents are obsolete. Document similarity matching algorithms do not provide the information on the differences of documents, and file synchronization algorithms are usually inefficient and ignore the structural and syntactic organization of documents. In this paper, we propose the S2S matching approach. The S2S matching is composed of structural and syntactic phases to compare documents. Firstly, in the structural phase, documents are decomposed into components by its syntax and compared at the coarse level. The structural mapping processes the decomposed documents based on its syntax without actually mapping at the word level. The structural mapping can be applied in a hierarchical way based on the structural organization of a document. Secondly, the syntactic matching algorithm uses a heuristic look-ahead algorithm for matching consecutive tokens with a verification patch. Our two-phase S2S matching approach provides faster results than currently available string matching algorithms.
Physician practice variation in assignment of return interval

Background: Recent shifts in reimbursement toward capitation makes appointment availability a significant resource and stimulates us to understand primary care physician (hereafter referred to as “provider”) behavior concerning appointment assignment. The results of prior studies suggest significant provider variability in this area. Objective: To examine the influences on assigning patient revisit intervals in the ambulatory setting. Methods: Survey regarding general care issues of hypothetical diabetic and hypertensive patients seen in an ambulatory setting was given to 62 providers in the Internal Medicine Program at the Tulane University Internal Medicine Residency Program and outpatient clinics, New Orleans, La. Measurements evaluated included survey responses for demographics (sex, year of birth, year of graduation from medical school, and level of training) and practice style (decision to change therapy, order tests, and recommended return appointment interval in weeks) variables. Results: The response rate was 89% (56 providers). Most respondents were men (n = 39). Wide variation was noted in assignment of reappointment interval with mean return intervals for the scenarios ranging from 2.2 to 20.5 weeks. Significant influences on provider practice included patient stability (P,.001), the decision to change therapy (P = .001), and the decision to order tests (P = .001). All correlated with an earlier return appointment. Some providers exhibited test-ordering tendencies across scenarios. Sex was a significant provider independent variable and was not influenced by other study variables. Female providers assigned earlier reappointment intervals for their patients. Conclusions: Wide variation exists among practitioners with similar training background and practice setting. As expected, patient stability was a major determinant of assigned return interval. Test-ordering behaviors may consume appointments inappropriately and may be a productive area for efforts to reduce provider variability. The influence of the provider’s sex on scheduling follow-up appointments warrants further investigation. Arch Intern Med. 2000;160:205-208
Persistent Cardiac Dysfunction Following Treatment of Childhood Malignancy Is Related to Cumulative Anthracycline Dose

Persistent Cardiac Dysfunction Following Treatment of Childhood Malignancy Is Related to Cumulative Anthracycline Dose
Gewirth's justification of morality

Critique de la theorie de la moralite de A. Gewirth, qui est fondee sur le " principe de coherence generique ", selon lequel tout agent doit agir en accord avec les actes generiques de ceux qui ont les devoirs correlatifs de lui-meme. L'A. soutient que les principes deontiques sur lesquels reposent la theorie sont circulaires, et que les droits de prudence qui en sont derives (droits en vue d'assurer la prudence) ne justifient pas plus la theorie
Epidermal Fatty Acid Oxygenases Are Activated in Non-Psoriatic Dermatoses

The extent of epidermal fatty acid oxygenase activation in non-psoriatic dermatoses and the nature of these oxygenases are not known. The monohydroxylated fatty acid derivatives produced in vivo and trapped in skin scales or produced in vitro by oxygenases preserved in scales were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography in 10 patients with non-psoriatic dermatoses. Evidence for 15-lipoxygenase activation included the finding of 15(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HETE) in scales from seven patients and the production of 15(S)-[14C]HETE and 13(S)-[14C]hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (HODE) during scale incubations, respectively, with [14C]arachidonic and [14C]linoleic acid. Evidence for the activation of an arachidonic acid 12(R)-oxygenase included the finding of 12(R)-HETE in scales from eight patients and the production of 12(R)-[14C]HETE during scale incubations with [14C]arachidonic acid. 13-HODE was the predominant fatty acid derivative present in scale extracts; its lack of enantiopurity (mean S/R = 3.1) and the substantial formation of 9-HODE (mean S/R = 0.6; 9/13-HODE = 0.43) suggest its derivation from 15-lipoxygenase and a second oxygenase. The levels of 15(S)-HETE and 12(R)-HETE had a 125- to 144-fold range and were highest in scales from a patient with erythroderma and in three psoriatic scale samples similarly analyzed. These findings indicate that 15-lipoxygenase, most likely of keratinocyte origin, and an arachidonic acid 12(R)oxygenase of unknown type and cell origin are activated in diverse dermatoses.
Practical correlation for thermal resistance of low-sloped enclosed airspaces with downward heat flow for building applications

The 2009 ASHRAE Handbook—Fundamentals (Chapter 26) provided a table that contains the thermal resistances (R-values) of vertical, horizontal, and high-sloped (45°) enclosed airspaces. This table is extensively used by modelers, architects, and building designers in the design for the R-values of building enclosures. The effect of the airspace aspect ratio and the inclination angle (θ) of 30° on the R-values are not accounted for in the ASHRAE table. However, previous studies showed that the aspect ratio of the airspace can affect its R-value. In this article, the previous studies that focused on determining the R-values for vertical, horizontal, and high-sloped enclosed airspaces are extended to investigate the effect of the aspect ratio on the R-values of low-sloped (θ = 30°) enclosed airspaces under downward heat flow for different airspace thicknesses and having a wide range of values for the effective emittance, mean temperature, and temperature differences across the airspaces. Thereafter, practical ...
A Pivotal Turn: Prague Spring 1948 and the Soviet Construction of a Cultural Sphere

This article begins to describe the Soviet Union's attempt to create a cultural sphere in the emerging Eastern bloc through the lens of musical ties, exchanges, and competitions. Focusing on a pivo...
Contraction of collagen–glycosaminoglycan matrices by peripheral nerve cells in vitro

The objective of this study was to investigate the contractile behavior of peripheral nerve support cells in collagen–glycosaminoglycan (GAG) matrices in vitro. Contractile fibroblasts (myofibroblasts) are known to participate in wound contraction during healing of selected connective tissues (viz., dermis), but little is known about the activity of non-muscle contractile cells during healing of peripheral nerves. Explants from adult rat sciatic nerves were placed onto collagen–GAG matrix disks and maintained in culture for up to 30 days. Groups of collagen–GAG matrices were tested that differed in average pore diameter and in degree of cross-linking. Cell migration from nerve explants into the matrices was examined, and immunohistochemical staining was used to identify cells expressing a contractile actin isoform (α-smooth muscle actin; α-SMA) and Schwann cells (S-100). Geometric contraction of matrix disks was quantified every five days as the percent reduction in disk diameter. The amount of contraction of matrix disks was significantly affected by the degree of cross-linking. Cell migration into the matrices and the distribution of cells staining for α-SMA or S-100 was not affected by matrix parameters. These studies demonstrate that cells from peripheral nerve explants were capable of adopting a contractile phenotype and causing geometric contraction of matrices in vitro and suggest that contractile processes may be important during nerve wound healing in vivo.
Position controlled nanowire growth through Au nanoparticles synthesized by galvanic reaction

Semiconductor nanowires have emerged as promising materials for fundamental studies in quantum-confined systems and applications in nanophotonics and electronics, but major challenges remain in controlling nanowire properties, including their position and size. Here, we report a simple and efficient electrochemical process that combines galvanic reaction and electron-beam lithography to selectively synthesize gold nanoparticles that are consequently used for the growth of ordered GaAs nanowire arrays with pre-defined diameter and position. Size and density control of gold nanoparticles is achieved on non-patterned GaAs substrates by changing the reaction time and concentration of Au(3 + ) ions during the galvanic reaction. Spontaneous formation of localized etch pits is observed when the galvanic reaction is constrained to lithography-defined substrate regions, which confines small-diameter Au nanoparticles during the high temperature growth of GaAs nanowire arrays and enables epitaxial growth of well-ordered nanowire structures.
Processing of the Drosophila Hedgehog Signaling Effector Ci-155 to the Repressor Ci-75 Is Mediated by Direct Binding to the SCF Component Slimb

Summary Signaling by extracellular Hedgehog (Hh) molecules is crucial for the correct allocation of cell fates and patterns of cell proliferation in humans and other organisms [1, 2]. Responses to Hh are universally mediated by regulating the activity and the proteolysis of the Gli family of transcriptional activators such that they induce target genes only in the presence of Hh [1, 3]. In the absence of Hh, the sole Drosophila Gli homolog, Cubitus interruptus (Ci), undergoes partial proteolysis to Ci-75, which represses key Hh target genes [4]. This processing requires phosphorylation of full-length Ci (Ci-155) by protein kinase A (PKA), casein kinase 1 (CK1), and glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3), as well as the activity of Slimb [5–7]. Slimb is homologous to vertebrate β-TRCP1, which binds as part of an SCF (Skp1/Cullin1/F-box) complex to a defined phosphopeptide motif to target proteins for ubiquitination and subsequent proteolysis [8–10]. Here, we show that phosphorylation of Ci at the specific PKA, GSK-3, and CK1 sites required in vivo for partial proteolysis stimulates binding to Slimb in vitro. Furthermore, a consensus Slimb/β-TRCP1 binding site from another protein can substitute for phosphorylated residues of Ci-155 to direct conversion to Ci-75 in vivo. From this, we conclude that Slimb binds directly to phosphorylated Ci-155 to initiate processing to Ci-75. We also explore the phosphorylated motifs in Ci that are recognized by Slimb and provide some evidence that silencing of Ci-155 by phosphorylation may involve more than binding to Slimb.
Comment on "Suppression of superconductivity in mesoscopic superconductors".

A Comment on the Letter by M. B. Sobnack and F. V. Kusmartsev, . The authors of the Letter offer a Reply.
Ethane oxidation at elevated pressures in the intermediate temperature regime: Experiments and modeling

Ethane oxidation has been experimentally studied in the intermediate temperature regime under lean conditions using a flow reactor. Species profiles have been obtained for H{sub 2}, CO, CO{sub 2}, CH{sub 2}O, CH{sub 4}, C{sub 2}H{sub 4}, C{sub 2}H{sub 6}, C{sub 2}H{sub 4}O, and CH{sub 3}CHO at pressures of 3, 6, and 10 atm for temperatures ranging from 915 to 966 K using a constant equivalence ratio of {approximately} 0.2 (in air). To model this data a detailed chemical kinetic model for ethane oxidation was developed. An optimized reaction mechanism, originally developed to model natural gas combustion, was expanded to include reactions pertinent to the lower temperature, elevated pressure conditions encountered in the flow reactor. The expanded mechanism consists of 277 elementary reactions and contains 47 species. By adjusting the rate coefficients of two key reactions the model was brought into agreement with experiment at 6 atm; however, the model indicates a larger pressure sensitivity than was measured experimentally. Results indicate that HO{sub 2} is of primary importance in the regime studied; controlling the formation of many of the observed intermediates including the aldehydes and ethylene oxide. The results also point to the importance of continued investigation of the reactions ofmore » HO{sub 2} with C{sub 2}H{sub 6}, C{sub 2}H{sub 5}, and C{sub 2}H{sub 4} to further the understanding of ethane oxidation in the intermediate temperature regime. The expanded mechanism has also been tested against shock-tube ignition delay and laminar flame speed data and was found to be in good agreement with both the original GRI-Mech and the experimental data for both methane and ethane.« less
Functional and genetic characterization of the promoter region of apolipoprotein H (β2-glycoprotein I)

This study characterized the human apolipoprotein H [APOH; beta(2)-glycoprotein I (beta(2)GPI)] promoter and its variants by in vitro functional experiments and investigated their relationship with human plasma beta(2)GPI levels. We examined the individual effects of 12 APOH promoter single nucleotide polymorphisms in the 5' flanking region of APOH (approximately 1.4 kb) on luciferase activity in COS-1 cells and HepG2 cells and their impact on plasma beta(2)GPI levels in 799 American White people, the DNA binding properties of the APOH promoter using an electrophoretic mobility shift assay in HepG2 cells, the effects of serial deletion analysis of the APOH 5' flanking region in COS-1 and HepG2 cells and cross-species conservation of the APOH promoter sequence. The variant alleles of three single nucleotide polymorphisms (-1219G>A, -643T>C and -32C>A) showed significantly lower luciferase expression (51, 40 and 37%, respectively) as compared with the wild-type allele. The electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated that these three variants specifically bind with protein(s) from HepG2 cell nuclear extracts. Three-site haplotype analysis (-1219G>A, -643T>C and -32C>A) revealed one haplotype carrying -32A (allele frequency = 0.075) to be significantly associated with decreased plasma beta(2)GPI levels (P < 0.001). Deletion analysis localized the core APOH promoter to approximately 160 bp upstream of ATG codon with the presence of critical cis-acting elements between -166 and -65. Cross-species conservation analysis of the APOH promoters of seven species indicated that basic promoter elements are highly conserved across species. In conclusion, we have characterized the functional promoter of APOH and identified functional variants that affect the transcriptional activity of the APOH promoter.
Nucleotide sequence of the PetM gene encoding a 4 kDa subunit of the cytochrome b6f complex from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Abstract We have determined the nucleotide sequence of the PetM gene from the single celled alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The gene encodes a recently characterized, small protein of the cytochrome b6f f complex, and based on this sequence, it is proposed that this protein spans the membrane by a single α-helix. Comparison of the nucleotide sequence with the deduced amino acid sequence reveals a 60-amino-acid presequence similar to a stroma-targeting peptide.
Parallel Approximation Schemes for a Class of Planar and Near Planar Combinatorial Optimization Problems

Define a (?, g)-almost planar graph to be a graph G(V, E) consisting of vertex set V and a genus g layout with at most ?·|V| crossover nodes. We study a class of combinatorial optimization problems formulated as follows. Let X={x1, x2,?xn} be a set of variables each of which has a finite domain D={0, 1,?,poly(n)}. Also, let S be a fixed finite set of finite arity relations {R1,?Rq}. The optimization problem MAX-RELATION(S) is the following: Given a set of terms {t1, t2,?,tm}, where each term ti is of the form f(xi1, xi2,?,xir) for some f?S, assign values to each xi, 1?i?n, so as to maximize the number of satisfied terms. We show that for each fixed finite set S and fixed ?, g?0, there is an NC-approximation scheme (NCAS) for the problem MAX-RELATION(S) when restricted to instances whose bipartite graphs (that represent the variable-term relationship) are (?, g)-almost planar. This result in conjunction with approximation-preserving reductions to MAX-RELATION(S) enables us to obtain NCASs for a number of graph theoretic and satisfiability problems when restricted to (?, g)-almost planar instances. Our results provide a characterization of a class of problems having an NCAS (and hence a PTAS).
Diagnosing and altering three aristotelian alternative conceptions in dynamics: Microcomputer simulations of scientific models

This is a report on the investigation of a microcomputer-based system for the diagnosis and remediation of three Aristotelian alternative conceptions of force and motion held by eighth-grade physical science students. Diagnosis and posttesting were done with computer-displayed, graphics-based, multiple-choice questions. The two remediation simulations were designed to present scientific idealizations and to be perceived by the student as anomalous to the three alternative conceptions. Structured interviews were employed at several points during the study to obtain indications of the conceptions of force and motion of students with different achievement rankings, as well as to determine the students' reactions to the computer pretest questions or the simulations. A student's possession of alternative conceptions was unrelated to whether the student was a strong or weak learner of science. Students who were currently studying dynamics in their classes exhibited a very different pattern of nonscientific answers on the computer diagnostic test than did students who had completed that topic. The completed students who were selected for possession of alternative conceptions were facilitated by the computer simulations in altering their naive conceptions to a significant degree.
Implantation metastasis of primary malignant rhabdoid tumor of the brain in an adult (one case report)

Primary malignant rhabdoid tumor (PMRT) of the brain is a rare and recently described neoplasm of youth. We report magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and pathology of one case of PMRT in an adult which seeded along the needle track for stereotactic biopsy.
The role of membrane phospholipid in expression of erythrocyte Rho(D) antigen activity.

AbstractPrevious investigators have reported that the expression of Rho(D) antigen activity by human erythrocytes and their membranes depended on the presence of phospholipid. In order to further elucidate the role of phospholipids in expression of Rho(D) antigen activity, erythrocyte membranes and partially purified Rho(D) antigens were incubated with bee venom phospholipase A2. Treatment of erythrocyte membranes with phospholipase A2 resulted in loss of Rho(D) antigen activity as detected by hemagglutination inhibition assays. However, subsequent solubilization of these treated membranes with deoxycholate allowed recovery of Rho(D) antigen activity. Phospholipase treatment of solubilized Rho(D) antigens, which had been partially purified by affinity chromatography on anti-Rho(D) IgG agarose columns, did not destroy Rho(D) antigen activity. These results suggested that phospholipids did not affect the antigenic determinants of the Rho(D) antigen since solubilized, partially purified Rho(D) antigens retai...
Modelling of dielectric cavity structures using multiresolution time-domain analysis

Multiresolution time domain (MRTD) analysis is applied directly to Maxwell's equations to model inhomogeneous dielectric material. In our approach, scaling and wavelet functions are used as a complete basis for the method of moments. The MRTD scheme is used to analyze different types of resonant cavity structures with varying dielectric perturbations in one, two and three dimensions. The results presented here agree very well with those obtained by FDTD, FEM and integral equation methods. MRTD allows for considerable savings in memory and computation time in comparison to FDTD, while maintaining the same accuracy of the results. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.