cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hepatic parasitic abscess resistant to traditional anthelmintics: difficulty of diagnosis and treatment of fascioliasis in the USA

We report a case of human fascioliasis in the USA that encountered many diagnostic uncertainties. Numerous tests available for detection of fascioliasis were utilised but the diagnosis remained elusive. Confounders included three negative stool ova and parasite examinations, positive hepatitis A virus IgM antibody, cross-reactive false-positive Echinococcus IgG antibody, absence of characteristic image findings and unrevealing liver biopsy. Praziquantel was started as empiric treatment for helminth infections, but was ineffective. Due to the rarity of the disease in the USA, serologic testing and triclabendazole were only available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which led to a delay in diagnosis and treatment.
Development of high-order P N models for radiative heat transfer in special geometries and boundary conditions

Abstract The high-order spherical harmonics (PN) method for 2-D Cartesian domains is extracted from the 3-D formulation. The number of equations and intensity coefficients reduces to ( N + 1 ) 2 / 4 in the 2-D Cartesian formulation compared with N ( N + 1 ) / 2 for the general 3-D PN formulation. The Marshak boundary conditions are extended to solve problems with nonblack and mixed diffuse-specular surfaces. Additional boundary conditions for specified radiative wall flux, for symmetry/specular reflection boundaries have also been developed. The mathematical details of the formulations and their implementation in the OpenFOAM finite volume based CFD software platform are presented. The accuracy and computational cost of the 2-D Cartesian PN are compared with that of the 3-D PN solver and a Photon Monte Carlo solver for a square enclosure, as well as a 45° wedge geometry with variable radiative properties. The new boundary conditions have been applied for both test cases, and the boundary condition for mixed diffuse-specular surfaces is further illustrated by numerical examples of a rectangular geometry enclosed by walls with different surface characteristics.
Analysis of the CCR3 promoter reveals a regulatory region in exon 1 that binds GATA-1

CC Chemokine Receptor 3 (CCR3), the major chemokine receptor expressed on eosinophils, binds promiscuously to several ligands including eotaxins 1, 2, and 3. Even though the only cells that consistently accumulate following eotaxin administration in vivo are myeloid cells (primarily eosinophils), other cell types have recently been shown to express CCR3. It is therefore important to elucidate the molecular mechanisms regulating receptor expression. In order to define regions responsible for CCR3 transcription, a DNAse hypersensitive site was identified in the vicinity of exon 1. Coupled with our previous data implicating exon 1 in CCR3 transcription, we hypothesized that transcription factors bind to exon-1. Electrophoretic mobility shift analysis revealed that nuclear proteins in eosinophilic cells bound to exon 1. Furthermore, antibody interference and mutation studies demonstrated GATA-1 binding to exon 1. In order to test the 1.6-kb CCR3 promoter element (that includes exon 1) for in vivo function, this region was used to generate transgenic mice that expressed a reporter protein. Strong transgene expression was achieved, with the pattern of expression suggesting a broad acting promoter. The transcription factor GATA-1 binds to CCR3 exon 1. The 1.6-kb CCR3 promoter element, that includes exon 1, is a strong promoter in vivo.
Critical Thinking Environments for Science Education

We have developed a range of critical thinking environments for science education that span several academic content areas, including human biology, geology and forestry. All environments share a methodology, infrastructure and sets of assumptions and tools, which allows them to leverage from the accomplishments and intuitions of the others. These tutors support a student on the Web to be active and engaged, track that student's critical thinking and reason about her knowledge and its own teaching strategies. An Inquiry Notebook provides a way to sort, filter and categorize data and justifications and an Argument Editor supports argument formation. Students drag and drop evidence to support or refute each argument. A Coach provides helpful feedback guided by a database of expert rules, which create the basis for the content-specific analysis of the student's argument.
Monism and Dualism in International Commercial Arbitration: Overcoming Barriers to Consistent Application of Principles of Public International Law

Although monism and dualism are central tenets of public international law, these two principles are seldom, if ever, considered in the context of international commercial arbitration. This oversight is likely due to the longstanding assumption that international commercial arbitration belongs primarily, if not exclusively, to the realm of private international law. However, international commercial arbitration relies heavily on the effective and consistent application of the New York Convention and other international treaties, and must therefore be considered as a type of public international law. This chapter considers the principles of monism and dualism in international commercial arbitration and identifies a number of ways in which international commercial arbitration can overcome some of the practical and theoretical problems associated with improper or ineffective incorporation of international law into the domestic realm. In so doing, this chapter provides some useful insights not only regarding the operation of the international arbitral regime but also regarding other areas of public international law.
Specific, yet opaque

In her dissertation, Janet Fodor has argued that the quantificational force and the intensional status of certain quantifier phrases can be evaluated independently. The proposal was only halfway accepted: the existence of non-specific transparent readings is well-established today, but specific opaque readings are deemed illusory. I argue that they are real and outline a semantic framework that can generate them. The idea is to permit two types of quantifier raising: one that carries the restrictor of the determiner along and another that does not. When the second is applied the restrictor can be stranded within the scope of an intensional operator as the quantificational determiner itself takes wider scope.
The Influence of Accounting Information Disclosed under GASB Statement No. 34 on Municipal Bond Insurance Premiums and Credit Ratings

This paper examines the impact of accounting information on first the cost of municipal bond insurance and secondly on the credit rating awarded on municipal debt, using data disclosed under Statement No. 34 of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB 34) for insured general obligation debt issued by Texas cities. It finds that both governmental fund and government-wide financial information is related to the cost of municipal bond insurance and the credit rating on municipal debt. The paper also shows that the utilization of accounting information by bond insurers is not identical to its use by a bond rating agency.
Substrate Signaling by Insulin: A Ketone Bodies Ratio Mimics Insulin Action in Heart

The administration of saturating doses of insulin to the glucose perfused, working rat heart acutely increased activity of the glucose transporter 4, GLUT 4, in the plasma membrane (equilibrating extracellular glucose and intracellular [glucose]), activated glycogen synthase (stimulating the rate of glycogen synthesis), and increased mitochondrial acetyl CoA production by the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex. Unexpectedly, insulin increased cardiac hydraulic work but decreased net glycolytic flux and O2 consumption, improving net cardiac efficiency by 28%. These improvements in physiologic performance and metabolic efficiency resulted from reduction of the mitochondrial free [NAD+]/[NADH] and oxidation of mitochondrial [coenzyme Q]/[coenzyme QH2], increasing the energy of the proton gradient between cytosolic and mitochondrial phases and leading to a doubling of the cytosolic free [sigmaATP]/[sigmaADP][sigmaPi]. The acute metabolic effects of insulin were qualitatively duplicated by addition of a ratio of 4 mM D-beta-hydroxybutyrate and 1 mM acetoacetate, and the increase in the efficiency was the same as with addition of insulin. Addition of both insulin and ketones to the glucose perfusate increased the efficiency of cardiac hydraulic work by 35%. The ability of a physiologic ratio of ketone bodies to correct most of the metabolic defects of acute insulin deficiency suggests therapeutic roles for these natural substrates during periods of impaired cardiac performance and in insulin-resistant states.
Synthesis of 2-deoxy-2,2-difluoro-α-maltosyl fluoride and its X-ray structure in complex with Streptomyces coelicolor GlgEI-V279S.

Streptomyces coelicolor (Sco) GlgEI is a glycoside hydrolase involved in α-glucan biosynthesis and can be used as a model enzyme for structure-based inhibitor design targeting Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) GlgE. The latter is a genetically validated drug target for the development of anti-Tuberculosis (TB) treatments. Inhibition of Mtb GlgE results in a lethal buildup of the GlgE substrate maltose-1-phosphate (M1P). However, Mtb GlgE is difficult to crystallize and affords lower resolution X-ray structures. Sco GlgEI-V279S on the other hand crystallizes readily, produces high resolution X-ray data, and has active site topology identical to Mtb GlgE. We report the X-ray structure of Sco GlgEI-V279S in complex with 2-deoxy-2,2-difluoro-α-maltosyl fluoride (α-MTF, 5) at 2.3 A resolution. α-MTF was designed as a non-hydrolysable mimic of M1P to probe the active site of GlgE1 prior to covalent bond formation without disruption of catalytic residues. The α-MTF complex revealed hydrogen bonding between Glu423 and the C1F which provides evidence that Glu423 functions as proton donor during catalysis. Further, hydrogen bonding between Arg392 and the axial C2 difluoromethylene moiety of α-MTF was observed suggesting that the C2 position tolerates substitution with hydrogen bond acceptors. The key step in the synthesis of α-MDF was transformation of peracetylated 2-fluoro-maltal 1 into peracetylated 2,2-difluoro-α-maltosyl fluoride 2 in a single step via the use of Selectfluor®.
A quarks-on-springs model of the baryons

Abstract The radiative decay of a charged harmonic oscillator is discussed from an algebraic point of view. The possibility of understanding decay widths of baryon towers in an analogous fashion is discussed. A very simple nonrelativistic model of quarks on springs is developed and found to give fairly good agreement to the decays of the Δ and N 3 2 − trajectories.
Microbial transformations of isocupressic acid.

Microbial transformations of the labdane-diterpene isocupressic acid (1) with different microorganisms yielded several oxygenated metabolites that were isolated and characterized by MS and NMR spectroscopic analyses. Nocardia aurantia (ATCC 12674) catalyzed the cleavage of the 13,14-double bond to yield a new nor-labdane metabolite, 2. Cunninghamella elegans (−) (NRRL 1393) gave 7β-hydroxyisocupressic acid (3) and labda-7,13(E)-diene-6β,15,17-triol-19-oic acid (4), and Mucor mucedo (ATCC 20094) gave 2α-hydroxyisocupressic acid (5) and labda-8(17),14-diene-2α,13-diol-19-oic acid (6).
Analytic representation of the active layer thickness field, Kuparuk River Basin, Alaska

Abstract The initial response of permafrost to global warming could be an increase in active-layer thickness. Given that such changes could have severe consequences for human infrastructure and ecosystem stability, it is important to obtain information about spatial variations of the active layer corresponding to current climatic conditions, and to determine the magnitude of possible near-surface permafrost degradation associated with climatic change. Simple analytical solutions for frost and thaw penetration depth have long been available, but were used primarily for practical applications at point locations in cold-region engineering. One of these methods, developed at Moscow State University by Kudryavtsev and co-workers, was used to develop a spatially distributed analytic model that estimates the maximum annual depth of thaw. Kudryavtsev’s procedures account for the effects of snow cover, vegetation, soil moisture, thermal properties, and regional climate, and provide estimates of surface temperature and active-layer thickness. GIS techniques were used to incorporate climate records, digital cartographic products, and field data into a spatially distributed estimate of active-layer thickness. Procedures were applied over a rectangular 22 300 km2 area in north-central Alaska containing complex patterns of topography, vegetation, and soils. Validation procedures indicate that the Kudrayavtsev solution, adapted for spatial applications, yields accuracy and spatial resolution comparable to an existing semi-empirical method. The simplicity and low data requirements of the Kudryavtsev solution make it readily adaptable to different geographic scales and areas. The method has potential applications in climate-change studies.
Lifestyle Activities in Sociodemographically At-Risk Urban, Older Adults Prior to Participation in the Baltimore Experience Corps® Trial

Experience Corps® places teams of trained volunteers in elementary school classrooms to promote academic achievement in children and serves as a health-promotion intervention for older adults. Prior to randomization, individuals reported participation in several activities of varying cognitive, physical, and social demands. Maintaining an active lifestyle, particularly in intellectually demanding activities, was associated with physical, mental, and cognitive health in adulthood. Establishing how individuals allocated their time before randomization to this program provides insight into prevalent health behaviors for at-risk older adults, and can provide the basis for examining intervention-related changes in lifestyle as a result of volunteer participation.
Long-term valuation effects of bank acquisitions

Abstract This study measures the abnormal performance of banks subsequent to their acquisitions of other banks. We find a strong negative share price reaction following the acquisition, which tends to continue over a 36-month period. The results suggest that banks generally do not realize the potential benefits from acquisitions, or that any advantages are offset. The long-run valuation effects across the acquiring banks were found to be more favorable for banks that (1) made acquisitions within their existing markets, (2) experienced relatively poor pre-acquisition performance, and (3) had relatively low pre-acquisition growth.
The non-role of fluoride in the control of plasma calcium in the parathyroidectomized rat.

Abstract Weanling rats received 50 ppm F in the drinking water for eighty-four days prior to surgical parathyroidectomy. When compared to controls, no significant change was seen in either the basal plasma calcium prior to parathyroidectomy or in the hypocalcaemic response five hours or twenty-four hours following parathyroidectomy.
Advances in Congenital Aural Atresia Surgery: Effects on Outcome

Abstract Objectives To compare modifications in the surgical technique of congenital aural atresia (use of argon laser, thinner split-thickness skin graft, Silastic sheets in the external auditory canal, and Merocel wicks) by examining hearing results and complications before and after initiation of these changes. Study design and setting Retrospective chart review of patients who underwent congenital aural atresiaplasty between 1985 and 2002 in a tertiary referral neurotologic private practice. Complication rates and hearing results were compared before (n = 36) and after (n = 80) modifications in the surgical technique. Results Closure of the air-bone gap to 30 dB or less at short-term follow-up occurred in 63.1% of surgeries performed after modifications in the surgical technique and 44.5% of surgeries performed before these changes. The long-term postoperative air-bone gap was 30 dB or less in 50.0% of the surgeries performed after and 47.1% of the cases performed before the changes in surgical technique. Soft tissue stenosis and bony growth of the external auditory canal were seen in 3.8% of surgeries performed after and 13.9% of surgeries performed before the surgical technique changes. Ossicular chain refixation occurred in 3.8% of surgeries performed after and 25.0% of surgeries performed before such changes. There were no dead ears and no facial palsies. Conclusion The use of argon laser, thinner split-thickness skin graft, Silastic sheets in the external auditory canal, and Merocel wicks, as a group, has helped to improve hearing results and decrease the incidence of complications in congenital aural atresia surgery. Significance Refinements in surgical techniques can lead to measurable improvements in outcome in atresiaplasty.
The effects of mono- and divalent salts on the O2-evolution activity and low temperature multiline EPR spectrum of Photosystem II preparations from spinach

The ability of salts to inhibit the O2-evolution activity of PS II preparations is shown to parallel closely the Hofmeister series, suggesting that inhibition is related to the solubility of the 16, 24 and 33 kDa proteins in these salt solutions. An examination of the effect of salt inactivation on the low temperature multiline EPR signal indicates that the release of either the 16 and 24 kDa proteins, or additionally the 33 kDa protein blocks or greatly reduces the efficiency of the advancement of the water-splitting complex to the S2-state; under some conditions, this inhibition is reversible.
Distribution of mineralization indices of modeling and remodeling over eight months in middiaphyseal cross sections of femurs from adult swine

Background: This study assessed the distribution of active mineral formation sites within the middiaphyseal femoral cross section of swine and determined the extent to which various subsections repre- sented bone formation activity in the entire cross section. Methods: Twenty adult female swine (sows) were injected with two double (10-day intervals) labels 8 months apart. Labels involved fluoro- chrome markers of active mineral formation sites. Intact femoral middi- aphyseal cross sections were embedded in polymethylmethacrylate, cut, and ground to 80 mm for analysis. Each specimen was subdivided into 16 anatomical and eight geometric subsections. Labeled mineralizing sur- face and mineral apposition rate were determined in the periosteal and endocortical envelopes. The number of labeled osteons per unit area of bone and osteonal mineral apposition rate were determined in the intra- cortical envelope. Results: Periosteal mineralizing surface followed a bimodal distribution with highest surface activation on the anterior and posterior segments. Periosteal mineral apposition rate followed a modal distribution with highest apposition rates in the posterior portion of the cross section. The distribution of forming osteons was modal with highest frequencies of labeled osteons in the posterior segment. No significant regional differ- ences were detected for osteonal mineral apposition rate, endocortical mineralizing surface, or endocortical mineral apposition rate. The loca- tion of either a single or a combination of two to four subsections that best predicted mineralizing surface and mineral apposition rate in the entire cross section differed with each trait and envelope. Fifty percent of the entire area as alternate anatomical subsections was required to predict G90% of variation in all traits evaluated. Overall, the predictability of mineralizing surface and mineral apposition rate was similar for geometri- cally defined subsections. Conclusion: At least 50% of the cross-sectional area from alternate anatomical subsections must be measured to predict G90% of variation in periosteal, intracortical, and endocortical mineralizing surface and min- eral apposition rate in the sow middiaphyseal femur. Anat. Rec. 250:136-
Gaussian approximation of local empirical processes indexed by functions

An extended notion of a local empirical process indexed by functions is introduced, which includes kernel density and regression function estimators and the conditional empirical process as special cases. Under suitable regularity conditions a central limit theorem and a strong approximation by a sequence of Gaussian processes are established for such processes. A compact law of the iterated logarithm (LIL) is then inferred from the corresponding LIL for the approximating sequence of Gaussian processes. A number of statistical applications of our results are indicated.
Nature-orientated tourism promotion by developing countries.

Abstract A survey of promotional practices indicates that many offices representing developing countries respond slowly to, or completely ignore, written requests for information on natureorientated tourism opportunities. Promotional material varies greatly in visual appeal and informational content.
History of substance abuse relates to improved postbariatric body mass index outcomes

Abstract Background Recent clinical guidelines have identified current alcohol or substance abuse as contraindications for weight loss surgery. Past research has indicated that a lifetime history of any substance use disorder is significantly greater in those seeking weight loss surgery than the population base rate. However, current substance abuse has been reported to be remarkably low ( Methods A total of 413 patients who had undergone weight loss surgery (75.8% women, 77.7% white, mean age 47.72 years, mean body mass index 50.27 kg/m 2 ) at the Cleveland Clinic Bariatric and Metabolic Institute completed a psychological evaluation before surgery, and a history of substance abuse and/or dependence was determined. Results A series of analyses of covariance examining group differences in the percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL) at 1, 3, 6 , 9, and 12 months after surgery were conducted comparing a history of substance abuse/dependence (SA+; n=45) with the absence of a substance abuse/dependence history (SA−; n=368), controlling for the baseline body mass index. The groups did not differ in the type of surgery or %EWL at 1 and 3 months of follow-up. However, after adjusting for the baseline body mass index, the patients with a substance abuse history had a significantly greater %EWL at 6 and 9 months postoperatively, with a trend toward significance at the 12-month follow-up visit. Conclusion Patients with a substance abuse/dependence history had a greater %EWL from 6 months postoperatively onward. Future research should examine longer term outcomes among SA+ patients and the possible explanations for their short-term improved outcomes compared with SA− patients.
Motion of myosin cross-bridges in skeletal muscle fibers studied by time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy decay

The time-resolved fluorescence polarization anisotropy signal has been measured from fluorescent-labeled myosin cross-bridges in single glycerinated muscle fibers in the relaxed and rigor states. In one experimental configuration, the polarization of the excitation light and the fiber axis are aligned, and the anisotropy is sensitive to rotational motions of the probes about axes other than the fiber axis. The rotational correlation times are approximately 1000 ns for relaxed fibers and greater than 7000 ns for rigor fibers. In another experimental configuration, the excitation light polarization is perpendicular to the fiber axis, and its propagation vector has a component parallel to the fiber axis so that the anisotropy is sensitive to probe rotational motion about different axes, including the fiber axis. In this configuration, the rotational correlation times are approximately 300 ns for both relaxed and rigor fibers. The theory of rotational diffusion in a potential described in a related paper [Burghardt, T.P. (1985) Biophys. J. (in press)] is applied to the relaxed fiber data.
Effect of grid resolution and subgrid assumptions on the model prediction of a reactive bouyant plume under convective conditions

Abstract We have introduced a new and elaborate approach to understand the impact of grid resolution and subgrid chemistry assumption on the grid-model prediction of species concentrations for a system with highly non-homogeneous chemistry—a reactive buoyant plume immediately downwind of the stack in a convective boundary layer. The Parcel-Grid approach was used to describe both the air parcel turbulent transport and chemistry. This approach allows an identical transport process for all simulations. It also allows a description of subgrid chemistry. The ambient and plume parcel transport follows the description of Luhar and Britter (Atmos. Environ. 23 (1989) 1911, 26A (1992) 1283). The chemistry follows that of the Carbon-Bond mechanism. Three different grid sizes were considered: fine, medium and coarse, together with three different subgrid chemistry assumptions: micro-scale or individual parcel, tagged-parcel (plume and ambient parcels treated separately), and untagged-parcel (plume and ambient parcels treated indiscriminately). Reducing the subgrid information is not necessarily similar to increasing the model grid size. In our example, increasing the grid size leads to a reduction in the suppression of ozone in the presence of a high-NOx stack plume, and a reduction in the effectiveness of the NOx-inhibition effect. On the other hand, reducing the subgrid information (by using the untagged-parcel assumption) leads to an increase in ozone reduction and an enhancement of the NOx-inhibition effect insofar as the ozone extremum is concerned.
Doing What Comes Naturally

In this series, a clinician extemporaneously discusses the diagnostic approach (regular text) to sequentially presented clinical information (bold). Additional commentary on the diagnostic reasoning process (italic) is interspersed throughout the discussion.
Suicide Tourism in Manhattan, New York City, 1990-2004

Suicide accounts for over 30,000 deaths per year in the United States and is associated with psychiatric illness and substance abuse. Research suggests a strong relationship between method of suicide and the lethal means that are readily available in one’s community of residence. However, certain individuals may also seek the opportunity for suicide outside their proximal environment, often in well-known places. Whereas prevention efforts have been aimed at certain repeatedly used sites for suicide (i.e., Golden Gate Bridge), little research has studied “suicide tourism,” the phenomenon of out of town accompanied by suicide. We collected data on all suicide deaths in New York City (NYC) between 1990 and 2004 from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of NYC. We examined trends and correlates of out-of-town residents who committed suicide in NYC. Manhattan accounted for 274 of the 407 nonresident suicides in NYC, which represented over 10% of all suicides committed in Manhattan. The most common methods of suicide for the Manhattan nonresidents were long fall, hanging, overdose, drowning, and firearms; the most common locations included hotels and commercial buildings, followed by outside locations such as bridges, parks, and streets. Nonresident victims tended to be younger, more often white and Asian and less often black and Hispanic than their residential counterparts. An analysis of nonresident suicides in Manhattan revealed that it is a location where individuals travel and take their lives, often by similar means and in similar locations. A comparison with residential suicide implied that a different type of individual is at risk for nonresidential suicide, and further research and prevention efforts should be considered.
Enthalpy effects on hypervelocity boundary layer transition - Experiments and free flight data

Boundary layer transition experiments on a 5° halfangle cone at 0° angle-of-attack were performed in the T5 hypervelocity shock tunnel. The test gases investigated included air, nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Reservoir enthalpies were varied from 3 MJ/kg to 27 MJ/kg and reservoir pressures from 10 MPa to 95 MPa depending on the gas and tunnel settings. No clear relationship is found to exist between the transition Reynolds number based on the boundary layer edge conditions and the reservoir enthalpy. However, when the reference temperature conditions are used instead, the different test gases are distinguishable and ordered according to their dissociation energy. Data from a free flight experiment are also compared with the shock tunnel experiments. When the transition Reynolds numbers are evaluated at the boundary layer edge conditions, they are an order of magnitude higher than the tunnel results. However, when the reference conditions are used, the flight data fall within the same range as the experiments although the trend with reservoir enthalpy seems to be reversed.
Organizational Implementation of Evidence-Based Substance Abuse Treatment in Racial and Ethnic Minority Communities

We evaluated organizational factors associated with the implementation of contingency management treatment (CMT) and medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in substance abuse treatment (SAT) programs serving racial and ethnic minority communities. Analysis of cross-sectional data collected in 2010–2011 from a random sample of 148 publicly funded SAT programs showed that accepting private insurance was positively associated with CMT and MAT implementation, whereas larger programs were associated with greater implementation of MAT. Supervisorial openness to and expectations about implementing evidence-based practices (EBPs) and attributes for change were strongly associated with CMT, whereas the interactions between openness to EBPs and programs that accept private insurance and that are governed by parent organizations were positively associated with MAT. These external expectations and managerial attitudes supported the implementation of psychosocial and pharmacotherapy treatments in SAT. Implications for improving standards of care in minority communities are discussed.
Improving N-Finder technique for extracting endmembers

N-FINDER algorithm is widely used for endmember extraction. One of the disadvantages of N-FINDER is that its implementations take long run time due to the relatively large computational complexity of N-FINDER. Successfully reducing the size of the input data set -the hyperspectral image - that the algorithm works on can reduce the overall run time of the algorithm. A method for successfully selecting the proper sample of the data set to work on is provided in this paper. Using this reduction technique, a faster and statistically more accurate version of N-FINDER is presented.
Integrated Mainframe/PC Approach for Well-Data-Acquisition Selection

This paper discusses Saudi Aramco's integration of the corporate mainframe database management system (DBMS), a commercial statistical analysis package (SAP), and a PC database program to facilitate the selection of data-acquisition candidates and to track the completion of their requirements. Data-acquisition candidate selection includes oil and natural gas wells that require flow-meters, pulse-neutron logs (PNL's), PI tests, and bottomhole static pressure (BHSP) surveys for prudent reservoir management. Data are easily extracted from the DBMS with user-language programming techniques. Then a SAP uses predefined reservoir- management criteria to process the more than 100 logical records extracted per well. The PC database application helps novice computer users select and track data-acquisition candidates more systematically and allows users to have direct control of screen presentations. Other routine work, such as well producing priority, business development plans, and workover selection and tracking, has also been included in the PC data base.
Improved survival of poor prognosis diffuse histiocytic (large cell) lymphoma managed with sequential induction chemotherapy, “boost” radiation therapy, and autologous bone marrow transplantation

Abstract From 1981 to 1985,33 patients with the diagnosis of diffuse histiocytic (large cell) lymphoma (DHL) with a poor prognosis received induction multi-drug chemotherapy followed by autologous marrow cryopreservation. Thirty patients who had residual disease after chemotherapy were given “boost” irradiation to these sites, followed immediately by hyperfractionated total body irradiation, 1320 to 1375 cGy in I1 fractions over 4 days, then cyclophosphamide (60 mg/kg/d) for 2 days. All patients received an autologous bone marrow transplant (ABMT), with 15 patients receiving marrow purged with 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide. Patients were transplanted either as part of a planned induction-transplant approach (Group I), or as salvage after relapse on the same induction regimen (Group II), or other conventional chemotherapy regimens (Group III). In the entire group, 16 of 33 patients (48%) are alive free of lymphoma with a median follow-up of 32 months (11 to 53 mo). Actuarial (Kaplan-Meier) survival is 51% at 2 years and 46% at 3 years, with only 1 patient dying after 2 years out of 11 at risk. Eight patients (24%) succumbed to early treatment related complications. Nine patients (27%) died from relapse. Patients receiving ABMT as planned sequential therapy post-induction (Group I) did significantly better than patients given ABMT as salvage therapy after relapse on prior chemotherapy (Groups II and III) and better than the historical group of patients treated with chemotherapy alone. At 2 years, the survival in Group I is 79% versus 0% for Group II versus 48% for Group III. Historically, this group of high risk patients had a 2-year disease-free survival of 20% or less with chemotherapy alone.
Nucleotide binding and hydrolysis induces a disorder-order transition in the kinesin neck-linker region.

Kinesin translocation is thought to occur by a conformational change in a region of the motor domain called the neck linker. However, most evidence supporting this hypothesis comes from monomeric constructs unable to move processively. To address this issue, we investigated the neck-linker configuration on microtubule-bound monomeric and dimeric kinesin constructs using single-molecule fluorescence polarization microscopy. We found that the neck-linker region (i) is very mobile in the absence of nucleotides and during steady walking, (ii) decreases mobility and aligns along the microtubule axis in the presence of AMPPNP or ADP+AlF−4, (iii) is mostly ordered in the monomeric constructs in the presence of ADP+AlF−4, and (iv) is closer to parallel to the microtubule axis in the dimeric constructs. These results support the proposed role of the neck linker and suggest a coordination mechanism between the two motor domains in the dimer.
Hall effect in high-Tc Y1Ba2Cu3O7-δ superconductor

Abstract We have performed point-by-point and continuous Hall effect experiments as a function of temperature in polycrystalline Y 1 Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ . We have shown that the positive Hall constant shows an abrupt increase upon decreasing temperature at a value just above T c . This temperature corresponds to where the resistance versus temperature data deviates from linearity. At very high fields of 6.8 and 15 T we observe a subsequent decrease in R H . We interpret these data as supportive of a contribution toward the superconductivity mechanism arising from internal excitions or change transfer excitations such that the bound exciton concentration increases near T c at the expense of positive carries which are reflected in both bound and free holes.
SOI for MEMS and advanced packaging

Silicon on Insulator (SOI) Technologies offer many advantages for the fabrication and advanced packaging of MEMS and IC devices and systems. The buried oxide provides an excellent etch stop and the silicon layers on top can be selected for the exact thickness, crystal orientation, and purity for the required application. These properties are exploited for the fabrication and packaging of MEMS devices as well as for 3D integration of SOI CMOS and flexible electronics. Particular examples from work done at MIT Lincoln Laboratory over the last 10 years will be included.
A New Approach for Including Cage Flexibility in Dynamic Bearing Models by Using Combined Explicit Finite and Discrete Element Methods

In this investigation, a new approach was developed to study the influence of cage flexibility on the dynamics of inner and outer races and balls in a bearing. A 3D explicit finite element model (EFEM) of the cage was developed and combined with an existing discrete element dynamic bearing model (DBM) with six degrees of freedom. The EFEM was used to determine the cage dynamics, deformation, and resulting stresses in a ball bearing under various operating conditions. A novel algorithm was developed to determine the contact forces between the rigid balls and the flexible (deformable) cage. In this new flexible cage dynamic bearing model, the discrete and finite element models interact at each time step to determine the position, velocity, acceleration, and forces of all bearing components. The combined model was applied to investigate the influence of cage flexibility on ball-cage interactions and the resulting ball motion, cage whirl, and the effects of shaft misalignment. The model demonstrates that cage flexibility (deflection) has a significant influence on the ball-cage interaction. The results from this investigation demonstrate that the magnitude of ball-cage impacts and the ball sliding reduced in the presence of a flexible cage; however, as expected, the cage overall motion and angular velocity were largely unaffected by the cage flexibility. During high-speed operation, centrifugal forces contribute substantially to the total cage deformation and resulting stresses. When shaft misalignment is considered, stress cycles are experienced in the bridge and rail sections of the cage where fatigue failures have been observed in practice and in experimental studies.
“It may seem strange”: Strategic Exclusions in Lincoln's Second Inaugural

Of the sharp judgment of the South in Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, prior scholarship says it jars because it breaks with his inclusive, conciliatory strategy—a strategy that developed from his ongoing wrestling with God's purposes. This view of this much-studied speech, however, is that the first half of his address obliquely judges the South, a judgment that appeals to the North, reinforcing their affective identification with Lincoln. His suddenly direct judgment, which is then followed by a pivotal paralepsis, finally creates an inclusive moment. This strategic inclusiveness was designed to affect those who most threatened Reconstruction: the Radical Republicans.
Nutrient enrichment experiments in three central Florida lakes of different trophic states

Seasonal nutrient enrichment experiments (short-term bioassays) were conducted in three Florida lakes of different trophic states to determine the effects of addition of various nutrient combinations upon chlorophyll a and phytoplankton standing crops. Nutrient enriched surface water samples with crustacean zooplankton removed were incubated in situ in clear polyethylene bags for 3 to 6 days. The 25 factorial design employed two levels (ambient and enriched) of each of five nutrients [NH4 +, PO inf4 sup3− , Fe− -EDTA, SiO inf3 sup2− and a cation (Ca2+ or K+) or trace elements]. Ammonium produced significant increases in chlorophyll a and phytoplankton standing crops in all experiments. Phosphate produced similar results in the mesotrophic lake, but the eutrophic lakes had both positive and nonsignificant responses which varied seasonally between lakes. Iron increased chlorophyll a in most experiments but affected total phytoplankton standing crop only during the summer and fall. Silicon had negative effects in some experiments. Cations and trace elements produced marked differences between lakes for chlorophyll a, but total phytoplankton standing crop showed few significant responses. Synergistic responses to two- and three-factor interactions were observed in all lakes. Differences in the responses of phytoplankton taxonomic divisions to enrichment may be responsible for much of the between lake variation in chlorophyll a and total phytoplankton volume responses. Nutrient limitations in these lakes are discussed and related to limnological factors and predictive models.
Divisive War and Family Peace: The Vietnam War and the Politics of Family Talk

Dans cet article, l'A se penche sur la diversite de la culture politique aux Etats-Unis. A travers l'exemple de la guerre du Vietnam, l'A analyse les reactions des familles dont les parents etaient pour moitie des veterans ou des opposants a la guerre, et tente de comprendre le processus de socialisation politique familiale et la communication entre parents et enfants concernant la guerre du Vietnam
Selection based on the expression of antisense hypoxanthine-xanthine-guanine-phosphoribosyltransferase RNA in Toxoplasma gondii.

Abstract We have previously shown that an antisense RNA strategy can be used to inhibit the expression of hypoxanthine-xanthine-guanine-phosphoribosyltransferase (HXGPRT) in Toxoplasma gondii [Nakaar et al., J. Biol. Chem. 1999;274:5083–5087]. Here, we report that parasites rendered deficient in HXGPRT by antisense RNA are resistant to high doses of 6-thioxanthine (6-TX). We have exploited this finding to develop a selection procedure. In this scheme, parasites transfected with a chimeric construct harboring the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) reporter gene linked to antisense HXGPRT gene were selected in 6-TX to inhibit the growth of tachyzoites expressing endogenous HXGPRT. Concomitant with a reduction in HXGPRT levels by antisense RNA, 6-TXR parasites displayed reporter CAT activity. These data indicate that transfection of antisense HXGPRT gene provides a means to select for parasites expressing foreign or altered genes in T. gondii. These findings also suggest, in principle, that antisense RNA can be used as a strategy to generate selectable markers employing genes that encode enzymes with known subversive substrates.
Does pharmacotherapy for preterm labor sensitize the developing brain to environmental neurotoxicants? Cellular and synaptic effects of sequential exposure to terbutaline and chlorpyrifos in neonatal rats.

Abstract It is increasingly clear that environmental toxicants target specific human subpopulations. In the current study, we examined the effects of prior developmental exposure to a β 2 -adrenoceptor agonist used to arrest preterm labor, terbutaline, on the subsequent effects of exposure to the organophosphate insecticide, chlorpyrifos (CPF). Neonatal rats were given terbutaline on postnatal day (PN) 2–5, followed by CPF on PN11–14. Although neither treatment affected growth or viability, each elicited alterations in indices of brain cell differentiation and cholinergic innervation in the immediate posttreatment period (PN15), persisting into adulthood (PN60). Biomarkers of brain cell number (DNA concentration and content), cell size (protein/DNA ratio) and neuritic projections (membrane/total protein) were affected by either agent alone, with patterns consistent with neuronal and neuritic damage accompanied by reactive gliosis. The combined exposure augmented these effects by both additive and synergistic mechanisms. Similarly, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), a constitutive marker for cholinergic nerve terminals, was affected only by combined exposure to both terbutaline and CPF. Indices of cholinergic synaptic activity [hemicholinium-3 and m 2 -muscarinic acetylcholine receptor binding] showed impairment after exposure to either terbutaline or CPF but the effects were more severe when the treatments were combined. These findings suggest that terbutaline, like CPF, is a developmental neurotoxicant, and that its use in the therapy of preterm labor may create a subpopulation that is sensitized to the adverse neural effects of a subsequent exposure to organophosphate insecticides.
Localization of mu-opioid receptors to locus coeruleus-projecting neurons in the rostral medulla: Morphological substrates and synaptic organization

The increase in discharge activity of locus coeruleus (LC) neurons following precipitated opiate withdrawal has been reported to be caused, in part, by excitatory amino acid release most likely originating from the nucleus paragigantocellularis lateralis (PGCl) in the rostral ventral medulla. Activation of glutamate-containing neurons in the PGCl may depend on changes in the occupancy of opioid receptive sites located on LC-projecting neurons which subsequently effect excitatory amino acid release in the LC during opiate withdrawal. To determine whether the mu-opioid receptor (MOR) is localized to plasmalemmal sites of LC-projecting neurons in the PGCl, we combined retrograde transport of the protein-gold tracer, wheat germ agglutinin-conjugated to inactive horseradish peroxidase (WGA-AU-apoHRP), from the LC with immunocytochemical detection of MOR in the same section of tissue throughout the rostral medulla. Light microscopic analysis indicated that neurons containing either the retrograde tracer or immunoperoxidase labeling for the MOR were numerous throughout the ventral medulla and that individual PGCl neurons contained both WGA-Au-apoHRP as well as MOR. By electron microscopy, WGA-Au-apoHRP was commonly identified in lysosomes within somata and large proximal dendrites. The somata contained either spherical or invaginated nuclei and were often surrounded by numerous myelinated axons. Gold deposits could also be identified in the cytoplasm of smaller dendritic processes in the PGCl, although these were not necessarily associated with lysosomes. The smaller dendritic processes were often the target of afferent input by axon terminals containing heterogeneous types of synaptic vesicles. Of 150 cellular profiles exhibiting WGA-Au-apoHRP retrograde labeling, 31% contained immunoperoxidase labeling for MOR. These results indicate that the MOR is distributed along plasmalemmal sites of morphologically diverse neurons in the PGCl which project to the LC. Synapse 34:154–167, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
4.5: 200 dpi 4‐a‐Si:H TFTs Current‐Driven AM‐PLEDs

In this paper, for the first time, we report 200 dpi current-driven active-matrix organic polymer light-emitting displays based on five-terminal, four amorphous silicon thin-film transistors TFTs pixel electrode circuits, which compensate for the threshold voltage shift of organic polymer light-emitting devices and TFTs.
MOCVD of Platinum Films from (CH3)3CH3CpPt and Pt(acac)2: Nanostructure, Conformality, and Electrical Resistivity

A potentially manufacturable liquid-source MOCVD process was applied to deposit platinum (Pt) films (12-140 nm) on thermally oxidized Si substrates. The deposition of Pt films was carried out at a substrate temperature of 350°C by oxygen-assisted pyrolysis of complex precursors in a low-pressure, hot-wall reactor. The effects of two different metal-organic precursors, a) trimethyl methyl cyclopentadienyl platinum [(CH 3 ) 3 CH 3 CpPt], and b) platinum acetylacetonate [Pt(acac) 2 ], on the properties of Pt films were studied. Although the polycrystalline Pt films deposited from Pt(acac) 2 exhibited a preferred (111) orientation with a X-ray intensity ratio of I (111) /I (200) =40, the films deposited from (CH 3 ) 3 CH 3 CpPt were highly (111) oriented with I (111) /I (200) = 270. The following properties were typical of Pt films from Pt(acac) 2 as compared to Pt films from (CH 3 ) 3 CH 3 CpPt: finer grain size (25 nm vs. 50 nm), smaller root mean square (rms) surface roughness (5 nm vs. 15 nm), and better step coverage (95 % vs. 35 %). These experimental findings indicated that growth of Pt films from Pt(acac) 2 occurred under the kinetically-limited regime, whereas the deposition of Pt from (CH 3 ) 3 CH 3 CpPt was limited by the mass transport rate. Additionally, the temperature (4.2-293 K) dependence of the electrical resistivities (p) of Pt films was measured and the electron mean free paths were estimated. It was observed that ρ(T) deviated from Matthiessen's rule.