cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Validation of surface-to-volume ratio measurements derived from oscillating gradient spin echo on a clinical scanner using anisotropic fiber phantoms.

A diffusion measurement in the short-time surface-to-volume ratio (S/V) limit (Mitra et al., Phys Rev Lett. 1992;68:3555) can disentangle the free diffusion coefficient from geometric restrictions to diffusion. Biophysical parameters, such as the S/V of tissue membranes, can be used to estimate microscopic length scales non-invasively. However, due to gradient strength limitations on clinical MRI scanners, pulsed gradient spin echo (PGSE) measurements are impractical for probing the S/V limit. To achieve this limit on clinical systems, an oscillating gradient spin echo (OGSE) sequence was developed. Two phantoms containing 10 fiber bundles, each consisting of impermeable aligned fibers with different packing densities, were constructed to achieve a range of S/V values. The frequency-dependent diffusion coefficient, D(ω), was measured in each fiber bundle using OGSE with different gradient waveforms (cosine, stretched cosine, and trapezoidal), while D(t) was measured from PGSE and stimulated-echo measurements. The S/V values derived from the universal high-frequency behavior of D(ω) were compared against those derived from quantitative proton density measurements using single spin echo (SE) with varying echo times, and from magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF). S/V estimates derived from different OGSE waveforms were similar and demonstrated excellent correlation with both SE- and MRF-derived S/V measures (ρ ≥ 0.99). Furthermore, there was a smoother transition between OGSE frequency f and PGSE diffusion time when using teffS/V=9/64f, rather than the commonly used teff = 1/(4f), validating the specific frequency/diffusion time conversion for this regime. Our well-characterized fiber phantom can be used for the calibration of OGSE and diffusion modeling techniques, as the S/V ratio can be measured independently using other MR modalities. Moreover, our calibration experiment offers an exciting perspective of mapping tissue S/V on clinical systems.
Intergranular Cracking as a Major Cause of Long-Term Capacity Fading of Layered Cathodes.

Capacity fading has limited commercial layered Li-ion battery electrodes to <70% of their theoretical capacity. Higher capacities can be achieved initially by charging to higher voltages, however, these gains are eroded by a faster fade in capacity. Increasing lifetimes and reversible capacity are contingent on identifying the origin of this capacity fade to inform electrode design and synthesis. We used operando X-ray diffraction to observe how the lithiation-delithiation reactions within a LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 (NCA) electrode change after capacity fade following months of slow charge–discharge. The changes in the reactions that underpin energy storage after long-term cycling directly correlate to the capacity loss; heterogeneous reaction kinetics observed during extended cycles quantitatively account for the capacity loss. This reaction heterogeneity is ultimately attributed to intergranular fracturing that degrades the connectivity of subsurface grains within the polycrystalline NCA aggregate.
On the use of radome materials for a high-power, wideband, millimeter wave antenna

A comprehensive study on radome materials for a wideband, high power millimeter wave horn antenna is undertaken in the thermal, mechanical and electromagnetic domains. The radome must thermally handle continuous high power, mechanically withstand pressurization, have low loss and minimize the impact on the antenna match and far-field. Studies using several materials in each domain are conducted to determine which is the most suitable. Practical considerations such as available thicknesses and durability are heavily weighted in the selection process for practical realization of the radome.
Trochanteric Bursitis Following Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty: Incidence, Predictors, and Treatment.

Abstract Background Trochanteric bursitis (TB) remains a common complication after total hip arthroplasty (THA), with an incidence between 3% and 17%, depending on the surgical approach, with the posterior approach (PA) being relatively protective compared to the lateral approach. The purposes of this study were to determine the incidence of TB after primary THA, identify potential risk factors for TB, and examine the utility of different modes of treatment. Methods Retrospective cohort data of 990 primary THAs performed in a single institution, including 613 PAs and 377 direct anterior approaches (DAAs), were analyzed. Data abstracted included demographic data, operative diagnosis, comorbidities, radiographic assessment, and other specific predictors of interest that were compared between patients diagnosed with TB following THA and controls. Results The incidence of TB following primary THA was 5.4% (54/990) for the entire cohort. The incidence did not differ significantly between the PA and DAA (5% vs 6.1%, respectively; P = .47). Charlson comorbidity index and American Society of Anesthesiology did not differ significantly in the TB group. Lumbar spinal stenosis and history of past smoking were significantly more common in patients who developed TB (P = .03, P = .01, respectively), but did not continue to be significant risk factors on multivariate analysis. All patients were treated nonoperatively by the time of final follow-up. Seventy-four percent required a local steroid injection and 30% required treatment with more than one modality. Conclusion The occurrence of TB is not influenced by the surgical approach (PA or DAA), and could not be predicted by specific comorbidities or radiographic measurements. However, it can be effectively treated conservatively in most cases.
A Stochastic Model of Glioblastoma Invasion

Glioblastoma is the most malignant form of brain cancer. It is extremely invasive; the mechanisms that govern invasion are not well understood. To better understand the process of invasion, we conducted an in vitro experiment in which a 3D tumor spheroid is implanted into a collagen gel. The paths of individual invasive cells were tracked. These cells were modeled as radially biased, persistent random walkers. The radial velocity bias was found to be 19.6 μm/hr.
Some Contributions of Research on Early Teleost Embryogenesis to General Problems of Development

A number of teleost eggs present outstanding advantages for the study of vertebrate development. Teleosts occur all over the world in both fresh and sea water of all degrees of salinity and often have long spawning seasons. Indeed, some species, such as the zebrafish (Brachydanio rerio), the medaka (Oryzias latipes), and the rosy barb (Barbus conchonius), can be induced to spawn year-round in the laboratory. Moreover, the eggs and embryos of teleosts are often unusually resistant to small environmental changes and thus will withstand much experimental manipulation. Although removal of the chorion is difficult in certain species (like Fundulus heteroclitus), it is easy in many others, such as the zebrafish, rosy barb, blennies, and gobies. Further, many species produce eggs of striking lucidity, so that cytokinesis, cell movement and form changes of individual cells can be observed directly and followed in the living embryo. And now, with new powerful means of marking cells by injecting non-toxic fluorescent macro-molecules, the lineage of cells may also be followed readily during early embryogenesis in these transparent embryos. Finally, because of the ease of propagation of some fish embryos throughout the year and their rapidity of development, sophisticated genetic studies of development can be pursued.
Inactivation Mechanisms of Human and Animal Rotaviruses by Solar UVA and Visible Light.

Two rotavirus (RV) strains (sialidase-resistant Wa and sialidase-sensitive OSU) were irradiated with simulated solar UVA and visible light in sensitizer-free phosphate buffered solution (PBS) (lacking exogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS)) or secondary effluent wastewater (producing ROS). Although light attenuated for up to 15% through the secondary effluent wastewater (SEW), the inactivation efficacies increased by 0.7 log10 for Wa and 2 log10 for OSU compared to those in sensitizer-free phosphate buffered solution (PBS) after 4 h of irradiation. A binding assay using magnetic beads coated with porcine gastric mucin containing receptors for rotaviruses (PGM-MB) was developed to determine if inactivation influenced RV binding to its receptors. The linear correlation between the reduction in infectivity and the reduction in binding after irradiation in sensitizer-free solution suggests that the main mechanism of RV inactivation in the absence of exogenous ROS was due to damage to VP8*, the RV protein tha...
Setting up and using a cyber security lab for education purposes

An indispensable component of cyber security education is hands-on activities carried out in a lab to enable students to understand both offense and defense aspects of the cyber space. We describe our design and implementation of this course, and a resulting student organization Cyber Defense Club (CDC), at Kansas State University. Our 1.5-year experience in teaching this course and advising the CDC activities, including taking a team to compete in the regional Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC), shows that cyber security is very attractive to students especially when they have an environment dedicated for this type of activities.
Peace in Guatemala and immigrant health in the United States.

Background The civil war between the indigenous Mayans and other Guatemalans lasted for 36 years, killed civilians, decimated villages, and resulted in many refugees. The Guatemalan Peace Agreement of 1996 aimed to alleviate the ongoing conflict. Studies of peace agreements more typically evaluate local political outcomes while neglecting global health outcomes. Objective Our research quantified associations between pre-migration exposure to the peace agreement in Guatemala and the post-migration health status of Guatemalan immigrants in the United States. Methods We used chi-square tests to compare the distribution of health status before and after peace. We used ordered probit regressions to estimate associations between peace in Guatemala and health in the United States, conditional on the observed distributions of age, age squared, age cubed, and linear time trends before and after peace. Findings The study sample included 4,115 female and 5,282 male Guatemalan immigrants between the ages of 15 and 85. The mean age was 38.8 years for females (standard deviation, 14.2) and 35.4 years for males (standard deviation, 12.6). Chi-square tests found statistically significant differences in the distribution of health status before and after the peace agreement, for females (P l .001) and males (P l .001). In unadjusted results, the peace agreement was associated with a 7.3 percentage point increase in excellent post-migration health for females (95% confidence interval, 4.9 to 9.8) and a 6.0 percentage point increase for males (95% confidence interval, 3.8 to 8.2). In adjusted results, we found that the peace agreement was associated with a 6.1 percentage point increase in excellent post-migration health for females (95% confidence interval, 0.8 to 11.4) and a 5.5-percentage point increase for males (95% confidence interval, 1.0 to 10.0). Conclusions The peace agreement in Guatemala was associated with statistically significant improvements in the health status of Guatemalan immigrants to the United States.
The role of native phonology in spontaneous imitation: Evidence from Seoul Korean

This study investigates the role of phonology in spontaneous imitation in Seoul Korean speakers’ imitation of aspirated stops by comparing the primary and non-primary cues. Seoul Korean aspirated stops are differentiated from stops of other phonation types by at least two distinct acoustic properties, stop VOT and f0 of the post-stop vowel, with the latter being the primary cue. In the imitation experiment, Seoul Korean speakers heard and shadowed model speech that contained aspirated stops manipulated by either raising post-stop f0 or lengthening VOT. Their realization of these properties in /tʰ/, /t/, and /t*/ productions were compared before, during, and after exposure. Although both high f0 and long VOT induced imitative changes in post-shadowing productions, the results revealed that exposure to an enhanced non-primary cue (long VOT) also influences the production of the primary cue for aspirated stops (post-stop f0). However, an enhanced primary cue (high f0) does not have similar effects on the non-primary cue. These results provide evidence that spontaneous imitation is not strictly tied to individual phonetic properties but it is rather phonological in that abstract categories are involved in the process of imitation.
Fortifying the future of human rights with human rights education

Those scholars debating the health of the human rights movement completely ignore the role of human rights education, HRE. Whether it is Samuel Moyn and Stephen Hopgood declaring the demise of what...
Cross-Linkable Microgel Composite Matrix Bath for Embedded Bioprinting of Perfusable Tissue Constructs and Sculpting of Solid Objects

Tissue engineering is a rapidly growing field, which requires advanced fabrication technologies to generate cell-laden tissue analogues with a wide range of internal and external physical features including perfusable channels, cavities, custom shapes, and spatially varying material and/or cell compositions. A versatile embedded printing methodology is proposed in this work for creating custom biomedical acellular and cell-laden hydrogel constructs by utilizing a biocompatible microgel composite matrix bath. A sacrificial material is patterned within a biocompatible hydrogel precursor matrix bath using extrusion printing to create three-dimensional features; after printing, the matrix bath is cross-linked, and the sacrificial material is flushed away to create perfusable channels within the bulk composite hydrogel matrix. The composite matrix bath material consists of jammed cross-linked hydrogel microparticles (microgels) to control rheology during fabrication along with a fluid hydrogel precursor, which is cross-linked after fabrication to form the continuous phase of the composite hydrogel. For demonstration, gellan or enzymatically cross-linked gelatin microgels are utilized with a continuous gelatin hydrogel precursor solution to make the composite matrix bath herein; the composite hydrogel matrix is formed by cross-linking the continuous gelatin phase enzymatically after printing. A variety of features including discrete channels, junctions, networks, and external contours are fabricated in the proposed composite matrix bath using embedded printing. Cell-laden constructs with printed features are also evaluated; the microgel composite hydrogel matrices support cell activity, and printed channels enhance proliferation compared to solid constructs even in static culture. The proposed method can be expanded as a solid object sculpting method to sculpt external contours by printing a shell of sacrificial ink and further discarding excess composite hydrogel matrix after printing and cross-linking. While aqueous alginate solution is used as a sacrificial ink, more advanced sacrificial materials can be utilized for better printing resolution.
Adamantinomatous tumors: Long‐term follow‐up study of 20 patients treated at a single institution

Background and objectives Adamantinomas are primary, low-grade malignant tumors of the bone that have metastatic potential to the lungs, lymph nodes, and other regions. The rarity of this disease and its nonspecific symptoms complicate diagnosis. Materials and methods Records for 20 patients who underwent treatment for adamantinoma from 1975 to 2018 were reviewed for demographic, clinical, and pathological data, treatment details, postoperative complications, and outcomes. Results Patients presented at a median age of 22 years (1-79 years): 14 patients had a localized primary tumor, three presented with local recurrence, and three with metastatic disease. Median tumor size was 5.7 cm (0.5-15.5 cm). Wide excision was performed primarily in 15 cases; the remaining five patients underwent intralesional curettage. At a median follow-up of 7.3 years, 14 patients had no evidence of disease; two patients were alive with disease, and four patients died from the disease. Local recurrence and distant metastasis occurred at a median of 11.4 years (6 month-19 years) and 15.8 years (4 month-23 years) after diagnosis. Conclusions Adequate histopathological diagnosis is crucial to avoid misdiagnosis of this rare tumor. Local and distant recuAbs_Para_meprrence can occur more than 20 years after the initial diagnosis. Life-long follow-up with clinical examination and imaging is required.
Bending the Rules: Procedural Politicking in the Bureaucracy: Potter, Rachel Augustine. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2019. 244 pages. $90 (hardcover); $30 (softcover).

To what extent can federal agencies utilize administrative tools to protect the rulemaking process from external political control and interference? Though much of the public commonly assumes that ...
MIS-Cing pieces of the puzzle

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children associated with COVID-19 is distinct from other hyperinflammatory conditions in children.
Small modular reactor (SMR) adoption: Opportunities and challenges for emerging markets

Abstract The growth in global energy demand, coupled with priorities to address a changing climate and sustainable development, has brought attention to the need for informed development of low-carbon energy sources in both developed and emerging economies. Fossil fuels are likely to continue playing a role in energy utilization, however low carbon sources—including nuclear and renewable energy sources—require critical consideration for adapting the global energy system in line with current pressures. The need for changes in energy provision is particularly important given that the production of electricity is the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions on a global level, particularly in emerging economies. With low carbon energy priorities, nuclear energy has the potential to meet a critical share of related targets, presenting both challenges and opportunities for commercial adoption of nuclear power. An emerging share of future electricity and heat demand could be met by the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs). Several characteristics of SMRs are expected to provide distinct advantages over large nuclear and potentially other baseload plants in certain markets. Such advantages stem from the reactors’ smaller size, simplicity of design, modularity, operational flexibility, incremental adoption, their ability to be deployed in areas where the infrastructure to support large power plants is insufficient, as well as the ability to integrate with renewable energy sources and provide a range of nonelectrical cogeneration and hybrid process applications, make SMRs to features make them a unique, low-carbon energy technology that may be deployed in a diverse set of locations and applications. This chapter couples the unique features of SMRs with demand, policy, and locational characteristics to evaluate deployment potential across a wide range of emerging market conditions.
Measurement of mixed-mode fracture characteristics of an epoxy-based adhesive using a hybrid digital image correlation (DIC) and finite elements (FE) approach

Abstract The present work seeks to investigate the semi-circular beam (SCB) geometry for studying mixed-mode (mode-I and -II) fracture of a rubber-toughened epoxy-based adhesive material. A hybrid experimental-numerical technique involving digital image correlation technique and finite element modeling is formulated for extracting the J-integral values and stress intensity factors (SIF). Experiments are conducted to compare the results extracted using the hybrid approach with those from regression analysis of measured crack tip displacements. Critical stress intensity factors are extracted for a range of mode mixities. Based on a curve fit of the test data, the mode I and mode II critical stress intensity factors are estimated to be 1.19 MPa/√m and 1.46 MPa/√m, respectively. The specimen geometry, loading configuration and experimental setup are critically assessed to identify and understand effects and outcomes associated with friction at the supports and unintended support asymmetry on stress intensity factors. Several different techniques are also discussed for mapping measured displacement data onto the finite element model for reliably extracting the fracture parameters. Recommendations are made regarding best practices for using this geometry and the associated hybrid technique for extracting fracture parameters.
Magnetic field as promoter of growth in outdoor and indoor assays of Chlorella fusca

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of a magnetic field (MF) intensity of 25 mT on Chlorella fusca cultivation in outdoor and indoor conditions, and evaluate the changes in the macromolecules, pigment content and protein profile. C. fusca was cultivated for 15 d in raceway photobioreactor. MF was applied for 24 h d−1 and 1 h d−1. In outdoor cultivation, MF applied for 24 h d−1 increased 23% in the biomass concentration, while indoor assays resulted in an increase in both modes, with biomass production increasing between 70 and 85%. Biomass composition was altered when MF was applied for 1 h d−1 in indoor assays; the highest protein content was achieved (32.7%). Nitrate consumption was higher in outdoor assays, while MF application did not alter the protein profile. The results showed that combining the outdoor conditions with MF is advantageous, as higher biomass concentration can be achieved with lower energy expenditure.
SU-E-T-286: Dose Verification of Spot-Scanning Proton Beam Using GafChromic EBT3 Film

Purpose: Dose verification of spot-scanning proton pencil beam is performed via planar dose measurements at several depths using an ionization-chamber array, requiring repeat irradiations of each field for each depth. Here we investigate film dosimetry which has two advantages: higher resolution and efficiency from one-shot irradiation for multiple depths. Methods: Film calibration was performed using an EBT3 film at 20-cm depth of Plastic Water (CIRS, Norfolk, VA) exposed by a 10-level step wedge on a Proteus Plus proton system (IBA, Belgium). The calibration doses ranged from 25–250 cGy(RBE) for proton energies of 170–200 MeV. A uniform 1000 cm3 dose cube and a clinical prostate combined with seminal-vesicle and pelvic-nodes plan were used for this study. All treatment plans were generated in the RayStation (RaySearch Lab, Sweden). The planar doses at different depths for both cases were measured with film using triple-channel dosimetry and the MatriXX PT (IBA Dosimetry, Germany). The Gamma passing rates, dose-difference maps, and profiles of 2D planar doses measured with EBT3 film and MatriXX, versus treatment planning system (TPS) calculations were analyzed and compared using the FilmQA Pro (Ashland Inc., Bridgewater, NJ). Results: The EBT3 film measurement results matched well with the TPS calculation data with an average passing rate >95% for 2%/2mm and are comparable with the MatriXX measurements (0.7%, 1.8%, 3.8% mean differences corresponding to 3%/3mm, 3%/2mm, 2%/2mm, respectively). Overall passing rates for EBT3 films appear higher than those with MatriXX detectors. Conclusion: The energy dependence of the film response could be minimized by calibration using proton beam with mixed energies. The greater efficiency of the dose verification using GafChromic EBT3 results in a potential cost trade-off between room capacity and film cost. EBT3 film may offer distinct advantages in highly intensity-modulated fields due to its higher resolution compared to 2D ionization-chamber array detectors. One of the authors has a research grant from Ashland Inc., the manufacturer of GafChromic film
Economic Inequality and Environmental Quality: Evidence of Pollution Shifting in Russia

This paper utilizes the Russian Statistical Agency's data on air pollution in Russia to analyze the impact of economic inequalities among Russia's regions on environmental degradation. Controlling for the absolute level of income, we find that regions with lower incomes relative to those of neighboring regions have more uncontrolled air pollution. In addition, we find that greater within-region inequalities in income and in the provision of public goods are associated with greater uncontrolled air pollution.
Aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase induction in mammalian liver-derived cell cultures: Effects of various metabolic inhibitors on the enzyme activity in hepatoma cells☆

Abstract Aryl hydrocarbon (benzo[a]pyrene) hydroxylase induction in one mouse hepatoma and two rat hepatoma cell lines was characterized with respect to optimal growth requirements and optimal inducing concentrations of polycyclic hydrocarbons, phenobarbital, biogenic amines, and numerous other hydrophobic compounds. Cordycepin, ethidium bromide and puromycin aminonucleoside treatment of the mouse tumor line Hepa-1 produce strikingly different effects on the kinetics of hydroxylase induction, when the inducers benz[a]anthracene, phenobarbital and iso-proterenol are compared. without any of these ‘usual inducers’ present in the mouse hepatoma cell line, 0.50 to 5.0 mM puromycin aminonucleoside or 40 nM actinomycin-D causes large increases in the hydroxylase activity (at a time when gross RNA synthesis is virtually 100 per cent inhibited and gross protein synthesis is more than 50 per cent inhibited). This aminonucleoside- or actinomycin-D-mediated induction process induction, when the inducers benz[a]anthracene, phenobarbital and isoproterenol are compared. With-without prior treatment with the usual inducers and hence presumably without prior accumulation of putative induction-specific RNA: moreover, this induction process apparently requires little, or no. simultaneous RNA synthesis during exposure to the aminonucleoside or actinomycin-D. In contrast, when primary cultures derived from normal rat liver are treated with similar high concentrations of the aminonucleoside, no induction of the hydroxylase activity occurs. This result suggests that the effect of puromycin aminonucleoside on hydroxylase-specific mRNA synthesis, processing or stabilization is very different between the hepatoma cell line and normal fetal rat primary hepatocytes in culture.
Pareto versus Welfare

Many normatively oriented economists, legal academics and other policy analysts appear to be "welfarist" and Paretian to at least moderate degree: They deem positive responsiveness to individual preferences, and satisfaction of one or more of the familiar Pareto criteria, to be reasonably undemanding and desirable attributes of any social welfare function (SWF) employed to formulate social evaluations. Some theorists and analysts go further than moderate welfarism or Paretianism, however: They argue that "the Pareto principle" requires the SWF be responsive to individual preferences alone - a position I label "strict" welfarism - and conclude that all social evaluation should in consequence be formulated along strictly welfarist lines. I show that no strictly welfarist social welfare function can give complete expression to a normative social evaluation, as distinguished from simply describing a social allocation. I show also that SWFs employed to formulate complete social evaluations must accordingly, in virtue of the entailment relations obtaining among strict welfarism and the several Pareto criteria when these latter are interpreted along preference-regarding lines, be constructed without regard to Weak, Strong or Indifferentist Pareto. The results derived here generalize Arrow's (1951), Sen's (1970), and cognate impossibility results.
Magnesium Transport in Escherichia coli INTERFERENCE BY MANGANESE WITH MAGNESIUM METABOLISM

Abstract Escherichia coli has a specific active transport system for magnesium which can be studied with the radioisotope 28Mg. The accumulation of 28Mg is temperature-dependent and inhibited by cyanide, dinitrophenol, and m-chlorophenyl carbonylcyanide hydrazone. The initial rate of uptake of 28Mg shows typical saturation kinetics with a Km = 18 µm magnesium and a Vmax = 0.56 µmole per min per 1012 cells at 25° in Tris medium. Neither calcium nor strontium compete with, inhibit, or stimulate the transport of 28Mg. However, manganese shows complex effects on cellular magnesium metabolism. (a) Manganese appears to be a competitive inhibitor for the magnesium accumulation system with a Ki = 0.5 mm manganese in Tris. (b) The addition of high (5 to 10 mm) manganese causes the rapid loss of 28Mg from previously loaded cells and a net loss of magnesium, as if mangenese were displacing internal bound magnesium which then leaves the cells via the magnesium transport system.
Runx1 Deficiency Decreases Ribosome Biogenesis and Confers Stress Resistance to Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells

The transcription factor RUNX1 is frequently mutated in myelodysplastic syndrome and leukemia. RUNX1 mutations can be early events, creating preleukemic stem cells that expand in the bone marrow. Here we show, counterintuitively, that Runx1-deficient hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) have a slow growth, low biosynthetic, small cell phenotype and markedly reduced ribosome biogenesis (Ribi). The reduced Ribi involved decreased levels of rRNA and many mRNAs encoding ribosome proteins. Runx1 appears to directly regulate Ribi; Runx1 is enriched on the promoters of genes encoding ribosome proteins and binds the rDNA repeats. Runx1-deficient HSPCs have lower p53 levels, reduced apoptosis, an attenuated unfolded protein response, and accordingly are resistant to genotoxic and ER stress. The low biosynthetic activity and corresponding stress resistance provides a selective advantage to Runx1-deficient HSPCs, allowing them to expand in the bone marrow and outcompete normal HSPCs.
The WTO TRIPS Agreement and Global Economic Development

The optimal approach to creating and maintaining an equitable balance in the international IPRs system will likely involve a combination of approaches. The goal of the international IPRs system should be to promote innovation, while protecting against the continuation and exacerbation of a stark division of the global economic system among the technological haves and have nots. The importance of the relationship between IPRs and economic development is apparent. Long delays in implementing policies in favor of reducing disparities in knowledge-based wealth seem likely-though not certain - to exacerbate long term problems. Developments in technology itself - embodied in the information revolution - may nevertheless remain an obstacle to putting technology to use. Disputes will certainly arise as to the proper means of distributing the fruits of the information revolution. Herein lies the role of the public policy planner - promoting a balance between highly useful private capital formation and the general social welfare of humankind.
A Goal‐oriented Productivity Index for Manufacturing Systems

A weighted multi‐factor productivity index developed for the National Standard Company is presented. The index monitors the performance of an organisation and identifies productivity problems. Key resource factors are defined and a weighting technique, with both subjective and objective attributes, is presented. The index is dynamic and responsive to the changing needs of an organisation and is a goal‐oriented measuring tool.
Microorganism Identification by Matrix-Assisted Laser/Desorption Ionization Mass Spectrometry and Model-Derived Ribosomal Protein Biomarkers

An improved data analysis method is described for rapid identification of intact microorganisms from MALDI-TOF-MS data. The method makes no use of mass spectral fingerprints. Instead, a microorganism database is automatically generated that contains biomarker masses derived from ribosomal protein sequences and a model of N-terminal Met loss. We quantitatively validate the method via a blind study that seeks to identify microorganisms with known ribosomal protein sequences. We also include in the database microorganisms with incompletely known sets of ribosomal proteins to test the specificity of the method. With an optimal MALDI protocol, and at the 95% confidence level, microorganisms represented in the database with 20 or more biomarkers (i.e., those with complete or nearly completely sequenced genomes) are correctly identified from their spectra 100% of the time, with no incorrect identifications. Microorganisms with seven or less biomarkers (i.e., incompletely sequenced genomes) are either not identif...
Chemiluminescence of canine peripheral blood lymphocytes stimulated by mitogens

Luminol-dependent chemiluminescence of peripheral blood lymphocytes from dogs stimulated with concanavalin A (Con A) or phytohemagglutinin P (PHA) was measured with a Pico-Lite luminometer. 10 microliter of luminol gave optimal quantum yield from 1 X 10(6) lymphocytes sensitized with either 80 micrograms Con A or 160 micrograms PHA. Addition of superoxide dismutase did not influence the course of chemiluminescence. Whereas catalase produced 41% increase in quantum yield, mannitol caused a 51% inhibition of chemiluminescence. Lymphocytes exposed to varying doses of short term x-irradiation or lymphocytes isolated from dogs kept under continuous exposure through a gamma irradiation source showed dose-related depression of chemiluminescence. Membrane factors may be involved in lymphocyte stimulation to chemiluminescence as pulse experiments with Con A and PHA revealed. It is proposed that chemiluminescence measurements may be useful in monitoring early events in lymphocyte stimulation by antigens and mitogens.
Absolute continuity of stable foliations for systems on Banach spaces

Abstract We prove the absolute continuity of stable foliations for C 1 , α maps of Banach spaces satisfying a globally defined infinitesimal invariant cones condition. Proofs of regularity for center and stable manifolds needed for the main theorem are included. Our results are applicable to dynamical systems generated by ordinary, partial, or functional differential equations, including non-autonomous differential equations that are periodic in time.
Effect of hypoxia on cerebral anaerobic glycolysis in the hibernator and infant or adult homeotherm

Abstract 1. 1. Rates of anaerobic glycolysis were compared in cerebral tissue from hypoxic infant rats, adult rats and active or hibernating ground squirrels ( Citellus tridecemlineatus ). 2. 2. An increased capacity for anaerobic energy production contributes to the hypoxic tolerance exhibited by hibernating mammals and infant homeotherms.
Fine and gross motor performance of the MABC-2 by children with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing children

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the fine and gross motor performance of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and age-matched typically developing children as measured by the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MABC-2). Thirty children with ASD (ages 3–16 years, male = 25, female = 5) and 30 age-matched typically developing children (male = 16, female = 14) performed the MABC-2. Group differences on MABC-2 percentile scores were analyzed using descriptive data and one-way ANOVAs. Effect sizes were also calculated for practical significance. Descriptive data showed that all typically developing children were classified in the green zone on MABC-2. However, the majority of children (80%) with ASD were categorized in the red and amber zones suggesting they experienced motor difficulty or were at risk for motor delay. In addition, children with ASD showed significantly lower MABC-2 percentile scores than the typically developing children on manual dexterity, ball skills, and static and dynamic balance, F(1, 59) = 109.043, p .80). In conclusion, children with ASD were delayed in both fine and gross motor skill performance on MABC-2 when compared to their age-matched typically developing children.
Integration of Metabolism and Virulence by Clostridium difficile CodY

CodY, a global regulatory protein that monitors the nutrient sufficiency of the environment by responding to the intracellular levels of GTP and the branched-chain amino acids, was previously shown to be a potent repressor of toxin gene expression in Clostridium difficile during growth in rich medium. In the intestinal tract, such derepression of toxin synthesis would lead to destruction of epithelial cells and the liberation of potential nutrients for the bacterium. CodY is likely to play an important role in regulating overall cellular physiology as well. In this study, DNA microarray analysis and affinity purification of CodY-DNA complexes were used to identify and distinguish the direct and indirect effects of CodY on global gene transcription. A codY null mutation resulted in >4-fold overexpression of 146 genes (organized in 82 apparent transcription units) and underexpression of 19 genes. In addition to the toxin genes, genes for amino acid biosynthesis, nutrient transport, fermentation pathways, membrane components, and surface proteins were overexpressed in the codY mutant. Genome-wide analysis identified more than 350 CodY binding regions, many of which are likely to correspond to sites of direct CodY-mediated regulation. About 60% of the CodY-repressed transcription units were associated with binding regions. Several of these genes were confirmed to be direct targets of CodY by gel mobility shift and DNase I footprinting assays.
On the form and stability of seafloor stratigraphy and shelf profiles: A mathematical model and solution method

There are a variety of different marine sediment transport processes that affect the evolution of continental shelf profiles. Physically based numerical models make it possible to simulate the evolution of the continental shelf in response to these processes, which may be combined with different magnitudes, frequencies and durations. The basic model that is employed in most numerical simulations is based on conservation of mass and is a moving boundary problem since the river mouth progrades into the receiving basin. The general form of these stratigraphic or seafloor evolution models is a first-order, Exner-type differential equation that is forced by a sediment deposition/erosion function. This latter function depends on which sediment transport processes are modeled and how they are modeled, so it is desirable to have a solution method that works for any such function. This paper presents a general solution method to this type of evolution equation that works for any initial bathymetry and sediment deposition function given as 1D functions of seaward distance. It is based on the Laplace transform. Numerical results often exhibit ''equilibrium profile'' solutions for a wide variety of different model scenarios. These profiles may be viewed as travelling waves, such that the rate of progradation gives the speed of this wave as it advances into the receiving basin. When realistic initial and boundary conditions are used, profiles are often seen to evolve toward forms that are independent of the initial bathymetry. Although episodic perturbations such as turbidities disrupt these forms, they still serve as attractors for the system dynamics. An application of the solution method presented in this paper also allows the shape of equilibrium profiles and the progradation rate to be determined from a specification of the initial bathymetry and the sediment deposition function. Several illustrative examples are given in closed form. Results are also presented that make it possible to compute the amount of time required for an equilibrium profile to be re-established after a perturbation.
The adoption of human capital services by small and medium enterprises: A diffusion of innovation perspective

Abstract While lack of scale economies have traditionally limited the use of human capital programs among small and medium enterprises (SMEs), outsourcing models have recently emerged to provide cost-effective access to these programs. Drawing on the diffusion of innovation literature, we apply the rational accounts model and institutional theory to examine why SMEs differ in their willingness to use newly available human capital programs. We specifically examine the impact of SME size on the adoption of human capital innovations. Using survey and archival data from over 400 SMEs, we found broad support for the integrated approach we propose.
High temperature electrical properties and defect structure of Co1−xMgxO

Abstract The electrical conductivity and thermoelectric power of Co 1− x Mg x O solid solutions with x ⩽ 0.85 were investigated in the range 700–1100°C and for oxygen partial pressures in the range 1–10 −16 atm. The experimental results show that an ideal point defect model of isolated cobalt vacancies cannot explain nonstoichiometry of Co 1− x Mg x O materials with x , at least, less than 0.3. Furthermore, the hole mobility in Co 1− x Mg x O with x x > 0.6, the mobility is thermally activated indicating a change to small polaron conduction. The experimental evidence for complex defect structure and bandlike conduction in CoO is in agreement with the conclusions of recent theoretical studies of 3-D transition metal monoxides.
Objectively recorded hot flushes in patients with pituitary insufficiency.

ABSTRACT. A study was conducted of 2 young adult women with pituitary insufficiency and complaints of hot flushes. Both underwent continuous recordings of skin temperature of the finger and skin resistance over the sternum as objective indices of flushing episodes. Frequent blood samples were also obtained during the recordings for the measurement of serum LH and FSH levels. During the 10 h of recording, 12 subjective hot flushes occurred and each was associated with a rise of finger temperature of greater than 1 C. Eighty-five percent of the temperature rises were associated with measurable decreases in skin resistance. The mean interval between flushes, the magnitude of the skin temperature and resistance changes, and the relationship of these changes to the onset of subjective flushes were identical to those observed in symptomatic postmenopausal women. Circulating gonadotropin levels were in the low to low normal range in comparison to values observed in premenopausal women and showed minimal pulsatil...
Wireless Vibrotactile Trainer for Balance Rehabilitation

During balance rehabilitation, physical therapists typically provide verbal instruction and/or physically reposition a patient to demonstrate proper postural position and movements. We have developed a wireless device that enables an expert (such as a physical therapist) to map his/her movements to a trainee in a hands-free fashion. The trainee is subsequently able to mimic the motion of the expert by interpreting positional cues presented via vibrotactile feedback to the relevant body segments. This device will potentially enable a therapist to aid multiple patients simultaneously and/or remotely, or enable a trainee (such as an athlete or student) to replicate expert movements. The device comprises an Expert Module (EM) and Trainee Module (TM). Both the EM and TM are composed of six degree-of-freedom inertial measurement units, microcontrollers, and batteries. The TM also has an array of vibrating actuators that provides the user with vibrotactile biofeedback. The expert dons the EM, and his/her relevant body position is computed by an algorithm based on an extended Kalman filter that provides asymptotic state estimation. The captured body position information is transmitted wirelessly to the trainee, and directional instructions regarding the desired motion/position are displayed via vibrotactile feedback. The trainee is instructed to move in the direction of the vibration sensation until the vibration is eliminated. While prior work has demonstrated the use of vibrotactile stimulation for improved motor learning, this portable and wireless device is suitable for use outside of a laboratory environment. Five healthy young blindfolded subjects were instructed to mimic recorded expert anterior-posterior trunk tilt motion using the aforementioned device in a series of proof-of-concept studies designed to investigate the effects of changing the feedback activation threshold and varying the nature of the feedback. To characterize the efficacy of the system, we performed a cross correlation of expert and trainee trunk tilt angle while varying the threshold angle difference at which vibrotactile feedback was applied. Preliminary results showed that subjects performed best at 0.5 and 0.75 degree thresholds among those tested (0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.25, 1.5). The normalized mean cross correlations for the 0.5 and 0.75 threshold conditions were 0.96 and 0.97 respectively, while the mean differences between expert and trainee trunk tilt angles were 1.1 and 1.2 degrees respectively. Further studies at 0.5 and 0.75 threshold conditions confirmed that proportional plus derivative feedback of the angle difference resulted in superior performance compared to proportional or derivative feedback alone. Repetition of the task was not significant suggesting that trainees could immediately use the device to accurately replicate expert anterior-posterior trunk tilt movements.
Does psychotherapy research inform treatment decisions in private practice

Psychologists in independent practice (N = 591) were surveyed regarding their approach to treatment decisions, specifically the use of research on empirically supported treatments (ESTs) to inform practice. All participants received a case study of a patient with panic disorder, and half were randomly assigned to receive a research summary on evidence-based treatments for panic disorder (cognitive-behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy). Practitioners reported that they rely primarily on clinical experiences to inform treatment decisions, although they often consult EST literature. Those who received the research summary were significantly more likely to report they would use an EST. These results indicate that providing information about ESTs can impact practice. Although this sample was more positive about EST research than clinicians are often depicted to be, this study indicates an enduring research-practice gap in clinical psychology.
Machine classification of freshwater ice types from landsat—I digital data using ice albedos as training sets

Abstract A method has been used to convert ground-measured freshwater ice albedos to Landsat-1 digital numbers indirectly corrected for atmospheric attenuation and path radiance. The method has been tested by using the digital numbers as training sets to machine classify Landsat-1 digital ice cover data from a portion of northern Green Bay imaged on 13 February 1975. Results showed that the conversion algorithm produced digital numbers that, when used as training sets, classified approximately 50% of the test area. Differences between the classified test area and a previous machine classification of the scene, as well as the percentage of unclassified area caused by lack of data for some surface types, points to the need for a more comprehensive, well-documented library of signatures representing Great Lakes ice types.
Medical Education in saudi arabia.

Excerpt Saudi Arabia is rapidly changing as the wealth derived from its oil is used to develop a modern state. It is largely mountain plateau and desert with little rain except along coastal strips...
Acute arthritis. A complication of surgically induced hypoparathyroidism.

Abstract In two patients with hyperparathyroidism acute arthritis of the right knee developed after the surgical correction of the hyperparathyroidism. The onset of arthritis with joint effusion became evident at the same time that the blood phosphorus level was greater than 3.5 mEq./L. A mechanism of simultaneous hyperphosphatemia and hyperuricemia resulting in a classic case of gout of the right knee was postulated. Other possibilities included rheumatoid arthritis, infectious arthritis, pseudogout, and chondrocalcinosis, although all have been ruled out with the clinical and laboratory evidence at hand.