cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
USING TRIZ AND AXIOMATIC DESIGN SYNERGISTICALLY: A CASE STUDY

With increasing global competition, expediting the problem solving process has become crucial in the industry. Techniques such as Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) and Axiomatic Design (AD) have been widely applied for this purpose. TRIZ and AD are very powerful tools with different but complementary strengths. A previously proposed synergistic approach based on TRIZ and AD enhances the individual strengths of these methods by using them within a common framework, thus providing a more powerful methodology for problem solving. In this paper, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the synergistic approach through a manufacturing related case-study. Considering the importance of validation of engineering models, a validation method for the synergistic approach is discussed based on review of design engineering validation literature.
Regulation of the branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase and elucidation of a molecular basis for maple syrup urine disease

The hepatic branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex plays an important role in regulating branched-chain amino acid levels. These compounds are essential for protein synthesis but toxic if present in excess. When dietary protein is deficient, the hepatic enzyme is converted to the inactive, phosphorylated state to conserve branched-chain amino acids for protein synthesis. When dietary protein is excessive, the enzyme is in the active, dephosphorylated state to commit the excess branched-chain amino acids to degradation. Inhibition of protein synthesis by cycloheximide, even when the animal is starving for dietary protein, results in activation of the hepatic branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex to prevent accumulation of branched-chain amino acids. Likewise, the increase in branched-chain amino acids caused by body wasting during starvation and uncontrolled diabetes is blunted by activation of the hepatic branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex. The activity state of the complex is regulated in the short term by the concentration of branched-chain alpha-ketoacids (inhibitors of branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase kinase) and in the long term by alteration in total branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase kinase activity. cDNAs have been cloned and the primary structure of the mature proteins deduced for the E1 alpha subunit of the human and rat liver branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex. The cDNA and protein sequences are highly conserved for the two species. Considerable sequence similarity is also apparent between the E1 alpha subunits of the human branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex and the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. Maple syrup urine disease is caused by an inherited deficiency in the branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex. The molecular basis of one maple syrup urine disease family has been determined for the first time. The patient was found to be a compound heterozygote, inheriting an allele encoding an abnormal E1 alpha from the father, and an allele which is not expressed from the mother. The only known animal model for the disease (Polled Hereford cattle) has also been characterized. The mutation in these animals introduces a stop codon in the leader peptide of the E1 alpha subunit, resulting in premature termination of translation. Two thiamine responsive patients have been studied. The deduced amino acid sequences of the mature E1 alpha subunit and its leader sequence were normal, suggesting that the defect in these patients must exist in some other subunit of the complex. 3-Hydroxyisobutyrate dehydrogenase and methylmalonate-semialdehyde dehydrogenase, two enzymes of the valine catabolic pathway, were purified from liver tissue and characterized.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Simultaneous correction of the influence of skin color and fat on tissue spectroscopy by use of a two-distance fiber-optic probe and orthogonalization technique.

We have demonstrated simultaneous correction for the optical interference of skin and fat in tissue spectra by using a two-distance fiber-optic probe. We obtained the correction by orthogonalizing the spectra collected at a long source–detector distance (SD) to the spectra collected at a short SD and mapped to the long SD space. The method was validated in tissuelike three-layer phantoms as well as preliminarily in human tissue. After the correction, a partial-least-squares model of the phantoms showed enhanced prediction performance.
Norm Formation and Subsequent Divergence: Replication and Variation

Summary Twelve dyads of high-school-age Canadians were administered a dot-counting estimation task in six trials, each containing 50 judgments. The first, fourth, fifth, and sixth trials were individual response trials in which subjects were not aware of one another's estimates; the second and third trials were group trials in which judgments were announced aloud. Convergence of judgments was observed between the first and third trial; divergence between the third and subsequent trials. Divergence did not produce disparities equal to those present at the first (baseline) trial. Similar results were obtained in a pretest involving American undergraduates tested in triads; these results were not as clear-cut, presumably owing to the smaller number of judgments per trial and resulting instability of the averages. These data lead us to conclude that some divergence is normal after a short-term norm-formation experiment. The question of when to call a behavioral uniformity a “norm” is one of usage, and usage i...
Morbidity and mortality rates of elective gynecologic surgery in the elderly woman.

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to report perioperative morbidity and mortality rates in elderly women who undergo gynecologic surgery. Study design The charts of 54 consecutive women ages 70 to 85 years who underwent major gynecologic surgery between June 1998 and November 2002 were reviewed retrospectively. Results The mean age was 76.7 years. Fifty procedures (92.6%) were performed for pelvic organ prolapse and/or urinary incontinence. Forty-nine of the procedures were performed vaginally, and 27 of the procedures (50%) were performed with the use of general anesthesia. Postoperative cardiac complications occurred infive patients (10%), including three myocardial infarctions, two of which were fatal. Other complications included benign cardiac arrhythmias in two patients, slow return of gastrointestinal function in five patients (9.3%), and transient mental status changes in four patients (7.4%). The mean length of stay was 4 days. Conclusion Postoperative complications occurred infrequently among elderly women who underwent gynecologic surgery. Although age alone is not a contraindication to elective surgery, there may be increased risks for geriatric women.
Effect of injecting platelet extract intravenously.

SummaryThe injection of a potent extracl of rabbit platelets into normal rabbits fails to produce any demonstrable effect on the coagulation system and does not induce intravascular clotting.
Finding Meaning in Science: Lifeworld, Identity,and Self

Despite the many hours students spend studying science, only a few relate to these subjects in such a manner that it becomes a part of their essential worldview and advances their education in a larger sense—one in which they make a connection to the subject matter so that it becomes a source of inspiration and occupies a formative position in their life. Using the hermeneutic/phenomenological sense of lifeworld as our "being in the world," we explore questions of identity in the teaching and learning of science. We suggest that by taking the notion of identity in science to include students' identities in their collective, inclusive of an orientation toward both who the student is and who he wants to become, we can enable this broader educative process. Science's link to lifeworld, identity, and self as well as the literature surrounding each are treated separately in the context of empirical case studies drawn from interviews with young college-aged migrant agricultural workers. This population of students is living within a distinct culture where ideological systems are spread across lines of ethnicity, class, and vocation that place this population of students at risk of dropping out of school. Given the nature of their circumstances and their desire to leave the life of migration behind, these students show how their perceptions of science are embedded within particular issues of lifeworld, identity, and self while illustrating their interrelationships. C
The semiotics of "upper limb musculoskeletal disorders in workers".

A systematic review of the literature reported by van Eerd and his colleagues in this issue of the Journal [1] uncovered a cacophony of classification systems for upper limb musculoskeletal disorders in workers. No doubt such diagnostic variability impedes progress in testing putative causal associations let alone purative therapeutic or preventive interventions. Such an observation is a clarion call for a carefully honed nosologic classification of the subgroups of workers afflicted with these disabling conditions. There is a corollary literature than could well inform such an exercise. If parlance is witness, most of ushold our upperextremities in deference. We walk arm in arm. We shoulder burdens. We elbow our way. We dismiss with a flick of the wrist. We shake hands and are handy. When annoyed with someone, we might exclaim, “you are a pain in the neck,” but never “a pain in the shoulder.” Tasks can be “back breaking” but never “elbow wrenching.” In allegory, our upper extremities are reliable, even trustworthy, whereas we can speak of our necks and backs in contexts that are more problematic. This distinction is not valid. We know from a number of community-based surveys that the upper extremity provides us with almost as much challenge in terms of comfort and function as the low back [2]. Nearly always these challenges are from regional musculoskeletal disorders, self-limited afflictions of well people that occur without an extraordinary precipitant [3]. If questioned closely, a third of us can recall a week of pain or recurring pain at the shoulder last year, 15% of us at the elbow, and a third at the hand and wrist. In the past month some 20% of community-dwelling adults recall digital numbness and tingling, often with vasoconstriction [4], and often in the distribution of the sensory innervation of the median nerve [5,6]. As is true of axial pain and knee pain, regional upper limb pain is an intermittent and remittent predicament of normal life. It may leave less of a blemish on parlance, but not on the patchwork of morbidity
Asymmetry in the Müller-Lyer Illusion: Artifact or Genuine Effect?:

The Muller-Lyer illusion was measured in thirty-five female subjects using the equation method. Three figures based on the illusion were used. One (outgoing fins) produced an illusion of expansion, another (ingoing fins) produced an illusion of contraction, and one was a plain line. The plain line was included to control for the error of the standard as a possible ‘contaminating factor’ which may produce asymmetry in the Muller-Lyer illusion. Although the error of the standard was found to correlate with the asymmetry to a statistically reliable degree, it accounted for only 39% of the size of the asymmetry and only 15% of the variance. At least some of the asymmetry is therefore attributable to the error of the standard, but the data indicate that there is another contributing factor (as yet unspecified). The possibility that the Muller-Lyer illusion may be inherently asymmetrical is discussed.
Infrared reflectivity of uniaxial microcrystalline powders

The Fresnel reflection coefficients for an absorbing uniaxial crystal are derived in a convienient form for the case in which the optic axis has a general orientation with respect to the plane of incidence. In the region of a strongly absorbing vibrational mode the dominant reflection mechanism of a microcrystalline powder is assumed to be a composite regular (mirror) reflection from the properly aligned faces of crystalline fragments in which the orientations of the optic axes are random. The angle-of-incidence dependence of the transverse-magnetic reflectivity from the ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{3}$ mode in microcrystalline sodium nitrate is modeled and compared with experimental data.
Genetic aspects of rheumatoid arthritis

Studies on the population of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and families with multiple cases of rheumatoid arthritis have provided definite evidence that susceptibility to the disease is determined both by genetic factors associated with alleles of the major histocompatibility complex as well as environmental factors. The development of seropositive, but not seronegative rheumatoid arthritis is associated with the presence in an individual of the la alloantigen HLA-DR4. This association is common to all major ethnic groups. Some evidence exists that this association is stronger in patients that have more severe disease but this fact requires further study. The fraction of the seropositive patients with rheumatoid arthritis that lack HLA-DR4 has not been well characterized. The occurrence of certain untoward side effects of therapy is influenced by the presence of HLA-DR2 or HLA-DR3. Family studies emphasize the association with HLA-DR4, and indicate that the disease has a dominant mode of inheritance with partial penetrance. The inheritance of susceptibility appeared, at least in some families, to be primarily associated with the inheritance of HLA-DR4 itself and not well explained by a hypothetical disease susceptibility gene present at low frequency and associated in linkage disequilibrium with a HLA-DR4 marker. However, in others different mechanisms appeared more likely. A model of two MHC genes involved in influencing disease susceptibility is postulated. Speculations concerning the primary disease mechanism are presented involving abnormalities of IR genes, general immune regulation, and factors outside of the immune system.
When is a complex ecosystem stable

Abstract This work represents an attempt to formalize and partially resolve in the framework of Liapunov's stability theory the “complexity vs stability” problem in model ecosystems. Sufficient (and sometimes necessary and sufficient) conditions are derived for the stability of models under structural perturbations caused by time-varying nonlinear interactions among species in the community. The conditions guarantee that the community is stable despite arbitrary bounded variations in the interactions, which include the reduction of the number of species in the community, and the changing of species from predator-prey to competitive interaction over the time interval, as well as interaction effects such as cutting trophic links between species, predator switching, and saturation of predator attack capacity. Instability of ecomodels is formulated in the context of variable interactions among species. Sufficient conditions for instability are derived, which can help in producing the necessary condition for stability of the ecomodels. Stability regions are also studied, in view of the fact that most of the useful models of population dynamics are not globally stable. Hierarchic models of ecosystems are considered which describe communities decomposed into “blocks” of species representing various trophic levels or subcommunities. Stability of the total trophic web is determined on the basis of the aggregate model where each subcommunity is represented by a single variable, and which has order equal to the number of subcommunities. The aggregate model not only represents a reduction of the dimensionality of the stability problems, but also provides an insight into essential structural properties of the interacting subcommunities.
Deep homology and the origins of evolutionary novelty

Do new anatomical structures arise de novo, or do they evolve from pre-existing structures? Advances in developmental genetics, palaeontology and evolutionary developmental biology have recently shed light on the origins of some of the structures that most intrigued Charles Darwin, including animal eyes, tetrapod limbs and giant beetle horns. In each case, structures arose by the modification of pre-existing genetic regulatory circuits established in early metazoans. The deep homology of generative processes and cell-type specification mechanisms in animal development has provided the foundation for the independent evolution of a great variety of structures.
Familial Affinity of Tomopeas ravus (Chiroptera) Based on Protein Electrophoretic and Cytochrome b Sequence Data

Analyses of protein electrophoretic and mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence data support association of Tomopeas ravus with the chiropteran family Molossidae. Although analyses of protein electrophoretic data present no clear placement of Tomopeas within the Molossidae, analyses of the sequence data support the recognition of Tomopeas as a basal and phylogenetically distant member of Molossidae. As a result of these analyses, we present a new taxonomic placement of this distinctive and taxonomically problematic bat.
Experimental Testing of Annular Target Surrogates for the Production of Molybdenum-99

Technetium-99m (Tc-99m) is a diagnostic radiopharmaceutical that is currently used about 100,000 times daily for diagnostic imaging procedures globally [1]. The parent isotope for Tc-99m is molybdenum-99 (Mo-99), most commonly obtained through the irradiation of high enriched uranium (HEU). In accordance with the Department of Energy’s Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI), an effort is underway to develop a process to produce Mo-99 using low enriched uranium (LEU). One method utilizes LEU cast in the form of a metal foil as opposed to current powder based dispersion designs for HEU. New high-volume production LEU target concepts need to be analyzed to assure safe, reliable operation during all stages of production as use of a foil requires a significant modification to the current target design.Analytic and numeric models have been built to simulate the thermal-mechanical behavior of LEU-foil based targets under irradiation conditions. Experimental testing is being used to validate the models. Heating conditions are controlled by heater placement and cooling water circulation to place the target interfaces into controlled states of compression and tension. Thermocouples are used to measure the temperature at key locations so that the thermal contact resistance can be evaluated and compared with the predictions.© 2012 ASME
In Vitro Procedure for Predicting the Enzymatic Dephosphorylation of Phytate in Corn−Soybean Meal Diets for Growing Swine

An in vitro procedure was developed to simulate the digestive system of growing swine for the purpose of predicting phosphorus release from corn−soybean meal diets. The procedure consisted of separate peptic and pancreatic digestion periods. Peptic digestion was carried out by incubating 1.0 g of feed sample with 3000 units of pepsin at pH 2.5 for 75 min. Pancreatic digestion was conducted in a pH 6.0 dialyzing medium for 1−5 h after the pepsin digesta were mixed with 2.4 mg of pancreatin. The in vitro P release responded linearly and quadratically (p < 0.0001) to increasing concentrations of added P and microbial phytase, respectively. The recovery rate of added inorganic P averaged 98%. The in vitro P release correlated (r = 0.999) with in vivo P digestibility and growth performance. In conclusion, this in vitro procedure is a valid, simple, and economical method for predicting the enzymatic dephosphorylation of phytate in corn−soybean meal diets fed to growing swine. Keywords: In vitro procedure; phosp...
Active detection of drivable surfaces in support of robotic disaster relief missions

Over the past few decades, the usage of unmanned vehicles has grown exponentially, expanding into applications such as the automation of industrial processes and automobiles. However, their utility has often been limited by operational concerns. Fully controlled unmanned vehicles require multiple human operators, while their fully autonomous counterparts lack the ability to handle the complex maneuvers necessary in natural disaster relief and/or search and rescue situations. Semi-autonomous UAVs offer a feasible compromise between the two extremes. In this scenario, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sends birds-eye images of the terrain beneath it to a computing cluster, which will identify easily traversable terrain and generate a path of least risk to an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV). If the path's risk is below a certain threshold, then the UGV will be permitted to proceed on its own. Otherwise, a human operator will be notified, so that he or she may control the UGV directly until it exits the most dangerous terrain. This paradigm allows a single operator to manage several UAVs simultaneously.
Diagnostic electron microscopy on reembedded ("popped off") areas of large Spurr epoxy sections

A technique is described in which areas of large Spurr epoxy thick sections are directly popped off of glass slides by inverted Beem capsules filled with polymerized plastic. This technique allows the survey of large regions of tissue with the maintenance of tissue relationships and the selection of specific areas for electron microscopic studies. Within the context of diagnostic electron microscopy well-preserved and representative portions of tissues can be selected as well as individual diagnostic cells or other difficult to find structures. Many small pieces of minced, optimally fixed and processed tissue can also be surveyed by this technique. Thus, one can screen the equivalent of 20 or more standard thick sections in one step. This "pop-off" technique does not appear to alter the ultrastructure of the tissue in any way.
Estimating Reflected Ultrasound Spectra from Quantized Signals

Quantization errors are inevitably introduced whenever analog-to-digital conversion of data is employed. The effect of these errors on estimating power spectra from ultrasound signals reflected from within the body is examined. Reflected data were simulated by convolving a pulse sequence with a filter model of the random reflectors encountered within the liver. The data were then quantized with an N-bit quantizer model, with 1 N 8, multiplied by a Hamming data window and used to estimate the power spectrum. For typical diagnostic signals reflected from 1 cm of tissue, the results indicate that the quantization errors limit the frequency range over which unbiased estimates of the spectra are observed for N 8. For N 8, the sidelobes in the Hamming window spectrum limit this range. To illustrate the implication of these results, the problem of estimating the slope of the acoustic attenuation coefficient, denoted by s, for liver tissue from reflected ultrasound signals is examined. Three sestimators are considered: 1) a new correlation method, 2) a zero-crossing count analysis, and 3) the slope of the log-spectral difference. The simulated results indicate under which conditions a particular sestimator should be employed.
A New Method for Calculating Wave Functions in Crystals

For many problems in the electron theory of metals none of the methods hitherto used to calculate the eigenfunctions and energy values of an electron in a crystal lattice is satisfactory. It is here proposed that these wave functions and energies be calculated by solving a secular equation with wave functions ${\ensuremath{\chi}}_{k}$ which are simply plane waves made orthogonal to the core eigenfunctions. The rapidity of convergence to be expected for such a procedure is discussed. Some methods for practical computation are suggested, and expressions are given for the matrix elements occurring in the secular equation.
ResilientVM: high performance virtual machine recovery in the cloud

In this paper, we present a scalable parallel virtual machine planning and failover method for high availability at a virtual machine (VM) level in a data center. The solution is implemented in IBM's Cloud Managed Services (CMS) enterprise cloud offering for rapid failover in large data centers with a large number of servers, VMs, and disks. The failover system enables failover-time planning and execution and keeps the recovery time within limits of service level agreement (SLA) allowed time budget. The initial serial failover time is reduced by a factor of up to 11 for parallel implementation, and by a factor of up to 44 for parallel failover - parallel storage mapping implementation.
Generation of Protein Structures for the 21st Century

I am personally not excited about solving structures with novel folds so I am not a participant in a PSI-2 production center. My interests are in structural neurobiology and in developing critically needed technologies that help myself and others accomplish their research goals. However, I do appreciate the passion the PSI-2 production centers have for their work and understand and appreciate the big picture that will result from their dedicated effort, as I also appreciate the enormous efforts of those working on viruses, ribosomes, and other very challenging structural biology projects. Once PSI-2 is completed in the summer of 2010, the issue of how we will generate the structural data that the scientific community needs will not go away. Protein structures will continue to be critical for the understanding of chemistry and biology. Key considerations for a Protein Initiative-3 (or 1) include:•Careful re-evaluation of the targets/approaches for biomedical research.•Continuation of technology development. This is critical for studying the larger complexes and challenging proteins like those that exist in the membrane. We also need increased production of these very challenging protein structures so that we improve our fundamental understanding of these key biological macromolecules.•Function is as important as the structures being generated and this should become a more central focus of any future program. Already, movement is evident in this area with chemical profiling of protein families in a structural genomics setting (Allali-Hassani et al., 2007xStructural and chemical profiling of the human cytosolic sulfotransferases. Allali-Hassani, A., Pan, P.W., Dombrovski, L., Najmanovich, R., Tempel, W., Dong, A., Loppnau, P., Martin, F., Thornton, J., Edwards, A.M. et al. PLoS Biol. 2007; 5: e97CrossRef | PubMed | Scopus (32)See all ReferencesAllali-Hassani et al., 2007).•Better coordination with other proteomics approaches (e.g., activity-based profiling, metabolite profiling of enzyme families, and mass spectrometry differentiation among various cellular species).•Although we have seen X-ray and NMR complement one another better through PSI, electron microscopy has not been integrated as well, in part due to the proteins being studied. As we start to investigate larger complexes, the membrane, and entire cells, electron microscopy and single molecule analysis advances will be extremely important techniques to integrate and further our understanding of biological structures and their functions.There is no question that certain things could be done better in PSI, as is often the case when change occurs. What is important is that we have made tremendous strides in improving our approaches to collect and understand protein structures in the past several years, and we are now in a better position to keep up with the demand for more structural data. I applaud NIGMS staff for talking to scientific leaders about current limitations and potential new directions in the field, and for taking the initiative to change the way we do science based on prior investments and new discoveries.
Experimental comparison of mechanical and electronic gamma-ray collimation.

Abstract Electronically collimated gamma cameras based on Compton scattering are gaining increased attention as the associated hardware and physical principles are further developed. To date, however, there has not been a direct, simultaneous experimental comparison between electronic collimation and mechanical collimation. This paper examines the relative performance of these two techniques at medium gamma-ray energies (0.1 – 1 MeV). A mechanically collimated (pinhole) camera was built and its performance was compared to an electronically collimated camera. Planar radioactive sources were imaged simultaneously by both cameras for identical periods of real time. Data are presented for several radioactive sources of various energies and shapes, including a multi-energy source. Results using an iterative image reconstruction techniques are presented. Comparing critical performance measures such as spatial resolution and efficiency for the two cameras may highlight differences between them, but does not provide an unambiguous basis for comparison. A tool from estimation theory, the resolution-variance curve, was applied to analyze their relative performance. Additionally, data from the two cameras were combined, creating a ‘dual-collimated camera’, and its resolution-variance performance was also examined. All data sets were also compared on a ‘per detected photon’ basis by reconstructing an equal number of events. Results showed that the pinhole camera performed better at the lowest energy examined, 279 keV. At 412 keV, the electronically collimated camera performed best on a ‘per detected photon’ basis, but the higher efficiency of the pinhole camera caused both cameras to have nearly identical performance when all the data was included. At 811 keV, the highest energy used, the electronically-collimated camera demonstrated superior performance. At all energies tested, the combined data set performed as well as, or better than, the best camera operating individually.
Functional trkB neurotrophin receptors are intrinsic components of the adult brain postsynaptic density

Neurotrophins have long been thought to act as target-derived factors that regulate the survival and differentiation of afferent neurons. Recently, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was shown to elicit rapid increases in synaptic activity of cultured hippocampal neurons by enhancing responsiveness to excitatory input. These findings suggest a postsynaptic localization of neurotrophin receptors. In this study, we examined the expression of trkB, a high-affinity receptor for BDNF, in the postsynaptic density (PSD), a proteinaceous specialization of the postsynaptic membrane. Western blot analyses with antibodies to trkB revealed localization to the PSD in adult rat cerebral cortex and hippocampus. Only the full-length, active form of trkB was detected in PSD samples. BDNF treatment of the adult cortical PSD resulted in a 5-fold increase in trkB autophosphorylation, supporting the contention that the PSD contains functional trkB. Truncated trkB, which does not contain the tyrosine kinase signaling domain, though present in membrane fractions, was undetectable in the PSD. The presence of trkB in the PSD is consistent with a role for neurotrophins in the regulation of synaptic activity via direct postsynaptic mechanisms.
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia with Hypereosinophilia: Report of a Case with 5q Deletion and Review of the Literature

Peripheral blood eosinophilia as a presentation of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has only rarely been reported. The eosinophilia is thought to be a nonneoplastic reaction to the neoplastic lymphoblasts. We present the case of a 5-year-old girl who developed peripheral hypereosinophilia with no circulating blasts prior to her diagnosis of B-cell lineage ALL. Cytogenetic study showed a hyperdiploid blast population with 5q deletion. Persistent peripheral hypereosinophilia should always be fully investigated, the possibility of a malignancy including ALL needs to be excluded, even in the absence of peripheral cytopenias and circulating blasts.
Effects of low-level exposure to sarin and cyclosarin during the 1991 Gulf War on brain function and brain structure in US veterans

Abstract Background Potentially more than 100,000 US troops may have been exposed to the organophosphate chemical warfare agents sarin (GB) and cyclosarin (GF) when a munitions dump at Khamisiyah, Iraq was destroyed during the Gulf War (GW) in 1991. Although little is known about the long-term neurobehavioral or neurophysiological effects of low-dose exposure to GB/GF in humans, recent studies of GW veterans from the Devens Cohort suggest decrements in certain cognitive domains and atrophy in brain white matter occur individuals with higher estimated levels of presumed GB/GF exposure. The goal of the current study is to determine the generalizability of these findings in another cohort of GW veterans with suspected GB/GF exposure. Methods Neurobehavioral and imaging data collected in a study on Gulf War Illness between 2002 and 2007 were used in this study. We focused on the data of 40 GW-deployed veterans categorized as having been exposed to GB/GF at Khamisiyah, Iraq and 40 matched controls. Magnetic resonance images (MRI) of the brain were analyzed using automated and semi-automated image processing techniques that produced volumetric measurements of gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and hippocampus. Results GW veterans with suspected GB/GF exposure had reduced total GM and hippocampal volumes compared to their unexposed peers ( p ≤ 0.01). Although there were no group differences in measures of cognitive function or total WM volume, there were significant, positive correlations between total WM volume and measures of executive function and visuospatial abilities in veterans with suspected GB/GF exposure. Conclusions These findings suggest that low-level exposure to GB/GF can have deleterious effects on brain structure and brain function more than decade later.
Status of oral health care in hospitalized children.

Purpose The purpose of the study was to determine the level of oral health care provided to hospitalized children on acute care units at a children's hospital in an academic medical center with a dental school. Study design and methods The research design was descriptive. Data were collected using a short written survey for parents and a brief online survey for nurses. A convenience sample of 49 pediatric nurses and 59 parents of hospitalized children participated. Results According to the parents, 17% of the hospitalized children brushed their teeth more than once a day, yet 60% of these same children brushed more than once a day when at home. According to the nurse respondents, their assessments, interventions, health teaching, and referrals related to oral care are done infrequently. Over 40% of the nurses responded that they do not educate patients about oral hygiene, and 61.2% provide no nutritional education in relation to oral health. The majority (65.3%) had never entered documentation related to broken teeth or cavities, and 85.7% had never advised patients to see a dentist. Clinical implications The findings of this study indicate a need for improved oral health care for hospitalized children. Pediatric nurses can contribute to the identification, care, and prevention of oral health problems in children. This begins by performing and documenting oral assessments, ensuring patients brush their teeth, including oral health promotion in parent-child education, and making needed oral health referrals.
Reaching Out with LibGuides: Establishing a Working Set of Best Practices

ABSTRACT With an increasing number of distance education students at New Mexico State University, the library sought a way to strengthen the delivery of its resources and services to off-campus students. Specifically, and faced with the problem of outdated paper subject guides and infrequently updated online subject guides, the library acquired the LibGuides platform to more efficiently meet the research and information-gathering needs of the changing student dynamic. Combining user feedback, usage statistics, information from the field, and many lessons learned from the implementation and maintenance of the LibGuides platform, a working set of best practices is presented, addressing: purpose, organization, and plan; faculty involvement; audience awareness; and evaluation and assessment.
Comparison of two methods to compute the absorbed dose to water for photon beams

Cross-validation was performed between an in-house dose-to-water (Dwater) calculation method used at Virginia Commonwealth University and the VMC++ Dwater calculation during particle transport. The effect of Monte Carlo statistical precision was observed. The results of the two calculations on homogeneous phantoms with densities varying from 0.3 g cm−3 to 2.95 g cm−3 were compared. Depth and field size dependence were tested. Dwater calculations were compared in a bone–lung–bone phantom to observe how the calculations differed in steep density gradients. The methods were compared for five prostate and five head-and-neck (H/N) patient cases as well. In all phantom tests, the differences between the two Dwater calculations were less than 1%. The largest differences in patient cases was a prostate case in which 1% of the voxels with doses greater than 50% of the maximum dose had a systematic difference corresponding to 1.16% of the maximum dose. All differences were clinically insignificant.
Nonlinear And Time Resolved Studies Of Native Defects In CDSE.

Knowledge of the dynamical properties of impurities and defects in crystals is indispensable for understanding the properties of semiconductors 1,2. Picosecond and nonlinear spectroscopy, which has been shown to be very sensitive to defect states, has only rarely been used to study these important energy levels. In this communication most of the important picosecond and nonlinear effects in CdSe are proved to be controlled by native defects and a simple Klasens-like model shown sufficient for explaining the dynamics of this material.
Transgressions: rethinking Beringian glaciation

Abstract The purpose of this investigation is to encourage a fresh look at Pleistocene Beringia. Heretofore, flooding of Bering Strait has been cited as the only barrier to migration, with marine sea transgressions being a “sea gate” that closed off migration during glacial interstadials and interglaciations. However, the possibility exists that glacial advances were also barriers, with marine ice transgressions being an “ice gate” that closed off migration during glacial stadials and glacial maxima. This possibility proceeds from the Marine Ice Transgression Hypothesis (MITH), which states that marine ice sheets form on the broad Arctic continental shelf of Northern Hemisphere continents when sea ice thickens, grounds and domes in shallow water, and then transgresses landward as continental ice sheets and seaward as floating ice shelves ( Hughes, 1987 ). Landward transgression is onto coastal lowlands. During Pleistocene glaciations, a marine ice sheeet extending from Spitsbergen to Greenland may have transgressed the circumpolar continental landmass at its lowest and narrowest gap, central Beringia, and calved into the Pacific Ocean. Four models of Beringian glaciation are presented, based on the distinction between marine glaciation and highland glaciation. Central Beringia was glaciated only in highlands in the traditional model ( Hopkins et al., 1982 ), was also glaciated by a self-sustaining ice shelf floating over the deep ocean basins of the Bering Sea in the model by Grosswald and Vozovik (1984) , was glaciated by a marine ice sheet that covered highlands, the continental shelf, and supplied the ice shelf in a model for maximum Pleistocene glaciation, and was glaciated by a marine ice sheet in the Chukchi Sea that merged with highland glaciers, transgressed the continental shelf of the western Bering Sea, and calved into the southern Bering Sea along the edge of the continental shelf in a model for the last glaciation. Field tests are suggested to assess the viability of these four models. The first model is already established for highland glaciation in Alaska, but less established in Siberia. The last model should be the easiest to evaluate for marine glaciation. The last model limits human migration across the Beringian land bridge to brief intervals between stadials and interstadials of the last glaciation cycle, when both the ice gate and the sea gate were opened to human migration. This model can influence the sea change now underway among Quaternary scientists studying peopling of the Americas, based on the archaeological, linguistic and ethnic diversity among native American populations.
Spectroscopy of synthetic Mg-Fe pyroxenes I: Spin-allowed and spin-forbidden crystal field bands in the visible and near-infrared

Understanding the fundamental crystal chemical controls on visible and near-infrared reflectance spectra of pyroxenes is critical to quantitatively assessing the mineral chemistry of pyroxenes viewed by remote sensing. This study focuses on the analysis ofspectroscopic measurements of a comprehensive set of synthetic Mg-Fe pyroxenes from the visible through the near-infrared (0.3-2.6 μm) to address the constraints of crystal structure and Fe^2+ content on spin-forbidden and spin-allowed crystal field absorptions in Ca-freeorthopyroxenes. The chemistry and oxidation state of the synthetic pyroxenes are characterized. Coordinated Mssbauer spectroscopy is used to determine site occupancy of Fe^2+ in the M1 and M2 crystallographic sites. Properties of visible and near-infrared absorption bands of the synthetic pyroxenes are quantified using the modified Gaussian model. The 1 and 2 μm spin-allowed crystal field absorption bands move regularly with increasing iron content, defining a much tighter trend than observed previously. A spin-allowed crystal field absorption band at 1.2 μm is explicitly verified, even at low total iron contents, indicating that some portion of Fe^2+ resides in the M1 site. The 1.2 μm band intensifies and shifts to longer wavelengths with increasing iron content. At visible wavelengths, spin-forbidden crystal field absorptions are observed in all iron-bearing samples. The most prominent absorption near 506 nm, attributed to iron in the M2 site, shifts to slightly longer wavelengths with iron content. The purity and extent of this pyroxene series allows visible wavelength absorption bands to be directly assigned to specific transitions of Fe^2+ in the M1 and M2 sites.
Compensation for Time-Dependent Radiation-Drive Asymmetries in Inertial-Fusion Capsules

An approach is presented to design inertial-fusion capsules compensated for time-dependent radiation-drive asymmetries. This approach uses in depth variable doping of the capsule ablator, i.e., the addition of small amounts of material to tailor the opacity. Simulations show that an inertial-fusion capsule, using a beryllium ablator variably doped with gold, can be designed to compensate for a constant ${P}_{2}$ radiation asymmetry as high as 20% and still produce nominal yield (80% of a symmetrically driven capsule). In contrast, without variable doping the ${P}_{2}$ asymmetry must be less than 2% to obtain nominal yield. Similarly encouraging results are obtained for modes ${P}_{1}$, ${P}_{4}$, and ${P}_{6}$. Simulations also demonstrate that variable doping can compensate for nearly arbitrary time-dependent radiation-drive asymmetries by varying the polar dependence of the doping fraction with depth.
Carbon deposition from electronically-excited gas-graphite oxidation reactions in closed systems☆

Abstract An investigation was made of microstructural changes produced in nuclear graphites by electronically-excited gas-oxidation reactions under static conditions. The principal change in the static system which was not found with flowing gases is carbon deposition. The carbon deposits, which appear not to contain suboxides, are of two types, (1) clusters, and (2) tree-like formations. The clusters are random arrays of small crystallites and appear to form in the gas phase and settle out on nearby surfaces. In contrast, the tree-like structures grow on the substrate and consist of larger crystallites oriented with the graphite basal planes at a high angle to the surface. Both carbon gasification and deposition were found in this study. However, deposition occurred only at 900 μ initial oxygen pressure, the highest pressure investigated. Gasification results from oxidation by excited oxygen and carbon dioxide. Deposition processes involve the excited reaction of carbon monoxide to produce carbon clusters directly in the gas phase and carbon growth on the heated substrate from carbon suboxide pyrolysis. Apparently, gasification and deposition can occur simultaneously with the net result being determined by the relative rates of the two processes.
Future of Veterinary Radiation Oncology

Rapid developments in technology will have a profound effect on veterinary radiation oncology. These developments include computer-enhanced, three-dimensional treatment planning and smaller, more compact, more reliable radiation equipment, primarily linear accelerators. For treatment of all veterinary patients, the linear accelerators need electron capability. Although fractionated therapy will remain the standard form of treatment, new modalities, including a highly precise single-dose treatment called radiosurgery, and a precise fractionated therapy called conformal therapy, will be utilized more in the future.
Turbulence characteristics along several towers

Observations from several towers are used to show how measurements of wind and temperature near the surface can be used to estimate the variances of the horizontal velocity and the dissipation rate up to the top of the towers, provided the roughness length is known. The roughness length usually varies with wind direction, and the traditional methods of estimating it tend to lead to over-estimates.
Chemistry of the M8∗ elements and electronegativity

Abstract Covalent radii of the M8 elements are obtained by extrapolation and used in estimating electronegativities of Ne 4·37, Ar 3·92, Kr 3·17 and Xe 2·62. Bond polarities are estimated using these values, and bond lengths are calculated to be in reasonably good agreement with those derived by experimental methods. The chemical significance of electronegativity in these elements is discussed, together with the “compactness” method of electronegativity evaluation.
Hypersonic viscous interaction with strong blowing

Solutions are obtained for hypersonic viscous interaction along a flat plate in the presence of strong boundary-layer blowing, with inverse-square-root injection velocity, for laminar flow over a cold wall and with a power-law viscosity–temperature relation. In the strong-interaction region, self-similarity is preserved if the blowing is such that the thicknesses of the inviscid shock layer, viscous shear layer, and inviscid blown layer all have the same order of magnitude. The weak-interaction region is also considered, and an approximate interpolation is used to join the solutions for the surface pressure. Certain difficulties in asymptotic matching are discussed, and the extension to flow past a thin wedge is shown.