cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of chronic inhalation of electronic cigarettes containing nicotine on glial glutamate transporters and α-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in female CD-1 mice

Alteration in glutamate neurotransmission has been found to mediate the development of drug dependence, including nicotine. We and others, through using western blotting, have reported that exposure to drugs of abuse reduced the expression of glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1) as well as cystine/glutamate antiporter (xCT), which consequently increased extracellular glutamate concentrations in the mesocorticolimbic area. However, our previous studies did not reveal any changes in glutamate/aspartate transporter (GLAST) following exposure to drugs of abuse. In the present study, for the first time, we investigated the effect of chronic exposure to electronic (e)-cigarette vapor containing nicotine, for one hour daily for six months, on GLT-1, xCT, and GLAST expression in frontal cortex (FC), striatum (STR), and hippocampus (HIP) in outbred female CD1 mice. In this study, we also investigated the expression of alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α-7 nAChR), a major pre-synaptic nicotinic receptor in the glutamatergic neurons, which regulates glutamate release. We found that inhalation of e-cigarette vapor for six months increased α-7 nAChR expression in both FC and STR, but not in the HIP. In addition, chronic e-cigarette exposure reduced GLT-1 expression only in STR. Moreover, e-cigarette vapor inhalation induced downregulation of xCT in both the STR and HIP. We did not find any significant changes in GLAST expression in any brain region. Finally, using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) techniques, we detected high concentrations of nicotine and cotinine, a major metabolite of nicotine, in the FC tissues of e-cigarette exposed mice. These data provide novel evidence about the effects of chronic nicotine inhalation on the expression of key glial glutamate transporters as well as α-7 nAChR. Our work may suggest that nicotine exposure via chronic inhalation of e-cigarette vapor may be mediated in part by alterations in the glutamatergic system.
Creating a Counter-Space through Listening to and Learning from a Korean Pre-service Teacher’s Experiences

The author uses a life-historical counter-storytelling approach to examine a Korean female pre-service teacher’s experiences in a U.S. teacher preparation program. The participant encountered challenges due to her perceived language proficiency and communication and participation style in a U.S. higher educational context. Further, the author report how the participant responded to her challenges: (1) by feeling pressure to internalize deficit-oriented narratives and assimilate into dominant cultural norms, and (2) by resisting against the racial stereotype. This study shows that teacher educators need to create counter-spaces for linguistic and ethnic/racial minority pre-service teachers in teacher preparation.
Operating point, dynamic behavior, and control structure design for an industrial butadiene plant

Abstract The Butadiene Extractive Unit (BEU) recovers 1, 3-butadiene (BD) from a C4 stream of an ethylene plant. The main goals of this work are to increase the operating time, the feed flow rate, and the BD production of a industrial BEU. These goals will be reached through the proposition of a new operating point and the selection of an appropriate control strategy for the first extractive distillation column. The study is based on the knowledge of the dynamic and stationary characteristics of the unit. The analysis of the process behavior was accomplished using a model developed in the commercial simulators ASPEN Plus and Dynamics v.10.1. The model was validated using real data from an industrial unit.
Solvent-free synthesis and purification of a photoproduct via sublimation of a tetrahalogenated template

The solvent-free formation and purification of the photoproduct rctt-tetrakis(4-pyridyl)cyclobutane has been achieved using 1,2-dibromo-4,5-difluorobenzene as the template. Dry vortex grinding yielded the photoreactive co-crystal. During the [2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction, the template readily sublimes resulting in virtually pure photoproduct in a completely solvent-free approach.
EDUCO, Community-Based Management, and Global Education Policy: Losses, Legacies, Lingering Issues

This chapter concludes not only by providing an update on the Education with Community Participation (EDUCO) program but also by returning to and drawing out a number of issues raised throughout the book. The first section begins by discussing what came after the EDUCO program in the way of community management of education and then shifts to focus on how EDUCO lives on in the field of global education policy, often in ways unknown to development practitioners and others in the global education policy field. The second section then turns to the question of the implications of EDUCO for community-based management as it is implemented and conceived at the local level. This discussion is particularly important because the experience of EDUCO at the local level has not been a focal point of previous chapters.
Alkaline Phosphatase in Infant Cardiopulmonary Bypass: Kinetics and Relationship to Organ Injury and Major Cardiovascular Events

Objectives To determine the kinetics of alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity and concentration after infant cardiopulmonary bypass, including isoform-specific changes, and to measure the association between postoperative AP activity and major postoperative cardiovascular events, organ injury/dysfunction, and postoperative support requirements Study design Prospective cohort study of 120 infants ≤120 days of age undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass. AP total and isoform-specific activity was assessed at 6 time points (preoperation, rewarming, 6, 24, 48, and 72 hours postoperation). Low AP activity was defined as ≤80 U/L. AP concentrations and biomarkers of organ injury/dysfunction were collected through 24 hours postoperation. Major cardiovascular events were defined as cardiac arrest, mechanical circulatory support, or death. Results AP activity loss occurred primarily during the operation (median decrease 89 U/L; P Conclusions AP activity decreases during infant cardiopulmonary bypass and may continue to decrease for 24 hours. Activity loss is secondary to decreased bone and liver 2 isoform concentrations. Early low AP activity is associated independently with subsequent postoperative support and organ injury/dysfunction, and persistence of AP activity ≤80 U/L at 72 hours is associated independently with increased odds of major cardiovascular events.
Homeowner decisions to retrofit to reduce hurricane-induced wind and flood damage

AbstractEven as new incentive programs emerge to encourage homeowners to strengthen their homes so as to reduce the risk of damage in extreme events, little is known about how homeowners make such ...
Variegated expression of members of the WC1 pathogen recognition receptor and co-receptor multi-gene family on γδ T cells

Cells of the immune system recognize disease-causing pathogens and respond in a manner to stop the infection. While we know how conventional cells of the immune system do this, for some non-conventional cells such as γδ T cells this process is less clear. We have shown that bovine γδ T cells bear lineage-specific transmembrane glycoproteins, known as WC1, are coded by a multigenic family and that these molecules function both as pattern recognition receptors (PRR) and signaling co-receptors for cellular activation. For example, while a subpopulation known as WC1.1+ γδ T cells respond early and participate in a recall response to the spirochetes Leptospira interrogans and Leptospira borgpetersenii, other subpopulations that express a different set of the WC1 genes do not respond. Other experiments showed that WC1 molecules on γδ T cells that respond to Leptospira bind the bacteria and are involved in cell activation. Thus, we hypothesize that WC1 is essential for the recognition of bacterial pathogens by γδ T cells and that the WC1 family members expressed by a particular cell will determine its ability to respond to an infection. We are now evaluating the distribution of WC1 gene expression among individual T cells to understand how subpopulations respond to specific pathogens. WC1 expressing γδ T cell clones were generated by infection with Theileria parva or by generation of long-lived memory cells to Leptospira Ag. To date, our findings suggest that the number of WC1 family members per an individual γδ T cell is restricted and stably expressed.
Algorithms and challenges on the GeoWeb

A substantial number of queries addressed nowadays to online search engines have a geographical dimension. People look up addresses on a map, but are also interested in events happening nearby, or inquire information about products, shops or attractions in a particular area. It is no longer enough to index and display geographical information; one should instead geographically organize the world's information. This is the mission of Google's GeoWeb, and several teams inside Google focus on solving this problem. This talk gives an overview of the main challenges characterizing this endeavor, and offers a glimpse into some of the solutions we built.
Atrial Fibrillation after Noncardic Surgery

New onset atrial fibrillation is very common after cardiac surgery and though it occurs less frequently after other types of surgery, it is still a major clinical problem. With the large numbers of surgical procedures performed each year in the United States, even a small incidence translates into a significant absolute number of patients.
Thermal Deformations and Residual Stresses in Fiber Composites

The basic composite lamina is highly anisotropic thermally. Thermal expansion is lowest in the fiber direction and highest in the matrix-dominated transverse direction. The low coefficient of thermal expansion (a) and high modulus in the fiber direction, especially in graphite composites, allow fabrication of angle-ply laminates with near-zero thermal expansion. This is of great importance in structures requiring exceptional dimensional stability. The coefficient a for a single ply can be calculated knowing the thermal and mechanical properties of the constituents and their geometric distribution. Thermal expansion in angle-ply laminates can also be predicted reasonably well by means of lamination theory. An important result of thermal anisotropy is the introduction of lamination residual stresses in angle-ply laminates during curing. They can reach values comparable to the transverse strength of the ply and thus induce cracking of that ply within the laminate. They are equilibrated with interlaminar shear stresses transmitted from adjacent plies and can thus cause delamination. Residual stresses have been investigated analytically and experimentally. It was found that the significant strains recorded during the cooling stage of curing correspond to thermal expansion of the laminate. Residual or restraint strains are computed from measured restrained and unrestrained thermal expansions. Residual stresses are computed using appropriate orthotropic constitutive relations. Results have been obtained for a variety of materials including boron, graphite, Kevlar, S-glass and hybrids with epoxy or polyimide matrices, for a variety of lamination angles. It was found that residual stresses do not relax appreciably with time. Results show that, for graphite and Kevlar laminates, residual stresses at room temperature are high enough to have caused damage in the transverse to the fiber direction.
Chapter 2B Sub‐Aqueous Paleoseismology

Publisher Summary Many of the largest earthquakes are fundamentally marine events generated by submarine subduction zones or other plate boundary earthquakes and volcano-tectonic explosions. A large proportion of the world's population lives near coastlines; thus, a high proportion of hazard from active tectonics comes from submarine fault systems and volcanic and landslide generators of tsunamis. During and shortly after large earthquakes, in the coastal and marine environment, a spectrum of evidence is left behind. Onshore, land levels change with elastic unflexing of the formerly coupled plates, thereby resulting in coastal subsidence, uplift, or lateral shift, and the generation of familiar onshore paleoseismic evidence, such as fault scarps, colluvial wedges, damaged trees, landslides, and offset features. If the seafloor is shaken or displaced, another suite of events may result in further geologic and geodetic evidence of the event, including turbidity currents, submarine landslides, tsunami, and soft-sediment deformation. Offshore and lacustrine records offer the potential of good preservation, good spatial coverage, and long temporal span. Marine deposits offer significant opportunities for stratigraphic correlation along the source zone. Stratigraphic correlation methods have a potential to address source zone spatial extent and segmentation, and because of the longer time intervals available, it can be used to examine recurrence models, fault interactions, clustering, and other phenomena commonly limited by short temporal records.
Robust Weighted Regression for Ultrasound Image Super-Resolution

Reconstructing a high resolution image from a low resolution one is an under-determined problem without unique solutions. Many different approaches have been proposed. In this paper we focus on images from a specific application domain — the gray scale ultrasound images. Ultrasound images have unique structures, i.e., they contain large patches of the same color. We use the square neighborhood of a pixel to predict its corresponding pixels in the high resolution version through a regression model. The regression model is weighted due to heteroscedasticity observed in fitting regression models to ultrasound images. Our weighted regression approach have very good performance.
The politics of reform.

�� The articles on individual health insurance market reform in this issue raise fundamental questions about the role of competitive markets in promoting access to health care. The decision to impose new restrictions on insurers, or conversely, not to regulate insurers’ rating and enrollment practices, rests on certain core assumptions about how the world works (Thompson 1981). In New Jersey, for example, policy makers viewed rating and enrollment reforms in the individual health insurance market as a means to reduce the number of uninsured persons (Garnick, Swartz, and Skwara 1998). This basic policy hypothesis undergirds individual insurance market reforms such as the removal of preexisting-condition clauses, limitations on underwriting practices, and the introduction of community rating. If this assumption is flawed, however, incremental reforms will be ill-equipped to address many of the most significant shortcomings of the marketplace. The articles in this issue return to the familiar “competition versus regulation” debate which dominated the health policy literature in the 1970s and 1980s. First, what lessons can be gleaned from the case studies? Should state government reject insurers’ claims of “actuarial fairness” in enrollment and rating in favor of reforms designed to protect certain groups from discrimination? What are the consequences of doing so? Second, can incremental reforms which regulate the rating and enrollment practices of insurers effectively limit discrimination against chronically ill persons or other high-risk subscribers? Or are regulatory cures worse than the disease? Finally, what are the political dynamics of reforming the individual health insurance market? Under what circumstances are reforms most likely to surface?
The effect of right-brain damage on acoustical measures of affective prosody in Taiwanese patients

Using computer-assisted measurements, loss of affective prosody in Taiwanese-speaking patients following right inferior-frontoparietal brain damage is investigated and the results compared to normals in order to determine the requisite acoustical signallers of affective prosody in a tone language. The results are also contrasted to similar data derived from English-speaking patients and are evaluated in terms of differential lateralization of language substrates in the brain.
Changes in Smoking Behavior Before and After Gastric Bypass: A 7-year Study.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate smoking history and change in smoking behavior, from 1 year before through 7 years after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery, and to identify risk factors for post-surgery smoking. BACKGROUND Smoking behavior in the context of bariatric surgery is poorly described. METHODS Adults undergoing RYGB surgery entered a prospective cohort study between 2006 and 2009 and were followed up to 7 years until ≤2015. Participants (N = 1770; 80% female, median age 45 years, median body mass index 47 kg/m) self-reported smoking history pre-surgery, and current smoking behavior annually. RESULTS Almost half of participants (45.2%) reported a pre-surgery history of smoking. Modeled prevalence of current smoking decreased in the year before surgery from 13.7% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 12.1-15.4] to 2.2% (95% CI = 1.5-2.9) at surgery, then increased to 9.6% (95% CI = 8.1-11.2) 1-year post-surgery and continued to increase to 14.0% (95% CI = 11.8-16.0) 7-years post-surgery. Among smokers, mean packs/day was 0.60 (95% CI = 0.44-0.77) at surgery, 0.70 (95% CI = 0.62-0.78) 1-year post-surgery and 0.77 (95% CI = 0.68-0.88) 7-years post-surgery. At 7-years, smoking was reported by 61.7% (95% CI = 51.9-70.8) of participants who smoked 1-year pre-surgery (n = 221), 12.3% (95% CI = 8.5-15.7) of participants who formerly smoked but quit >1 year pre-surgery (n = 507), and 3.8% (95% CI = 2.1-4.9) of participants who reported no smoking history (n = 887). Along with smoking history (ie, less time since smoked), younger age, household income <$25,000, being married or living as married, and illicit drug use were independently associated with increased risk of post-surgery smoking. CONCLUSION Although most adults who smoked 1-year before RYGB quit pre-surgery, smoking prevalence rebounded across 7-years, primarily due to relapse.
A review of the characteristics of tornadic wind fields through observations and simulations

Abstract Tornadoes are violently rotating columns of air that may be produced by convective clouds and storms, and can produce substantial property damage, injuries, and deaths. To mitigate these losses and encourage accurate modeling and research in the field of civil engineering, with the goal of improving civil structure design, a comprehensive review of field measurements, lab simulations, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of tornadoes is conducted. From this review, several tornadoes are examined and their characteristics presented. Specifically, characteristics of these tornadoes are provided in the following form: velocity of the wind field, pressure distribution associated with the wind field, tornado core radius, and flow structure (i.e., single vortex versus multiple vortices; for single vortex, one-celled versus two-celled). In addition, the driving forces behind tornadoes and the relationships between damage and reported intensity are examined, and the physical and numerical simulation of tornadoes conducted in civil engineering are reviewed. This paper is intended to provide a baseline review so that more accurate simulations of tornadic wind fields in civil engineering research can be made by providing some field-measured data from the meteorology community. This will benefit individual safety, community resilience and awareness, and simulation accuracy for future research.
Intention to Use E-Cigarettes to Quit Smoking: A Reasoned Action Approach

Background: Some electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) users report using these products to quit smoking combustible cigarettes. Purpose: Using the Reasoned Action Approach (RAA), we sought to develop...
Implementation of a Workplace-Based Assessment System to Measure Performance of the Core Entrustable Professional Activities in the Pediatric Clerkship.

Abstract Objective The Core Entrustable Professional Activities for Entering Residency (Core EPAs) were developed to address the gap between medical school and residency. There is a lack of instruments to measure performance of the Core EPAs in clerkships. We describe the operationalization and outcomes of a workplace-based assessment (WBA) system to measure performance of the Core EPAs in the pediatrics clerkship. Methods A mobile-friendly WBA was developed at the authors’ institution. The WBA incorporated a modified version of the Ottawa Clinic Assessment Tool (OCAT), an instrument that rates performance on a scale of 1 to 4 (1- “I had to do it” to 4- “I had to be there just in case”). During 2018 to 2019, all students were required to request feedback for 6 of the 13 Core EPAs using the WBA in the Pediatrics clerkship. Descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated to assess mean OCAT scores, variance in performance and correlation between scores, clerkship timing, and grades. Results Total 1655 WBAs were completed for 218 students. The overall mean OCAT score was 3.47 out of 4. Scores across Core EPAs were greater in later rotations (r = 0.157, P Conclusions The results of this study demonstrate initial outcomes for a WBA system to assess performance for the Core EPAs in pediatrics using the OCAT scale. Future studies will assess the system across clerkships.
Aeroelastic analysis of an idealized landing gear door in subsonic potential flow

Abstract Landing gear doors on aircraft have experienced flutter during preliminary flight testing. While designs vary widely, landing gear doors are typically plate-like structures with a relatively rigid actuator attached to their inside surface. To better understand the aeroelasticity of landing gear doors, this study investigates the aeroelastic stability of an idealized model. The model consists of a hinged plate with an interior constraint approximating the actuator attachment. The plate is subject to uniform flow, and an unsteady vortex lattice model is coupled to the structural model to predict critical flow velocities. The location and footprint area of the internal constraint, along with plate aspect and mass ratios, are varied to investigate a large parameter space. Results reveal that the critical flow speed and instability mechanism are sensitive to the postulated actuator placement. In general, flutter is the dominant mode of instability when the actuator is postulated in the leading quarter of the plate. In other postulated locations, divergence dominates. However, the exact shape and location of the boundary between flutter and divergence is configuration dependent and found to be especially sensitive to changes in aspect ratio.
Atg32-dependent mitophagy sustains spermidine and nitric oxide required for heat-stress tolerance in Saccharomycescerevisiae.

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the selective autophagic degradation of mitochondria, termed mitophagy, is critically regulated by the adapter protein, Atg32. Despite our knowledge about the molecular mechanisms by which Atg32 controls mitophagy, its physiological roles in yeast survival and fitness remains less clear. Here, we demonstrate a requirement for Atg32 in promoting spermidine production during respiratory growth and heat-induced mitochondrial stress. During respiratory growth, mitophagy-deficient yeast exhibit profound heat-stress induced defects in growth and viability due to impaired biosynthesis of spermidine and its biosynthetic precursor S-Adenosyl-Methionine (SAM). Moreover, spermidine production is crucial for the induction of cytoprotective nitric oxide (NO) during heat stress. Hence, the re-addition of spermidine to Atg32 mutant yeast is sufficient to both enhance NO production and restore respiratory growth during heat stress. Our findings uncover a previously unrecognized physiological role for yeast mitophagy in spermidine metabolism and illuminate new interconnections between mitophagy, polyamine biosynthesis and NO signaling.
Magellan: performance-based, cooperative multicast

Among the proposed overlay multicast protocols, tree-based systems have proven to be highly scalable and efficient in terms of physical link stress and end-to-end latency. Conventional tree-based protocols, however, distribute the forwarding load unevenly among the participating peers. An effective approach for addressing this problem is to stripe the multicast content across a forest of disjoint trees, evenly sharing the forwarding responsibility among participants. DHTs seem to be naturally well suited for the task, as they are able to leverage the inherent properties of their routing model in building such a forest. In heterogeneous environments, though, DHT-based schemes for tree (and forest) construction may yield deep, unbalanced structures with potentially large delivery latencies. This paper introduces Magellan, a new overlay multicast protocol we have built to explore the tradeoff between fairness and performance in these environments. Magellan builds a data-distribution forest out of multiple performance-centric, balanced trees. It assigns every peer in the system a primary tree with priority over the peer's resources. The peers' spare resources are then made available to secondary trees. In this manner, Magellan achieves fairness, ensuring that every participating peer contributes resources to the system. By employing a balanced distribution tree with O(lg N)-bounded, end-to-end hop-distance, Magellan also provides high delivery ratio with comparable low latency. Preliminary simulation results show the advantage of this approach.
FGF23 promotes prostate cancer progression

// Shu Feng 1 , Jianghua Wang 1 , Yiqun Zhang 2 , Chad J. Creighton 2,3 and Michael Ittmann 1 1 Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine and Michael E. DeBakey Dept. of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, Texas, USA 2 Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center Division of Biostatistics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA 3 Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA Correspondence to: Michael Ittmann , email: // Keywords : prostate cancer, FGF23, signal transduction, fibroblast growth factors, endocrine fibroblast growth factors Received : February 20, 2015 Accepted : May 02, 2015 Published : May 19, 2015 Abstract Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in US men and the second leading cause of cancer deaths. Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is an endocrine FGF, normally expressed by osteocytes, which plays a critical role in phosphate homeostasis via a feedback loop involving the kidney and vitamin D. We now show that FGF23 is expressed as an autocrine growth factor in all prostate cancer cell lines tested and is present at increased levels in prostate cancer tissues. Exogenous FGF23 enhances proliferation, invasion and anchorage independent growth in vitro while FGF23 knockdown in prostate cancer cell lines decreases these phenotypes. FGF23 knockdown also decreases tumor growth in vivo . Given that classical FGFs and FGF19 are also increased in prostate cancer, we analyzed expression microarrays hybridized with RNAs from of LNCaP cells stimulated with FGF2, FGF19 or FGF23. The different FGF ligands induce overlapping as well as unique patterns of gene expression changes and thus are not redundant. We identified multiple genes whose expression is altered by FGF23 that are associated with prostate cancer initiation and progression. Thus FGF23 can potentially also act as an autocrine, paracrine and/or endocrine growth factor in prostate cancer that can promote prostate cancer progression.
Twitch potentiation: a potential source of error during neuromuscular monitoring with acceleromyography in anesthetized dogs

Abstract Objective To measure twitch potentiation (the staircase phenomenon) in anesthetized dogs, and assess its relevance during neuromuscular monitoring with acceleromyography (AMG). Study design Randomized, prospective clinical trial. Animals Sixteen dogs undergoing ovariohysterectomy. Methods Under isoflurane anesthesia, neuromuscular function was monitored with train-of-four (TOF) stimuli every 15 seconds and quantified by AMG. Neuromuscular blockade (NMB) was produced with 0.15 mg kg −1 atracurium IV. Dogs were randomly divided into two groups; a potentiation group (PG) in which TOF stimulation was applied for 20 minutes before atracurium was administered; and a control group (CG) where no such time was allowed. In both groups, the AMG was calibrated (at tCAL) just before atracurium was administered. TOF stimulation continued throughout the experiment in all dogs. The height of the first twitch ( T 1 ) (expressed as a fraction of T 1 at tCAL) and train-of-four ratio (TOFR) were recorded until TOFR returned to ≥90%. Results In PG, T 1 increased significantly ( p = 0.0078) from a median of 102% (range, 95, 109) at baseline to 118% (100, 142) at 20 minutes. In PG, no difference was found between T 1 at tCAL (immediately before atracurium administration) and T 1 when neuromuscular transmission returned ( p = 0.42). In the CG, T 1 increased significantly between tCAL and the time neuromuscular transmission returned ( p = 0.027). TOFR did not increase during twitch potentiation (all p = 0.32). Conclusions and clinical relevance T 1 increased significantly during 20 minutes of uninterrupted TOF stimulation in the absence of NMB, establishing that twitch potentiation occurs in anesthetized dogs. With no time for potentiation, T 1 increased during the course of recovery from NMB; this phenomenon introduces a bias in T 1 measurements and could affect studies reporting potency and duration of NMB based on T 1 or single twitches. TOFR was unaltered by potentiation emphasizing its clinical usefulness for excluding post-operative residual NMB.
There is no MacWilliams identity for convolutional codes

An example is provided of two convolutional codes that have the same transmission gain but whose dual codes do not. This shows that no analog of the MacWilliams identity for block codes can exist relating the transmission gains of a convolutional code and its dual.
The Second-Order Projection Method for the Backward-Facing Step Flow

Abstract In an effort to demonstrate the validity of the second-order projection method for incompressible and viscous flows inside irregular domains, we use the method to study the flow in the two-dimensional channel with a backward-facing step. The emphasis of our study is on the flow separation and reattachment phenomena. Calculations are performed over a wide range of Reynolds numbers, including the laminar, transitional, and turbulent regimes defined by experiments. In the laminar regime, we find excellent agreement with experiments in terms of the dependence of the reattachment length on the Reynolds number and streamwise velocity profiles. For Reynolds numbers beyond the laminar regime, where there are no two-dimensional experimental data available for comparison, we find characteristic flow structures similar to those observed in three-dimensional experiments. For such physically unstable flows, we are able to show certain numerical convergence in the statistical behavior of the solution. Comparison with the random vortex method is also made and similar flow behavior is found in both solutions.
A note on reversibility and linear filters

It is shown that the general notion of reversibility may be given two specific and complementary definitions in application to linear electric filters. Filters realizing these two definitions are called reversible and isentropic . It is then demonstrated that every linear filter may be analyzed into a combination of a reversible and an isentropic filter in cascade.
Singular control problems in bounded intervals

We consider optimal control problems for one-dimensional diffusion processes y x (t) = y v x (t), solutions dy x (t) = g(y x (t) dt + σ(y x (t)(dw) + dv t with y x(0) = x& isinv;[a,b], the control processes v t are increasing, positive, and adapted. Several types of expected cost structures associated with each policy v(.) are adopted, e.g. discounted cost, long term average cost and time average cost. Our work is related to [2,6,12,14,16 and 21], where diffusions are allowed to evolve in the whole space, and to [13] and [20], where diffusions evolve only in bounded regions. We shall present some analytic results about value functions, mainly their characterizations, by simple dynamic programming arguments. Several simple examples are explicitly solved to illustrate the singular behaviour of our problems
Consensus and Coalition in the Release of Mental Patients: A Research Note

The return of the mental patient to the community is necessarily preceded by a decision-making process involving hospital, patient, and frequently the patient's family. One of the critical decisions facing the parties involved is where the patient should live after leaving the hospital. The decision made with respect to the patient's residential setting undoubtedly affects other aspects of the release process—including whether or not the patient is actually released—as well as the course of his post-hospital experience.
Use of Fracture Work Density Obtained from Indirect Tensile Testing for the Mix Design and Development of a Fatigue Model

Bottom-up fatigue cracking, which is a major distress in asphalt pavements, is due to repeated traffic loading that induces tensile stress in the asphalt concrete layers. Fatigue cracks are observed as interconnected cracks in the wheelpath of asphalt pavements. Fatigue cracking can and should be addressed during both the mix design and pavement design. Therefore, a performance indicator is needed during the mix design to select a fatigue-resistant mix. In addition, a fatigue model, which includes the performance indicator, is needed to design the pavement structure. This study is conducted to determine a performance indicator for fatigue and to develop a new fatigue model, based on the Federal Highway Administration's Accelerated Load Facility experiments on fatigue. It is found that the fracture work density (FWD) obtained from indirect tensile testing correlates highly with field fatigue performance, whereas fracture energy fails to correlate with field fatigue performance. A new fatigue model based on...
X-ray Flow Visualization of a Circular Hydraulic Jump

The circular hydraulic jump is a product of the impingement of a vertical, circular jet upon a smooth horizontal surface. Previous studies of this phenomenon have used methods such as electrical contact probes, photography, and lasers to measure various features. This study utilizes X-ray computed tomography (CT) to visualize the circular hydraulic jump; analysis is then completed on the reconstructed 3D image. Time-averaged data of the film thickness before and after the jump and the jump radius, as measured from the X-ray CT images, compare well with available literature. Potential imaging improvements with the current equipment have been identified, particularly with respect to measuring film thickness.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Cytomegalovirus-Induced Reactivation of Toxoplasma gondii Pneumonia in Mice: Lung Lymphocyte Phenotypes and Suppressor Function

Active cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is associated with immunosuppression and predisposes to the development of life-threatening superinfections in immunocompromised patients. In a mouse model of virus-induced immunosuppression, acute murine CMV (MCMV) infection induced reactivation of dormant Toxoplasma gondii infection, producing Toxoplasma pneumonia. Changes in lung lymphocyte numbers and phenotypes appeared to be integral to the pathogenesis of MCMV-induced reactivation of T. gondii pneumonia. Numbers of lung CD4+ cells decreased during acute MCMV infection in mice with dormant T. gondii infection as well as in previously uninfected mice. Dually infected mice subsequently developed reactivation of Toxoplasma pneumonia. The pneumonia was characterized by a large influx of T lymphocytes, predominantly CD8+ cells, into the lungs. These lung lymphocytes markedly suppressed the ability of immune splenocytes to proliferate in response to T. gondii antigens and concanavalin A in vitro. These results suggested that the initial fall in the numbers of lung CD4+ cells observed after MCMV infection may have induced reactivation of T. gondii infection in the lungs. The subsequent pneumonia appeared to be a manifestation of a massive influx of T lymphocytes, especially CD8+ cells, into the lungs.
CONFIGURING VIRTUAL REALITY DISPLAYS IN A MIXED-REALITY ENVIRONMENT FOR LVC TRAINING

In order to adapt to an ever-changing set of threats, military forces need to find new methods of training. The prevalence of commercial game engines combined with virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality environments can prove beneficial to training. Live, virtual and constructive (LVC) training combines live people, virtual environments and simulated actors to create a better training environment. However, integrating virtual reality displays, software simulations and artificial weapons into a mixed reality environment poses numerous challenges. A mixed reality environment known as The Veldt was constructed to research these challenges. The Veldt consists of numerous independent displays, along with movable walls, doors and windows. This allows The Veldt to simulate numerous training scenarios. Several challenges were encountered in creating this system. Displays were precisely located using the tracking system, then configured using VR Juggler. The ideal viewpoint for each display was configured based on the expect location for users to be looking at it. Finally, the displays were accurately aligned to the virtual terrain model. This paper describes how the displays were configured in The Veldt, as well as how it was used for two training scenarios.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Parameters for successful nonoperative management of traumatic aortic injury.

Objective Blunt traumatic aortic injury is associated with significant mortality, and increased computed tomography use identifies injuries not previously detected. This study sought to define parameters identifying patients who can benefit from medical management. Methods We reviewed 4.5 years of blunt traumatic aortic injuries. Injury was classified as grade I (intimal flap or intramural hematoma), II (small pseudoaneurysm 50% circumference), and IV (rupture/transection). Secondary signs of injury included pseudocoarctation, extensive mediastinal hematoma, and large left hemothorax. Follow-up, including computed tomography, was reviewed. Results We identified 97 patients: 31 grade I, 35 grade II, 24 grade III, and 7 grade IV; 67(69%) male; mean age 47 ± 18.8 years, mean Injury Severity Score 38.8 ± 14.6; overall survival 76 (78.4%). Secondary signs of injury were found in 30 patients. Overall, 52 (53.6%) underwent repair, 45 undergoing thoracic endovascular aortic repair, with 2 (2.22%) procedure-related deaths, and 7 undergoing open repair. Five patients undergoing thoracic endovascular aortic repair required 7 additional procedures. In 45 medically managed patients, there were 14 deaths (31%), all secondary to associated injuries. Injury Severity Scores of survivors and nonsurvivors were 33 ± 10.8 and 48.6 ± 12.8, respectively ( P Conclusions All blunt traumatic aortic injury does not necessitate repair. Stratification by injury grade and secondary signs of injury identifies patients appropriate for medical management. Grade IV injury necessitates emergency procedures and carries high mortality. Grade III injury with secondary signs of injury should be urgently repaired; patients without secondary signs of injury may undergo delayed repair. Grade I and II injuries are amenable to medical management.
Development of a culturally relevant body image instrument among urban African Americans.

Objective: To validate a culturally relevant body image instrument among urban African Americans through three distinct studies. Research Methods and Procedures: In Study 1, 38 medical practitioners performed content validity tests on the instrument. In Study 2, three research staff rated the body image of 283 African-American public housing residents (75% women, mean age = 44 years), with the residents completing body image, BMI, and percentage body fat measures. In Study 3, 35 African Americans (57% men, mean age = 42) completed body image measures and evaluated their cultural relevance. Results: In Study 1, 97% to 100% of practitioners sorted the jumbled figures into the correct ascending order. The correlation between the body image figures and the practitioners’ weight classifications of the figures was high (r = 0.91). In Study 2, observers arrived at similar ratings of body size with excellent consistency (α = 0.95). Ratings of body image were strongly correlated with participant BMI (r = 0.89 to 0.93 across observers and 0.81 for all participants) and percentage of body fat (r = 0.77 to 0.89 across observers and 0.76 for all participants). In Study 3, body image ratings with the new scale were positively correlated with other validated figural scales. The majority of participants reported that figures in the new body image scale looked most like themselves and other African Americans and were easiest to identify themselves with. Discussion: The instrument displayed strong psychometric performance and cultural relevance, suggesting that the scale is a promising tool for examining body image and obesity among African Americans.
Progress with Nonhuman Primate Embryonic Stem Cells

Embryonic stem cells hold potential in the fields of regenerative medicine, developmental biology, tissue regeneration, disease pathogenicity, and drug discovery. Embryonic stem (ES) cell lines are now available in primates, including man, rhesus, and cynomologous monkeys. Monkey ES cells serve as invaluable clinically relevant models for studies that can't be conducted in humans because of practical or ethical limitations, or in rodents because of differences in physiology and anatomy. Here, we review the current status of nonhuman primate research with ES cells, beginning with a description of their isolation, characterization, and availability. Substantial limitations still plague the use of primate ES cells, such as their required growth on feeder layers, poor cloning efficiency, and restricted availability. The ability to produce homogenous populations of both undifferentiated as well as differentiated phenotypes is an important challenge, and genetic approaches to achieving these objectives are discussed. Finally, safety, efficiency, and feasibility issues relating to the transplantation of ES-derived cells are considered.
Coherent lattice vibrations in superconductors

Abstract A recent analysis has shown that the pair wavefunction within the BCS theory may be represented in real-space as a spherical electronic orbital (on the scale of the coherence length ξ 0 ) coupled to a standing-wave lattice vibration with wavevector 2 k F and a near-resonant phonon frequency. The present paper extends this picture to a coherent pattern of phonon standing-waves on the macroscopic scale, with electrons forming Bloch waves and an energy gap much like those in the classic band theory of crystals. These parallel planes form a diffractive waveguide permitting electron waves to traveling parallel to the planes, corresponding to lossless supercurrent. A similar picture may be extended to unconventional superconductors such as the cuprates, with an array of standing spin waves rather than phonons. Such coherent lattice vibrations should be universal indicators of the superconducting state, and should be observable below T c using X-ray and neutron diffraction techniques. Further implications of this picture are discussed.
The Application of Cytogenetic and Biochemical Systematics to Phylogenetic Problems in the Family Salmonidae

Abstract The classification and study of evolutionary relationships of salmonid fishes have produced a large amount of classical systematic literature; however, many problems remain unresolved. A review of salmonid relationships based on orthodox systematic study reveals opportunities for cytogenetics and biochemical systematics to contribute information necessary for solving specific problems. Certain systematic problems of the genera Salmo and Coregonus are explored to focus attention on the limitations of traditional systematic investigations for an understanding of certain evolutionary events which have long confounded taxonomists.
Scattering from groove patterns in a perfectly conducting surface

Electromagnetic scattering is investigated for assemblages of parallel open cavities recessed in a perfectly conducting ground plane. Cavities of a variety of shapes are treated, with cross-sectional dimensions of the order of one or two electromagnetic wavelengths. Under the assumption that the cavities form grooves of effectively infinite length, a two-dimensional analysis treats transverse incidence under both E- and H-polarized illumination (E and H fields parallel to groove axis, respectively). For the most part, any coupling between cavity responses on the surface produces negligible effects on far-field diffraction patterns, even when cavities are extremely close together and when induced currents flow between adjacent cavities. Thus one may usually construct diffraction patterns for assemblages of grooves by simply superposing responses calculated for each cavity in isolation. Despite possibly substantial differences among the individual scattering patterns from contributing cavities, regularly spaced arrangements of two or more cavities produced grating-type diffraction patterns. This allows inference of the distance between grooves, based on separation between the pattern’s peaks and troughs. Combinations of dissimilar cavities may produce diffraction patterns with peaks that are shifted away from locations expected on the basis of the grating equation, but with a characteristic spacing between the peaks approximately preserved. Random perturbation of groove locations relative to uniform spacing produces a decay in ensemble-average diffraction pattern as scattering angles diverge from the specular direction. A simple theory quantifies the exponential dependency of this grating pattern suppression and shows its effect on the angular range available for identification of scattering characteristics. Monte Carlo–type backscatter simulations including all intercavity coupling demonstrate the success of the theory and thereby explain the type of pattern suppression seen in measurements.
Estrogen action and cytoplasmic signaling cascades. Part I: membrane-associated signaling complexes.

Remarkable progress in recent years has suggested that estrogen action in vivo is complex and often involves activation of cytoplasmic signaling cascades in addition to genomic actions mediated directly through estrogen receptors α and β. Rather than a linear response mediated solely through estrogen-responsive DNA elements, in vivo estrogen might simultaneously activate distinct signaling cascades that function as networks to coordinate tissue responses to estrogen. This complex signaling system provides for exquisite control and plasticity of response to estrogen at the tissue level, and undoubtedly contributes to the remarkable tissue-specific responses to estrogens. In part I of this series, we summarize cytoplasmic signaling modules involving estrogen or estrogen receptors, with particular focus on recently described membrane-associated signaling complexes.
The Body of John Merryman: Abraham Lincoln and the Suspension of Habeas Corpus

The Body of John Merryman: Abraham Lincoln and the Suspension of Habeas Corpus BRIAN McGINTY Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2011 Pp. 253, $29.95 (hbk), ISBN 978 0 6740 6155 2 Arguably the mos...