cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Methodology for determination of performance characteristics of spectrally selective absorbers

Abstract This is a thought provoking paper centered about a theoretical technique for designing solar devices which use spectrally selective surfaces. A thermoelectric converter for use in space vehicles and using a parabolic cylinder reflector is treated in some detail. The use of such units in space brings us into an era of “no-costs-barred” design of such devices. The need for curves giving absorptivity, reflectivity, and transmissivity versus wavelength for the range 2 × 10 −7 to 2 × 10 −5 meters is pointed out. The inadequacy of lumped parameters (total absorptivity, total emissivity, etc) in work involving spectrally selective surfaces is discussed. A modern system of units (meters, joules, kilograms, etc) is proposed. Need is pointed out for research to determine the effect of micro-geometry of surfaces on their radiation properties. A further need for study of the design of minimum mass fins for discharging heat by radiation is indicated.
Labor supply responses to government subsidized health insurance: evidence from kidney transplant patients

Between 1993 and 1995 Medicare increased the coverage of immunosuppression medication for kidney transplant recipients from 1 to 3 years following transplantation. The universal Medicare eligibility among kidney transplant patients provides a unique opportunity to explore labor supply responses to public insurance provision among a large number of men and women of prime working age and of all income levels. Although these patients are likely to be less healthy than the general population, upon receiving a kidney transplant, the main health problem of an individual with kidney failure, the lack of functioning kidneys, is removed. The income effects associated with the large transfer payment may discourage labor supply, while the potential health benefits of the coverage extension may promote labor supply. Results indicate that Medicare’s increased medication coverage led to decreases in labor force participation among part time workers. These results suggest that potential labor supply reducing income effects should be taken into account when discussing the possibility of expanded public health insurance coverage, particularly for other groups of individuals with high expected medical expenditures, such as the elderly, or those with chronic conditions, such as diabetes. These results are useful considering the forthcoming expansion of government aid to purchase health insurance.
Improved characterization of popliteal aneurysms using gadofosveset-enhanced equilibrium phase magnetic resonance angiography

Although standard magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) has many advantages in the evaluation of peripheral artery disease, it has poorer spatial resolution compared with computed tomographic angiography and digital subtraction angiography. The MRA blood pool contrast agents have an extended half-life. By allowing longer imaging times, MRA enables the acquisition of high-resolution images as well as providing simultaneous visualization of both arteries and veins. Two cases of popliteal artery aneurysm are presented, in which MRA with a blood pool contrast agent provided critical clues to the correct diagnosis: a traumatic pseudoaneurysm of the popliteal artery caused by a femoral osteochondroma and a large fusiform popliteal aneurysm compressing the adjacent popliteal vein, causing venous congestion and leg pain.
Approaches for stochastic safety analysis arising in ATM application

This paper studies the stochastic safety analysis and resolution problems for Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems. Two approaches to estimating the aircraft safety are introduced: a Multi- level Markov Chain (MMC) approximation method for probabilistic prediction of the aircraft conflict, and an Air Traffic Density Estimation (ATDE) approach, which is a simulation-based method for predicting congestions in the airspace within a period of time. Using the estimated aircraft safety, we formulate an optimal trajectory planning problem and develop an efficient solution algorithm for resolving the conflicts. Numerical examples arising in ATM systems are presented to evaluate and compare the two conflict detection approaches along with the developed conflict resolution algorithm.
Extracting Semantic Location from Outdoor Positioning Systems

With help of context, computer systems and applications could be more user-friendly, flexible and adaptable. With semantic locations, applications can understand users better or provide helpful services. We propose a method that automatically derives semantic locations from users trace. Our experimental results show that the proposed method identities up to 96% correct semantic locations.
Marriage and Offending: Examining the Significance of Marriage among the Children of Immigrants

Although research shows that involvement in crime varies across immigrant generations, less is known about why this is so. Using 13 waves of National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 data, we examine the influence of marriage—a key correlate of desistance from crime—to understand more fully patterns of offending across immigrant generations during the transition to adulthood. Results indicate a lower prevalence of offending among first-generation immigrants compared with their second-generation and third-plus-generation peers; however, among active offenders, rates of offending are similar across groups. Notably, marriage exerts a significantly stronger effect on offending for second-generation immigrants, suggesting that, while assimilation may be associated with more offending, it is also associated with a greater potency of marriage in promoting desistance from crime.
Responsiveness to suggestions under “hypnosis” and “waking-imagination” conditions: A methodological observation

Abstract Two groups of Ss were selected, on the basis of previous experimental participation, for a study of hypnotic analgesia. One group was highly responsive to suggestions in a waking suggestion condition as well as following a formal hypnotic induction procedure. The other group was unresponsive to suggestions unless given a hypnotic induction, following which they became highly responsive. In the course of the present experiment, it was found that the former group were no longer highly suggestible under waking conditions: their self-reports as to how hypnotized they felt strongly suggested that they had been highly responsive to waking suggestion previously because the experimental conditions had allowed them to spontaneously enter hypnosis. The difference in responsiveness when this was not allowed, as in the present study, was striking, even with only 11 Ss. Methodological implications of this finding are discussed.
Rednecks and Merchants: Economic Development and Social Tensions in the South Carolina Upcountry, 1865-1900

In his provocative analysis of southern exceptionalism, The Mind of the South, W. J. Cash searched for the meaning behind the skyscrapers that Progress, New South style, had built among the stark and simple red clay hills of the Carolina Piedmont. In particular, the Charlotte-based journalist sought to explain how Babbittry and Rotarianism could thrive in a region where hundreds of rustic yeomen had rallied behind scores of proud planters to defend slavery and the southern way of life just over a half-century earlier. Unlike the filiopietistic school of Progressive historians who praised the rise of the New South as "the progress of a mighty people, " Cash was not deceived by the seductive and self-congratulatory rhetoric of New South propagandists. Cash, after all, wrote his epic during the crippling depression of the 1930s, or the "Great Blight," as he preferred to call it. He had only to look around his native Piedmont to see farmers battling both boll weevils and bankruptcy or to view part of the region's "cracker proletariat" walking out of the textile mills on strike. Moreover, just three years before his book was published, Cash heard the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration label the South the "nation's number one economic problem." With poverty and wrenching class tensions so visible all around him, Cash knew that the champions of the New South Creed had promised far more than they had delivered. Still, despite, or perhaps because of, the New South's failings, Cash remained intrigued by the rapidity with which a new business civilization had been grafted onto the remains of the Old South. ' Ultimately, after grappling with the issue through several hundred pages of eloquent and often emotional prose, Cash concluded that the emergence of the New South was a testimonial to the persistence and adaptability of the Old
Corporal Punishment and Adult Use of Violence: A Critique of “Discipline and Deviance”

While the corporal punishment of children is an important topic for investigation, Straus' model fails to demonstrate how the physical punishment of children results in the adult use of violence towards children, “spouse abuse,” assault, and homicide. The model is not based on an adequate conception of human learning or development; nor does it provide a suitable theoretical basis for privileging corporal punishment as a major cause of adult violence. Finally, the model fails to provide a context of gender, class, and race for interpreting an individual's experience and use of violent acts.
Iterative RF pulse refinement for magnetic resonance imaging

Selective RF pulses are needed for many applications in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The waveform required to produce a desired excitation profile is, to first-order, its Fourier transform. This approximation is most valid for small tip angles and the quality and accuracy of such excitations decreases with increasing tip angle. Since large-tip-angle excitations are required in most types of imaging, a better synthesis technique is necessary. While a variety of analytical and numerical synthesis techniques based on solution of the Bloch equations are available, these techniques fail to consider the effect of the physical scanner hardware and are often accompanied by computational complexity. We present a technique for selective RF pulse refinement which uses real-time feedback techniques in lieu of a solution to the Bloch equations. Physical experiments are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of this algorithm and an extension to pulses of 90/spl deg/ is investigated.
A phase II trial of tamoxifen and bortezomib in patients with recurrent malignant gliomas

NF-kB inhibition by bortezomib enhances tamoxifen-induced apoptosis in preclinical glioma models. We conducted a single institution, phase II trial to evaluate efficacy and safety of high dose tamoxifen with bortezomib in adults with recurrent malignant gliomas. The primary endpoint was radiographic response. Concurrent enzyme inducing anticonvulsants and grade ≥2 peripheral neuropathy were exclusion criteria. Patients received tamoxifen (120 mg PO twice daily) and bortezomib (1.3 mg/m2 IV on days 3, 6, 10, 13, 24, 27, 31, and 34) per 6-week cycles. We enrolled 42 patients with anaplastic gliomas (AGs, n = 12) and glioblastomas (GBMs, n = 30), 32 males and 10 females. Median age was 38 years (range 22-65) and 48 years (range 19-68) for AGs and GBMs, respectively. median karnofsky performance status was 90% (range 70-100) for AGs and 80% (range 60-100) for GBMs. Median prior therapies was 3, ranging 1-7. Grade ≥3 toxicities included lymphopenia (4/42), hypophosphatemia (3/42), thromobocytopenia (2/42), and 1/42 with hyponatremia, headache, dyspnea, or DVT. One patient withdrew consent, two were removed for toxicity, and all others discontinued for progression. Among 40 patients evaluable for response, only one achieved stable disease for 3 months; all others progressed rapidly. For AGs and GBMs respectively, median progression-free survival was 5.9 and 5.7 weeks and median overall survival was 25.6 and 14.7 weeks. The study was closed due to poor accrual and therapeutic futility. Combination tamoxifen and bortezomib has no activity in recurrent malignant gliomas. Poor penetration across blood brain barrier of bortezomib likely limited efficacy.
The Delusion of Doubles, Psychosis and Aggressive Behavior—Capgras Syndrome

The author discusses an example of 'Capgras Syndrome', the delusion of doubles, as it relates to aggressive behavior. The occurrence of this phenomenon is noted in the context of an organic brain syndrome.
The role of bicarbonate and fluid loading in improving resuscitation from prolonged cardiac arrest with rapid manual chest compression CPR

Rapid manual chest compression (120 compressions/min) CPR has been shown to improve hemodynamics and survival when compared with standard CPR (60 compressions/min) in a canine model of prolonged cardiac arrest. The study showing improved survival with rapid manual CPR empirically included treatment with bicarbonate and initial fluid loading. To determine the role of bicarbonate and fluid loading in the success of rapid manual chest compression CPR, 31 mongrel dogs were studied. After instrumentation with micromanometer-tipped catheters to measure aortic and right atrial pressures, the animals were assigned sequentially to three treatment groups. Group A underwent rapid manual chest compressions at 120 compressions/min, bicarbonate treatment, and initial fluid loading. Group B underwent rapid manual compressions at 120 compressions/min without bicarbonate or fluid loading. Group C underwent standard CPR at 80 compressions/min with bicarbonate and fluid loading. After 30 minutes of ventricular fibrillation, defibrillation was attempted. Seven of 11 dogs in group A survived 24 hours. None of the animals in group B resuscitated or survived. Three of the ten dogs in group C survived 24 hours. Survival with rapid manual CPR without bicarbonate and initial fluid loading was significantly less than when these interventions were used ( P
Clinical Pharmacology of the Dietary Supplement Creatine Monohydrate

Creatine is a dietary supplement purported to improve exercise performance and increase fat-free mass. Recent research on creatine has demonstrated positive therapeutic results in various clinical applications. The purpose of this review is to focus on the clinical pharmacology and therapeutic application of creatine supplementation. Creatine is a naturally occurring compound obtained in humans from endogenous production and consumption through the diet. When supplemented with exogenous creatine, intramuscular and cerebral stores of creatine and its phosphorylated form, phosphocreatine, become elevated. The increase of these stores can offer therapeutic benefits by preventing ATP depletion, stimulating protein synthesis or reducing protein degradation, and stabilizing biological membranes. Evidence from the exercise literature has shown athletes benefit from supplementation by increasing muscular force and power, reducing fatigue in repeated bout activities, and increasing muscle mass. These benefits have been applied to disease models of Huntington's, Parkinson's, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and applied clinically in patients with gyrate atrophy, various neuromuscular disorders, McArdle's disease, and congestive heart failure. This review covers the basics of creatine synthesis and transport, proposed mechanisms of action, pharmacokinetics of exogenous creatine administration, creatine use in disease models, side effects associated with use, and issues on product quality.
Planning motion in point-represented contact spaces using approximate star-shaped decomposition

Star-shaped decomposition partitions a shape into a set of star-shaped components. A shape is star shaped if and only if there exists at least one point which can see all the points in the shape. Due to this interesting property, decomposing a configuration space into star-shaped components can be beneficial, e.g., for solving motion planning problem. In this paper, we propose a simple method to decompose the contact space, represented by point set data, into approximate star-shaped components. We propose two motion planning methods, one deterministic and one probabilistic, both based on this idea.
Sustained expression of microRNA-155 in hematopoietic stem cells causes a myeloproliferative disorder.

Mammalian microRNAs are emerging as key regulators of the development and function of the immune system. Here, we report a strong but transient induction of miR-155 in mouse bone marrow after injection of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) correlated with granulocyte/monocyte (GM) expansion. Demonstrating the sufficiency of miR-155 to drive GM expansion, enforced expression in mouse bone marrow cells caused GM proliferation in a manner reminiscent of LPS treatment. However, the miR-155–induced GM populations displayed pathological features characteristic of myeloid neoplasia. Of possible relevance to human disease, miR-155 was found to be overexpressed in the bone marrow of patients with certain subtypes of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Furthermore, miR-155 repressed a subset of genes implicated in hematopoietic development and disease. These data implicate miR-155 as a contributor to physiological GM expansion during inflammation and to certain pathological features associated with AML, emphasizing the importance of proper miR-155 regulation in developing myeloid cells during times of inflammatory stress.
Bactericidal activity of ramoplanin against antibiotic-resistant enterococci.

Abstract Ramoplanin, a new lipoglycodepsipeptide antibiotic, was uniformly active against 65 strains of enterococci, including strains highly resistant to vancomycin, penicillin G, and gentamicin. MBCs were usually within a fourfold dilution of the MICs. In time-kill studies, ramoplanin alone demonstrated dose-dependent bactericidal activity against enterococcal strains that resisted killing by vancomycin or penicillin in combination with gentamicin.
GEFs in growth factor signaling

Evolutionary conserved members of the Ras superfamily of small GTP-binding proteins function as binary molecular switches to control diverse biological processes. In the context of cellular signaling, these include functions in exocytic and endocytic trafficking, as well as roles in signal relay downstream of various cell surface receptors. We previously reviewed roles played by the large family of GTPase, activating proteins in these processes. In this companion review, we highlight recent findings relating to the regulation of another major class of Ras superfamily regulatory proteins, the guanine nucleotide exchange factors.
Properties of optimal resource sharing in a delay channel

In this paper we consider the problem of allocating bandwidth/server to two user transmitters/queues with arbitrary arrival processes, to minimize the total expected holding cost of backlogged packets in the system over a finite horizon. However, the queue backlog information is delayed due to communication delay in the channel. In addition, the bandwidth allocation is done in batches, so that a queue can be assigned any number of slots not exceeding the total number in a batch. This problem is motivated by channel allocation in a communication system involving large propagation delay, e.g., a typical satellite data communication scenario. Our principal interest in this paper is to investigate whether the optimal assignment of a batch of slots can be achieved by sequentially using a strategy that is optimal in assigning a single slot, which is typically much easier to find. In this paper we show that if the cost c(x), as a function of the packet backlog x in the system, is non-decreasing, supermodular and superconvex, then (1) the value function at each time slot will also satisfy these properties; (2) the optimal policy for assigning a single slot is of the threshold type; and (3) optimally allocating M slots at a time can be achieved by repeatedly using a policy that assigns each slot optimally given the previous allocations.
Immunoregulatory actions of epithelial cell PPAR γ at the colonic mucosa of mice with experimental inflammatory bowel disease

Background: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors are nuclear receptors highly expressed in intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) and immune cells within the gut mucosa and are implicated in modulating inflammation and immune responses. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of targeted deletion of PPAR c in IEC on progression of experimental inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Methodology/Principal Findings: In the first phase, PPAR c flfl; Villin Cre- (VC-) and PPAR c flfl; Villin Cre+ (VC+) mice in a mixed FVB/C57BL/6 background were challenged with 2.5% dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) in drinking water for 0, 2, or 7 days. VC+ mice express a transgenic recombinase under the control of the Villin-Cre promoter that causes an IEC-specific deletion of PPAR c. In the second phase, we generated VC- and VC+ mice in a C57BL/6 background that were challenged with 2.5% DSS. Mice were scored on disease severity both clinically and histopathologically. Flow cytometry was used to phenotypically characterize lymphocyte and macrophage populations in blood, spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes. Global gene expression analysis was profiled using Affymetrix microarrays. The IEC-specific deficiency of PPAR c in mice with a mixed background worsened colonic inflammatory lesions, but had no effect on disease activity (DAI) or weight loss. In contrast, the IEC-specific PPAR c null mice in C57BL/6 background exhibited more severe inflammatory lesions, DAI and weight loss in comparison to their littermates expressing PPAR c in IEC. Global gene expression profiling revealed significantly down-regulated expression of lysosomal pathway genes and flow cytometry results demonstrated suppressed production of IL-10 by CD4+ T cells in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) of IEC-specific PPAR c null mice. Conclusions/Significance: Our results demonstrate that adequate expression of PPAR c in IEC is required for the regulation of mucosal immune responses and prevention of experimental IBD, possibly by modulation of lysosomal and antigen presentation pathways.
Sample Path Large Deviations and Optimal Importance Sampling for Stochastic Volatility Models

Abstract Sample path Large Deviation Principles (LDP) of the Freidlin–Wentzell type are derived for a class of diffusions, which govern the price dynamics in common stochastic volatility models from Mathematical Finance. LDP are obtained by relaxing the non-degeneracy requirement on the diffusion matrix in the standard theory of Freidlin and Wentzell. As an application, a sample path LDP is proved for the price process in the Heston stochastic volatility model. Using the sample path LDP for the Heston model, the problem is considered of selecting an importance sampling change of drift, for both the price and volatility, which minimize the variance of Monte Carlo estimators for path-dependent option prices. An asymptotically optimal change of drift is identified as a solution to a two-dimensional variational problem. The case of the arithmetic average Asian put option is solved in detail.
Mechanical Thrombectomy for Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials.

Abstract Background Acute ischemic stroke is a leading cause of serious disability and death worldwide. Individual randomized trials have shown possible benefits of mechanical thrombectomy after usual care compared with usual care alone (i.e., intravenous thrombolysis) in the management of acute ischemic stroke patients. Objectives This study systematically determined if mechanical thrombectomy after usual care would be associated with better outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke caused by large artery occlusion. Methods The authors included randomized trials that compared mechanical thrombectomy after usual care versus usual care alone for acute ischemic stroke. Random effects summary risk ratios (RR) were constructed using a DerSimonian and Laird model. Results Nine trials with 2,410 patients were available for analysis. Compared with usual care alone, mechanical thrombectomy was associated with a higher incidence of achieving good functional outcome, defined as a modified Rankin scale (mRS) of 0 to 2 (RR: 1.45; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.22 to 1.72; p Conclusions In acute ischemic stroke due to large artery occlusion, mechanical thrombectomy after usual care was associated with improved functional outcomes compared with usual care alone, and was found to be relatively safe, with no excess in intracranial hemorrhage. There was a trend for reduction in all-cause mortality with mechanical thrombectomy.
More Combatants, More Terror? An Empirical Test of the Outbidding Thesis

In armed internal conflict, violence against civilians is frequent. For insurgent groups, so-called terrorist acts are an important part of conflict with the state and yet there are numerous unanswered questions about the role and uses of terrorism during these conflicts. This paper examines the causes of terrorism in the context of a larger struggle between a state and insurgent groups. In particular, we examine the hypothesis that outbidding among insurgent groups results in more suicide terrorism specifically and also more terrorism of any type. A global analysis of terrorism from 1970-2004 provides limited support for Bloom’s thesis related to suicide terrorism. An extension of the argument to all types of terrorist attacks provides even less support for an outbidding thesis. Similar to Pape’s argument, the outbidding thesis has received considerable attention in academic and policy circles. But both hypotheses have received little empirical support and suggest that considerable cross-national work is still needed to understand suicide terror adequately.
An approach to detect the dominant folds of proteinlike heteropolymers from the statistics of a homopolymeric chain

Statistical optimization of proteins is interpreted from the standpoint of optimal memory storage in neural networks. This approach results in the concept of an intrinsic learning rule which occurs in place of the usual learning rule in neural networks and incorporates geometric, topological and statistical constraints which make one folded shape kinetically more accessible than another. As a first step to extract this learning rule from the behavior of model chains, we approximate the free energy of proteinlike heteropolymers by an expansion about the free energy of an “equivalent homopolymer”, the coefficients of which determine a potential for heteropolymer sequences. Expansion coefficients are computed for a simple bead chain homopolymer model and the results are compared to a hydrophobic and polar (HP) model of proteins for which the optimal folds are already known.
Culture-Based and Culture-Independent Bacteriologic Analysis of Cystic Fibrosis Respiratory Specimens

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is characterized by chronic infection and inflammation of the airways. In vitro culture of select bacterial species from respiratory specimens has been used to guide antimicrobial therapy in CF for the past few decades. More recently, DNA sequence-based, culture-independent approaches have been used to assess CF airway microbiology, although the role that these methods will (or should) have in routine microbiologic analysis of CF respiratory specimens is unclear. We performed DNA sequence analyses to detect bacterial species in 945 CF sputum samples that had been previously analyzed by selective CF culture. We determined the concordance of results based on culture and sequence analysis, highlighting the comparison of the results for the most prevalent genera. Although overall prevalence rates were comparable between the two methods, results varied by genus. While sequence analysis was more likely to detect Achromobacter, Stenotrophomonas, and Burkholderia, it was less likely to detect Staphylococcus. Streptococcus spp. were rarely reported in culture results but were the most frequently detected species by sequence analysis. A variety of obligate and facultative anaerobic species, not reported by culture, was also detected with high prevalence by sequence analysis. Sequence analysis indicated that in a considerable proportion of samples, taxa not reported by selective culture constituted a relatively high proportion of the total bacterial load, suggesting that routine CF culture may underrepresent significant segments of the bacterial communities inhabiting CF airways.
Interleukin-2, Ipilimumab, and Anti-PD-1: Clinical Management and the Evolving Role of Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Patients With Metastatic Melanoma

ABSTRACTTreatment of metastatic melanoma has changed dramatically in the past 5 years with the approval of six new agents (vemurafenib, dabrafenib, trametinib, ipilimumab, pembrolizumab, and nivolumab) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This review will compare the immunotherapies recently approved by the FDA (ipilimumab, nivolumab and pembrolizumab) with the long-approved immunotherapy, interleukin-2. Additional consideration will be given to the evolving landscape, including the opportunities for combination regimens. Immunotherapies have distinct mechanisms of action and unique response kinetics that differ from conventional cytotoxic and targeted therapies, and have a range of adverse events that can be safely managed by experienced health care providers. Data suggest immunotherapies can result in long-term survival in a proportion of patients. This dynamic and evolving field of immunotherapy for melanoma will continue to offer challenges in terms of optimal patient management for the fores...
Vital Signs Investigation in Subjects Undergoing MR Imaging at 8T

PURPOSE: This study investigates physiologic vital signs in subjects, with and without cerebral pathologies, undergoing ultra-high-field (UHF) 8T MR imaging. METHODS AND SUBJECTS: Eighteen normal subjects and 74 subjects with cerebral pathology consented for 8T UHF MR imaging. T2*-weighted gradient-echo and T2-weighted rapid acquisition relaxation excitement sequences were used. Physiologic vital signs measured included systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, electrocardiogram, heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), and pulse oxygen saturation rate. They were collected before, during, and after imaging. Mean vital sign values at different stages were calculated and compared. Subjects were interviewed after imaging. RESULTS: No adverse vital sign change was detected. Statistically significant changes after imaging included a HR decrease from 65.2 beats per minute (bpm) to 60.3 bpm ( P = .001, paired Student t test) in the normal group and a RR increase from 14.5 respirations per minute (rpm) to 15.1 rpm ( P = .001, paired Student t test) in the patient group. Transient vertigo sensation was reported by 27% of normal subjects and 11% of subjects with cerebral pathologies. One normal subject and one subject with cerebral pathology reported an episode of nausea and vomiting. CONCLUSION: The current neurologic human MR imaging procedure at 8T UHF has no serious adverse effects on major physiologic vital signs in either normal subjects or patients. Transient vertigo, nausea, and vomiting were identified as potential risks.
Mechanistic Studies of Hydrogen Dissociation and Spillover on Au/TiO2: IR Spectroscopy of Coadsorbed CO and H-Donated Electrons

Transmission Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, coupled with CO adsorption, was used to study how the oxidation state of Au surface sites change during H2 dissociation, migration, and electronic excitation of TiO2 in a nanoparticulate Au/TiO2 catalyst. Data reveals that atomic H, produced by H2 dissociation on Au particles, readily hydroxylates the Au–O–Ti linkages around the periphery of the gold particles. Following passivation of peripheral sites, the H atoms diffuse into the bulk of the titania where they protonate the semiconductor, while donating an electron to shallow trapped (ST) states just below the conduction band (CB). The donated electrons effectively n-dope the semiconductor. By simultaneously monitoring changes in the infrared absorbance due to transitions involving ST electrons, free CB electrons, and the fundamental stretching mode of CO(a), we have found that the most active sites for hydrogen dissociation are Au0 sites at the free step edges or other defect sites in the Au nanopar...
Tuning surface porosity on vanadium surface by low energy He+ ion irradiation

Abstract In the present study, we report on tuning the surface porosity on vanadium surfaces using high-flux, low-energy He+ ion irradiation as function of sample temperature. Polished, mirror-finished vanadium samples were irradiated with 100 eV He+ ions at a constant ion-flux of 7.2 × 1020 ions m−2 s−1 for 1 h duration at constant sample temperatures in the wide range of 823–1173 K. Our results show that the surface porosity of V2O5 (naturally oxidized vanadium porous structure, after taking out from UHV) is strongly correlated to the sample temperature and is highly tunable. In fact, the surface porosity significantly increases with reducing sample temperature and reaches up to ∼87%. Optical reflectivity on these highly porous V2O5 surfaces show ∼0% optical reflectivity at 670 nm wavelength, which is very similar to that of “black metal”. Combined with the naturally high melting point of V2O5, this very low optical reflectivity suggests potential application in solar power concentration technology. Additionally, this top-down approach guarantees relatively good contact between the different crystallites and avoids electrical conductivity limitations (if required). Since V2O5 is naturally a potential photocatalytic material, the resulting sub-micron-sized cube-shaped porous structures could be used in solar water splitting for hydrogen production in energy applications.
Effect of Season on Grazing Native-Grass Pastures1

Abstract A total of 2,269 mixed-breed steers (256 kg) grazed burned (April), native-grass pastures for nine grazing seasons from 1990 to 1998. Steers were allotted randomly to graze for either 1/2 season (short season [SS]) from late April to July 15 (an average of 81 d, at one steer per 0.81 ha), or for 3/4 season [intermediate season (IMS)] from late April to August 15 (an average of 112 d, at one steer per 1.21 ha). The grass species composition was measured in yr 1, 4, and 8 of the study. The economics of steers grazing the two systems were determined by stocker and feeder cattle prices at Dodge City, adjusted to southeast Kansas. The steers grazing SS gained more per day (1.26 vs 1.13 kg, P 0.10) between systems for big bluestem, little bluestem, switch-grass, Indiangrass, and total perennial grass. However, percentage basal cover of perennial grass increased more for SS (P
Highway Courtesans: Highway Courtesans. Mystelle Brabbee, director. Hindi with English subtitles, 2005, 71 minutes; distributor, womenmakemovies.com.

Courtesan, whore, tramp … each term evokes something quite different—a lover living in the ostentation of the palace; the lady of the day or night who supports herself and her family by selling her...
DNA labeled during phosphonoacetate inhibition and following its reversal in herpesvirus infected cells

Human embryonic lung cells were pre-equilibrated with phosphonoacetate and32P orthophosphate label, then infected with phosphonoacetate-sensitive herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1. Analyses of viral DNA produced in these cells showed the following. i) Viral DNA was synthesized in infected cells exposed to 100 µg of the drug per ml of medium but not in cells exposed to four-fold higher concentrations of the drug. ii) At 300 µg/ml a region of the DNA between 0.58 and 0.69 map units became transiently labeled, but the restriction endonuclease fragment containing these sequences migrated more slowly than the corresponding fragment from virion DNA. iii) Viral DNA extracted from infected cells 1.5 hours post drug withdrawal (300 µg/ml) was preferentially labeled in 2 regions of the genome mapping between 0.17 and 0.23 and 0.58–0.69 map units. This finding is in agreement with a report ofFriedman et al. (8) suggesting that HSV DNA contains two different sites of initiation. In addition a 4.8×106 molecular weight fragment was also preferentially labeled. This fragment could represent a smaller, aberrantly migrating fragment from the 0.17–0.27 map unit region of the DNA. (iv) Viral DNA extracted from infected cells at longer intervals after drug withdrawal showed an increasing gradient of radioactivity progressively labeling the genome. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that viral DNA has at least two sites of initiation of DNA synthesis and that both sites are within the L component of the DNA. Alternatively, the results could be interpreted as two sites of localized synthesis (repair) that are detected at high concentrations of phosphonoacetate and immediately following reversal of inhibition of DNA synthesis. The results do not exclude the possibility that secondary sites in both L and S are utilized late in infection or in untreated cells.
Design of Functionally Graded Cemented Carbide Tools

The application of the material design concept of functionally graded material to cemented carbide tools to realize good wear resistance in the surface region, good fracture toughness in the inside and compressive residual stress in the graded composition zone has been studied to improve their cutting performance. To develop the new material, the cutting condition of broken tools was investigated and their cutting temperature distribution was measured by a newly developed cutting temperature measuring method. Then computer aided engineering (CAE) analysis using the finite element method (FEM) for the measured cutting temperature distribution was performed to determine the generated thermal stress by the change in cutting temperature distribution. The new material was developed with the aim to introduce the compressive residual stress that exceeds the calculated thermal stress. Functionally graded cemented carbides with the intended compressive residual stress could be developed and this new material has higher wear resistance, breakage resistance and thermal crack resistance than those of conventional cermet with uniform composition.
A framework for collaborative computational research

Analysis of high troughput biological data often involves the use of many software packages and in-house written code. For each analysis step there are multiple options of software tools available, each with its own capabilities, limitations and assumptions on the input and output data. The development of bioinformatics pipelines involves a great deal of experimentation with different tools and parameters, considering how each would fit to the big picture and the practical implications of their use. Organizing data analysis could prove challenging. In this work we present a set of methods and tools that aim to enable the user to experiment extensively, while keeping analyses reproducible and organized. We present a framework based on simple principles that allow data analyses to be structured in a way that emphasizes reproducibility, organization and clarity, while being simple and intuitive so that adding and modifying analysis steps can be done naturally with little extra effort. The framework suppports version control of code, documentation and data, enabling collaboration between users.
Arf6 controls retromer traffic and intracellular cholesterol distribution via a phosphoinositide-based mechanism

Small GTPases play a critical role in membrane traffic. Among them, Arf6 mediates transport to and from the plasma membrane, as well as phosphoinositide signalling and cholesterol homeostasis. Here we delineate the molecular basis for the link between Arf6 and cholesterol homeostasis using an inducible knockout (KO) model of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). We find that accumulation of free cholesterol in the late endosomes/lysosomes of Arf6 KO MEFs results from mistrafficking of Niemann-Pick type C protein NPC2, a cargo of the cation-independent mannose-6-phosphate receptor (CI-M6PR). This is caused by a selective increase in an endosomal pool of phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate (PI4P) and a perturbation of retromer, which controls the retrograde transport of CI-M6PR via sorting nexins, including the PI4P effector SNX6. Finally, reducing PI4P levels in KO MEFs through independent mechanisms rescues aberrant retromer tubulation and cholesterol mistrafficking. Our study highlights a phosphoinositide-based mechanism for control of cholesterol distribution via retromer.
Toward Flexible Assistance for Locomotor Training: Design and Clinical Testing of a Cable-Driven Robot for Stroke, Spinal Cord Injury, and Cerebral Palsy

A cable-driven locomotor training system (3DCaLT) has been developed to improve the locomotor function in adults following hemispheric stroke or spinal cord injury (SCI) and children with cerebral palsy (CP). A key component of this new system is that it is highly backdrivable and allows for variation in the trajectory of the gait pattern. In addition, this new robotic system can provide controlled forces in both the sagittal and frontal planes at targeted phases of gait. The new robotic trainer uses a lightweight cable driven with controlled forces applied to the pelvis and leg (rather than a controlled trajectory). The 3DCaLT is compliant and gives patients the freedom to voluntarily move their pelvis and legs in a natural gait pattern while providing controlled assistance/resistance forces during body-weight-supported treadmill training (BWSTT).
Association Studies in Populus tomentosa Reveal the Genetic Interactions of Pto-MIR156c and Its Targets in Wood Formation

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression in many biological processes, but the significance of the interaction between a miRNA and its targets in perennial trees remains largely unknown. Here, we employed transcript profiling and association studies in Populus tomentosa (Pto) to decipher the effect of genetic variation and interactions between Pto-miR156c and its potential targets (Pto-SPL15, Pto-SPL20, and Pto-SPL25) in 435 unrelated individuals from a natural population of P. tomentosa. Single-SNP (single-nucleotide polymorphism) based association studies with analysis of the underlying additive and dominant effects identified 69 significant associations (P 0.05) from Pto-MIR156c and its three potential targets, with six wood and growth traits, revealing their common roles in wood formation. Epistasis analysis uncovered 129 significant SNP-SNP associations with ten traits, indicating the potential genetic interactions of Pto-MIR156c and its three putative targets. Interestingly, expression analysis in stem (phloem, cambium, and xylem) revealed that Pto-miR156c expression showed strong negative correlations with Pto-SPL20 (r = -0.90, P < 0.01) and Pto-SPL25 (r = -0.65, P < 0.01), and a positive correlation with Pto-SPL15 (r = 0.40, P < 0.01), which also indicated the putative interactions of Pto-miR156c and its potential targets and their common roles in wood formation. Thus, our study provided an alternative approach to decipher the interaction between miRNAs and their targets and to dissect the genetic architecture of complex traits in trees.
Using modeled writing to support English-only and English-learner second-grade students

ABSTRACTThis study compared 70 English learners (ELs) and English-only (EO) second-grade students' writing samples before and after a yearlong writing program. The school utilized Write From the Beginning (J. Buckner, 2006) and focused on personal narratives. A subgroup of students also participated in an intervention supporting expository writing on curricular topics. Sociocognitive theory framed the Modeled Writing (MW) used in this study. An analysis of covariance used prescores on 2 writing assessments to compare students' writing achievement at the end of the year, and t tests compared students' writing by gender, language, and group on various pre- and posttest scores. Results indicate that MW benefited both EOs and ELs and that the MW students outscored the controls on all items of the standardized writing assessment at year's end. The comparison affords greater understanding of writing development and achievement differences among young ELs and EOs and suggests instructional and research opportuni...
Complementary Keypoint Descriptors

We examine the use of complementary descriptors for keypoint recognition in digital images. The descriptors combine multiple types of information, including shape, color, and texture. We first review several keypoint descriptors and propose new descriptors that use normalized brightness/color spatial histograms. Individual and combined descriptors are compared on a standard data set that varies blur, viewpoint, zoom, rotation, brightness, and compression. Results indicate that substantially improved results can be achieved without greatly increasing keypoint descriptor length, but that the best results combine information from complementary descriptors.
Predicting the occurance of unstable arc formations in laser hot-wire additive manufacturing

Additive manufacturing with metals is garnering interest for its potential in producing complex parts through near-net shape fabrication, with the potential to significantly reduce waste, cost, and lead-time. Use of the laser hot wire process for additive manufacturing offers relatively superior products when compared with other techniques. However, increasing the speed and material deposition rates, tends to induce unwanted arcs between the welding head and molten pool. These arcs produce spatter and irregularities in an otherwise relatively smooth, uninterrupted bead. Presented is a classifier that is able to predict the onset of these arcs on the scale of milliseconds before they occur, based only on voltage and current measurements. This classifier is developed to later be implemented as part of a LHW controller that can readily refute any arc generation.
Heterogeneous Coulomb wedges: Influence of fluid pressure, porosity, and application to the Hikurangi subduction margin, New Zealand

Despite the widespread use of critical Coulomb wedge models, the effects of internal heterogeneities have been largely overlooked. Here we consider how spatial variations in pore pressure and porosity within an accretionary prism affect predictions of shear traction along the base of the prism and the internal slip surface geometry. Compared to Coulomb wedge models that use depth-averaged parameter values, the basal shear traction will be lower if (i) the pore pressure ratio increases monotonically with depth, (ii) the porosity decreases monotonically with depth, or (iii) the internal friction coefficient decreases monotonically with depth. The first two conditions can be considered first-order descriptions of many natural settings. To illustrate their effects, we consider two specific functional forms: a linear increase in the pore pressure ratio and an exponential decrease in porosity with depth within the prism. Both cases separately can be completely accounted for by simple modifications to the solution for a homogeneous Coulomb wedge. We show that including heterogeneity in the pore pressure ratio and the porosity, together or separately, can lead to large reductions in the basal shear traction, compared to wedges with relevant depth-averaged parameters. Finally, we apply our results to the Hikurangi margin at the North Island of New Zealand and show that lateral increases in the pore pressure ratio lead to further reductions in basal shear traction.
A retrospective assessment of outcomes of chemotherapy-based versus radiation-only adjuvant treatment for completely resected stage I–IV uterine carcinosarcoma (UCS) with rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) differentiation.

5595 Background: UCS with RMS differentiation are aggressive cancers with poor survival, and without an established standard treatment (txt). We aimed to determine the progression-free survival (PF...