cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rapid and accurate SARA analysis of medium gravity crude oils

Crude oils can be described compositionally by a number of methods. SARA analysis is widely used to divide crude oil components according to their polarizability and polarity using a family of related analytical techniques. Problems arise because the analytical techniques do not necessarily produce identical results. Users of the data, however, rarely distinguish between the different techniques, assuming that SARA fraction values generated by any of the commonly used methods are essentially interchangeable. We examine this assumption for medium gravity crude oils and three SARA analysis methods: gravity-driven chromatographic separation, thin-layer chromatography (TLC), and high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results for a suite of six crude oil samples show that a significant volume of volatile material that contains both saturates and aromatics is lost in the TLC analysis. An improved HPLC method is introduced that gives analyses comparable to the ASTM-recommended chromatographic method in les...
Correlation of Electrochemical Properties and Pore Structure for Carbon Nanoarchitectures with Ultrathin, Conformal Poly(o-Methoxyaniline) Coatings

We use carbon aerogels and nanofoams as conductive, ultraporous platforms onto which ultrathin (
Intraoperative Emergencies During Endoscopic Sinus Surgery: CSF Leak and Orbital Hematoma

Among the several risks encountered in endoscopic sinus surgery, catastrophic orbital bleeding and iatrogenic cerebrospinal fluid leak are the two serious complications surgeons most fear. This article discusses these avoidable complications and provides treatment algorithms for intraoperative maneuvers. A thorough understanding of the anatomy of the paranasal sinuses and their relationships with the anterior skull base, appropriate preoperative planning, and meticulous surgical technique are essential for preventing intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid leaks. Intraoperative orbital hematoma is discussed and a stepwise approach to reduce complications is provided.
Guiding center drifts in time-dependent meridional magnetic fields.

The problem of a particle trapped in a time‐dependent meridional magnetic mirror field and at the same time subjected to a time‐dependent perpendicular electric field (E·B = 0) is considered. Bounce‐averaged guiding‐center theory is used to derive expressions for the drift velocity conponents. These drift expressions depend in a straightforward fashion on the structures of the magnetic and electric fields and on the particle charge, kinetic energy, longitudinal invariant, and bounce period. In the special case of a static magnetic field, no electric field, and J = 0 particles, the drift equations are integrated and the bounce‐averaged guiding‐center trajectory obtained.
Lead chelation therapy and urate excretion in patients with chronic renal diseases and gout.

Lead chelation therapy and urate excretion in patients with chronic renal diseases and gout. Background It is known that chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) patients with gout may have subtle lead poisoning. In addition, gout episodes frequently aggravate progressive renal insufficiency because of the use of nephrotoxic drugs and urate deposition. Our study was arranged to evaluate the causal effect of environmental lead exposure on urate excretion in CRI patients. Methods A cross-section study and a randomized, controlled trial were performed. Initially, 101 patients with CRI and without a history of previous lead exposure received ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid mobilization tests to assess body lead stores (BLS). Then, a clinical trial was performed; 30 CRI patients with gout and high-normal BLS and the changes of urate excretion in these patients were compared before and after lead chelating therapy. The treated group received four-week chelating therapy, and the control group received a placebo therapy. Results The BLS of patients with CRI and gout was higher than that of patients with CRI only, and none had subtle lead poisoning. The BLS, not the blood lead level (BLL), significantly correlated to indices of urate excretion in all CRI patients after related factors were adjusted. In addition, after lead chelating therapy, urate clearance markedly improved after a reduction of the BLS of patients with CRI and gout (study group 67.9 ± 80.0% vs. control group 1.2 ± 34.0%, P = 0.0056). Conclusion Our findings suggest that the chronic low-level environmental lead exposure may interfere with urate excretion of CRI patients. Importantly, the inhibition of urate excretion can be markedly improved by lead chelating therapies. These data shed light on additional treatment of CRI patients with gout; however, more studies are needed to confirm our findings.
Abstract 356: Reconstruction of nuclear receptor network reveals that NR2E3 is a novel upstream regulator of ESR1 in breast cancer

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL ESR1 is one of the most important oncogenes and therapeutic targets in breast cancer. By applying systems-level re-analysis of publicly available gene expression data, we uncovered potential regulator of ESR1. We demonstrated that orphan nuclear receptor NR2E3 regulates ESR1 via direct binding to the ESR1 promoter with concomitant recruitment of PIAS3 to promoter in breast cancer cells, and is essential for physiological cellular activity of ESR1 in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer cells. Moreover, expression of NR2E3 was significantly associated with recurrence-free survival and favorable response to tamoxifen treatment in women with ER-positive breast cancer. Our results provide mechanistic insight into how ESR1 is regulated by NR2E3 and clinical relevance of NR2E3 in breast cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 356. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-356
Decrease in renal perfusion, glomerular filtration and sodium excretion by hypoxia in the dog.

SummaryPrevious studies of hypoxia induced alterations in renal function have yielded conflicting results. Uncontrolled acid base conditions in most studies may account for this scatter. To eliminate acid-base effects hypoxia was induced in dogs while arterial pCO2 and pH were maintained constant for 60-90 min. To test whether the effects of hypoxia were mediated by vasoconstriction or ischemic injury, acetylcholine was infused unilaterally into one renal artery. During hypoxia the GFR and RPF of the kidney not receiving acetylcholine decreased significantly. In the kidney perfused with acetylcholine, however, GFR and RPF did not change. Sodium excretion fell in nonperfused but did not change significantly in acetylcholine perfused kidneys. Using the radiomicrosphere method, fractional distribution of renal cortical blood flow was found to be unaffected by hypoxia. The data demonstrate that acute hypoxia reversibly decreases GFR and RPF by functionally increasing renal vascular resistance uniformly throug...
The Basmachi or Freemen's revolt in Turkestan 1918–24

(1981). The Basmachi or Freemen's revolt in Turkestan 1918–24. Soviet Studies: Vol. 33, No. 3, pp. 352-369.
On Genius & Happenstance in Scientific Discovery

On June 18, 1858, Charles Darwin, a noted and widely respected British naturalist, received another letter from a fellow naturalist collecting specimens halfway around the world, in the Malay archipelago. The correspondent asked Darwin to review a manuscript and forward it on to a colleague. A conventional professional courtesy. Almost routine. But Darwin read the enclosed essay with dismay. It was, as he confided to a friend, a nearly perfect abstract of his own thoughts, which he had committed to paper some two decades earlier, but never published. The writer was Alfred Russel Wallace. Like Darwin, he had discovered the role of variation and selection in the origin of new species. Such independent discoveries invite reflection on the role of creativity in science. Why does one person, and not another, make a significant discovery? We tend to regard momentous insights as acts of genius, an inherent property of the person. But when two scientists make the same discovery, is the genius shared or does the coincidence reflect an inevitability? After grasping Darwin’s central idea, Thomas Huxley later recalled thinking, “How extremely stupid not to have thought of that!” (Huxley, 1887, p. 197). He chastised himself and colleagues: “we reproached ourselves with dullness for being perplexed with such an inquiry.” Of course, that is the nature of virtually every discovery. It seems perfectly obvious once someone has already articulated it. The prospective view is far less clear. And for that very reason, Huxley’s clever remark was full of irony: namely, we owe the discovery of natural selection to exceptional insight. On Huxley’s principle, generally endorsed I think, Darwin and Wallace are each honored for their genius. “Great minds think alike,” we often hear (Carroll, 2009). Here I wish to challenge the conventional view of genius and discovery, this month’s …
Capturing Post-Silicon Variations Using a Representative Critical Path

In nanoscale technologies that experience large levels of process variation, post-silicon adaptation is an important step in circuit design. These adaptation techniques are often based on measurements of a replica of the nominal critical path, whose variations are intended to reflect those of the entire circuit after manufacturing. For realistic circuits, where the number of critical paths can be large, the notion of using a single critical path is too simplistic. This paper overcomes this problem by introducing the idea of synthesizing a representative critical path (RCP), which captures these complexities of the variations. We first prove that the requirement on the RCP is that it should be highly correlated with the circuit delay. Next, we present three novel algorithms to automatically build the RCP. Our experimental results demonstrate that over a number of samples of manufactured circuits, the delay of the RCP captures the worst case delay of the manufactured circuit. The average prediction error of all circuits is shown to be below 2.8% for all three approaches. For both our approach and the critical path replica method, it is essential to guard-band the prediction to ensure pessimism: on average our approach requires a guard band 31% smaller than for the critical path replica method.
Pathological Video-Game Use Among Youth Ages 8 to 18 A National Study

Researchers have studied whether some youth are "addicted" to video games, but previous studies have been based on regional convenience samples. Using a national sample, this study gathered information about video-gaming habits and parental involvement in gaming, to determine the percentage of youth who meet clinical-style criteria for pathological gaming. A Harris poll surveyed a randomly selected sample of 1,178 American youth ages 8 to 18. About 8% of video-game players in this sample exhibited pathological patterns of play. Several indicators documented convergent and divergent validity of the results: Pathological gamers spent twice as much time playing as nonpathological gamers and received poorer grades in school; pathological gaming also showed comorbidity with attention problems. Pathological status significantly predicted poorer school performance even after controlling for sex, age, and weekly amount of video-game play. These results confirm that pathological gaming can be measured reliably, that the construct demonstrates validity, and that it is not simply isomorphic with a high amount of play.
A new algorithm for routing tree construction with buffer insertion and wire sizing under obstacle constraints

Buffer insertion and wire sizing are critical in deep submicron VLSI design. This paper studies the problem of constructing routing trees with simultaneous buffer insertion and wire sizing in the presence of routing and buffer obstacles. No previous algorithms consider all these factors simultaneously. Previous dynamic programming based algorithm is first extended to solve the problem. However, with the size of routing graph increasing and with wire sizing taken into account, the time and space requirement increases enormously. Then a new approach is proposed to formulate the problem as a series of graph problems. The routing tree solution is obtained by finding shortest paths in a series of graphs. In the new approach, wire sizing can be handled almost without any additional time and space requirement, Moreover, the time and space requirement is only polynomial in terms of the size of routing graph. Our algorithm differs from traditional dynamic programming, and is capable of addressing the problem of inverter insertion and sink polarity. Both theoretical and experimental results show that the graph-based algorithm outperforms the DP-based algorithm by a large margin. We also propose a hierarchical approach to construct routing tree for a large number of sinks.
Evaluation of serum cobalamin concentrations in dogs of 164 dog breeds (2006–2010)

Altered serum cobalamin concentrations have been observed in dogs with gastrointestinal disorders such as exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) or gastrointestinal inflammation. The aims of the current study were 1) to identify breeds with a higher proportion of dogs with a decreased serum cobalamin concentration, 2) to determine whether dogs with such decreased concentrations tend to have serum canine trypsin-like immunoreactivity (cTLI) concentrations diagnostic for EPI, and 3) to compare the number of submissions for serum cobalamin analysis by breed to the American Kennel Club (AKC) breed ranking list of 2009. In this retrospective study, results of 28,675 cobalamin tests were reviewed. Akitas, Chinese Shar-Peis, German Shepherd Dogs, Greyhounds, and Labrador Retrievers had increased proportions of serum cobalamin concentrations below the lower limit of the reference interval (<251 ng/l; all P < 0.0001). Akitas, Chinese Shar-Peis, German Shepherd Dogs, and Border Collies had increased proportions of serum cobalamin concentrations below the detection limit of the assay (<150 ng/l; all P < 0.0001). Akitas, Border Collies, and German Shepherd Dogs with serum cobalamin concentrations <150 ng/l were more likely to have a serum cTLI concentration considered diagnostic for EPI (≤2.5 µg/l; all P ≤ 0.001). The breed with the highest proportion of samples submitted for serum cobalamin analysis in comparison with the AKC ranking list was the Greyhound (odds ratio: 84.6; P < 0.0001). In Akitas and Border Collies, further investigations are warranted to clarify if a potentially breed-specific gastrointestinal disorder is responsible for the increased frequency of decreased serum cobalamin and cTLI concentrations.
Computer-Aided Synthesis of Microscale Electrophoretic Separation Systems in Confined Areas

Complex designs result from the desire to create compact microscale electrophoretic devices in confined chip areas. Knowledge of how the interconnectivity of electrophoretic channel sections effects chip performance is necessary to develop feasible and efficient designs. In this paper, we demonstrate an approach for the design and synthesis of microscale electrophoretic systems using computer aided simulation and optimization. We have investigated serpentine and spiral channel topologies which are commonly found in the literature. This approach is demonstrated for the design of systems in confined areas as well as the design of systems that utilize minimal area. Device performance will be evaluated in terms of plate number and resolution and limited by available voltage, detector and fabrication constraints.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Pharmacy Service Orientation: A measure of organizational culture in pharmacy practice sites

Abstract Background The importance of organizational culture in shaping everyday organizational life is well accepted, but little work has focused on organizational culture in pharmacy. Examining new pharmacists' experiences at various practice sites may help us to understand how these shape their professional ethos and practice habits. Objectives (1) Present development and assessment of the Pharmacy Service Orientation (PSO) measure, a tool for assessing pharmacists' impressions of pharmacy practice sites. (2) Use data gathered from a sample of new pharmacists to explore potential predictors of PSO, including type of practice site, type of pharmacy work experience, and type of pharmacy degree. Methods Mail survey of randomly selected class of 1999 pharmacy graduates within 3 months of graduation (response rate: 259 of 1850; 14%), each of whom reported on up to 6 different pharmacy practice sites for a total of 1192 pharmacy observations. Pharmacy Service Orientation is scored on a 1-10 semantic differential scale and reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Predictors of PSO were explored using t test and ordinary least squares regression procedures. Results Reliability of the PSO across all observations was 0.86. When divided according to recency of experience and type of experience, reliabilities ranged from 0.78 to 0.87. Analysis of potential predictors of PSO showed that non–corporate-community sites had significantly greater pharmaceutical care-oriented cultures (mean PSOs of 7.42 and 5.13, respectively; P P Conclusions Pharmacy Service Orientation is a reliable measure. Statistically significant differences in PSO comparisons by degree and by experience type are explained by significant differences between the PSOs of corporate-community and non–corporate-community sites.
Echocardiographic Findings after Tricuspid Valvectomy

Resection of the tricuspid valve without prosthetic replacement has successfully been performed in patients with tricuspid valvular endocarditis. Using M-mode, two-dimensional, and Doppler echocardiograms, we studied four patients who underwent tricuspid valvectomy. All patients had previous history of intravenous drug abuse and staphylococcal endocarditis with tricuspid valvular involvement. In all patients, M-mode and two-dimensional echocardiograms showed that the tricuspid valve was absent. The right ventricle was dilated, and the interventricular septum had paradoxical motion in each patient. In each patient the right atrium was dilated, and with each ventricular systole, it expanded and its short axis increased by 20 to 33 percent. This caused shift of the interatrial septum toward the left atrium, with compression of its cavity. Doppler echocardiographic studies showed retrograde flow during systole in the right atrium, inferior vena cava, and hepatic vein. Echocardiographic findings in patients with tricuspid valvectomy correlate with the pathophysiologic findings of this condition.
decapentaplegic and wingless are regulated by eyes absent and eyegone and interact to direct the pattern of retinal differentiation in the eye disc

Signaling by the secreted hedgehog, decapentaplegic and wingless proteins organizes the pattern of photoreceptor differentiation within the Drosophila eye imaginal disc; hedgehog and decapentaplegic are required for differentiation to initiate at the posterior margin and progress across the disc, while wingless prevents it from initiating at the lateral margins. Our analysis of these interactions has shown that initiation requires both the presence of decapentaplegic and the absence of wingless, which inhibits photoreceptor differentiation downstream of the reception of the decapentaplegic signal. However, wingless is unable to inhibit differentiation driven by activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor pathway. The effect of wingless is subject to regional variations in control, as the anterior margin of the disc is insensitive to wingless inhibition. The eyes absent and eyegone genes encode members of a group of nuclear proteins required to specify the fate of the eye imaginal disc. We show that both eyes absent and eyegone are required for normal activation of decapentaplegic expression at the posterior and lateral margins of the disc, and repression of wingless expression in presumptive retinal tissue. The requirement for eyegone can be alleviated by inhibition of the wingless signaling pathway, suggesting that eyegone promotes eye development primarily by repressing wingless. These results provide a link between the early specification and later differentiation of the eye disc.
A DFT-based UTD ray analysis of large finite phased arrays on a grounded substrate

A discrete Fourier transform (DFT)-based asymptotic high-frequency, uniform geometrical theory of diffraction (UTD) ray solution is developed to describe, in closed form, the collective field produced by large finite phased arrays of printed antenna elements on a grounded material substrate. Such a DFT-UTD ray analysis yields useful physical insights into the large array radiation and scattering mechanisms. This is in contrast to the conventional array element-by-element summation for the radiated field which lacks the above useful properties. In the present work, any realistic arbitrary array current distribution, i.e., in the presence of array mutual coupling, is represented by a DFT expansion so that each term in the expansion becomes a simple uniform array distribution with a linear phase, which then directly facilitates the development of the asymptotic UTD ray solution. Furthermore, another significant advantage of the DFT is that for most practical array excitations, only a relatively few DFT terms remain dominant in the expansion and are sufficient to provide reasonably accurate results. Some numerical examples are presented to illustrate the utility of this collective DFT-based asymptotic UTD ray solution for large array fields.
Media centre administration: An alternative for success

Many media centre administrators worldwide regularly experience budget cutbacks or, at least, the threat of cutbacks. If you have not been threatened by the budget slashers, or if you are satisfied by the level of support your media operation is enjoying, your time might be better spent in reading the other articles in this journal: you have likely discovered your alternative for success. This paper will challenge the usual ways of thinking about managing media centres I intend to attack some of the sacred cows of media and media centre management, and to offer alternatives to the commonly accepted operational procedures which have resulted in media centre closings and cutbacks during unfavourable economic times. There may be times when I over state my case, but usually it will only seem so. There are, of course, media centres managed in the commonly accepted ways that are succeeding these days. But is it possible to run a centre in such a way that it is practically assured of flourishing when the economy and support for education in general declines? The answer is, "yes", but it requires change - drastic change - from the traditional ways media are perceived. I would like to share with you some successes and failures in media management and the lessons they have taught.
A survey of inspection strategy and sensor distribution studies in discrete-part manufacturing processes

Methodologies, modeling approaches, and the interactions between various system elements involved in inspection-allocation and sensor-distribution problems, that influence operational quality decisions, are discussed. The surveyed papers fall into two broad categories: inspection-oriented quality-assurance strategies and diagnosis-oriented sensor-distribution strategies. Within each subarea, individual papers are further classified according to the system characteristics of the physical processes being investigated and the modeling characteristics of the approaches being used. As evident from nearly 100 journal articles published in the past four decades, these two problems have received considerable attention from researchers in quality engineering, management science, operations research as well as robotic vision arenas. We find that the inspection-allocation problem has been studied rather comprehensively whereas the relatively new sensor-distribution problem has plenty of opportunities for researchers...
Invasive Brown Treesnake Movements at Road Edges Indicate Road-Crossing Avoidance

Abstract Roads have significant impacts on the dispersal of wildlife. Although this poses a threat to the abundance and diversity of desirable flora and fauna, it also affords some opportunity for enhancing control of invasive species. Roads are the most common terrain features that may affect the rate of landscape-scale movements of invasive Brown Treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) throughout Guam. We radio tracked 45 free-ranging Brown Treesnakes in close proximity to two roads in Guam and recorded instances where daily relocations of snakes spanned roads. Then we reconstructed observed movement histories with randomized turning angles, which served as a useful null hypothesis for assessing the effect of roads or road edge habitat on Brown Treesnake movement patterns. Random walk simulations demonstrated that Brown Treesnakes crossed these roads at a rate far lower than would be expected if snake movement was random with respect to roads and road edge habitat. We discuss two alternative hypotheses for these...
AMPylation Is Critical for Rab1 Localization to Vacuoles Containing Legionella pneumophila

ABSTRACT Legionella pneumophila is an intracellular pathogen that resides within a membrane-bound compartment that is derived from vesicles exiting the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). To create this compartment, these bacteria use a type IV secretion system to deliver effector proteins that subvert host cell functions. Several Legionella effector proteins modulate the function of the host protein Rab1, which is a GTPase that is recruited to the Legionella -containing vacuole (LCV). Here, we examined which of the Rab1-directed enzymatic activities displayed by Legionella effectors are important for localizing the Rab1 protein to the LCV membrane. The guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) domain in the effector protein DrrA (SidM) was essential for Rab1 recruitment to the LCV and Rab1 AMPylation by the nucleotidyltransferase domain in DrrA was important for Rab1 retention. Legionella organisms producing mutant DrrA proteins that were severely attenuated for GEF activity in vitro retained the ability to localize Rab1 to the LCV. Rab1 localization to the LCV mediated by these GEF-defective mutants required AMPylation. Importantly, we found that efficient localization of Rab1 to the LCV occurred when Rab1 GEF activity and Rab1 AMPylation activity were provided by separate proteins. Rab1 phosphocholination (PCylation) by the effector protein AnkX, however, was unable to substitute for Rab1 AMPylation. Lastly, the defect in Rab1 localization to the LCV in AMPylation-deficient strains of Legionella was partially suppressed if the GTPase-activating protein (GAP) LepB was eliminated. Thus, our data indicate that AMPylation of Rab1 is an effective strategy to maintain this GTPase on the LCV membrane. IMPORTANCE Activities that enable the intracellular pathogen Legionella pneumophila to subvert the function of the host protein Rab1 were investigated. Our data show that a posttranslational modification called AMPylation is critical for maintaining a pool of Rab1 on the LCV membrane. AMPylation of Rab1 led to the accumulation of GTP-bound Rab1 on the LCV membrane by protecting the protein from inactivation by GAPs. Importantly, PCylation of Rab1 by the Legionella effector protein AnkX was neither necessary nor sufficient to maintain Rab1 on the LCV, indicating that AMPylation and PCylation represent functionally distinct activities. We conclude that modification of Rab1 by AMPylation is an effective strategy to spatially and temporally regulate the function of this GTPase on a membrane-bound organelle.
Enforcing security properties in task-based systems

Though a user's privileges are often granted based on the tasks that the user is expected to fulfill, the concept of tasks is usually not explicitly modeled in access control. We propose a system where tasks are the central concept that associates users to privileges. Ideally a user should be able to utilize these privileges and fulfill his tasks, but not to take harmful actions. To ensure this, a system often specifies a high-level security property to restrict the sequence of actions that a user can perform. In this paper, we propose a general model of access control in task-based system. This model considers the permissions a user as well as their temporal availability. Based on this model, we investigate the problem of enforcing security properties both statically (i.e., when tasks are assigned) and dynamically (i.e., when actions are performed). We study the complexity of static enforcement, and design efficient dynamic enforcement algorithms that avoiding unnecessary history tracking.
The influence of group and context on information technology development creativity

The purpose of this paper is to help understand how to foster the kind of IT development creativity that can lead to dramatic organizational change. To this end, a creativity model focusing on the impact of group and contextual characteristics on group creative processes is adapted from the organizational literature. This model is employed to help understand the lack of creativity exhibited in an imaging technology development project. The model is then used to identify variables important in IT development creativity research, and provide an understanding of how, they work to influence creativity. This understanding can aid in the future creation and testing of IT development creativity models. >
Driven to distraction? The effect of simulated red light running camera flashes on attention and oculomotor control

Do similar factors influence the allocation of attention in visually sparse and abstract laboratory paradigms and complex real-world scenes? To explore this question we conducted a series of experiments that examined whether the flash that accompanies a Red Light Running Camera (RLRC) can capture observers' attention away from important roadway changes. Inhibition of Return (IOR) and eye movement direction served as indices of the spatial allocation of attention. In two experiments, participants were slower to respond to the brake lights of a vehicle in a driving scene when an RLRC flash occurred nearby or were slower to initiate eye movements to brake light signals (IOR effects). In a third experiment, we found evidence that less prevalent RLRC flashes disrupted eye movement control. Results suggest that attention can be misdirected as a result of RLRC flashes and provide additional evidence that findings from simple laboratory paradigms can predict the allocation of attention in complex settings that ar...
Dilatational versus Standard Tracheostomy: A Meta-Analysis:

The advent of percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) was initially viewed by otolaryngologists with great skepticism. The purpose of this study was to compare the complications of PDT with those of standard tracheostomy (ST) by a meta-analysis of randomized studies. We found that ST had a fivefold higher rate of complications than did PDT, and these complications were often more severe. We conclude that PDT is a safer procedure for elective tracheostomy in carefully selected patients, ie, those with normal-sized necks.
POWER FUNCTIONS AND ENVELOPES FOR UNIT ROOT TESTS

This paper studies power functions and envelopes for covariate augmented unit root tests. The power functions are calculated by integrating the characteristic function, allowing accurate evaluation of the power envelope and the power functions. Using the power functions, we study the selection among point optimal invariant unit root tests. An “optimal” point optimal test is proposed based on minimizing the integrated power difference. We find that when there are covariate effects, optimal tests use a local alternative where the power envelope has an approximate value of 0.75.We thank Pentti Saikkonen and two referees for helpful comments.
Inhibition of PKC Epsilon Attenuates Cigarette Smoke Extract- Induced Apoptosis in Human Lung Fibroblasts (MRC-5 Cells)

Background: It is known that cigarette smoke (CS) causes cell death. Apoptotic cell death is involved in the pathogenesis of CS-related lung diseases. Some members of the protein kinase C (PKC) family have roles in cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-induced apoptosis. This study was conducted to investigate the role of PKC epsilon in CSE-induced apoptosis in human lung fibroblast cell line, MRC-5. Methods: Lactate dehydrogenase release was measured using a cytotoxicity detection kit. The MTT assay was used to measure cell viability. Western immunoblot, Hoechst 33342 staining and flow cytometry were used to demonstrate the effect of PKCe. Caspase-3 and caspase-8 activities were determined using a colorimetric assay. To examine PKCe activation, Western blotting was performed using both fractions of membrane and cytosol. Results: We showed that CSE activated PKCe by demonstrating increased expression of PKCe in the plasma membrane fraction. Pre-treatment of PKCe peptide inhibitor attenuated CSE-induced apoptotic cell death, as demonstrated by the MTT assay (13.03% of control, 85.66% of CSE-treatment, and 53.73% of PKCe peptide inhibitor-pre-treatment, respectively), Hoechst 33342 staining, and flow cytometry (85.64% of CSE-treatment, 53.73% of PKCe peptide inhibitor-pre-treatment). Pre-treatment of PKCe peptide inhibitor reduced caspase-3 expression and attenuated caspase-3, caspase-8 activity compared with CSE treatment alone. Conclusion: PKCe seem to have pro-apoptotic function and exerts its function through the extrinsic apoptotic pathway in CSE-exposed MRC-5 cells. This study suggests that PKCe inhibition may be a therapeutic strategy in CS-related lung disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Soil Phosphorus and Potassium Mapping Using a Spatial Correlation Model Incorporating Terrain Slope Gradient

Variable-rate fertilizer application requires knowledge of the spatial distribution of soil nutrients within fields. Grid soil sampling might be used for acquiring this information, but is often too expensive for resolving spatial patterns in soil nutrients at the scale of precision fertilizer application. The objective of this study was to determine whether grid sampling efficiency can be improved using cokriging estimates with slope gradient as a secondary variable, which is easily obtained from high-resolution digital elevation models. Soils in two northern Montana wheat fields were sampled at the nodes of a 100-m diagonal grid. Soil test phosphorus and potassium maps were constructed with kriging and cokriging. Co-kriging uses the spatial correlation between two variables to predict for the less intensively sampled variable of interest, often with less estimation error than a univariate method such as kriging. The average estimation variance for cokriging compared to kriging was reduced for all values of the correlation considered. The additional complexity of cokriging might be justified provided a secondary variable exists that is spatially cross correlated with the primary variable of interest.
Ultrasonic irrigation in the removal of smear layer and Enterococcus faecalis from root canals

Aim: This study evaluated both smear layer removal and reduction of Enterococcus faecalis after instrumentation with ultrasonic irrigation. Methods: Root canals were experimentally inoculated with E. faecalis for 20 days and microbiological samples were collected before and after chemomechanical preparation by using sterilized absorbent paper points. The irrigation solutions used were NaOCl 2.5% and EDTA 17%. In Group 1 (G1), conventional irrigation was used, whereas in Group 2 (G2) ultrasonic irrigation was performed. In group 3 (control), root canals were irrigated with distilled water. The samples were inoculated in BHI broth and turbidity was observed after 48 h to evaluate the reduction in the number of bacteria. Residual smear layer was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results: The results showed no significant differences between ultrasonic and conventional irrigation. Conclusions: It was concluded that the level of disinfection and cleanliness of root canals achieved with ultrasonic irrigation is comparable to that obtained by conventional methods.
The interaction of private and public regulatory governance: The case of association-led voluntary aviation safety programs ☆

The complex and globalized nature of many industries has led to a global governance deficit that has resulted in the rise of self-regulation by private firms. Despite well-developed body of literat...
Similarity Measures for Quantifying Restrictive and Repetitive Behavior in Conversations of Autistic Children

Restrictive and repetitive behavior (RRB) is a core symptom of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and are manifest in language. Based on this, we expect children with autism to talk about fewer topics, and more repeatedly, during their conversations. We thus hypothesize a higher semantic overlap ratio between dialogue turns in children with ASD compared to those with typical development (TD). Participants of this study include children ages 48, 44 with TD and 25 with ASD without language impairment. We apply several semantic similarity metrics to the children’s dialogue turns in semi-structured conversations with examiners. We find that children with ASD have significantly more semantically overlapping turns than children with TD, across different turn intervals. These results support our hypothesis, and could provide a convenient and robust ASD-specific behavioral marker.
Blackburn Cathedral: William Temple’s vision for a new see and cathedral finally fulfilled:

William Temple had a primary role in the creation of the see and cathedral of Blackburn out of Manchester diocese in 1926. The current development of Blackburn Cathedral Court is a fulfilment of Temple’s vision for Lancashire, reinterpreted for a new era.
Uniform Additivity in Classical and Quantum Information

Information theory quantifies the optimal rates of resource interconversions, usually in terms of entropies. However, nonadditivity often makes evaluating entropic formulas intractable. In a few auspicious cases, additivity allows a full characterization of optimal rates. We study uniform additivity of formulas, which is easily evaluated and captures all known additive quantum formulas. Our complete characterization of uniform additivity exposes an intriguing new additive quantity and identifies a remarkable coincidence—the classical and quantum uniformly additive functions with one auxiliary variable are identical.
RULE-BASED PROCESS SELECTION OF HOLE MAKING OPERATIONS FOR INTEGRATED PROCESS PLANNING

Process selection as a part of CAPP has captured significant attention in CAPP research. Procedures have been developed for backward and forward algorithms in process selection. Most of these procedures lack the complete integration of process selection into CAPP system. In this paper, we present the results of the development and prototype implementation for process selection module for hole making operations for integration with Math Based Manufacturing System already in use in industrial partner. We have developed architecture and implemented module for rule-based machining process selection of hole making operations. The architecture enables the interface from the Process Selection prototype to Math Based Manufacturing System (APPS). The prototype also includes the user interface for interaction with the process selection procedure. Actions for starting prototype from APPS, performing process selection steps and sending the result back to APPS have been developed and implemented.© 2005 ASME
Modern Medicine versus an Ancient Scourge: Progress toward Control of Onchocerciasis

Control of human onchocerciasis has been problematic. Vector control is practical and effective in only a circumscribed region of West Africa. Even in this area, control depends on meticulous monitoring of the vector and associated parasite species and precise application of requisite larvicide on a regular basis. As an alternative to vector control, chemotherapy-based control has been revolutionized by the finding that ivermectin, a novel semisynthetic macrocyclic lactone, is acceptable for mass distribution at the community level and that it represents an effective means of disease control when given once yearly. Efforts are underway to develop a vaccine to prevent infection.
Ultrarelativistic nuclear collisions: Direction of spectator flow

In high-energy heavy-ion collisions, the directed flow of particles is conventionally measured with respect to that of the projectile spectators, which is defined as positive $x$ direction, but it is not known if the spectators deflect in the outward or inward directions---outward or toward the center line of the collision. In this Communication we discuss how the measurements of the directed flow at midrapidity, especially in asymmetric collision such as $\mathrm{Cu}+\mathrm{Au}$, can be used to answer this question. We show that the existing data strongly favor the case that the spectators, in the ultrarelativistic collisions, on average deflect outward.
Case Report: Cushing’s Disease in Two Sisters

ABSTRACT Hereditary Cushing’s syndrome is an uncommon clinical entity, and most reported cases have been described in families with nodular adrenocortical dysplasia. Isolated cases of Cushing’s disease (pituitary-dependent bilateral adrenal hyperplasia) have been reported in association with the multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome, Type I (MEN I), but there are no published reports of pedigrees with more than one affected family member. Within a period of 8 months, two sisters presented with clinical findings suggestive of hypercortisolism, and Cushing’s disease was confirmed by appropriate diagnostic studies. There was no evidence of any other endocrine excess syndrome in either patient. Transsphenoidal pituitary surgery confirmed the presence of an ACTH-immunostaining pituitary adenoma in each woman. The authors think this is the first report in the English literature of Cushing’s disease in first-degree relatives.
Comparative Study of Structure and Catalytic Properties of Ti-HMS and TS-1 Molecular Sieves

The mesoporous molecular sieve Ti-HMS was synthesized using long-chain dodecylamine as the template. The crystallization process, structural properties, and catalytic performance of Ti-HMS were compared with that of microporous molecular sieve TS-1 prepared by modified classical synthesis. With the increase in crystallization temperature, the relative crystallinity of Ti-HMS decreased, and the pH value of the mother liquid changed little during the crystallization process, which might be attributed to its crystallization mechanism differed from TS-1. Unlike TS-1 having typical crystalline character, the Ti-HMS molecular sieve exhibited amorphous characteristics except for the lattice fringe in some area of its HRTEM image. The UV-Vis spectrum indicated that the framework Ti species of Ti-HMS were in distorted tetrahedral environment. In oxidation of bulky sulfur compounds such as benzothiophene, the Ti-HMS molecular sieve had very high catalytic activity, with a benzothiophene removal rate of about 100%. However, TS-1 was inactive for this reaction because of the diffusion restriction. In addition, Ti-HMS showed lower activity than TS-1 for selective oxidation of small molecular reactants owing to its weaker oxidative ability and lower shape selective catalytic performance.
Murine Lupus: Pathogenic Mechanisms and Genetic Origins

Research in several murine models of lupus, reinforced with patient studies, has served to identify key events leading to lupus nephritis. Among these, anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) induced end-organ damage, production of such ANAs by intrinsically hyperactive B-cells, and antigen-specific, cognate T-cell help have been well documented. Though studies in parallel fields of immunology have uncovered a plethora of molecular defects that can potentially drive these key pathogenic events, the actual molecular defects that are responsible for these events in spontaneous lupus remain unknown. Whereas genetically pre-determined triggers are most likely responsible for each of these pathogenic events, humoral and environmental triggers are likely to exert secondary effects, in attenuating or accentuating these mechanisms. Recent genetic studies in mice have allowed researchers to dissect this complex autoimmune disease into a collection of simpler immunological aberrations. These simpler murine models will facilitate the identification and characterization of the fundamental building blocks of lupus, and advance our understanding of the genetics and pathology of this intriguing disease.
Shale gas development effects on the songbird community in a central Appalachian forest

Abstract In the last decade, unconventional drilling for natural gas from the Marcellus-Utica shale has increased exponentially in the central Appalachians. This heavily forested region contains important breeding habitat for many neotropical migratory songbirds, including several species of conservation concern. Our goal was to examine effects of unconventional gas development on forest habitat and breeding songbirds at a predominantly forested site from 2008 to 2015. Construction of gas well pads and infrastructure (e.g., roads, pipelines) contributed to an overall 4.5% loss in forest cover at the site, a 12.4% loss in core forest, and a 51.7% increase in forest edge density. We evaluated the relationship between land-cover metrics and species richness within three avian guilds: forest-interior, early-successional, and synanthropic, in addition to abundances of 21 focal species. Land-cover impacts were evaluated at two spatial extents: a point-level within 100-m and 500-m buffers of each avian survey station, and a landscape-level across the study area (4326 ha). Although we observed variability in species-specific responses, we found distinct trends in long-term response among the three avian guilds. Forest-interior guild richness declined at all points across the site and at points impacted within 100 m by shale gas but did not change at unimpacted points. Early-successional and synanthropic guild richness increased at all points and at impacted points. Our results suggest that shale gas development has the potential to fragment regional forests and alter avian communities, and that efforts to minimize new development in core forests will reduce negative impacts to forest dependent species.
Gastric Xanthelasma: Endoscopic Recognition

A case of gastric xanthelasma which was discovered endoscopically and confirmed pathologically after biopsy is presented. The lesion is discussed and the literature reviewed. It is noted that this entity has been recognized and described more commonly in the foreign literature, especially Japanese, than in this country. Increased awareness by the endoscopist and pathologist may reveal a higher incidence of this condition and permit better evaluation of its clinical and pathological significance.