cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Acquired hyper-IgM syndrome with necrotizing granuloma.

This article is highlighted by the finding of striking cervical lymphadenopathy in a patient with acquired hyper-IgM syndrome and the pathologic description of the involved nodes. Routine hematoxylin-eosin stains demonstrated the presence of idiopathic necrotizing granulomas in the nodal tissue, a finding not previously reported in this syndrome. Immunoperoxidase techniques were used to further characterize these granulomas and delineate the cellular composition of the nodal architecture. We found that the necrotizing granulomas consisted of a peripheral rim of la positive palisaded, epithelioid histiocytes and central areas of debris and scattered inflammatory cells that were T11 positive. In the uninvolved areas of the node, we observed a lack of IgG-bearing lymphocytes in germinal centers as well as an absence of IgG-containing and decreased IgA-containing plasma cells in interfollicular areas. In conjunction with these in situ observations, there was a lack of IgA and IgG immunoglobulin-secreting cell responses in pokeweed mitogen-stimulated cultures of the patient's peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Unique features of this article include: (1) the association of necrotizing granulomas with the hyper-IgM syndrome and (2) the use of monoclonal antibodies to characterize the distributions of nodal lymphocytes in a patient with this disorder.
FAILURE TOLERANCE AND ACADEMIC RISK‐TAKING IN TEN‐ TO TWELVE‐YEAR‐OLD STUDENTS

Summary. The two-fold purpose of this study was to validate the School Failure Tolerance (SFT) scale and to identify developmental patterns and sex differences in children's academic risk-taking and tolerance for failure. Fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-graders were given the SFT and a chance to select and work 12 of 80 or 90 problems, of varying difficulty, in each of three content areas: mathematics, spelling and vocabulary. The SFT reliably predicted the difficulty level chosen by students at all grade levels and in all content areas. Students at all grade levels chose problems considerably below their ability levels as defined by mean performance on standardised achievement tests. This low risk-taking tendency increased markedly with grade level. Students chose problems resulting in mean absolute success of between 77 per cent and 92 per cent — levels far in excess of the 50 per cent level theoretically associated with optimum motivation. Furthermore, mean scores on two of three SFT subscales decreased significantly from grade four to grade six. There were no sex by grade interactions and only one of ten variables revealed a significant sex difference. These findings are interpreted and discussed in terms of motivational theories and classroom factors.
Three alternative approaches to the development of constitutive equations

Abstract Development of specific constitutive equations (both mechanical and thermodynamic) has been carried out along three different of approach. The oldest one dates back to the second half of the eighteenth century. It is basically a trial-and-error procedure, and it has produced most of the currently available constitutive equations. Enormously successful as this approach has been in its first steps, it appears to become hopelessly unsuccessful with increasing complexity of rheological behavior. The second procedure, which dates back to the early 1940's, has had considerable impetus in the last ten years. It is grounded in molecular modeling; it has definite advantages over the first procedure; it has also been remarkably successful. However, this procedure may also be running close to its limit of usefulness. A third procedure can be identified in a few recently published works. In this paper, after a critical review of the first two procedures, the potentialities of the third procedure are evaluated.
Chiasmitis caused by Mycobacterium haemophilum in an immunocompromised adult

We report a case of chiasmitis caused by a rare nontuberculous mycobacterium in an immunocompromised patient. A 44-year-old man with a history of AIDS presented with recurrent vision loss and headache. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated an enhancing mass involving the optic chiasm. Histopathologic and microbiological evaluation revealed infection with Mycobacterium haemophilum. While combination antimicrobial and steroid therapy contributed to improvement in his vision, the patient's symptoms recurred. Follow-up MRI showed extension of infection to the hypothalamus and leptomeninges, indicative of basilar meningitis. MRI is a valuable tool for early diagnosis of chiasmitis as well as for monitoring infection progression and treatment response.
Can critical education interrupt the right

This article examines the ways in which the complex and at times contradictory project of ‘conservative modernization’ has altered the terrain of education. It extends the arguments I make in Educating the ‘Right’ Way (2006) about understanding the ‘right’, about the possibilities of interrupting the right in education, and about our roles in assisting in the building of workable alternatives. It proposes a number of tasks of the critical scholar/activist in education. The aim is to contribute to an ongoing set of crucial debates about the means and ends of our educational institutions, about their connections to larger institutions and power relations, and what our responses to these relations should be.
Ultrashort pulse Ti:sapphire oscillators pumped by optically pumped semiconductor (OPS) pump lasers

Ultrashort pulse (USP) Ti:Sapphire oscillators are constantly improving in cost, performance, and reliability. These improvements have been driven in part by improvements in the CW lasers used to pump the Ti:Sapphire gain medium. Recent development of optically-pumped semiconductor (OPS) lasers heralds a USP pump source that reduces cost and complexity while maintaining a high standard of performance and reliability. OPS lasers offer significant advantages with respect to traditional diode-pumped solid state (DPSS) lasers in regards to wavelength flexibility, broad pump tolerance, efficient spectral and spatial brightness conversion and high power scaling. In this paper, we report the performance of different types of ultrashort pulse Ti:Sapphire oscillators pumped by OPS lasers: broad bandwidth (approximately 100 nm) negative dispersion mirror based, broad bandwidth (approximately 100 nm) prism based, and narrower bandwidth (approximately 10 nm) tunable prism based oscillator. We analyze the impact of multimode spatial mode operation of the OPS pump laser on the mode quality, bandwidth and intensity noise of the USP oscillator output. We compare the performance of USP oscillators pumped by multiple transverse mode OPS lasers with traditional single transverse mode Nd:YVO4 DPSS lasers. We demonstrate excellent regenerative amplifier seeding with the OPS pumped Ti:Sapphire oscillator.
Self-system therapy as an intervention for self-regulatory dysfunction in depression: a randomized comparison with cognitive therapy

Self-system therapy (SST) is a new therapy based on regulatory focus theory (E. T. Higgins, 1997) for depressed individuals unable to pursue promotion goals effectively. The authors conducted a randomized trial comparing SST with cognitive therapy (CT) in a sample of 45 patients with a range of depressive symptoms to test 2 hypotheses: that SST would be more efficacious for depressed individuals characterized by inadequate socialization toward pursuing promotion goals and that SST would lead to greater reduction in dysphoric responses to priming of promotion goals. There was no overall difference in efficacy between treatments, but patients whose socialization history lacked an emphasis on promotion goals showed significantly greater improvement with SST. In addition, SST patients showed a greater reduction in dysphoric responses to promotion goal priming than did CT patients. The results illustrate the value of a theory-based translational approach to treatment design and selection.
Preauricular skin defects : A consequence of a persistent ectodermal groove

Background: The termaplasia cutisis used to describe congenital localized defects of the skin. This affliction is the end result of various in utero events. Aplasia cutis of the face, although rare, has been associated with numerous dysmorphic features and described under many clinical terms. Observations: We studied 10 patients with oval, atrophic patches distributed in a linear pattern on the preauricular region of the face. Most of the defects were bilateral, and all consistently fell in an oblique line extending from the preauricular region to the angle of the mouth. This line corresponds to the region of fusion between the maxillary and mandibular facial prominences during embryonic development. Conclusions: This type of facial aplasia cutis may be the result of incomplete fusion of the ectodermal groove between the maxillary and mandibular facial prominences. Although other types of facial skin defects may share a similar pathogenic mechanism, they are distinct in that they occur in different regions and may have other abnormal facial features. Arch Dermatol. 1997;133:1551-1554
Secondary axis induction by heterospecific organizers in zebrafish

To investigate the inductive activities of the vertebrate organizer, we transplanted the chicken organizer (Hensen's node) into zebrafish gastrula and analyzed resulting secondary axes. Grafted Hensen's node did not differentiate or participate in the secondary axis. It also did not induce a secondary notochord or expression of the genes normally expressed by the fish organizer including no tail, axial, goosecoid. Nevertheless, it recruited fish cells to organize a variety of tissues: the dorsal portion of the central nervous system including Rohon-Beard sensory neurons, otic vesicles, dorsal pigment stripe, dorsal fin, somites, heart, and pronephric ducts. Enlarged neural plate induced by the organizer was shown by the expression pattern of dlx3 and msxB genes, which demarcates the early presumptive neural tissue. In addition, Hensen's node of an earlier stage chicken embryo displayed differential movement in zebrafish from that of a later stage. This might reflect unknown differences in properties between the organizer at two different developmental stages related to its normal organizer activity. To create a model system to study the molecular mechanisms of the organizer, we next transplanted genetically modified mouse cells into zebrafish embryos. We found that Wnt3A-transfected NIH3T3 cells are much more potent in inducing a secondary axis than NIH3T3 cells alone. These results suggest that formation of a variety of tissues are controlled by signalling from the organizer itself with no requirement of participation of the organizer-derived tissues. Additionally, the activities of the organizer may involve a function of Wnt-family genes. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Mössbauer studies of electrophoretically purified monoferric and diferric human transferrin

Electrophoretically purified57Fe-enriched monoferric and diferric human transferrins and selectively labeled complexes ([C-56Fe,N-57Fe]transferrin and [C-57Fe,N-56Fe]transferrin) were studied by Mossbauer spectroscopy. The data were recorded at 4.2 K over a wide range of applied magnetic fields (0.05–6 T) and were analyzed by a spin-Hamiltonian formalism. Characteristic hyperfine parameters were found and the obtained zero-field splitting parameters (D=0.25±0.05 cm−1 andE/D = 0.30 ± 0.02) agree with previous electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) findings. The weak-field spectra of the [N-57Fe]transferrin are slightly broader than those of the [C-57Fe]transferrin, indicating that the N-terminal iron site may be more heterogeneous. However, the absorption line positions and the relative intensities of the subspectra originating from the three Kramers doublets of each Fe3+ site are identical. Thus the electronic structures of the two iron sites can be described by the same set of spin- Hamiltonian parameters, indicating that the ligand environments for the two sites are the same, as suggested by the recent X-ray crystallographic studies. This suggestion is further supported by the observation that the strong-field spectra of the two monoferric transferrins are indistinguishable. The selectively labeled mixed-isotope transferrins exhibit spectra that are identical to those of the corresponding monoferric57Fe-enriched transferrins, implying that the occupation of one iron site has little or no effect on the immediate envirnoment of the other site, a finding that is not surprising since the two sites are separated by approximately 4.2 nm.
Retention time of digesta in insectivorous lizards—a comparison of methods and species

Abstract We measured retention time in the six-lined racerunner, Cnemidophorus sexlineatus, using three different methods simultaneously. This enables us to compare methods, assess retention time of various phases of the lizard’s digesta, and compare the data with other studies, species and methods. Our study reveals that: (1) Total mean retention time for C. sexlineatus was 20.1–23.7 h, the shortest TMRT measures for insectivorous lizards. (2) There was no detectable separation of solid, aqueous, or lipid phases in the digesta of the lizard, probably due to the rapid transit time relative to the frequency of defecation. Studies of lizards with greater retention times indicate separation of liquid and solid phases, but have not tested phase specificity of the markers. Separation of lipid and aqueous phases is important, as was reported before for certain mammals and birds. This is the first study to look for separation of lipid and aqueous phases in reptiles.
Diagnostic Analysis of a Production and Distribution System

This paper reports on a diagnostic study completed by a large firm in the consumer goods sector. This study is aimed at evaluating the production and distribution planning system, the quality of the forecasting system, and the existing levels of inventory. Aggregate models are presented to assess opportunities for improvements in those areas. A proposal for the design of a new production and distribution system, that follows a hierarchical approach, is reviewed. Recommendations for managerial actions are discussed.
Relativistic distribution functions and applications to electron beams

Equilibrium and monoenergetic distribution functions in the laboratory frame are derived from first principles. Thermodynamically consistent macroscopic properties of relativistic beam systems are defined and discussed as a foundation for specific applications. Characteristics of superpinched relativistic electron beams such as isotropy in the lab frame, rms cone angle of the electrons with respect to the beam axis, and the energy flux across a unit surface at an arbitrary angle to the beam axis are obtained. These properties provide important information on the expected symmetry of irradiation of fusion targets by focused electron beams. A linearized kinetic theory is outlined which leads to an integral expression for the general form of the relativistic plasma dispersion function.
Comments on Slavin: Synthesizing Evidence From Impact Evaluations in Education to Inform Action:

Traditional methods for preparing systematic reviews and syntheses of effectiveness studies rely on a limited set of methodological criteria to include studies that measure and report effects too narrowly to forward the mission of evidence-based practice. This article discusses why and how the criteria for study selection, evidence screening, and synthesis need to be broadened when education programs are investigated for effects.
Synthesis of Proteins by Alveolar Cells

ALVEOLAR cells are important because they are thought to produce surfactant1–3, a lipoprotein4–6 which lines the alveoli and is responsible for much of the stability of the pulmonary airspaces7. Previous work has shown that alveolar cells induced with M. bovis (B.C.G.) suspended in Hanks medium can incorporate leucine into protein and that such incorporation is inhibited (≥99 per cent) by puromycin. Extracellular radioactive protein appears during the incubations, which suggests either a non-specific release due to cell disruption, a more specific release dependent on energy or a combination of both factors8. This communication describes the release of radioactive protein into the suspending media by alveolar cells labelled with DL-leucine-l-14C and illustrates the depressive effect on this release of metabolic inhibitors.
Turning the tide of the data deluge

The problems faced by the science and engineering communities fundamentally go beyond "do I need a database?" or "do I need a faster database?" questions. We believe some fundamental changes are needed in the way we think about the relationships between computation and data. In this paper, we provide a detailed discussion of the motivations behind our suggested changes and introduce our thoughts on some new directions for the radical transformations that are needed. We present the rationale for our position and discuss our preliminary work in the new directions that we outline.
Substrate specificity of the glycosyl donor for oligosaccharyl transferase.

Oligosaccharyl transferase (OT) catalyzes the co-translational transfer of a dolichol-linked tetradecasaccharide (Dol-PP-GlcNAc2Man9Glc3, 1a) to an asparagine side chain of a nascent polypeptide inside the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The glycosyl acceptor requires an Asn-Xaa-Thr/Ser sequon, where Xaa can be any natural amino acid except proline, for N-linked glycosylation to occur. To address the substrate specificity of the glycosyl donor, three unnatural dolichol-linked disaccharide analogues (Dol-PP-GlcNTFA-GlcNAc 1c, Dol-PP-2DFGlc-GlcNAc 1d, and Dol-PP-GlcNAc-Glc 1e) were synthesized and evaluated as substrates or inhibitors for OT from yeast. The synthetic analogue Dol-PP-GlcNAc-Glc 1e, with substitution in the distal sugar, was found to be a substrate (Kmapp = 26 μM) for OT. On the other hand, the analogues Dol-PP-GlcNTFA-GlcNAc 1c (Ki = 154 μM) and Dol-PP-2DFGlc-GlcNAc 1d (Ki = 252 μM), with variations in the proximal sugar, were inhibitors for OT. The dolichol-linked monosaccharide Do...
The phylogenetic relationships of lampridiform fishes (Teleostei: acanthomorpha), based on a total-evidence analysis of morphological and molecular data.

Abstract We investigated the phylogenetic relationships among five species of lampridiform fishes, three basal outgroup species (two aulopiforms and one myctophiform), and two species of non-lampridiform acanthomorphs ( Polymixia and Percopsis ) using a combined parsimony analysis of morphological and molecular data. Morphological characters included 28 transformation series obtained from the literature. Molecular characters included 223 informative transformation series from an aligned 854-base pair fragment of 12S mtDNA and 139 informative transformation series from an aligned 561-base pair fragment of 16S mtDNA. A total-evidence analysis using the aulopiforms Synodus and Aulopus and the myctophiform Hygophum as outgroups corroborates the monophyly of Lampridiformes and unites Polymixia with Percopsis. Among the lampridiform fishes we examined, Metavelifer is basal, followed in ascending order by Lampris, Lophotus, Regalecus, and Trachipterus. This hypothesis is congruent with the most recent morphological analysis of the Lampridiformes and rejects a diphyletic origin of elongate body form within the clade. Analysis of a combined matrix of 12S and 16S mtDNA data yielded a phylogenetic hypothesis isomorphic with the total-evidence phylogeny. Analyses of partitioned DNA data sets reveals that single gene regions are poor predictors of the total-evidence phylogeny while combined analyses of both DNA data sets are good predictors of the total-evidence phylogeny.
Insulin, insulin-like growth factors, and vascular endothelium.

Abstract Endothelial cells from the intimal lining of the entire vascular system. The vascular endothelium is continuously and directly bathed by components of the bloodstream and represents the initial fixed anatomical surface with which these components come in contact. In the past decade, the methodologies for studying endothelial cell functions have markedly advanced, enabling direct and detailed study of the vascular endothelium. From such studies, it is now apparent that the vascular endothelium represents an extraordinarily complex network of cells demonstrating a multitude of distinct anatomic, metabolic, and immunologic properties critical to such processes as angiogenesis, atherosclerosis, thrombosis, neoplasia, and a variety of metabolic disorders including homocystinuria and diabetes mellitus. This report will focus on the interactions of insulin and the insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) with vascular endothelium, based on studies with cultured endothelial cells, isolated microvessels, and perfused organ systems. Data will be presented relevant to the following concepts: (1) endothelial cells, in culture and in vivo , have specific receptors for insulin, IGF-I, and IGF-II; (2) insulin, IGF-I, and IGF-II have both distinct and overlapping functions in cultured endothelial cells; (3) cultured endothelial cells process receptor-bound insulin, IGF-I, and IGF-II, by distinct processes; (4) in vivo , capillary endothelial receptors are integrally involved in the transport of intact insulin to subendothelial sites of insulin action; and (5) vascular endothelium has specialized cellular features that are likely to contribute to the unique interactions of endothelial cells with insulin and the IGFs.
Monitoring disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis in clinical practice: contributions from clinical trials.

Practical, reliable measures of disease activity and treatment responses for individual patients are needed. Although outcome measures used in randomized controlled trials can be time consuming and impractical in daily practice, the authors of this Review recommend how the findings of trials can be applied to improve practice. Rheumatoid arthritis is a heterogeneous and progressive autoimmune disease, and patients with this condition show varied responses to treatment. Practical, reliable, individually tailored measures of disease activity and treatment responses are needed. Outcome measures used in randomized, controlled trials, including American College of Rheumatology response criteria and Disease Activity Scores, identify when treatment should be initiated or changed, but can be time consuming and impractical in daily practice. Simplified disease activity indices, abbreviated joint counts and patient-report questionnaires are more-convenient ways to assess therapeutic responses in the clinic. Patient-reported measures of physical function, pain and global disease activity best differentiate the results of active treatment from those of placebo treatment in randomized, controlled trials. Improvements in physical function closely reflect changes in health-related quality of life. Recent trials have demonstrated limited correlations between clinical responses and radiographically demonstrated responses; both should be assessed on a regular basis. It is recommended that three domains be assessed in the clinic for therapeutic responses: patient-reported measures of physical function and/or global disease activity; physician assessment of disease activity; and imaging of the hands and/or feet on a biannual basis. Problematic joints and cervical spine involvement should be followed as clinically indicated. Measures of improvement for individually relevant physical activities need to be defined for each patient.
Remarks on the set-valued integrals of Debreu and Aumann

Some recently obtained sufficient conditions for the weak compactness of subsets of L1(m, X) are used to show that for functions whose values are compact, convex subsets of a Banach space the Debreu integral, when it exists, is the same as the Aumann integral. Here no assumption is made concerning the reflexivity of X. This result extends to functions whose values are weakly compact, convex subsets of Banach space.
Studies of platelet adhesiveness, blood viscosity and the microcirculation in patients with thrombotic disease

Summary Analyses of platelet adhesiveness, blood viscosity and microvascular flow in conjunctival vessels were made in 100 patients, 65 of whom had thrombotic disease. Platelet adhesiveness (modified Salzman technique) was significantly increased ( P n = 23) and with major artery occlusions ( n = 15) when compared with controls ( n = 16) which had 18 %. Blood viscosity was increased in all patients with arterial or venous thrombotic disease as well as correspondingly ill patients without thrombosis. The conjunctival microvasculature, as a reflection of atherosclerotic changes generally, showed abnormally advanced changes in 60 % of patients with arterial thrombotic disease and 35 % of patients with thrombophlebitis. It is concluded that platelet adhesiveness and vascular wall changes are significant contributing factors in arterial thrombotic disease. Increased blood viscosity in thrombotic disease is a secondary phenomenon.
Arab American College Students Physical Activity and Body Composition: Reconciling Middle East-West Differences Using the Socioecological Model

In this study, I conducted focus group interviews with 21 Arab American college students (9 men, 12 women; 9 Muslims, 12 non-Muslims), who were selected for extreme manifestation of religiosity or acculturation, to explore their beliefs and attitudes toward socioecological (SE) factors that facilitated and hindered their individual physical activity (PA) and body composition (I also considered body image and food and eating behavior). To analyze responses, I used a combination of deductive coding, which used levels of the SE model and demographic variable groupings, and inductive coding, to search for common themes among participants within and between research questions. Results revealed that (a) the context of physical activity participation differed by gender; (b) ideal body image was conflicted and varied by gender; and (c) consumption of cultural foods diminished along with Arab social customs related to eating. Interpersonal and cultural/community levels of the SE model were identified as primary influences, with parents regulating and instilling values backed by cultural norms to preserve Arab identity, especially in women. Finally, I identified an indeterminate adjustment period, during which immigrants transitioned between physical activity purpose/form in the Middle East and the United States.
Regulation and Function of Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase (TIMP) 1 and TIMP3 in Periovulatory Rat Granulosa Cells

In the ovary, the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and the tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMPs) have been postulated to regulate extracellular matrix remodeling associated with ovulation. In the present study, we investigated the regulatory mechanisms controlling expression of Timp1 and Timp3 mRNA in periovulatory granulosa cells. Granulosa cells were isolated from immature pregnant mare serum gonadotropin-primed (10 IU) rat ovaries and treated with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG; 1 IU/ml). At 4 h after hCG treatment, Timp1 expression was highest and then decreased gradually over the remaining 24 h of culture. In contrast, hCG induced a biphasic increase of Timp3 expression at 2 and 16 h. The hCG stimulated expression of Timp1 and Timp3 mRNA was blocked by inhibitors of the protein kinase A (H89), protein kinase C (GF109203), and MAPK (SB2035850) pathways. To further explore Timp1 and Timp3 regulation, cells were cultured with the progesterone receptor antagonist RU486, which blocked the hCG ...
Heterogeneity of amino acid transport activity in the avian erythrocyte

Abstract 1. 1. Variability in amino acid transport activity has been studied in the chicken erythrocyte. 2. 2. Proline transport was observed to undergo a transient posthatch intensification. 3. 3. Leucine transport was found to become stabilized by 6–7 weeks of age in approximately two-thirds of the birds surveyed; in other birds, typically those with high values, transport activity declined over a subsequent test period of 4 weeks. 4. 4. Significant differences in leucine transport were found to exist between adult chickens sampled at 2-week intervals. 5. 5. Leucine transport rates were found to cluster about several discrete values when many individual chickens were surveyed. 6. 6. The basis for such differences in transport activity is discussed.
A new approach for performance analysis of openMP programs

The number of hardware threads is growing with each new generation of multicore chips; thus, one must effectively use threads to fully exploit emerging processors. OpenMP is a popular directive-based programming model that helps programmers exploit thread-level parallelism. In this paper, we describe the design and implementation of a novel performance tool for OpenMP. Our tool distinguishes itself from existing OpenMP performance tools in two principal ways. First, we develop a measurement methodology that attributes blame for work and inefficiency back to program contexts. We show how to integrate prior work on measurement methodologies that employ directed and undirected blame shifting and extend the approach to support dynamic thread-level parallelism in both time-shared and dedicated environments. Second, we develop a novel deferred context resolution method that supports online attribution of performance metrics to full calling contexts within an OpenMP program execution. This approach enables us to collect compact call path profiles for OpenMP program executions without the need for traces. Support for our approach is an integral part of an emerging standard performance tool application programming interface for OpenMP. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach by applying our tool to analyze four well-known application benchmarks that cover the spectrum of OpenMP features. In case studies with these benchmarks, insights from our tool helped us significantly improve the performance of these codes.
Numerical simulation of Jet-A combustion approximated by improved propane chemical kinetics

Through the effort devoted to the chemical kinetics for propane air combustion, three mechanisms are developed. The full mechanism consists of 131 reactions. This mechanism is used as a guide for the evaluation of other mechanisms, but because of the long expected cpu time, it is not to be incorporated into the computer code KIVA-II for actual simulation. Through the sensitivity analysis, a reduced mechanism of 45 reactions is produced. But the calculated results from the 45 reaction mechanism are always low in temperature. Some efforts are devoted to correct this situation and details are included in this report. A simplified mechanism of reactions is successfully improved and computed results are compared with experimental data. Contour plots of physical parameters and species concentrations and results for emission indices of CO and NOx are presented.
Forecasting Workloads in Multi-step, Multi-route Business Processes

This paper presents a technique developed to forecast workloads in a business process. Business processes such as the process of engaging on a service contract consist of multiple steps that are not necessarily sequential. There can also be multiple routes that work can take in transition. In order to forecast workloads at different steps of such business processes, one needs to predict dynamic movements of process instances within the system as well as the arrival of new instances from outside. By analyzing transition log data, we construct a Markov chain, which models the movement of process instances across different steps of the business process. Our approach takes into account the fact that an instance's prior trajectory may affect its future transitions. Via numerical studies, we demonstrate the overall performance of the proposed forecasting method. We also investigate how the performance of the forecasting method changes as various characteristics of the business process change. The proposed technique is general, and can be applied to a large class of business processes.
Is the quality of surgical residency applicants deteriorating

Background: Among directors of general surgery residencies, there is a concern that the quality of medical students applying to surgical residencies is declining. Methods: Quality of surgical applicants was assessed by several methods including subjective opinions determined by survey and by objective data including student United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores of matched candidates. The number of applicants interviewed, total interviews granted, proportion of Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) students, and the rank order of the candidates matched was obtained by survey. The survey included data on postgraduate year 1 (PGY-1) residents from July 1996 to July 1999. Three mailings were made to 226 US surgical residency programs. Results: Data were obtained from 90 programs. Surgery program directors disagreed with a survey statement that overall quality of applicants had declined (P <0.01), but agreed with a statement that activities of medical schools to enroll graduating students into primary care had hurt recruitment (P <0.001). Objective data revealed no change in mean USMLE part I scores of PGY-1 residents over the 4 years (P = 0.265, power = 0.81). There was no change in proportion of matched residents who were AOA over time. The mean score of all new PGY-1 residents, the rank of the first matched resident, the rank of the last ranked resident, and proportion of AOA students was higher in programs with five or more categorical spots when compared with programs of at most four (P <0.001). Across all programs, there was a trend to go lower on the rank list to fill categorical positions over time (P <0.001). Conclusions: There is a perception that medical school policies act to discourage recruitment of quality medical students into general surgery programs, and surgery programs are going deeper into their rank lists to fill categorical positions. However, the average USMLE part I score of applicants to surgical residencies and proportion of AOA applicants has not decreased.
Lifetime trauma history and panic disorder: findings from the National Comorbidity Survey.

Objective: The purpose of this article is to examine prevalence of lifetime traumatic experiences in a community sample of panic disorder patients. Method: We examined trauma rates in a cohort of panic disorder patients. Also, we statistically disaggregated comorbid PTSD from individuals diagnosed with panic disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey. Findings: Panic disorder patients suffer lifetime traumatic experiences at high rates. We found that 24.2% of females and 5% of males with panic disorder reported previous history of being sexually molested. Conclusions: These results suggest that trauma may act as a risk factor for panic disorder, as well as comorbid panic disorder and PTSD.
Targeted radiotherapy with gold nanoparticles: current status and future perspectives

Radiation therapy (RT) is the treatment of cancer and other diseases with ionizing radiation. The ultimate goal of RT is to destroy all the disease cells while sparing healthy tissue. Towards this goal, RT has advanced significantly over the past few decades in part due to new technologies including: multileaf collimator-assisted modulation of radiation beams, improved computer-assisted inverse treatment planning, image guidance, robotics with more precision, better motion management strategies, stereotactic treatments and hypofractionation. With recent advances in nanotechnology, targeted RT with gold nanoparticles (GNPs) is actively being investigated as a means to further increase the RT therapeutic ratio. In this review, we summarize the current status of research and development towards the use of GNPs to enhance RT. We highlight the promising emerging modalities for targeted RT with GNPs and the corresponding preclinical evidence supporting such promise towards potential clinical translation. Future prospects and perspectives are discussed.
Formulation of Small Activating RNA Into Lipidoid Nanoparticles Inhibits Xenograft Prostate Tumor Growth by Inducing p21 Expression

Application of RNA interference (RNAi) in the clinic has improved with the development of novel delivery reagents (e.g., lipidoids). Although RNAi promises a therapeutic approach at silencing gene expression, practical methods for enhancing gene production still remain a challenge. Previously, we reported that double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) can activate gene expression by targeting promoter sequence in a phenomenon termed RNA activation (RNAa). In the present study, we investigate the therapeutic potential of RNAa in prostate cancer xenografts by using lipidoid-based formulation to facilitate in vivo delivery. We identify a strong activator of gene expression by screening several dsRNAs targeting the promoter of tumor suppressor p21WAF1/ Cip1 (p21). Chemical modification is subsequently implemented to improve the medicinal properties of the candidate duplex. Lipidoid-encapsulated nanoparticle (LNP) formulation is validated as a delivery vehicle to mediate p21 induction and inhibit growth of prostate tumor xenografts grown in nude mice following intratumoral injection. We provide insight into the stepwise creation and analysis of a putative RNAa-based therapeutic with antitumor activity. Our results provide proof-of-principle that RNAa in conjunction with lipidioids may represent a novel approach for stimulating gene expression in vivo to treat disease.
The hot hardness testing for superplasticity in nanocrystalline yttria stabilized tetragonal zirconia

Abstract Yttria Stabilized Tetragonal Zirconia (YSTZ) (3 mol% Yttria) was synthesized by a sol-gel chloride route. YSTZ sintered to > 99% theoretical density at temperatures above 1225 °C. This was used as starting material to perform hot hardness measurements. The hot indentation technique was used as a quick and convenient method to obtain preliminary information on the high temperature deformation characteristics of zirconia. Vickers micro-hardness measurements were carried out in the temperature range from room temperature to 1250 °C. Indentation size was in the range 25 to 250 μm. The temperature for the onset of superplasticity was determined to be about 1100 °C from a plot of hardness against temperature. The activation energy for superplastic deformation was determined to be approximately 550 kJ mol .
Algorithms for portfolio management based on the Newton method

We experimentally study on-line investment algorithms first proposed by Agarwal and Hazan and extended by Hazan et al. which achieve almost the same wealth as the best constant-rebalanced portfolio determined in hindsight. These algorithms are the first to combine optimal logarithmic regret bounds with efficient deterministic computability. They are based on the Newton method for offline optimization which, unlike previous approaches, exploits second order information. After analyzing the algorithm using the potential function introduced by Agarwal and Hazan, we present extensive experiments on actual financial data. These experiments confirm the theoretical advantage of our algorithms, which yield higher returns and run considerably faster than previous algorithms with optimal regret. Additionally, we perform financial analysis using mean-variance calculations and the Sharpe ratio.
Multiscale analysis of the effect of carbon nanotube (CNT) functionalization on damping characteristics of CNT-based composites

In this paper, the influence of carbon nanotube functionalization on interfacial shear strength and hence on damping characteristics of CNT-based polymeric composites is investigated with a multiscale model. The sequential multiscale approach consists of two parts. First, the interfacial shear strength between the functionalized nanotube and the polymer is calculated by simulating a CNT pull-out test using the molecular dynamics method. The strength values obtained from atomic simulation are then applied to a micromechanical damping model of a representative unit cell of a CNT/polymer composite under cyclic loading. The analysis results indicate that the nanotube functionalization increases the interfacial shear strength. The increased shear strength can either enhance or reduce the effective loss factor of the composite, depending on the operational stress range.
Large scale atmosphere‐ocean anomalies in the northeast Pacific during 2002

[1] In summer-fall 2002, the coastal northeast Pacific (NEP) was characterized by anomalously cool, fresh waters extending from Vancouver Island to southern California, increased equatorward transport in the California Current System (CCS), and higher surface productivity in the northern CCS. The evolution of large scale atmosphere-ocean anomalies in the NEP from winter 2001–02 through fall 2002 contributed to these coastal anomalies by setting up wind stress anomalies that led to: 1) anomalous transport of subarctic waters into the North Pacific Current (NPC); 2) enhanced eastward flow in the NPC; 3) anomalously strong upwelling in the CCS; and 4) enhanced equatorward transport in the CCS.
The MHD Rankine-Hugoniot jump conditions and the terrestrial bow shock: A statistical comparison

Abstract We have examined 204 bow shock crossings observed in the magnetic field and plasma data on ISEE-1. Using the measured upstream field and plasma data we calculated the downstream field magnitudes by using the single-fluid MHD Rankine-Hugoniot jump conditions, and compared the results with the observed downstream field magnitudes. We find that on the average, the observed downstream conditions are well approximated by the basic MHD model with a polytropic index of 5 3 provided that the angle between the upstream field and the shock normal is greater than 45°, and the Alfven Mach number is less than about 10. For angles less than 45°, and for MA ≳ 10, the basic MHD model must be expanded to include additional physical processes to explain the observations.
Preconditioning one myocardial region does not neccessarily precondition the whole rabbit heart.

A previous study in dogs indicated that preconditioning (PC) of a specific myocardial region not only evoked a local cardioprotective effect but also rendered remote myocardium resistant to infarction. In the present study we devised a method to test for remote PC in the rabbit which it is not possible to ligate two separate coronary branches on the same heart. In situ hearts were subjected to PC with two cycles of 5-min regional ischemia/5-min reperfusion. Following this in vivo PC protocol, the hearts were removed and perfused on a Langendorff apparatus with crystalloid buffer. They then underwent 30 min of global ischemia with the entire left ventricle at risk followed by 2 h of reperfusion. At the end of the experiment the myocardium previously subjected to the in vivo PC protocol (preconditioned region) was identified as the tissue without fluorescence after fluorescent particles had been injected into the aortic root following reocclusion of the snared branch of the left coronary artery. Infarcted myocardium was identified by triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. Tissue salvage was observed only in the preconditioned region where 13.2 ± 3.6 % of the myocardium infarcted as opposed to 44.6 ± 1.3 % in the remaining non-preconditioned left ventricular tissue (p < 0.05, n = 6). In sham-operated hearts (snare but no PC), infarction was similar in both the snared vessel's perfusion territory and the rest of the left ventricular myocardium (49.2 ± 6.5 % vs. 43.7 ± 3.7 %, n = 5). Hence PC of one myocardial region does not necessarily confer PC protection to all regions of the heart. Because remote PC could not be demonstrated in rabbits, this phenomenon may be species or protocol-specific, and should not be assumed to occur in man.
Synthesis and Monoamine Transporter Binding Properties of 2,3-Diaryltropanes

Synthetic procedures were developed for the synthesis of 2beta,3beta- and 2alpha,3alpha-diaryltropanes. These compounds are analogues of the 3-aryltropane-2beta-carboxylic acid methyl ester class of monoamine uptake inhibitors, where the 2beta-carbomethoxy group has been replaced by an aryl group. The compounds were evaluated for inhibition of radioligand binding at the dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin transporters (DAT, NET, and 5-HTT, respectively). The results showed that the replacement of the 2beta-carbomethoxy group in the 3-aryltropane class with a 2beta-aryl group led to compounds possessing very similar monoamine transporter binding properties. However, the 2beta,3beta-diaryltropanes tended to be more potent at the DAT and more selective for the DAT relative to the NET and 5-HTT. One of the most interesting compounds was 3beta-(4-methylphenyl)-2beta-(4-methylphenyl)tropane (3d), which showed an IC50 of 1.23 nM at the DAT with 289- and 185-fold selectivity for the DAT relative to the NET and 5-HTT. The 2alpha,3alpha-diaryltropanes were much less potent at all three transporters than 2beta,3beta-diaryltropanes.
The CSCE and the Atlantic alliance: Forging a new consensus in Madrid

This article analyzes how the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) delegations coalesced behind a common stance at the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) Madrid Review Meeting held from 1980 to 1983. It demonstrates that United States Ambassador to the Madrid Meeting Max M. Kampelman and international events such as the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the Polish imposition of martial law, and the Soviet downing of Korean Airlines flight 007 fostered allied unity at the talks. Eventual agreement among the NATO allies about their strategy for the meeting gave the West a firmer and more effective negotiating position at Madrid, which it used to push proposals on human contacts, Helsinki monitors, the flow of information, terrorism, and religious freedom, among other issues. The reestablishment of consensus on CSCE issues within the Atlantic alliance at Madrid proved important because the ability of the NATO states to remain united despite internal disagreement over negotiating tacti...
Correction: CIP4 is required for the hypertrophic growth of neonatal cardiac myocytes

Correction In the published work [1], Figure three A panels e and f and Figure four B (Figure 1B here) panels b and f represent the same types of samples in two different experiments, i.e., CIP4 siRNA-transfected myocytes cultured in the absence and presence of phenylephrine, respectively. However, in the original version of Rusconi, et al. [1], the panels in Figure three A e and f were unintentionally duplicated in the panels in Figure four B (Figure 1B here) b and f, respectively. In this correction, a new Figure four (Figure 1 here) is provided with different panels for figure four B (Figure 1B) b and f. The interpretation and conclusion of the depicted experiments remain the same. Corrected Figure four (Figure 1 here):
Roentgenographic signs produced byTaenia saginata

1. Radiolucencies can be produced in the small bowel showing the presence ofTaenia saginata.