cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Measurement science for climate remote sensing

ABSTRACT The NIST role in supporting our Nations climate research is described. The assembly of climate data records over decadal time scales requires assimilating readings from a large number of optical sensors deployed in space and on the Earth by various nations. NIST, in partnership with NASA and NOAA, develops and disseminates the calibration tools and standards to ensure that the measurements from these sensors are accurate, comparable, and tied to international standards based on the SI system of units. This effort helps to provide confidence that the small decadal changes in environmental variables attributed to climate change are not an artifact of the measurement system. Additionally, it ensures that the measurements are physics based an d thus comparable to climate models. Keywords: climate change, measurement science, metrology, remote sensing 1. INTRODUCTION The Earths climate is complex and highly variable, making it difficult to measure and model small changes that occur over decadal and longer time scales. The resulting uncertainties in measurement and modeling underlie the long-term debate over the direction, magnitude, and consequence of climate change. Even as the consensus grows on climate change, climate monitoring will continue to be necessary to quantify regional variation; to establish the effectiveness of mitigation efforts, including possible geo-engineering solutions;
One Face of the Hero: Reading Yahyā Haqqī’s Qindīl Umm Hāshimas Modern Myth

Yahyā Haqqī’s 1944 novella, Qindīl Umm Hāshim (The Lamp of Umm Hashim), tells the story of a young Egyptian, Ismail, who travels to England to study ophthalmology and returns to Egypt to practice medicine. The often fraught relationship between Egypt and the West is reflected in the difficulties Ismail faces, first in England and then in Egypt after his return. This paper argues that Qindīl Umm Hāshim is a modern myth which follows the universal “monomythic” pattern identified by Joseph Campbell. By reading the story as a myth, the paper provides insight into the meaning and structure of Haqqī’s novella. Why Haqqī chose to draw upon the genre of myth is discussed, as is his use and disruption of the monomythic pattern and the ways in which this allows him to comment upon Egypt’s relationship with the West.
Ubiquitin--conserved protein or selfish gene?

The posttranslational modifier ubiquitin is encoded by a multigene family containing three primary members, which yield the precursor protein polyubiquitin and two ubiquitin moieties, UbL40 and UbS27, that are fused to the ribosomal proteins L40 and S27, respectively. The gene encoding polyubiquitin is highly conserved and, until now, those encoding UbL40 and UbS27 have been generally considered to be equally invariant. The evolution of the ribosomal ubiquitin moieties is, however, proving to be more dynamic. It seems that the genes encoding UbL40 and UbS27 are actively maintained by homologous recombination with the invariant polyubiquitin locus. Failure to recombine leads to deterioration of the sequence of the ribosomal ubiquitin moieties in several phyla, although this deterioration is evidently constrained by the structural requirements of the ubiquitin fold. Only a few amino acids in ubiquitin are vital for its function, and we propose that conservation of all three ubiquitin genes is driven not only by functional properties of the ubiquitin protein, but also by the propensity of the polyubiquitin locus to act as a ‘selfish gene’.
MORTALITY, NUTRITIONAL STATUS, AND DIET DURING THE FAMINE IN KARAMOJA, UGANDA, 1980

Drought and the cattle raiding associated with a breakdown of civil order caused a famine in Karamoja, Uganda, during 1980. In November-December, 1980, a study of mortality, nutritional status, and dietary conditions was undertaken in south Karamoja. Of 309 randomly selected children less than or equal to 110 cm in height 4.8% had acute malnutrition (less than 80% reference median weight-for-height). Interviews in 150 randomly selected households revealed that the crude mortality rate and the infant mortality rate during the previous year were increased almost 5-fold and 10-fold, respectively, above 1969 census data. Food supplied by the World Food Program was eaten the previous day by only half the families which were not self-sufficient in food. Relief officials' hopes that the 1981 cereal harvest might end the dependence on international aid were tempered by reports of further drought. Agricultural yield and food supplies should thus be monitored to assess the need for more international aid.
A Bird in Hand: Discouraging Gambling on a Slot Machine Simulation

Using a slot machine simulation, our laboratory has found that participants, given the opportunity not to gamble and to keep the money they have been staked, almost always choose to play the simulation. In this study, the authors investigated whether increasing the salience of the money for which participants played or increasing the response effort required to gamble the money would decrease gambling. In Experiment 1, participants in different groups were told about, were shown, or held the $10 they were to be staked to play the simulation. Results showed that participants who held the money prior to gambling played fewer trials and bet less money than participants in other groups. In Experiment 2, participants in different groups were staked with $5 in nickels, quarters, or their choice of nickels or quarters. Results showed that the participants staked with nickels ultimately gambled a similar amount of money as did participants staked with quarters. They did so by playing the simulation more times tha...
How to face organ shortage in liver transplantation in an area with low rate of deceased donation

Despite advances in patient selection, surgical technique, immunosuppression, and peri-operative management, the need for liver replacement exceeds organ availability. Moreover, in Italy, where the overall rate of cadaver donation is 21 donors per million per year, there are areas of the country, such as Sicily, where the rate of cadaver donation is 9.3 donors per million per year. In fact, this ongoing shortage of organs has led surgeons to develop innovative techniques in an attempt to expand the donor pool, and clinicians are continually modifying criteria to accept organs, particularly the previously defined expanded or marginal donor organs, which are now defined as extended criteria donor. Rarely, in certain specific settings alternative strategies based on the appropriate donor–recipient match allowed the use of grafts that otherwise would have been discarded due to anatomic anomalies. The organ shortage becomes more problematic in the scenario of re-transplantation where the use of a limited resource such as a liver graft must be weighed against the risk of a more difficult surgery.
High-affinity incorporation of 20-carbon polyunsaturated fatty acids by human skin fibroblasts.

Abstract This study has examined the acyl specificity of incorporation of polyunsaturated fatty acids into cellular glycerolipids of human skin fibroblasts. At low exogenous fatty acid concentrations (0.2–1.2 μM) the extent of incorporation of arachidonate, eicosapentaenoate, 8,11,14-eicosatrienoate and 5,8,11-eicosatrienoate is 60–150% greater than that of oleate or linoleate. As the concentration of exogenous free fatty acid is increased to 25 μM, there is little decrease in the percentage of exogenous oleate incorporated into cellular glycerolipids. Under these conditions, the percentage incorporation of arachidonate and eicosapentaenoate drops 2–3-fold and approaches that of oleate. In contrast, the percentage incorporation of 8,11,14-eico-satrienoate remains high as exogenous fatty acid concentrations are increased. Incorporation of arachidonate, eicosapentaenoate, 8,11,14-eicosatrienoate and 5,8,11-eicosatrienoate is inhibited by addition of any of the other C 20 polyunsaturated fatty acids but not by palmitate or oleate. C 20 polyunsaturated fatty acids other than the eicosanoid precursors are also not effective inhibitors of arachidonate incorporation. The high affinity incorporation of C 20 polyunsaturated fatty acids does not appear to be due to their selective esterification in any one class of cellular phospholipids. These results are compatible with a model of two pathways of fatty acids incorporation into mammalian cells. One pathway utilizes all exogenous long-chain fatty acids and, at least in fibroblasts, is not readily saturable. The second is a high-affinity, low-capacity uptake mechanism specific for arachidonate and other precursors of eicosanoids. The acyl specificity of this latter pathway appears to be similar to that of platelet arachidonyl- CoA synthetase. Results obtained with 8,11,14-eicosatrienoate would indicate, however, that at high concentrations, additional mechanisms influence the acyl specificity of fatty acid incorporation in these cells.
Orthogonal polynomials, spectral measures, and absolute continuity

Abstract This paper studies the measure of orthogonality for a system of polynomials corresponding to an unbounded self-adjoint Jacobi matrix with finite row sums. Techniques of operator theory and functional analysis are used to study the spectral measure of this operator (which gives the measure of orthogonality for the system of polynomials) with a view toward obtaining results on absolute continuity.
Charge transfer device detectors for analytical optical spectroscopy--Operation and characteristics

This article is the first in a two-part series describing the operation, characteristics, and application of a new class of solid-state multichannel UV-visible detectors. In this paper, charge transfer devices (CTDs) are described. Detector characteristics pertinent to spectroscopic application—including quantum efficiency, read noise, dark count rate, and available formats—are emphasized. Unique capabilities, such as the ability to nondestructively read out the detector array and the ability to alter the effective detector element size by a process called binning, are described. CTDs with peak quantum efficiencies over 80% and significant responsivity over the wavelength range of 0.1 nm to 1100 nm are discussed. Exceptionally low dark count rates, which allow integration times of up to many hours and read noises more than two orders of magnitude lower than those read by commercially available PDA detectors, contribute to the outstanding performance offered by these detectors.
Low-Temperature Lattice Thermal Conductivity

The effect of point imperfections on lattice thermal conductivity is discussed with particular attention to the case in which the temperature is low but the normal three-phonon scattering is still dominant. The experimental results of Walker and Fairbank on the conductivity of isotopic mixtures of solid helium are analyzed.
Signaling through Cdk2, importin-α and NuMA is required for H2O2-induced mitosis in primary type II pneumocytes

Abstract Proliferation of alveolar type II pneumocytes, the multipotent stem cells of the alveoli, has been implicated in the development of lung adenocarcinoma. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a potent promoter of signaling cascades, can mediate the transmission of many intracellular signals including those involved in cell proliferation. In this study using rat primary type II pneumocytes, we demonstrate that H2O2 significantly increases mitosis through a pathway that includes cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (Cdk2); importin-α, a nuclear trafficking regulator; and nuclear mitotic apparatus protein (NuMA), an essential component in mitotic spindle pole formation. Upon H2O2 treatment, Cdk2 is phosphorylated at position thr-160 leading to increases in importin-α and NuMA protein levels and resulting in a significant increase of G2/M phase in a roscovatine-dependent manner. Type II pneumocytes transfected with NuMA cDNA also show significant increases in G2/M phase, NuMA, Cdk2 thr-160 and importin-α expression. These effects were prevented by catalase. These results demonstrate that H2O2 orchestrates a complex signaling network regulating S phase entry, nuclear trafficking and spindle pole formation through activation of Cdk2, importin-α, and NuMA. This pathway is essential for H2O2-induced mitosis in type II pneumocytes.
PS-b-PHOST as a high χ block copolymers for directed self assembly: optimization of underlayer and solvent anneal processes

Directed self-assembly (DSA) of block copolymers (BCP) could enable high resolution patterning beyond the capabilities of current optical lithography methods via pitch multiplication from lower resolution primary lithographic patterns. For example, DSA could enable dense feature production with pitches less than 80 nm from patterns generated using 193 nm exposure tools without the need for double patterning or other schemes. According to theory, microphase separation of diblock copolymers occurs when the critical condition that χ N >10.5 is met while the pitch of the resulting polymer features scale as ~N 2/3 , where χ is the Flory Huggins interaction parameter and N is the total degree of polymerization for the diblock copolymer. In order to generate patterns with smaller pitches, N must be decreased while maintaining a χ N >10.5 to allow for phase separation. This requires utilization of polymers with higher χ values as N is decreased. Current materials, such as PS-b-PMMA, exhibit a relatively low χ value of ~0.04, which limits the practical pitch of DSA line-space patterns produced using PS-b-PMMA to approximately 20 nm. In this paper, we investigate alternative materials, namely poly(styrene)-b-poly(hydroxystyrene) (PS-b-PHOST), which exhibits a high χ value via hydrogen bonding interactions that can allow for production of sub-20nm pitch DSA patterns. In order to utilize any diblock copolymer for DSA, a neutral underlayer and a method for annealing the block copolymer are required. Here, a random copolymer, poly(styrene-co-hydroxystyrene-co-glycidyl methacrylate), is developed and reported for use as a neutral underlayer for PS-b-PHOST. Furthermore, a solvent annealing method for PS-b-PHOST is developed and optimized using ethyl acetate to allow for uniform microphase separation of PS-b-PHOST.
Physics of high-power InGaN/GaN lasers

The authors analyse the performance and device physics of nitride laser diodes that exhibit the highest room-temperature continuous-wave output power. The analysis is based on advanced laser simulation. The laser model self-consistently combines band structure and free-carrier gain calculations with two-dimensional simulations of wave guiding, carrier transport and heat flux. Material parameters used in the model are carefully evaluated. Excellent agreement between simulations and measurements is achieved. The maximum output power is limited by electron leakage into the p-doped ridge. Leakage escalation is caused by strong self-heating, gain reduction and elevated carrier density within the quantum wells. Built-in polarisation fields are found to be effectively screened at high-power operation. Improved heat-sinking is predicted to allow for a significant increase of the maximum output power.
Dynamics of Mass Transfer and the Generalized Nonequilibrium Theory of Chromatography

The origin and role of nonequilibrium in chromatography is first described, followed by a discussion of the nature of the theoretical problem. The generalized nonequilibrium theory is then developed, leading to an equation for the dispersion of chromatographic zones. It is shown how the generalized nonequilibrium theory can be applied to the special cases of chromatography - particularly adsorption, partition, combined adsorption and partition and diffusion in the mobile phase. The difficulties of comparing theory and experiment are then described, emphasizing those few cases where a quantitative comparison has been possible. A particularly good comparison, obtained with glass bead columns, gives strong support to the theory. It is concluded that such quantitative theory can be applied in two principal ways - to enable the study of physical processes by chromatography and to lead to new chromatographic systems capable of separating substances more efficiently than ever before. Zuerst werden Ursprung und Rolle des Nichtgleichgewichtszustandes in der Chromatographie beschrieben, gefolgt von einer Diskussion der Natur des theoretischen Problems. Die verallgemeinerte Theorie der Nichtgleichgewichtszustande wird hierauf entwickelt, sie fuhrt zu einer Gleichung der Dispersion von chromatographischen Zonen. Es wird gezeigt, wie die verallgemeinerte Theorie der Nichtgleichgewichtszustande auf die Spezialfalle der Chromatographie angewandt werden kann, insbesondere auf Adsorption, Verteilung, kombinierte Adsorption und Verteilung und auf Diffusion in der beweglichen Phase. Die Schwierigkeiten beim Vergleich von Theorie und Experiment werden anschliesend beschrieben, wobei diejenigen wenigen Falle hervorgehoben werden, bei denen ein quantitativer Vergleich moglich gewesen ist. Ein besonders guter, mit Glasperlenkolonnen erhaltener Vergleich unterstutzt die Theorie uberzeugend. Es wird geschlossen, das eine solche quantitative Theorie in zwei Hauptrichtungen angewandt werden kann, um das Studium von physikalischen Prozessen mit Hilfe der Chromatographie zu ermoglichen und um neue chromatographische Systeme zu finden, die Substanzen wirkungsvoller trennen als je zuvor.
On kinked screw dislocations in the b.c.c. lattice—I. The structure and peierls stress of isolated kinks

Abstract The core structures and lattice friction stresses of single kinks on a screw dislocation in the b.c.c. lattice have been calculated by means of computer simulation. Interatomic binding potentials derived from first principles for potassium and by empirical methods for an iron-like material have been used. It is shown that a wide variety of kinks can exist on the dislocation, with core structures largely independent of the potential. The width of the kinks, i.e. the spatial extent of the kink displacement field parallel to the dislocation line, is found to vary strongly with potential, as does the kink Peierls stress. The calculated Peierls stresses, however, are found to be too small to explain the observed temperature dependence of the flow stress in real materials.
Crystal and stone: The Mickey Newbury collection

(2000). Crystal and stone: The Mickey Newbury collection. Popular Music and Society: Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 107-114.
INTRACRANIAL METASTASES AS THE FIRST MANIFESTATION OF PROSTATE CANCER

We report on 2 patients with neurologic symptoms secondary to intracranial metastases from carcinoma of the prostate. In one of these patients, the intracranial lesion was the only clinically detectable metastasis. We have found only three other such cases reported in the English-language literature.
Telephones you can talk to

A speaker-dependent speech recognizer for connected sequences of digits that uses a time-delayed neural network (TDNN) is described. The advantage of using a TDNN is that, at any given instant, acoustic features of the speech signal for a past interval of time up to the present can be observed simultaneously. Thus, once the system is trained, no detection of boundaries between words is necessary for the recognition. Instead of parsing the speech signal into words, or even further into phonemes, and then recognizing each word or phoneme by some process, the TDNN analyzes the signal in a continuous manner, word recognition units being activated as their corresponding words are completed in the input speech signal. A system of this type will most likely be incorporated in the very near future into a voice-activated telephone. >
Dune systems of the Namib Desert – a spatial and temporal perspective

Aeolian processes have operated in the Namib Desert for much of the past 15 Ma in apparently similar boundary conditions of wind regime and sediment supply, leading to accumulation of dune fields and sand seas, the extent and characteristics of which reflect regional variations in accommodation space, wind regime and sediment supply.
Deposition and characterization of Al–Si metallic TBC precursor on Mo–Si–B turbine materials

Abstract The interfacial reactions of Mo–Si–B with Al–Si metallic coatings during processing to achieve high-temperature corrosion protective mullite coating for advanced turbine materials are discussed. Al–Si is being deposited on the Mo–Si–B substrate material by immersion in liquid Al–Si alloy, molten salt cathodic deposition, and organic electrolysis, to achieve adhesion and compositional gradients across the interfacial region. The interfacial region during Al–Si deposition is the precursor to the formation of compositionally graded mullite by annealing and subsequent oxidation. The optimum Al–Si content of this metallic layer, which will be attained by deposition combined with silicon diffusion from Mo–Si–B, is described. Characterization of the constitution and gradients across the interfacial region is reported. Transport modeling in this precursor layer and the substrate is discussed.
Mechanical behavior of lightweight thermoplastic fiber-metal laminates

Abstract Lightweight thermoplastic-based fiber–metal laminates were developed based on self-reinforced polypropylene and glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene composite materials and an aluminum alloy 2024-T3. The laminates were manufactured using a fast one-step cold press manufacturing procedure. The mechanical behavior of the laminates was then investigated under tensile and fatigue loading conditions. The tensile properties of the plain aluminum, the composite materials and the thermoplastic fiber–metal laminates were investigated at quasi-static rates of loading. The fatigue tests were also conducted under load control in accordance with the ASTM E466 standard procedure. Various loading cycles were employed for the fatigue tests in order to minimize the possibility of heat generation on the composite materials. Load levels of 40, 60 and 80% of yield strength of each thermoplastic fiber–metal laminate panel were applied with zero to max loading. The glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene hybrid systems exhibited higher fatigue strength than the self-reinforced polypropylene-based fiber–metal laminates. Then, punch–stretch forming tests were performed in order to evaluate the formability of the hybrid systems. Experimental results revealed that the self-reinforced thermoplastic composite-based fiber–metal laminate exhibit excellent forming properties similar to that of the monolithic aluminum alloy of comparable thickness.
Sorting on a parallel pointer machine with applications to set expression evaluation

We present optimal algorithms for sorting on parallel CREW and EREW versions of the pointer machine model. Intuitively, one can view our methods as being based on a parallel mergesort using linked lists rather than arrays (the usual parallel data structure). We also show how to exploit the “locality” of our approach to solve the set expression evaluation problem, a problem with applications to database querying and logic-programming in O(log n) time using O(n) processors. Interestingly, this is an asymptotic improvement over what seems possible using previous techniques.
Review of solution methods and certain other methods of polymer fractionation

Discrimination in terms of solubility differences forms the basis of the most widely applicable methods of polymer fractional ion. These include fractional precipitation and extraction on a batch scale; the rapid column methods, namely, the elution method and precipitation chromatography; and turbidimetric titration, which is strictly an analytical procedure. The principles of solution fractionation are reviewed as applied to batch fractionation and to the column methods, and certain essential differences are pointed out between these two approaches. The importance of proper solvent selection in the several methods is considered, and examples are presented of fractionation on the basis of chemical and structural differences as well as in terms of molecular weight. A brief summary is also presented on the present status of certain other methods, including thermal diffusion, none refining, and adsorption chromatography, which utilize different physical principles as the basis of separation.
EVALUATION OF ISOLATOR CAGING SYSTEMS FOR PROTECTION OF MICE AGAINST CHALLENGE WITH MOUSE HEPATITIS VIRUS

Two isolator caging systems were evaluated against challenge with MHV-Y, an enterotropic strain of mouse hepatitis virus. The systems were similar in that they both used an identical shoebox cage equipped with a polycarbonate filter top incorporating a Reemay filter. They differed in that one system supplied HEPA-filtered air through a grommet in the filter lid so that the cage was pressurized slightly. A rack holding 60 cages (30 front and back) was utilized. Thirty cages without filter tops housed one mouse each that had been infected orally with 19,000 ID50 of MHV-Y and an uninfected cagemate. The remaining 30 cages, each housing 2 uninfected mice were divided into 3 groups of 10 cages. Group I cages (controls) had no filter top; Group II cages were equipped with filter tops; and Group III were equipped with filter tops and intracage HEPA-filtered air. The cages housing uninfected mice were interspersed between, above, below and behind cages housing infected mice. The uninfected mice were maintained in contact with the MHV-Y infected mice for 8 weeks. Transmission of MHV-Y was determined serologically by indirect ELISA. All mice housed within the Group I cages (control) seroconverted to MHV, while only 4 mice (2 cages) seroconverted in Group II, and no mice seroconverted in Group III.
Effect of Mother Presence on Children’s Reaction to Aversive Procedures

What effect does the mother’s presence have on young children’s response to stressful medical procedures? The literature on “attachment” of children to their mothers emphasizes that young children, like the young of other species, engage in many behaviors such as crying when the mother leaves which have the effect of maintaining proximity of the mother to the child (Ainsworth, 1964). Attachment theory implies also that the mother’s presence helps the child cope more comfortably with novel or frightening experiences, presumably including painful medical procedures. Behavior theory, in contrast, views the infant’s crying on mother’s departure simply as a learned behavior, reinforced by the mother’s intermittent response of returning when the child cries (Gewirtz, 1976). Behavior theory might predict that the child’s crying in response to pain would be more likely to be rewarded by effective comforting and would thus be more likely to occur if the mother were present than if she were absent. Thus, at least on the surface, these two theoretical approaches seem to make different predictions about the effect of the mother’s presence on young children’s crying after medical procedures such as injections.
Combined Electro/Magneto-Optic Field Probe Using Cadmium Manganese Telluride

A crystal of the diluted magnetic semiconductor cadmium manganese telluride has been used to create a single probe that is capable of sensing the magnitude and phase of both electric and magnetic field microwave signals independently.
Regulation of Golgi structure through heterotrimeric G proteins.

Abstract We have previously shown that ilimaquinone (IQ), a marine sponge metabolite, causes complete vesiculation of the Golgi stacks. By reconstituting the IQ-mediated vesiculation of the Golgi apparatus in permeabilized cells, we now demonstrate that this process does not require ARF and coatomers, which are necessary for the formation of Golgi-derived COPI vesicles. We find that IQ-mediated Golgi vesiculation is inhibited by Gα s -GDP and Gα i3 -GDP. Interestingly, adding βγ subunits in the absence of IQ is sufficient to vesiculate Golgi stacks. Our findings reveal that IQ-mediated Golgi vesiculation occurs through activation of heterotrimeric G proteins and that it is the free βγ, and not the activated α subunit, that triggers Golgi vesiculation.
Clinical Analysis, Management and Outcome of Intussusception in Children

Introduction: Intussusception is the commonest cause of bowel obstruction in infancy and childhood. Early diagnosis and management is essential to reduce morbidity and mortality. The objective was to To review the diagnostic criteria of intussusception in infants and children to increase awareness of attending personnel for effective management decrease the rate of operative treatment and complications. Materials and Methods: The data collected of all 38 patients admitted in Kanti Childrens Hospital between 2008 September to 2009 September were studied prospectively. Each patient was evaluated in regard to age at presentation, sex, signs and symptoms, diagnostic method, treatment (operative, non-operative). Results: During study period of one year there were a total of 20 (52%) males and 18 (48%) females of age 3 months to 6 years. Pain abdomen was seen in 25(66%), vomiting 16(42%), diarrhea 15(40%), blood mixed with stool 10(26%). These symptoms were seen in different combination. X-ray erect abdomen was done in 15 and ultrasound in all 38 cases. Ten out of 15 (66.6%) patients with early presentation and diagnosis had successful barium enema reduction.10 (66.6%) had successful reduction and admitted to our hospital. 28(74%) patients were undergone laparatomy. Among 28 (74%) patents that had lapartotomy, manual reduction was successful in 18 and 10 required bowel resection and anastomosis. Conclusion: The awareness of early features of intussusception is important for early referral to tertiary centers for successful non-operative barium reduction and reduce the need of laparotomies in children. Key words: Barium enema reduction; Children; Intussusception; Laparatomy DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jnps.v32i1.5347 J. Nepal Paediatr. Soc. Vol.32(1) 2012 9-13
Positive mental aging.

The 18th volume of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry (AJGP) begins on a positive note. In 2008 the Journal’s Impact Factor, released by the Institute for Scientific Information, crossed the 4.0 mark for the first time in the AJGP’s history. To put this number in context, fewer than 20% of all the 146 journals in psychiatry and psychology and the 36 journals in aging have Impact Factors above 4.0. Furthermore, the journals with higher Impact Factors are usually in fields that have long traditions and/or cover a broad field of research. It is unusual to find in that group a relatively young journal representing a small subspecialty such as geriatric psychiatry. Just a few short years ago the AJGP was a quarterly publication with about 100 submissions a year and an Impact Factor below 2.0. Now the Journal is a monthly, with approximately 300 submissions a year, with nearly 40% of them coming from outside the US, indicating that the AJGP has truly become an international journal.
Understanding the structural and functional differences between mouse thyrotropin‐releasing hormone receptors 1 and 2

Multiple computational methods have been employed in a comparative study of thyrotropin-releasing hormone receptors 1 and 2 (TRH-R1 and TRH-R2) to explore the structural bases for the different functional properties of these G protein-coupled receptors. Three-dimensional models of both murine TRH receptors have been built and optimized by means of homology modeling based on the crystal structure of bovine rhodopsin, molecular dynamics simulations, and energy minimizations in a membrane-aqueous environment. The comparison between the two models showed a correlation between the higher flexibility and higher basal activity of TRH-R2 versus the lesser flexibility and lower basal activity of TRH-R1 and supported the involvement of the highly conserved W6.48 in the signaling process. A correlation between the level of basal activity and conformational changes of TM5 was detected also. Comparison between models of the wild type receptors and their W6.48A mutants, which have reversed basal activities compared with their respective wild types, further supported these correlations. A flexible molecular docking procedure revealed that TRH establishes a direct interaction with W6.48 in TRH-R2 but not in TRH-R1. We designed and performed new mutagenesis experiments that strongly supported these observations. Proteins 2008; 71:783–794. Published 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Pro-adrenomedullin as a Novel Biomarker for Predicting Infections and Response to Antimicrobials in Febrile Patients With Hematologic Malignancies

Background Health professionals and researchers have become increasingly interested in biomarkers that help them in diagnosis of infections with recent growing attention to procalcitonin (PCT) and pro-adrenomedullin (proADM). Methods This study compares proADM to PCT as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of infection in febrile patients with hematologic malignancies (HMs). From June 2009 to December 2010, 340 febrile HM patients were evaluated for presence of sepsis, systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), documented infections, and response to antimicrobial therapy. Results ProADM and PCT levels were measured at onset of fever and then on days 4-7 afterward. Of the 340 patients, 103 had definite sepsis, and 159 had SIRS. Only proADM initial levels were significantly higher in patients with localized bacterial infections than in those with no documented infection (P = .019) and in patients with definite sepsis than those with SIRS (P = .023). The initial proADM and PCT levels were significantly higher in neutropenic patients with BSIs than in those without documented infections (P = .010 and P = . 011, respectively). Follow-up, proADM, and PCT levels decreased significantly in response to antimicrobial therapy in patients with bacterial infections (BSIs or localized; P = .007 and P = .002, respectively). Conclusions ProADM and PCT have promising roles in assisting clinicians in managing febrile HM patients. However, proADM appears to have the advantage of predicting localized bacterial infection and differentiating sepsis from SIRS.
An Interactive Geometric Technique for Upper and Lower Teeth Segmentation

Due to the complexity of the dental models in semantics of both shape and form, a fully automated method for the separation of the lower and upper teeth is unsuitable while manual segmentation requires painstakingly user interventions. In this paper, we present a novel interactive method to segment the upper and lower teeth. The process is performed on 3D triangular mesh of the skull and consists of four main steps: reconstruction of 3D model from teeth CT images, curvature estimation, interactive segmentation path planning using the shortest path finding algorithm, and performing actual geometric cut on 3D models using a graph cut algorithm. The accuracy and efficiency of our method were experimentally validated via comparisons with ground truth (manual segmentation) as well as the state of art interactive mesh segmentation algorithms. We show the presented scheme can dramatically save manual effort for users while retaining an acceptable quality (with an averaged 0.29 mm discrepancy from the ideal segmentation).
DAHM: A green and dynamic web application hosting manager across geographically distributed data centers

Dynamic Application Hosting Management (DAHM) is proposed for geographically distributed data centers, which decides on the number of active servers and on the workload share of each data center. DAHM achieves cost-efficient application hosting by taking into account: (i) the spatio-temporal variation of energy cost, (ii) the data center computing and cooling energy efficiency, (iii) the live migration cost, and (iv) any SLA violations due to migration overhead or network delay. DAHM is modeled as fixed-charge min-cost flow and mixed integer programming for stateless and stateful applications, respectively, and it is shown NP-hard. We also develop heuristic algorithms and prove, when applications are stateless and servers have an identical power consumption model, that the approximation ratio on the minimum total cost is bounded by the number of data centers. Further, the heuristics are evaluated in a simulation study using realistic parameter data; compared to a performance-oriented application assignment, that is, hosting at the data center with the least delay, the potential cost savings of DAHM reaches 33p. The savings come from reducing the total number of active servers as well as leveraging the cost efficiency of data centers. Through the simulation study, the article further explores how relaxing the delay requirement for a small fraction of users can increase the cost savings of DAHM.
Analysis of Murine Hepatitis Virus Strain A59 Temperature-Sensitive Mutant TS-LA6 Suggests that nsp10 Plays a Critical Role in Polyprotein Processing

Coronaviruses are the largest RNA viruses, and their genomes encode replication machinery capable of efficient replication of both positive- and negative-strand viral RNAs as well as enzymes capable of processing large viral polyproteins into putative replication intermediates and mature proteins. A model described recently by Sawicki et al. (S. G. Sawicki, D. L. Sawicki, D. Younker, Y. Meyer, V. Thiel, H. Stokes, and S. G. Siddell, PLoS Pathog. 1:e39, 2005), based upon complementation studies of known temperature-sensitive (TS) mutants of murine hepatitis virus (MHV) strain A59, proposes that an intermediate comprised of nsp4 to nsp10/11 ( approximately 150 kDa) is involved in negative-strand synthesis. Furthermore, the mature forms of nsp4 to nsp10 are thought to serve as cofactors with other replicase proteins to assemble a larger replication complex specifically formed to transcribe positive-strand RNAs. In this study, we introduced a single-amino-acid change (nsp10:Q65E) associated with the TS-LA6 phenotype into nsp10 of the infectious clone of MHV. Growth kinetic studies demonstrated that this mutation was sufficient to generate the TS phenotype at permissive and nonpermissive temperatures. Our results demonstrate that the TS mutant variant of nsp10 inhibits the main protease, 3CLpro, blocking its function completely at the nonpermissive temperature. These results implicate nsp10 as being a critical factor in the activation of 3CLpro function. We discuss how these findings challenge the current hypothesis that nsp4 to nsp10/11 functions as a single cistron in negative-strand RNA synthesis and analyze recent complementation data in light of these new findings.
Transplantation for Cholangiocarcinoma: When and for Whom?

Liver transplantation for cholangiocarcinoma has historically been maligned. Because of a high recurrence rate and poor patient survival, the disease has been viewed as an absolute contraindication to transplantation. Based on good results using neoadjuvant and palliative radiation, a protocol for liver transplantation in selected patients with unresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma was developed in 1993. Neoadjuvant radiation is followed by operative staging to rule out patients with lymph node metastases before liver transplantation. This approach has achieved results superior to standard surgical therapy, with 72% 5-year survival for patients with unresectable disease.
Born Classified, Born Free: An Essay for Henry Schwarzschild

Henry Schwarzschild was not much concerned with his own place in history, though he was neither a shrinking violet nor someone who lacked a healthy ego. Henry's scathing skepticism often focused on how sobering history actually turns out to be. On the other hand, he viewed historical accuracy as a necessary platform from which to launch the search for justice.
Morphological Studies on Fabrics Treated with Flame-Retardant Finishes:

The surface features of an untreated 70/30 cotton/polyester fabric and of the same fabric treated with the flame retar dants APO-THPC, THPC-MM-urea, or THPOH-NH3 were compared by scanning electron microscopy. Little, if any, sign of the finish was observed on the APO-THPC-treated fabric. However, the presence of finish was evident along the sides of cotton fibers in the THPC-MM-urea finished fabric, and in the THPOH-NH3-treated material the finish could be seen on the entire surface. All fabrics were also examined after they had been burned. Marked differ ences were noted in the products obtained from the burning. Particles were seen on charred APO-THPC-finished fabric and on charred THPC-MM-urea-finished fabric, with the latter material containing a markedly greater number of particles than the former. In contrast, the charred THPOH-NH3-finished fabric contained no particles, and the surface was characterized by the presence of matter in the form of bubbies.
Conflict Resolution and NAFTA

On each end of the spectrum there are two ways we can deal with conflict. We can run away from conflict. Or, we can go to war over every conflict. These are two extremes. Most business people do not want to wage war over trade conflicts. This article speaks about the concept of conflict in order to highlight the difficulties involved in conflict resolution. Next it focuses on the conflict resolution provisions of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). These provisions are refinements from the experiences of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement and GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade). Lastly, the article compares the usual conflict resolution mechanisms with NAFTA.
Management of the Platelet Refractory Patient

Platelet refractoriness occurs when there is an inadequate response to platelet transfusions, which typically has nonimmune causes, but is also associated with alloantibodies to human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) and/or human platelet antigens. Immune-mediated platelet refractoriness is suggested when a 10-minute to 1-hour corrected count increment of less than 5 × 10(9)/L is observed after 2 sequential transfusions using ABO-identical, freshest available platelets. When these antibodies are identified, one of 3 strategies should be used for identifying compatible platelet units: HLA matching, crossmatching, and antibody specificity prediction. These strategies seem to offer similar results in terms of posttransfusion platelet increments.
Pseudo-Quickening: A New Display Technique for the Control of Higher Order Systems:

The concept of the pseudo-quickened display is introduced as a technique for aiding the control of higher order systems. In this display the intensity of the cursor is employed as a cue for optimal...
Impact of Information Asymmetry and Servicer Incentives on Foreclosure of Securitized Mortgages

In this paper I examine how servicer characteristics affect foreclosure rates of delinquent securitized mortgages. Using a sample of mortgages originated by IndyMac Bank and Countrywide Home Loan Servicing that underwent a change in servicer during the financial crisis period, I first show using a difference-in-difference methodology that the servicer has a significant effect on foreclosure rates. Consistent with the idea that information asymmetry affect foreclosure rates, I find a significantly lower foreclosure rate among mortgages where the originator also acts as servicer. Finally, foreclosure rates are ceteris paribus higher for servicers that experienced high loan growth in the past, which suggests that servicer capacity constraints affected foreclosure rates.
Mechanical strain inhibits repair of airway epithelium in vitro

The repair of airway epithelium after injury is crucial in restoring epithelial barrier integrity. Although the airway epithelium is stretched and compressed due to changes in both circumferential ...
Contribution of ANP to plasma protein escape during VE: effects of thiorphan and atrial appendectomy

The effects of endopeptidase inhibition and right atrial appendectomy (AA) on plasma immunoreactive atrial natriuretic peptide (irANP) concentrations and extravascular accumulation of 131I-labeled bovine serum albumin (CBSA) during volume expansion (VE) were examined in pentobarbital sodium-anesthetized rats (n = 5 per group). Compared with controls, infusion of isoncotic albumin (30 ml/kg) increased central venous pressure (CVP) by 5.5 mmHg, plasma irANP by 7-fold, and CBSA in multiple tissues by 1.6- to 4-fold (P < or = 0.05). Inhibition of ANP metabolism with thiorphan (40 mg/kg) had no effect in control animals but increased plasma irANP (+118%) and CBSA (+30-100%) compared with VE alone (P < or = 0.05). Likewise, interference with ANP release by AA reduced plasma irANP (-80%) and CBSA (-30 to -80%) response to VE in parallel (P < or = 0.05). The peak increase in CVP during VE was not affected by either of these manipulations. It is concluded that endogenous ANP increases plasma protein extravasation independent of volume and pressure disturbances during acute intravascular expansion.
“Reffos, Wogs and Dagoes:” The Immigration Experience in Post-World War II Australia

This article seeks to analyze the ways in which immigrants experienced Australia in the years following World War II, when the makeup of Australian society changed. In The Voyage of Their Life: The Story of the SS Derna and Its Passengers, Diane Armstrong - a child immigrant to Australia - writes, "Homogenous, conservative and almost entirely Anglo-Saxon in its origin, Australians were about to awake from their illusion of perfection" (274). Focusing on memoir, poetry and short stories, this article analyzes Andra Kins' memoir Coming and Going: A Family Quest; Serge Liberman's short stories "Home," "Greetings, Australia! To You I Have Come," "The Fortress" and "Two Years in Exile;" Peter Skrzynecki's The Sparrow Garden; Lily Brett's poetry; and Susan Varga's memoir Heddy and Me. Jewish and non-Jewish immigrants from Russia, Poland, Latvia, Hungary and Ukraine struggled with trying to build new lives in a new land in the face of prejudice and "anti-refo" feeling. Measures were introduced to limit severely the number of Jewish refugees allowed to travel to Australia. Despite these obstacles, Australia was transformed. According to Mark Wyman, "Eventually, 182,159 DPs emigrated to Australia, led by 60,000 Poles and 36,000 Balts. Enough of an Eastern European mixture was admitted through Australian gates to constitute a small revolution in the nation's much-publicized homogeneity. The long tradition of allowing only British stock down under was broken. By 1966 almost one in five Australians was a postwar immigrant or the child of one, and 60 percent of this group had non-British ethnic backgrounds" (191).
Modeling the performance limits of novel microcantilever heaters for volatile organic compound detection

We present a theoretical model estimating the performance limits of novel AlGaN/GaN heterostructure based microcantilever heater sensors to perform advanced volatile organic compound (VOC) detection and mixture analysis. Operating without any specific surface functionalization or treatment; these devices utilize the strong surface polarization of AlGaN as well as the unique device geometries, to perform selective detection of analytes based on their latent heat of evaporation and molecular dipole moment over a wide concentration range. The presented model incorporates heat transfer, Joule heating, thermal expansion and evaporative heat loss mechanisms, to predict device behaviors such as temperature profiles and sensing performance limits under various steady-state and transient test conditions. In addition, the versatility of the proposed model enables us to successfully predict the capability of the device to perform mixture analysis, and provides guidelines to further optimize the device properties to achieve a limit of detection in sub-ppm concentration.
Edema with hypoalbuminemia as a rare manifestation of chronic graft versus host disease after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant.

The published incidence of chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) ranges from 6 to 80%.[1] cGVHD can affect multiple organ systems and lead t...