cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Diabetic Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction Phenotype: Is it Real and Is It Worth Targeting Therapeutically?

Article, see p 724 For investigators, physicians, and patients, the inability to identify therapies to improve clinical outcomes, particularly mortality, in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) has been particularly vexing and stands in stark contrast to the progress made in the treatment of patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). This has prompted a return to the proverbial drawing board, forcing a reconsideration of long-held assumptions and paradigms. Despite different underlying etiologies, patients with HFrEF are generally responsive to several classes of medications that target the neurohormonal axis. Conversely, the lack of benefit of these therapies in patients with HFpEF has prompted a reevaluation of whether HFpEF is 1 disease or many. Is there a unifying pathophysiology of HFpEF or is it better characterized as an amalgamation of distinct, albeit overlapping, phenotypes? Increasingly embraced is the notion that HFpEF is an umbrella term for distinct phenotypes, characterized by different clinical presentations and predisposing factors.1,2 Unbiased data-driven analytic strategies have identified distinct phenotypes or clusters of patients with HFpEF, including phenotypes that are clinically recognizable.3,4 Accordingly, there is movement away from a one-size-fits-all therapeutic strategy to more selective therapeutic strategies targeting these different phenotypes.1,2 Along with a focus on multiple phenotypes of HFpEF, there has been a re-examination of HFpEF as simply a disease of diastolic function to a reconceptualizing of it as more of a systemic disease, characterized by inflammation and microvasculature dysfunction with adverse sequelae in multiple organs, including, but not limited to, the heart.5,6 In line with this, attention has been directed at whether the presence of diabetes mellitus identifies an important phenotype of HFpEF that may have implications for therapeutic strategies. Earlier studies have aimed to characterize the diabetic …
Stomatal Defense a Decade Later.

A decade has passed since the discovery of stomatal defense, and the field has expanded considerably with significant understanding of the basic mechanisms underlying the process.
Functions of galectins as 'self/non-self'-recognition and effector factors.

Carbohydrate structures on the cell surface encode complex information that through specific recognition by carbohydrate-binding proteins (lectins) modulates interactions between cells, cells and the extracellular matrix, or mediates recognition of potential microbial pathogens. Galectins are a family of s-galactoside-binding lectins, which are evolutionary conserved and have been identified in most organisms, from fungi to invertebrates and vertebrates, including mammals. Since their discovery in the 1970s, their biological roles, initially understood as limited to recognition of endogenous carbohydrate ligands in embryogenesis and development, have expanded in recent years by the discovery of their roles in tissue repair and regulation of immune homeostasis. More recently, evidence has accumulated to support the notion that galectins can also bind glycans on the surface of potentially pathogenic microbes, and function as recognition and effector factors in innate immunity, thus establishing a new paradigm. Furthermore, some parasites 'subvert' the recognition roles of the vector/host galectins for successful attachment or invasion. These recent findings have revealed a striking functional diversification in this structurally conserved lectin family.
Therapy of Airway Disease: Epigenetic Potential

Epigenetic modification of gene expression by methylation of DNA and various post-translational modifications of histones may affect the expression of multiple inflammatory genes that are involved in obstructive airway disease, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Acetylation of histones by histone acetyltransferases activates inflammatory genes, whereas histone deacetylation results in inflammatory gene repression. Corticosteroids exert their anti-inflammatory effects partly by inducing acetylation of anti-inflammatory genes, but mainly by recruiting histone deacetylase-2 (HDAC2) to activated inflammatory genes. HDAC2 deacetylates acetylated glucocorticoid receptors so that they can suppress activated inflammatory genes in asthma. In COPD there is resistance to the anti-inflammatory actions of corticosteroids, which is explained by reduced activity and expression of HDAC2. This can be reversed by a plasmid vector, which restores HDAC2 levels, but may also be achieved by low concentrations of theophylline. Oxidative stress in COPD and severe asthma causes corticosteroid resistance by reducing HDAC2 activity and expression by activation of phosphoinositide-3-kinase-δ, resulting in HDAC2 phosphorylation via a cascade of kinases. Theophylline reverses corticosteroid resistance by directly inhibiting oxidant-activated PI3Kδ and is mimicked by PI3Kδ knockout or by selective inhibitors. Other treatments may also interact in this pathway, making it possible to reverse corticosteroid resistance in COPD, as well as smoking asthmatics and some patients with severe asthma and in smoking asthmatics where similar mechanisms operate. Other histone modifications, including methylation, tyrosine-nitration and ubiquitination may also affect histone function and inflammatory gene expression and better understanding of these epigenetic pathways could lead to novel anti-inflammatory therapies, particularly in corticosteroid-resistant inflammation.
Summary of Working Session on the Mechanism of Action of Immunological Adjuvants

It has been known since the early observations of Old and Benacerraf and of Brozzi and Halpern that treatment with mycobacteria or corynebacteria or their products could enhance resistance to tumor growth as well as tumor immunity. Several reports have described this type of phenomenon.
Unintentional Firearm Injuries: The Price of Protection

Firearms may provide a measure of self-protection, but they also yield tragic consequences. Although the rate of unintentional firearm deaths in the United States has declined steadily for the past 50 years, 1,500 people still die annually because of the unintentional discharge of firearms. Less is known about nonfatal injuries; powder firearms are estimated to injure 12,000 to 30,000 people annually, and nonpowder firearms are estimated to injure 19,500 to 34,500 people annually. Compared with other injury circumstances, unintentional firearm injuries disproportionately affect children younger than 15 years of age and men who injure themselves or other people. Injuries among children often occur in homes and are characterized by a lack of parental supervision and by ready access to loaded firearms. Potential primary prevention strategies include requiring design modifications, such as trigger locks and redundant safety devices; educating firearm owners, children’s caretakers, and health care providers about the risk of firearm injury and about prevention; and restricting children’s access to firearms.
Advances in Cardiovascular Care: How to Stimulate Innovation While Controlling Cost.

Summary There is increasing concern over the cost of pharmaceuticals. An approach to assessing the value of new pharmaceuticals compared with previous standards is cost-effectiveness analysis. Although cost-effectiveness analysis may not be able to directly answer societal questions about new drugs, it can make the underlying assumptions clear. As new pharmaceuticals are becoming more expensive, the issues concerning societal willingness-to-pay become more critical. This is especially true of biologics, where the cost of manufacture is much higher than for small molecules. Indeed, new biologics have gone from being unusual to dominating the market for new pharmaceuticals. Efficiency in manufacturing will need to be gradually addressed to make these life-saving therapies more widely available.
Hermetic Influences on the Evolutionary System of Helena Blavatsky’s Theosophy

Helena Blavatsky (1831–1891) developed a program of salvation that she called “double evolution,” which was elaborated in a system known as root race theory. Human souls were seen as traversing through progressive reincarnation a series of seven “races,” or body types, ranging from gigantic amorphous and ethereal bodies and transitioning through hermaphroditic into gigantic gendered ape-like humans, modern humans, and thereafter adepts and divine beings. Although root race theory drew from the scientific racism of its day, it did not equate root races with human races, but to stages of human emanation from and return to divinity. The sources of root race theory have been sought in Eastern contexts due to its use of Hindu and Buddhist terminology, though scholars have noted its Western esoteric influences. This article argues that the primary structure of root race theory is based in the Corpus Hermeticum. It identifies some of Blavatsky’s Hermetic sources, showing that she referred not only generally to a perennialist “Hermetic philosophy” that incorporated Western esoteric tropes, but also to specific Hermetic texts. These texts provided the organizing matrix of root race theory, specifically its creation mythology, support for prior androgyne human existence, a “fall into matter,” and the initial ensoulment of humans with mind, or nous . It also provided a template for the future transformation of humans into divine beings. The article builds on the suggestions of Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke (2013) and Brendan French (2001) to elaborate on the role of Hermetic influence in Blavatsky’s reconfiguring of evolution as a novel form of salvation for an empirically-oriented nineteenth century audience.
Brucellosis in Adults and Children: A 10-Year Case Series at Two Large Academic Hospitals in Houston, Texas.

Objectives Brucellosis is one of the most common zoonoses worldwide. Most cases in the United States occur among travelers or immigrants from endemic regions, mostly Central America. In this study, we aimed at describing and comparing the epidemiology and clinical presentation of brucellosis in pediatric and adult patients at two large tertiary care centers in Houston, Texas. Methods We identified patients diagnosed as having brucellosis between January 2000 and December 2009 by searching electronic medical records and reviewing microbiology records for positive cultures. Cases were defined as those with a positive blood culture for Brucella sp, a serum agglutination titer ≥1:80 (or both positive blood culture and serum agglutination titer ≥1:80), along with an epidemiologic risk factor and clinical presentation that is consistent with brucellosis. Results Six adult and 12 pediatric cases were identified; 13 of 18 (72%) cases were immigrants, mostly from Central America. The median ages for adult and pediatric patients were 53 and 3 years old, respectively. Ingestion of unpasteurized milk products was frequently reported. Common clinical features included fever (83%), arthralgias or arthritis (67%), and hepatosplenomegaly (61%). Positive blood cultures were more frequently reported among children than adults (83% vs 33%, P = 0.03). The most common laboratory finding was mildly elevated transaminases. Three adults (50%) but no children developed thrombocytopenia (P = 0.02). Relapsed infection was a frequent occurrence. Conclusions In the southern United States, brucellosis is an important consideration in the differential diagnosis of immigrants presenting with undifferentiated fever and joint complaints. A careful history often reveals an epidemiologic risk factor such as ingestion of unpasteurized dairy products.
The Pichia pastoris peroxisomal protein PAS8p is the receptor for the C-terminal tripeptide peroxisomal targeting signal.

Abstract The peroxisomal targeting signal 1 (PTS1), consisting of a C-terminal tripeptide (SKL and variants), directs polypeptides to the peroxisome matrix in evolutionarily diverse organisms. Previous studies in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris identified a 68 kDa protein, PAS8p, as a potential component of the PTS1 import machinery. We now report several new properties of this molecule which, taken together, show that it is the peroxisomal PTS1 receptor. (i) PAS8p is localized to and tightly associated with the cytoplasmic side of the peroxisomal membrane, (ii) peroxisomes of wild-type, but not of pas8 delta (null) mutant, P.pastoris cells bind a PTS1-containing peptide (CRYHLKPLQSKL), (iii) CRYHLKPLQSKL can be cross-linked to PAS8p after binding at the peroxisome membrane and (iv) purified PAS8p binds CRYHLKPLQSKL with high affinity (nanomolar dissociation constant). In addition, the tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domain of PAS8p is identified as the PTS1 binding region.
Trusted Cooperative Transmissions: Turning a Security Weakness into a Security Enhancement

Since the invention of wireless telegraphy, the effort to improve wireless channel capacity has never stopped. In the last decade, significant advancement has been made and this advancement has featured two milestones. The first milestone is Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) techniques, which create spatial diversity by taking advantage of multiple antennas and improvesthe wireless channel capacity by an amount on the order of the number of antennas on a wireless device. The second milestone is cooperative transmission. Instead of relying on the installation of multiple antennas on one wireless device, cooperative transmission achieves spatial diversity through physical layer cooperation. In cooperative transmission, when the source node transmits a message to the destination node, the nearby nodes that overhear this transmission will “help” the source and destination by relaying the replicas of the message, and the destination will combine the multiple received waveforms so as to improve the link quality. In other words, cooperative transmission techniques utilize nearby nodes as virtual antennas, and mimic the effects of MIMO in achieving spatial diversity.
Massive MIMO Relay Networks With Underlay Spectrum Sharing

The achievable rates of multicell/multiuser massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) relay networks with underlay spectrum sharing are investigated for imperfect/perfect channel state information (CSI). The transmit power constraints of the secondary user nodes and relays are derived. A max–min fairness optimal secondary transmit power control algorithm is formulated, and thereby, optimal power allocation coefficients and the maximum common achievable user rates are derived. The detrimental effects of intracell and intercell pilot contamination are studied for three pilot sequence designs (PSDs). Thereby, it is shown that for some PSDs and CSI assumptions, the secondary network can be operated at the peak average transmit power without degrading the performance of the primary network when the base-stations are equipped with massive MIMO. Consequently, the asymptotic achievable rates become independent of the primary interference temperature. For the worst-case scenario of full pilot reuse in the primary and secondary networks as well as in the co-channel cells, the achievable rates are severely degraded by intra-cell and inter-cell pilot contamination. Counter-intuitively, a significant portion of the achievable rate gains observed under the perfect CSI assumption can still be obtained by using a PSD with a fundamental trade-off between system performance and practical viability.
Effect of Apoyo con Cariño (Support With Caring) Trial of a Patient Navigator Intervention to Improve Palliative Care Outcomes for Latino Adults With Advanced Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance Strategies to increase access to palliative care, particularly for racial/ethnic minorities, must maximize primary palliative care and community-based models to meet the ever-growing need in a culturally sensitive and congruent manner. Objective To investigate if a culturally tailored patient navigator intervention can improve palliative care outcomes for Latino adults with advanced cancer. Design, Setting, and Participants TheApoyo con Carino(Support With Caring) randomized clinical trial was conducted from July 2012 to March 2016. The setting was clinics across the state of Colorado, including an academic National Cancer Institute–designated cancer center, community cancer clinics (urban and rural), and a safety-net cancer center. Participants were adults who self-identified as Latino and were being treated for advanced cancer. Intervention Culturally tailored patient navigator intervention. Main Outcomes and Measures Primary outcome measures were advance care planning in the medical record, the Brief Pain Inventory, and hospice use. Secondary outcome measures included the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire (MQOL), hospice length of stay, and aggressiveness of care at the end of life. This study used an intent-to-treat design. Results In total, 223 Latino adults enrolled (mean [SD] age, 58.1 [13.6] years; 55.6% female) and were randomized to control (n = 111) or intervention (n = 112) groups. Intervention group patients were more likely to have a documented advance directive compared with control group patients (73 of 112 [65.2%] vs 40 of 111 [36.0%],P Conclusions and Relevance The intervention had mixed results. The intervention increased advance care planning and improved physical symptoms; however, it had no effect on pain management and hospice use or overall quality of life. Further research is needed to determine the role and scope of lay navigators in palliative care. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier:NCT01695382
Source Classification of Indoor Air Pollutants Using Principal Component Analysis for Smart Home Monitoring Applications

Indoor air pollution has much greater impact on our health than we perceive. Presence of particulates and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor air are in much higher concentrations than outdoor air. These particulates and VOCs are known to cause numerous health problems to millions of people every year. This paper presents a solution for passive and continuous monitoring of harmful VOCs using a sensor array. We tested common household products for VOCs emissions. The items were tested in a controlled laboratory setting which simulated an indoor environment. In the laboratory, the developed system was able to detect the presence of the harmful VOCs and classify the sources of those VOCs. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used for identification and classification. The presented system aims to assist the users to monitor the presence of harmful VOCs and inform about their possible sources. How we designed the system and the test results are presented and discussed.
Weekday Physical Activity and Health-Related Fitness of Youths with Visual Impairments and those with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Visual Impairments:

IntroductionYouths with visual impairments (that is, those who are blind or have low vision), as well as those who are visually impaired and have autism spectrum disorder (hereafter, autism), tend ...
Electrode Placement in Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation—How Reliable Is the Determination of C3/C4?

The 10/20 electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements system often guides electrode placement for transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a form of non-invasive brain stimulation. One targeted region of the brain is the primary motor cortex (M1) for motor recovery after stroke, among other clinical indications. M1 is identified by C3 and C4 of the 10/20 EEG system yet the reliability of 10/20 EEG measurements by novice research raters is unknown. We investigated the reliability of the 10/20 EEG measurements for C3 and C4 in 25 adult participants. Two novice raters were assessed for inter-rater reliability. Both raters received two hours of instruction from a registered neurodiagnostic technician. One of the raters completed the measurements across two testing days for intra-rater reliability. Relative reliability was determined using the intraclass coefficient (ICC) and absolute reliability. We observed a low to fair inter and intra-rater ICC for motor cortex measurements. The absolute reliability was <1.0 cm by different novice raters and on different days. Although a low error was observed, consideration of the integrity of the targeted region of the brain is critical when designing tDCS interventions in clinical populations who may have compromised brain structure, due to a lesion or altered anatomy.
Commit Heresy: Stop Using “Contingency”

The term "contingency" has long been widely used by behavior analysts, but their uses of the term are inconsistent with the vernacular definition of the term. Moreover, the term is not consistently defined by behavior analysts, but is instead used to refer to a variety of relations between and among stimuli and responses. In the interest of reducing jargon and potential confusion, we argue that behavior analysts should stop using "contingency" and related terms.
Effects of liquid swine manure and its components on Heterodera glycines population densities and soybean growth and yield

Liquid swine manure and an inorganic fertilizer were applied pnor to planting in the com year of two two-year com and soybean rotation experiments. There were two untreated control plots, one planted to com and one left fallow. No nutrients were applied the second year when soytieans were planted. Soyt>ean height was increased by both swine manure and inorganic fertilizer in one of two experiments. Soybean yields were increased by swine manure application in both experiments and in one experiment by inorganic fertilizer. Heterodera glycines egg population densities were reduced an average 48 to 64% in the com year. Egg population densities at harvest in the com year for the different nutrient sources were not significantly different (P>0.05). Nutrient source and the presence or absence of com in the year of com did not influence H. glycines egg population densities at harvest in the year of soybeans. The population densities of Helicotylenchus sp. were lower in both the com year and the soybean year in experiment 2 in the fallowed control when
AXBT Observations during Trident Warrior 2013

Abstract : The long-term goal is to determine the impact of observations on the performance of ocean circulation forecast models and provide guidance on the design and implementation of ocean observing systems. The primary objective for the Trident Warrior 2013 Exercise is determining the impact of on scene data on the performance of forecast systems for prediction EM propagation characteristics. A number of supplemental projects were added for the exercise with a focus on air-sea interaction and shelf processes. However, the shelf circulation is impacted by Gulf Stream and slope circulation in this region. Additional airborne temperature profiles were obtained as part of this project to test the performance of the forecast models in the region near the separation of the Gulf Stream from the coast at Cape Hatteras. The observations are used to evaluate a new vertical projection scheme, Improved Synthetic Ocean Profiles, and test a new hypothesis on conditional predictability of small scale frontogenesis with improved mesoscale prediction.
Early prediction of transition to durable mechanical circulatory support in patients undergoing peripheral veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for critical cardiogenic shock

Peripheral veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (pVA-ECMO) has gained increasing value in the management of patients with critical cardiogenic shock (cCS), allowing time for myocardial recovery. Failure of myocardial recovery has life-altering consequences: transition to durable mechanical circulatory support (dMCS), urgent heart transplantation, or withdrawal of support. Clinical factors controlling myocardial recovery under these circumstances remain largely unknown. Using a retrospective cohort, we developed a model for early prediction of transition to dMCS in patients undergoing pVA-ECMO for cCS. To promote myocardial recovery, our clinical management centered around left ventricular pressure unloading, that is, targeting pulmonary capillary wedge pressures (PCWP) ≤18 mm Hg. We collected demographic data, laboratory findings, inotrope use, and two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography measurements, all limited to the first 72h of pVA-ECMO (D1-3). Out of 70 patients who were alive after pVA-ECMO, 27 patients underwent implantation of dMCS. There was no significant difference in survival to hospital discharge between patients with or without transition to dMCS. Ejection fractionD1-3 (per 10% increase, OR 0.37 [0.17-0.79]) and amount of inotropic supportD1-3 (OR 4.77 [1.6-14.18]) but neither myocardial wall tension nor PCWP emerged as significant predictors of transition to dMCS. Optimism-corrected c-index (0.90 [0.89-0.90]) revealed an excellent discriminative ability of our model. In summary, our model for early prediction of transition to dMCS in patients with cCS undergoing pVA-ECMO identifies indicators of inotropic state as relevant factors. Absence of markers for myocardial oxygen consumption or left ventricular pressure loading allows us to hypothesize sufficient cardiac unloading in our cohort with PCWP-targeted management.
Low temperature ALD growth optimization of ZnO, TiO2, and Al2O3 to be used as a buffer layer in perovskite solar cells

Organic materials provide a very small thermal budget for any postfabrication treatment or for a subsequent layer in a device fabrication. This demand for the low-temperature process has driven the focus of this study to obtain atomic layer deposited oxide layer at a low temperature suitable for a buffer layer in perovskite solar cells. The buffer layer will assist in blocking holes, effectively extract electrons, provide better shunt protection, and act as a sputter protection layer for organic perovskites. Three different oxide layers, Al2O3, ZnO, and TiO2, are grown at 100 °C and studied for this purpose using synchronous modulated flow draw atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology optimized in a commercial 200 mm ALD reactor from Sundew Technologies. It allows greater precursor utilization and shorter deposition cycle times that in turn reduces thermal processing time compared to traditional ALD processes. These thin films have been shown to enhance the fill factor and high charge extraction from the solar cell. Three oxides are compared on all aspects, among which ZnO (3 nm) along with Al2O3 (1 nm) on top of the perovskite layer have shown excellent performance improvement in the device’s power conversion efficiency.
Virtually Authentic: Graduate Students’ Perspective Changes toward Authentic Learning while Collaborating in a Virtual World

This qualitative case study investigates graduate students’ perspective changes apropos their cross-national collaborative learning experience while participating in an online teaching and learning course jointly taught by graduate schools in the United States and Israel. The participants met virtually, on a weekly basis between November and December 2018, on a platform called Second Life, to design and participate in collaborative learning activities. On completion of the course, interviews were conducted with a small sample of student-participants regarding their experiences. During the design phase, participants’ dominant perceptions of their learning experiences were characterized by genuine “excitement” at the novelty of collaborating virtually with colleagues on the other side of the world. Their initial perceptions evolved during the participation phase to realization as learning communities emerged and students’ roles expanded beyond the scope of mere participants. In this study, the authors argue that participants’ construction of new knowledge resulted in authentic learning from the standpoints of social constructivism and online collaborative learning theory and further discuss the factors that enabled the participants’ authentic learning experience.
A randomised trial of a web-based physical activity self-management intervention in COPD

Improving exercise capacity is a primary objective in COPD. Declines in exercise capacity result in reduced physical activity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Self-management interventions can teach patients skills and behaviours to manage their disease. Technology-mediated interventions have the potential to provide easily accessible support for disease self-management. We evaluated the effectiveness of a web-based self-management intervention, focused on physical activity promotion, on exercise capacity in COPD. This 6-month randomised controlled trial (NCT02099799) enrolled 153 persons with COPD at two US sites (VABoston, n=108; VABirmingham, n=45). Participants were allocated (1:1) to the web-based self-management intervention (physical activity promotion through personalised, progressive step-count goals, feedback, online COPD-related education and social support via an online community) or usual care. The primary outcome was exercise capacity (6-min walk distance (6 MWD)). Secondary outcomes included physical activity (daily steps per day), HRQoL (St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire Total Score), dyspnoea, COPD-related knowledge and social support. Change in step-count goals reflected intervention engagement. Participants' mean age was 69 (sd=7), and mean forced expiratory volume in 1 s % predicted was 61% (sd=21%). Change in 6MWD did not differ between groups. Intervention participants improved their mean daily step counts by 1312 more than those in the usual care group (p<0.001). Groups did not differ on other secondary outcomes. VABirmingham participants were significantly more engaged with the intervention, although site did not modify the effect of the intervention on 6MWD or secondary outcomes. The intervention did not improve exercise capacity but improved physical activity at 6 months. Additional intervention modifications are needed to optimise its COPD self-management capabilities.
Transit Performance Evaluation Model

An analytical methodology, known as the Transit Performance Evaluation Model, has been extended and applied. The model is used to evaluate the effect on transit performance from short term policy changes including: fares, service frequencies, route coverage, and route alignment. Long term trends in ridership due to a shift in the demand function caused by factors beyond the control of transit operators were also considered. The model was intended for use by bus operators in small to medium sized cities. Model tests were performed in several small midwestern cities using a variety of policy changes. Analysis of available after data indicated that the model results are reasonable and the model can be effectively used to make decisions regarding transit improvement options.
Surface Flatness Measurement Through a Digital 3D Profilometry System

Digital 3D profilometry is a non-contact, full-field, and fast method for 3D profile digitization. It has a relatively simple setup and acceptable measurement accuracy. Surface flatness plays an important role in many circumstances, such as sealing and contact. Using digital 3D profilometry to measure surface flatness is a new challenge to researchers. In this paper, new development is presented on how to measure surface flatness. Principles and procedures are described in detail. Measurement applications are given and limitations are discussed.
Sheet-like white matter fiber tracts: representation, clustering, and quantitative analysis

We introduce an automated and probabilistic method for subjectspecific segmentation of sheet-like fiber tracts. In addition to clustering of trajectories into anatomically meaningful bundles, the method provides statistics of diffusion measures by establishing point correspondences on the estimated medial representation of each bundle. We also introduce a new approach for medial surface generation of sheet-like fiber bundles in order too initialize the proposed clustering algorithm. Applying the new method to a population study of brain aging on 24 subjects demonstrates the capabilities and strengths of the algorithm in identifying and visualizing spatial patterns of group differences.
HERA: Heterogeneous Extension of RAID ∗

A number of recent technological trends have made data intensive applications such as continuous media (audio and video) servers a reality. These servers store and retrieve a large volume of data using magnetic disks. Servers consisting of multiple nodes and large arrays of heterogeneous disk drives have become a fact of life for several reasons. First, magnetic disks might fail. Failed disks are almost always replaced with newer disk models because the current technological trend for these devices is one of annual increase in both performance and storage capacity. Second, storage requirements are ever increasing, forcing servers to be scaled up progressively. In this study we present HERA, a framework that enables parity-based data protection for heterogeneous storage systems. Based on the novel Disk Merging approach HERA provides a low cost solution for systems that require highly available secondary storage.
Advances in the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease

Correspondence: F.X. Pi-Sunyer. Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Nutrition. St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center. Columbia University. New York, NY, 10025. USA. E-mail: fxp1@columbia.edu Type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease are major public health problems in the world today. Obesity also is becoming an epidemic globally and with it there is a greater prevalence of the metabolic syndrome. Improved metabolic control of type 2 diabetes should decrease the complications of the disease. While lifestyle change is crucial in improving outcomes of type 2 diabetes and patients with cardiometabolic risk, pharmacological advances can also be helpful in improving control. Two new advances in drug therapy are presented here. The first is the development of incretin analogues to treat type 2 diabetic patients. The second is the development of endocannabinoid receptor blockers to treat overweight and cardiometabolic risk. Both of these advances are likely to improve metabolic control in patients who are very vulnerable to cardiovascular disease.
Visibility-based prefetching for interactive out-of-core rendering

We present a new visibility-based prefetching algorithm for interactive out-of-core rendering of large models on an inexpensive PC. Using an approximate visibility technique, we can very accurately and efficiently determine which geometry will be visible in the near future and prefetch that geometry from disk before it must be rendered. Our prefetching algorithm is a key part of a visualization system capable of rendering a 13-million triangle model with 99% accuracy at interactive frame rates. Our prefetching algorithm is the first of its kind to be based on a from-point visibility technique, and enables interactive rendering on a commodity PC, as opposed to expensive high-end graphics workstations or parallel machines.
Ionospheric Storms — A Review

In this paper, our current understanding and recent advances in the study of ionospheric storms is reviewed, with emphasis on the F2-region. Ionospheric storms represent an extreme form of space weather with important effects on ground- and space-based technological systems. These phenomena are driven by highly variable solar and magnetospheric energy inputs to the Earth's upper atmosphere, which continue to provide a major difficulty for attempts now being made to simulate the detailed storm response of the coupled neutral and ionized upper atmospheric constituents using increasingly sophisticated global first principle physical models. Several major programs for coordinated theoretical and experimental study of these storms are now underway. These are beginning to bear fruit in the form of improved physical understanding and prediction of ionospheric storm effects at high, middle, and low latitude.
Breeding Rate Measurements in Solid Fusion Blankets with Metallic Lithium Samples

Measurement of the local breeding rate in a large assembly of fusion blanket candidate materials, irradiated by a fusion neutron source, serves the dual purpose of blanket design support and, perhaps more importantly, calculational method and cross section library testing. In this report, we present technical details of a measurement scheme based on deployment of encapsulated lithium metal samples and subsequent thermal digestion of the samples in a metered carrier hydrogen stream, conversion to THO and LS-counting. A comparison of the scheme to other means of tritium production rate (TPR) measurement with respect to accuracy and other characteristics indicates that its potential accuracy exceeds that of wet-chemistry tritium extraction from lithium salt pellets or TLD deployment and is comparable to the best accuracy of lithium-glass traversing schemes. The sample fabrication and tritium extraction techniques that will be described evolved from well-tested equipment that was previously used in critical (fusion) reactor work and cross section measurements, but needed some modification to increase the throughput and thus allow processing the large number of samples required in blanket assay. The applicability of this scheme to measurements at arbitrarily high neutron flux and higher temperatures will be briefly commented on. 19 refs., 4 figs.
Transcriptional and Epigenetic Regulation of Interleukin-2 Gene in Activated T Cells by Morphine

Chronic morphine inhibits interleukin-2 (IL-2) at both the transcriptional and protein synthesis levels. The molecular mechanisms by which morphine decreases IL-2 are not fully understood. The production of IL-2 is tightly regulated by several transcription factors that bind to the IL-2 promoter. Herein, we show that chronic morphine treatment results in an increase in cAMP levels with a concurrent up-regulation of the cAMP inducible repressor inducible cAMP early repressor (ICER)/cAMP response element modulator (CREM) and down-regulation of p-cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) in activated T cells. Furthermore, ICER competes for p-CREB binding to the cAMP-responsive elements (CREs) site. This leads to the uncoupling of CBP/p300 thereby abrogating IL-2 transcription. Overexpression of either antisense CREM or CREB plasmid rescued morphine-induced inhibition of IL-2 promoter activity and protein production. In addition, we also found that chronic morphine treatment inhibited the acetylation and trimethylation of histones and decreased both DNA demethylation and accessibility of the IL-2 promoter. These findings suggest that chronic morphine treatment may function through both transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms to inhibit IL-2 production.
Destigmatization of identity: From deviant to charismatic

This paper lays the groundwork of a systematic theory of destigmatization, specifying: 1) the structural arrangements which could promote destigmatization; 2) the aims of destigmatization and; 3) the degree of success. The concept of charismatic destigmatization is also developed, with the author's suggestion of three types of modes of charismatic destigmatization: individual purification, individual transcendence, and collective aristocratization. Finally a special social role, that of the charismatic deviant, is analyzed; a role which provides both for individual destigmatization and for representation of the deviant collectivity to the general public.
The effects of x-irradiation on the early stages of the memory system in rats.

Previously, it had been demonstrated that late stages of the memory system are radioresistant. In the present study early stage radiosensitivity was investigated in rats. The animals were given dark avoidance training by a one-trial method employing electric shock as the unconditioned stimulus. Then they were either exposed to 2000 R of whole body x-irradiation or sham irradiated. When the rats were tested 24 hr later, no difference could be detected between these groups. Based on the data from these experiments, the early stages of the memory system appear to be relatively radioresistant.
Absence of age-resistance in neonatally thymectomised chickens as evidence for cell-mediated immune surveillance in Marek's disease.

MAREK'S disease virus (MDV) of chickens induces lymphomas and other lymphoproliferative changes, which, depending on the virulence of the strain used, may terminate in paralysis and death. Chickens genetically selected for resistance, however, are refractory to clinical MD and most chickens that are fully susceptible when young develop resistance as they become older. Resistance acquired with age is expressed through lesion regression1,2. Our studies with genetic and age resistance established that humoral immunity did not play a major role in either type of resistance3,4 and now we present evidence that the thymus-dependent immune system is of principal importance in the natural resistance of old chickens.
A Technique for Computing Vertical Transports by Precipitating Cumuli

Abstract A method is described for calculating cumulus-scale vertical transports of mass, sensible heat and hori-zontal momentum from detailed measurements of precipitation. The basic premises are that the amount of lifting in a cumulus cell is related to the precipitation which it produces and that the temperature excess and entrainment are reflected in its vertical development. The amount of cellular precipitation may be obtained from quantitative radar data or high-resolution rain gauge records, the cell depths from radar and radiosonde data. The mass of air transported upward within the cells is computed from the conservation of water given the amount of cellular precipitation. A relationship between measured cellular rain and condensate within cumulus cells is based on available empirical information. Entrainment rate and the shape of the mass transport curve as a function of height are specified in a manner consistent with physical considerations, experimental evidence, and one-dimensional dynamic m...
Checkpoint evolution for volatile correlation computing

Given a set of data objects, the problem of correlation computing is concerned with efficient identification of strongly-related ones. Existing studies have been mainly focused on static data. However, as observed in many real-world scenarios, input data are often dynamic and analytical results have to be continually updated. Therefore, there is the critical need to develop a dynamic solution for volatile correlation computing. To this end, we develop a checkpoint scheme, which can help us capture dynamic correlation values by establishing an evolving computation buffer. In this paper, we first provide a theoretical analysis of the properties of the volatile correlation, and derive a tight upper bound. Such tight and evolving upper bound is used to identify a small list of candidate pairs, which are maintained as new transactions are added into the database. Once the total number of new transactions goes beyond the buffer size, the upper bound is re-computed according to the next checkpoint, and a new list of candidate pairs is identified. Based on such a scheme, a new algorithm named CHECK-POINT+ has been designed. Experimental results on real-world data sets show that CHECK-POINT+ can significantly reduce the computation cost in dynamic data environments, and has the advantage of compacting the use of memory space.
Atomic structure of O/Ir(2 1 0) nanofacets

Abstract A study of faceting of the O/Ir(2 1 0) surface has been conducted using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Three-sided nanometer-scale pyramids with {3 1 1} and (1 1 0) facets are found to cover the surface uniformly in the entire range of facet formation and growth temperatures. The {3 1 1} facets are smooth and unreconstructed. The (1 1 0) facets consist of unreconstructed terraces and restructured areas that exhibit a complex faceting pattern on the atomic level. The tilt angles of pyramid facets and distances between surface atoms for the facets and for the (1 1 0) superstructure are consistent with predictions based on truncated bulk iridium crystal properties. STM image simulations, based on electronic band structure calculations, have been used to validate the proposed surface terminations for the complex (1 1 0) facet superstructure.
The effect of bupivacaine with fentanyl temperature on initiation and maintenance of labor epidural analgesia: a randomized controlled study.

Abstract Background Labor epidural analgesia is highly effective, but can be limited by slow onset and incomplete blockade. The administration of warmed, compared to room temperature, bupivacaine has resulted in more rapid onset epidural anesthesia. We hypothesized that the administration of bupivacaine with fentanyl at 37°C versus 20°C would result in improved initial and ongoing labor epidural analgesia. Methods In this prospective, randomized, doubled blinded study, 54 nulliparous, laboring women were randomized to receive epidural bupivacaine 0.125% with fentanyl 2μg/mL (20mL initial and 6mL hourly boluses) at either 37°C or 20°C. Pain verbal rating scores (VRS), sensory level, oral temperature, and side effects were assessed after epidural loading (time 0), at 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 60min, and at hourly intervals. The primary outcome was the time to achieve initial satisfactory analgesia (VRS ⩽3). Secondary outcomes included ongoing quality of sensory blockade, body temperature and shivering. Results There were no differences between groups in patient demographics, initial pain scores, cervical dilatation, body temperature or mode of delivery. Epidural bupivacaine at 37°C resulted in shorter mean (±SD) analgesic onset time (9.2±4.7 vs. 16.0±10.5min, P =0.005) and improved analgesia for the first 15min after initial bolus ( P =0.001–0.03). Although patient temperature increased during the study ( P P =0.09). Six (24%) and 10 (40%) patients experienced shivering in the 37°C and 20°C groups, respectively ( P =0.23). Conclusions The administration of epidural 0.125% bupivacaine with fentanyl 2μg/mL at 37°C versus 20°C resulted in more rapid onset and improved labor analgesia for the first 15min. There was no evidence of improved ongoing labor analgesia or differences in side effects between groups.
A discrete dispersal model with constant and periodic environments

We study a discrete juvenile–adult model which describes the dynamics of a population that reproduces and disperses between two patches constantly or seasonally. When breeding and dispersal rates are constant, the model has a unique interior equilibrium that is globally attractive, provided the net reproductive number is greater than one. If net reproductive number is less than one, then the extinction equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable. When breeding and dispersal rates are periodic of period 2, the extinction equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable if the net reproductive number is less than one. If the net reproductive number is greater than one, then there exists a unique globally attractive periodic solution. We then use bifurcation analysis to compare constant and seasonal breeding strategies, to explore the effects of different birth and dispersal periodicities and to understand the influence of strong nonlinearities on the dynamics of the model.