cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relative Performance of Body-Fitted and Fictitious Domain Simulations of Flow Through Porous Media

The relative performance of (i) a body-fitted unstructured grid Navier-Stokes solver [Moin and Apte, AIAA J. 2006], and (ii) a fictitious domain based finite-volume approach [Apte et al. JCP 2009] is examined for simulating flow through packed beds of spheres at moderate flow rates, 50 ≲ Re ≲ 1300. The latter employs non-body conforming Cartesian grids and enforces the no-slip conditions on the pore boundaries implicitly through a rigidity constraint force. At these flow rates, fluid inertia can result in complex steady and unsteady pore scale flow features that influence macro-scale properties. We examine the requirements on both methods to properly capture these features in both simple and complex arrangements of spheres. First, two prototypical test cases of flow through packed beds are studied thoroughly at a range of Reynolds numbers in the inertial flow regime. Next flow through a random packing of 51 spheres at Re = 1322 is simulated using both methods. The suitability of both approaches to the complex configurations observed in large randomly packed beds is discussed.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Continuity and intensity of shock in one-way avoidance learning in the rat

Six groups of rats (n = 16) differed with respect to the continuity of shock (continuous or discontinuous) and the shock intensity (.3, .8, or 1.6 mA) used during 65 one-way avoidance-conditioning trials. In general, a facilitative effect on one-way avoidance learning was obtained for continuous as opposed to discontinuous shock and for strong as opposed to weak shock. For both variables, the results are opposite to those obtained in discriminated shuttlebox-avoidance and barpress avoidance tasks. The data support an interpretation of the effect of continuity of shock which holds that discontinuous shock is, in effect, less intense than continuous shock. This interpretation allows the effects of the continuity-of-shock variable to be incorporated within the effective reinforcement theory of avoidance learning which has been proposed to account for shock-intensity effects in various avoidance tasks.
HOMOLOGY BOUNDARY LINKS AND BLANCHFIELD FORMS: CONCORDANCE CLASSIFICATION AND NEW TANGLE-THEORETIC CONSTRUCTIONS

THIS work forms part of our on-going effort to classify the set of concordance classes of links.RecallthatalinkL= (K,,. . . ,K,}inS “+’ is a locally flat piecewise-linear, oriented submanifold of S”+2 of which each component Ki is homeomorphic to S”. The exterior E(L) of a link L is the closure of the complement of a small regular neighborhood N(L) of L. A longitude of a component Ki is a parallel of Ki lying on the boundary of the tubular neighborhood (untwisted if n = 1). A meridian pi is a path from a basepoint to JN(L) which traverses a fiber of 8N(L) and returns. A Seifert Surface for Ki is a connected, compact, oriented, (n + 1)-manifold K E E(L) such that aK is a longitude of Ki. Links Lo, L1 are concordant (or cobordant) if there is a smooth, oriented submanifold C = {C,, . . . , C,} of S n+2 x [0, l] which meets the boundary transversely in X, is piecewise-linearly homeomorphic to L,, x [0, 11, and meets Sn+2 x {i} in Li for i = 0, 1. In the mid-603 M. Kervaire and J. Levine gave an algebraic classification of knot concordance groups (m = 1) in high dimensions (n > 1) [l]. For even n these are trivial and for odd n they are infinitely generated, being isomorphic to certain Witt groups obtained from information garnered from the Seifert surface. Extending Levine’s knot cobordism classification to links is difficult for several reasons. Firstly, if m > 1, the natural operation of connected-sum is not well-defined on concordance classes so there is no obvious group structure. Secondly, the Seifert surfaces for different components of a link may intersect, obstructing at least the naive generalization of the Seifert form information. However, the techniques do extend well to the class of boundary links. A boundary link is one which admits a collection of m disjoint Seifert surfaces, one for each component. In fact, S. Cappell and J. Shaneson classified boundary links modulo boundary link cobordism in 1980 using their homology surgery groups, followed later by Ki Ko and W. Mio who accomplished this via Seifert surfaces [2-41. A boundary link cobordism is a cobordism C between Lo and L1 for which there exist disjointly embedded 2n-manifolds IV= {IV,, . . . , ZVm) in E(C) such that IVn(S”+2 x {i}) is a system of Seifert surfaces for the boundary link Li, i = 0, 1, and such that
NHERF associations with sodium-hydrogen exchanger isoform 3 (NHE3) and ezrin are essential for cAMP-mediated phosphorylation and inhibition of NHE3.

The sodium−hydrogen exchanger regulatory factor (NHERF) is an essential cofactor for cAMP-mediated inhibition of the Na+/H+ exchanger isoform, NHE3, in renal brush border membranes. NHERF is also a...
Ovarian malignancy in patients with dermatomyositis and polymyositis: A retrospective analysis of fourteen cases

Abstract Background: Dermatomyositis and polymyositis can be associated with an underlying malignancy. Objective: Our purpose was to describe a group of patients with dermatomyositis and polymyositis in whom ovarian carcinoma was diagnosed and to evaluate further the characteristics of the association between these diseases. Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective review identified 14 patients in a 45-year period (1950 to 1995) with dermatomyositis and polymyositis in whom an underlying ovarian malignancy was diagnosed. Clinical and laboratory data of these patients were reviewed, and immunofluorescent and hematoxylin-eosin–stained skin sections were examined. Results: The mean age at diagnosis of dermatomyositis and polymyositis was 59 years. Of the 14 patients, 11 had dermatomyositis, two had polymyositis, and one had an overlap disease. The 12 patients with dermatomyositis had distinctive cutaneous lesions. In eight, cutaneous biopsy specimens demonstrated variable histologic changes. Thirteen patients had signs of proximal muscle weakness, and myopathy was further demonstrated by electromyographic testing in 10. Creatine kinase levels were increased in 6 of the 10 patients tested. Dysphagia was present in five patients, but esophageal dysmotility was not demonstrated in three. Dermatomyositis and polymyositis preceded the ovarian malignancy in nine patients, were concomitant with it in four, and succeeded the ovarian disease in one. Conclusion: Physical examination and imaging techniques failed to detect early ovarian cancer in our patients with dermatomyositis and polymyositis. When detected (usually by abdominopelvic examination, in two by computed tomographic examination), it was advanced, and survival was poor. (J Am Acad Dermatol 1997;37:730-3.)
Transamination of 3-hydroxykynurenine to produce xanthurenic acid: a major branch pathway of tryptophan metabolism in the mosquito, Aedes aegypti, during larval development

An electrochemically active compound was detected in the larvae of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and progressive accumulation of this compound was observed during larval development. The compound was purified from mosquito larvae using various chromatographic techniques and spectral analysis of the purified compound resulted in its identification as xanthurenic acid. Production of xanthurenic acid results from the transamination of 3-hydroxykynuorenine, and analysis of the biochemical pathway in xanthurenic acid production revealed the presence of a particular transaminase that has a much higher specific activity to 3-hydroxykynurenine than to kynurenine in the mosquito larvae. Concentration of xanthurenic acid is closely related to the level of this transaminase activity. Results suggest that this particular transaminase plays an important role in regulating the level of 3-hydroxykynurenine in the mosquito, A. aegypti during larval development.
Properties of Partially Coherent Light

The traditional classical theory of coherence is discussed with particular emphasis on the distinction between narrowband coherent and incoherent sources. The significance of this difference is discussed in terms of conventional classical optics experiments. The interpretation of measured quantities and the role of the detector response in these observations are considered.
Talin and vinculin in the oocytes, eggs, and early embryos of Xenopus laevis: a developmentally regulated change in distribution

We have investigated the expression and distribution of talin and vinculin in the oocytes, eggs, and embryos of Xenopus laevis. Antibodies to the previously characterized avian proteins stain several different Xenopus cell types identically by immunofluorescence: adhesion plaques of cultured kidney (A6) cells, the cell peripheries of oviduct cells, and the postsynaptic neuromuscular junctions of tadpole tail muscle fibers. These antibodies also identify cognate proteins of the appropriate sizes on immunoblots of A6 cell and oviduct lysates. Using these antibodies on ovarian tissue, we find talin to be highly localized at the cortices of oocytes and vinculin to be in the oocyte cytoplasm and absent from the oocyte cortex. In the cells of the ovarian layers that surround the oocytes, talin and vinculin can be detected as soluble and cytoskeletal components. Vinculin is first detectable as a cytoskeletal component in eggs, appearing some time during or between oocyte maturation and oviposition. During early embryo development, talin and vinculin are colocalized in the cortex of cleavage furrows and blastomeres. Thus, Xenopus oocytes and eggs display different distributions of talin and vinculin. The change from unlinked localization to colocalization appears to be developmentally regulated, occurring during the transition from oocyte to egg.
Closure to “Determination of Composite Slab Strength Using a New Elemental Test Method” by Redzuan Abdullah and W. Samuel Easterling

The objective of the study was to develop a method to test composite slabs using small-scale specimens instead of the usual full-scale specimens that are recommended in most codes of practice. Test 13 in Series 1 was the first trial in which the straps were placed at 150 mm on center. As large vertical separation between the concrete and the steel was observed during this test, it was assumed that this strap spacing might not be effective in preventing the steel web from curling. For the next tests in the same series, straps were placed at 100 mm. Upon comparing the results with the full-scale data, it was found that the capacity matched that found in the full-scale tests. At this point, because the objective of the test had been met, we concluded that there was no need for carrying out additional tests with strap spacing more or less than 100 mm. The restraining effect reached a plateau, as measured by the comparison with full-scale tests, and hence the shear bond strength will not be increased more than the maximum shear bond capacity with fully restrained webs for a particular configuration. Therefore straps at 100 mm are deemed sufficient and are suggested as a general rule, at least as applicable to the type of deck, dimension of the specimen, steel sheet thickness, and strap stiffness that are within the scope of this study.
Understanding managerial preferences in selecting equipment

Abstract Industry continues to look for methods of gaining competitive advantage through manufacturing techniques. These techniques, however, can be matched by competitors if used without the guidance of a strategic framework. Similarly, structural capacity choices can be matched by competitors without the infrastructural benefits of a well defined operations strategy. In this study, multiattribute utility (MAU) theory analysis was used in an experiment to quantify the contribution of various structural and infrastructural strategic factors toward sustaining competitive advantage within the context of a capital equipment selection decision. The experimental respondents were manufacturing managers and professionals from the plastics industry. This research provides groundwork for understanding the role of strategic infrastructural factors in sustaining competitive advantage within the structural capacity decision of selecting capital equipment in the plastics industry.
Stable and Unstable Cadherin Dimers: Mechanisms of Formation and Roles in Cell Adhesion

Numerous attempts to elucidate the strength of cadherin dimerization that mediates intercellular adhesion have produced controversial and inconclusive results. To clarify this issue, we compared E-...
ROC Curves in Clinical Chemistry: Uses, Misuses, and Possible Solutions

Background: ROC curves have become the standard for describing and comparing the accuracy of diagnostic tests. Not surprisingly, ROC curves are used often by clinical chemists. Our aims were to observe how the accuracy of clinical laboratory diagnostic tests is assessed, compared, and reported in the literature; to identify common problems with the use of ROC curves; and to offer some possible solutions. Methods: We reviewed every original work using ROC curves and published in Clinical Chemistry in 2001 or 2002. For each article we recorded phase of the research, prospective or retrospective design, sample size, presence/absence of confidence intervals (CIs), nature of the statistical analysis, and major analysis problems. Results: Of 58 articles, 31% were phase I (exploratory), 50% were phase II (challenge), and 19% were phase III (advanced) studies. The studies increased in sample size from phase I to III and showed a progression in the use of prospective designs. Most phase I studies were powered to assess diagnostic tests with ROC areas ≥0.70. Thirty-eight percent of studies failed to include CIs for diagnostic test accuracy or the CIs were constructed inappropriately. Thirty-three percent of studies provided insufficient analysis for comparing diagnostic tests. Other problems included dichotomization of the gold standard scale and inappropriate analysis of the equivalence of two diagnostic tests. Conclusion: We identify available software and make some suggestions for sample size determination, testing for equivalence in diagnostic accuracy, and alternatives to a dichotomous classification of a continuous-scale gold standard. More methodologic research is needed in areas specific to clinical chemistry.
Fine-tuning of a three-dimensional microcarrier-based angiogenesis assay for the analysis of endothelial-mesenchymal cell co-cultures in fibrin and collagen gels

A prerequisite for successful tissue engineering is the existence of a functional microvascular network. We hypothesized that such networks can be created and quantified in an in vitro setting by co-culturing endothelial cells (ECs) with tissue-specific 'bystander cells' in 3-D gel matrices. To test this hypothesis we adapted a previously described in vitro microcarrier-based angiogenesis assay (V. Nehls and D. Drenckhahn, 1995, Microvasc Res 50: 311-322). On optimizing this assay, we noted that the initial EC-microcarrier coverage depended on EC type and seeding technique employed to coat the microcarrier beads with the ECs. A confluent EC monolayer on the microcarrier surfaces formed only when bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) were admixed to the beads under gentle agitation on an orbital shaker. After embedding BAEC-covered microcarrier beads into a sandwich-like arrangement of collagen or fibrin gels, we assessed cellular outgrowth at different serum concentrations in terms of migration distance and sprout formation. Quantifiable sprout formation was highest at 1% fetal bovine serum (FBS) in collagen matrices and at 0.1% FBS in fibrin matrices. At higher serum concentration, excess cell migration and formation of clusters prevented quantitative analysis of sprouting. Following the fine-tuning of this angiogenesis assay, we co-cultured BAECs with adipose tissue-derived fibroblasts (FBs) and vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs). While FBs were able to increase the average migration distance of BAECs in both matrices, SMCs enhanced BAEC migration in fibrin, but not in collagen gels. By contrast, the number of newly formed sprouts in fibrin gels was increased by both cell types. We conclude that in this model bystander cells enhance EC network formation in a matrix-dependent manner. Additionally, these results stress the importance of carefully selecting the experimental parameters of a given in vitro angiogenesis model.
A modified Wilkinson power divider/combiner for ultrawideband communications

A modified Wilkinson power divider/combiner using one added stepped-impedance open-circuited radial stub on each branch is proposed for UWB applications. The stepped-impedance open stub is used to introduce multiple transmission poles through the whole UWB frequency spectrum. The simulation results of the proposed small size and low cost power divider have shown equal power split between the two output ports with good insertion loss and satisfactory isolation within the whole UWB frequency range. Also, it has been shown that the designed UWB power divider has good return loss of all ports.
5-GHz CMOS wireless LANs

This paper first provides an overview of some recently ratified wireless local-area network (WLAN) standards before describing an illustrative 5-GHz WLAN receiver implementation. The receiver, built in a standard 0.25-/spl mu/m CMOS logic technology, exploits several recent developments, including lateral-flux capacitors, accumulation-mode varactors, injection-locked frequency dividers, and an image-reject low-noise amplifier. The receiver readily complies with the performance requirements of both IEEE 802.11a and ETSI HiperLAN. It exhibits a 7.2-dB noise figure, as well as an input-referred third-order intercept and 1-dB compression point of -7 and -18 dBm, respectively. Image rejection for this double conversion receiver exceeds 50 dB throughout the frequency band without using external filters. Leakage out of the RF port from the local oscillators is under -87 dBm, and all synthesizer spurs are below the -70-dBm noise floor of the instrumentation used to measure them. The receiver consumes 59 mW from a 1.8-V supply and occupies only 4 mm/sup 2/ of die area, in no small measure due to the use of fractal capacitors for ac coupling.
Do Functional Components in Foods Have A Role in Helping to Solve Current Health Issues

Functional foods and ingredients that are safe and efficacious have the potential for a positive impact on health. Current regulations in the United States governing claims about foods and dietary supplements, including functional foods and ingredients, are briefly reviewed. Research and communications challenges necessary to bring such products to the market are discussed.
Estimating the relative roles of top-down and bottom-up forces on insect herbivore populations: A classic study revisited

Although most ecologists agree that both top-down and bottom-up forces (predation and resource limitation, respectively) act in concert to influence populations of herbivores, it has proven difficult to estimate the relative contributions of such forces in terrestrial systems. Using a combination of time–series analysis of population counts recorded over 16 years and experimental data, we present the first estimates of the relative roles of top-down and bottom-up forces on the population dynamics of two terrestrial insect herbivores on the English oak (Quercus robur). Data suggest that temporal variation in winter moth, Operophtera brumata, density is dominated by time-lagged effects of pupal predators. By comparison, spatial variation in O. brumata density is dominated by host–plant quality. Overall, top-down forces explain 34.2% of population variance, bottom-up forces explain 17.2% of population variance, and 48.6% remains unexplained. In contrast, populations of the green oak tortrix, Tortrix viridana, appear dominated by bottom-up forces. Resource limitation, expressed as intraspecific competition among larvae for oak leaves, explains 29.4% of population variance. Host quality effects explain an additional 5.7% of population variance. We detected no major top-down effects on T. viridana populations. An unknown factor causing a linear decline in T. viridana populations over the 16-year study period accounts for most of the remaining unexplained variance. We discuss the observed differences between the insect species and the utility of time–series analysis as a tool in assessing the relative importance of top-down and bottom-up forces on herbivore populations.
Target space for structural genomics revisited.

Motivation: Structural genomics eventually aims at determining structures for all proteins. However, in the beginning experimentalists are likely to focus on globular proteins to achieve a rapid basic coverage of protein sequence space. How many proteins will structural genomics have to target? How many proteins will be excluded since we already have structural information for these or since they are not globular? We have to answer these questions in the context of our target selection for the North-East Structural Genomics Consortium (NESG). Results: We estimated that structural information is available for about 6–38% of all proteins; 6% if we require high accuracy in comparative modelling, 38% if we are satisfied with having a rough idea about the fold. Excluding all regions that are not globular, we found that structural genomics may have to target about 48% of all proteins. This corresponded to a similar percentage of residues of the entire proteomes (52%). We explored a number of different strategies to cluster protein space in order to find the number of families representing these 48% of structurally unknown proteins. For the subset of all entirely sequenced eukaryotes, we found over 18 000 fragment clusters each of which may be a suitable target for structural genomics. Availability: All data are available from the authors, most results are summarized at: http://cubic.bioc.columbia.edu/ genomes/RES/2002 bioinformatics/
Surface Studies Relevant to the Initial Stages of Diamond Nucleation

Studies of diamond heteroepitaxy on silicon indicate that C-C surface species act as nucleation precursors. We have investigated the conversion of the Si(100) 2×1 surface to SiC using C2H4 to obtain an understanding of how C-C species may be formed and to determine the effect of an O-adlayer on enhancing or selecting the reaction channel which leads to these species. Under appropriate conditions, the interaction between C2H4 and the clean silicon surface yields both SiC and C-C species. The presence of an O-adlayer significantly reduces the activity of silicon and enhances the formation of sp2 and sp3 C-C species. These results provide key insights into diamond nucleation conditions in conventional growth processes.
Cosmologies of extended massive gravity

Abstract We study the background cosmology of two extensions of dRGT massive gravity. The first is variable mass massive gravity, where the fixed graviton mass of dRGT is replaced by the expectation value of a scalar field. We ask whether self-inflation can be driven by the self-accelerated branch of this theory, and we find that, while such solutions can exist for a short period, they cannot be sustained for a cosmologically useful time. Furthermore, we demonstrate that there generally exist future curvature singularities of the “big brake” form in cosmological solutions to these theories. The second extension is the covariant coupling of galileons to massive gravity. We find that, as in pure dRGT gravity, flat FRW solutions do not exist. Open FRW solutions do exist – they consist of a branch of self-accelerating solutions that are identical to those of dRGT, and a new second branch of solutions which do not appear in dRGT.
A More Generous and Respectful Agonism: Making Pluralization Safe for Democracy

The New Pluralism: William Connolly and the Contemporary Global Condition. Edited by David Campbell, Morton Schoolman. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2008. 364 pp., $34.95 paperback (ISBN-13: 978-0-8223-4270-0). This is a most interesting and provocative collection of essays touching on seminal aspects of William Connolly's prolific contributions to the pluralism debate and its implications for both political theory and international relations theory. As Campbell and Schoolman indicate, Connolly's “new pluralism” stands in contrast to its more conventional antecedents rooted in “American and British political science and sociology, especially after the Second World War.” These preceding conversations are summarized by Ferguson (2007), who charts pluralism's rise as an anti-Hegelian antidote to the centralizing tendencies of the state (James, Laski, Figgis, and Cole), and its formalist turn (Dahl and Truman), which stressed the state's role as a mediator between various competing domestic groups, through Arendt's efforts to revalidate contention and Berlin's “value incommensurability.” But in Ferguson's (2007:15) estimate all of these approaches to pluralism fell short of Jamesian pluralism whose hallmarks were its acceptance of “the profound and meaningful differences in the world's of different people.” In many regards Connolly's “new pluralism” may share some of James' more aspirational commitments, and such points of affinity might be well worth exploring. However, this volume's intent is to locate Connolly's work within and against the Tocquevillian ideal, which provides Connolly with the opening to rework pluralist theory along the identity/difference fault lines that serve to illuminate how a biased set of institutional commitments, and the value structures which sustain them, privilege certain groups over others. As Runciman (1997) observes, “the history of political pluralism is the history of a series of unsatisfactory solutions to a set of intractable problems.” Whereas more conventional discussions of pluralism focused on the problem of authority, this collection of essays shifts our attention to the twin-sided problem of “how we can be with others” (Campbell, p. 290) and “how to eliminate violence toward difference” (Schoolman, p. …
Subclinical thyroid dysfunction and hip fracture and bone mineral density in older adults: the cardiovascular health study.

Background: Subclinical thyroid dysfunction is common in the elderly, yet its relationship with hip fracture and bone mineral density (BMD) is unclear. Objective: We examined the association between endogenous subclinical hyper- and hypothyroidism and hip fracture and BMD in older adults. Methods: A total of 4936 US individuals 65 years old or older enrolled in the Cardiovascular Health Study and not taking thyroid preparations were included. Analyses of incident hip fracture were performed by thyroid status, over a median follow-up of 12 years. A cross-sectional analysis of thyroid status and BMD was performed in a subset of 1317 participants who had dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scans. Models were adjusted for risk factors and stratified by sex. Results: No association was found between subclinical hypothyroidism and incident hip fracture compared with euthyroidism, when assessed at a single time point or persisting at two time points, in either women [hazard ratio (HR) 0.91, 95% confidence interval ...
The Role of Technology Transfer in Soviet Development

The impact of technology transfer from the West on the Soviet economy has challenged both scholars and policymakers. The major characteristic of this subject is the dichotomy of views among economists in evaluating the contribution of imported capital to the Soviet economic growth. The early literature has claimed that the Soviet growth has relied entirely on borrowed technology from the West. Recent studies, though, cast doubt on the significance of imported capital in Soviet growth. This paper posits that the role of the imported capital in the Soviet technological advancement has been granted an exaggerated weight.
Microstructure and Microfabrication Considerations for Self‐Supported On‐Chip Ultra‐Thin Micro‐Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Membranes

La0.6Sr0.4Co0.8Fe0.2O3 – δ (LSCF) has been sputtered on bare Si and Si3N4 and yttria-stabilised zirconia (YSZ) thin films to investigate annealing temperature- and thickness-dependent microstructure and functional properties, as well as their implications for designing failure-resistant micro-solid oxide fuel cell (μSOFC) membranes. The LSCF thin films crystallise in the 400–450 °C range; however, after annealing in the 600–700 °C range, cracks are observed. The formation of cracks is also thickness-dependent. High electrical conductivity, ∼520 Scm–1 at 600 °C, and low activation energy, ∼0.13 eV, in the 400–600 °C range, are still maintained for LSCF films as thin as 27 nm. Based on these studies, a strong correlation between microstructure and electrical conductivity has been observed and an annealing temperature-thickness design space that is complementary to temperature-stress design space has been proposed for designing reliable membranes using sputtered LSCF thin films. Microfabrication approaches that maintain the highest possible surface and interface quality of heterostructured membranes have been carefully examined. By taking advantage of the microstructure, microfabrication and geometrical structural considerations, we were able to successfully fabricate large-area, self-supported membranes. These results are also relevant to conventional or grid-supported SOFC membranes using ultrathin nanocrystalline cathodes and μSOFCs using cathode thin films other than LSCF.
A polarization-independent silicon light intensity modulator for 1.32 mu m fiber optics

The authors have developed an integrated silicon light intensity modulator based on polarization-independent free-carrier optical phase modulation and mode filtering in fibers. A novel push-pull complementary diode pair are used for a twofold increase in modulation depth over a single diode device. Operation is demonstrated at a wavelength of 1.32 mu m. >
Optimizing the Ventilation-Perfusion Lung Scan for Image Quality and Radiation Exposure

Our purpose was to compare the performance of an initial ventilation–perfusion (V/Q) scan protocol with that of a data-driven modified protocol to improve diagnostic quality without increasing radiation dose to the patient. Methods: The initial V/Q scan protocol consisted of a ventilation scan after inhalation of 99mTc-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) aerosol for 5 min followed by a 99mTc-macroaggregated albumin perfusion scan. Interim analysis after 34 scans under an initial protocol included calculations of ventilation efficiency, perfusion efficiency, and perfusion-to-ventilation counting rate ratio (Q:V). Ventilation efficiency was defined as ventilation counting rate divided by ventilation dose, perfusion efficiency as perfusion counting rate divided by perfusion dose, and Q:V as perfusion counting rate divided by ventilation counting rate. From these data, the protocol was modified to improve the Q:V ratio and was applied to 60 patients. Results from the 94 scans were tabulated, and a comparison of ventilation efficiency, perfusion efficiency, and Q:V between the 2 protocols was statistically analyzed. Results: The initial protocol returned a mean ventilation efficiency of 7.8% (SD, 4.6%; range, 1.4%–19%), mean perfusion efficiency of 100% (SD, 31%; range, 39%–160%), and mean Q:V of 2.4 (SD, 1.9; range, 0.51–9.0). All 3 parameters displayed a wide range. Fifty-four percent of these cases demonstrated an unacceptable Q:V (≤2) indicating that the perfusion dose did not overwhelm the ventilation dose. To improve Q:V, options included decreasing ventilation dose, increasing perfusion dose, or performing the ventilation scan with a much higher dose after the perfusion scan. To minimize radiation, the protocol was modified to decrease the ventilation from 5 min to 2.5 min. The modified protocol yielded a mean ventilation efficiency of 5.1% (SD, 1.8; range, 2.0–11), mean perfusion efficiency of 120% (SD, 27%; range, 65%–170%), and mean Q:V of 3.6 (SD, 1.7; range, 1.2–12). Differences between protocols were statistically significant for ventilation efficiency, perfusion efficiency, and Q:V (P
Financial burden in recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Abstract Although allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is an expensive treatment for hematological disorders, little is known about the financial consequences for the patients who undergo this procedure. We analyzed factors associated with its financial burden and its impact on health behaviors of allogeneic HCT recipients. A questionnaire was retrospectively mailed to 482 patients who underwent allogeneic HCT from January 2006 to June 2012 at the Mayo Clinic, to collect information regarding current financial concerns, household income, employment, insurance, out-of-pocket expenses, and health and functional status. A multivariable logistic regression analysis identified factors associated with financial burden and treatment nonadherence. Of the 268 respondents (56% response rate), 73% reported that their sickness had hurt them financially. All patients for whom the insurance information was available (missing, n = 13) were insured. Forty-seven percent of respondents experienced financial burden, such as household income decreased by >50%, selling/mortgaging home, or withdrawing money from retirement accounts. Three percent declared bankruptcy. Younger age and poor current mental and physical functioning increased the likelihood of financial burden. Thirty-five percent of patients reported deleterious health behaviors because of financial constraints. These patients were likely to be younger, have lower education, and with a longer time since HCT. Being employed decreased the likelihood of experiencing financial burden and treatment nonadherence due to concern about costs. A significant proportion of allogeneic HCT survivors experience financial hardship despite insurance coverage. Future research should investigate potential interventions to help at-risk patients and prevent adverse financial outcomes after this life-saving procedure.
Ore Genesis, Classification, and Exploitation

As we have seen in Chapter 7, water rights law recognizes distinct classes of water, and different legal theories have been established for each class and for different geographic occurrences of water. Although this approach allows for flexibility in dealing with different environments, it fails to recognize the realities of the hydrologic cycle and can be an obstacle to a comprehensive approach toward regulating water use. Historically, mineral law also recognizes distinct classes of mineral deposits with different rules and hypotheses for each class. Early efforts to develop a legal system for the mining profession focused on the shallow vein-type deposits and on the placer deposits that were being mined, and incorporated the terminology and practices of the practical miner and local mining districts. The realities of the rock cycle, the principles of ore genesis, and the greater variety of mineral deposits were not considered, and this has had a significant impact on some controversies and on the development of mineral law. An understanding of the basic principles of ore genesis and deposition is essential to an understanding of the terms of the “practical miner,” those of the mining geologist, and the theories of mining law.
Social Class and Child Health: Our Complexity Complex

Reichman and Teitler (Chap. 9) review the complex literature on social class and child health and find ample evidence of consistent associations, operating through multiple pathways that arise early in life and compound over the life course. They conclude, as do most such reviews, that the relationship between social class and child health is complex and that much is still unknown. This reflects what I describe as a complexity complex that impedes effective research and intervention. In this commentary, I make three main points: (1) we lack an adequate theory of social class gradients in children’s health as well as a coherent understanding of what a good theory is and how it can be used, (2) the perception of inscrutable complexity is partly a function of the lack of fit between social class as an explanatory concept and currently accepted ideas about what constitutes a cause, and (3) the failure to explain the social class clustering of health behaviors and risk factors is partly a function of our inability to account for the role of culture.
Syntactic Parse Fusion

Model combination techniques have consistently shown state-of-the-art performance across multiple tasks, including syntactic parsing. However, they dramatically increase runtime and can be difficult to employ in practice. We demonstrate that applying constituency model combination techniques to n-best lists instead of n different parsers results in significant parsing accuracy improvements. Parses are weighted by their probabilities and combined using an adapted version of Sagae and Lavie (2006). These accuracy gains come with marginal computational costs and are obtained on top of existing parsing techniques such as discriminative reranking and self-training, resulting in state-of-the-art accuracy: 92.6% on WSJ section 23. On out-of-domain corpora, accuracy is improved by 0.4% on average. We empirically confirm that six well-known n-best parsers benefit from the proposed methods across six domains.
A Mixed Methods Analysis of the Family Support Experiences of GLBQ Latter Day Saints

ABSTRACTA burgeoning vein of research assesses links between familial support and psychosocial health among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and queer or questioning (GLBQ) individuals. This study is a cross-sectional, multimethod survey that examined these associations in highly religious families. Participants were 587 individuals who identified as GLBQ, were affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS), and were between the ages of 18 and 30. Reports of early support from families were significantly associated with various measures of psychosocial health, more consistently for men than women. In addition, participants provided written narratives in response to an open-ended question asking about the reactions of their parents, family members, and faith community when they disclosed their nonheterosexual orientation. Analyses yielded a continuum of reactions with an overarching religious influence: (1) positive or affirming (2) a conditionally positive response (3) avoidance (4) distres...
Variations in the Activity of the Succinoxidase System during the Development of the Mealworm, Tenebrio Molitor Linnaeus (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae)

Ludwig, Barsa, and Cali (1955) studied the activity of cytochrome oxidase in larvae of the mealworm, Tenebrio molitor, and found enormous variations. Since Sacktor (1950) reported that the adult house fly, Musca domestica, showed an increase of 118 percent in the activity of cytochrome oxidase within the first day after emergence, we decided to study changes in the activity of this enzyme during the larval growth and metamorphosis of the mealworm when reared at a constant temperature of 30°C. These experiments were extended to include studies on the activity of succinic dehydrogenase, another important constituent of the succinoxidase system.
Abstract A55: A screening method for identifying potential angiogenesis inhibitors

Abstracts: Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research 2008 A55 Objective Plants produce chemical compounds to prevent encroachment by competitors. These turf wars that generate defense products in plants have potential medicinal value for humans. For example, compounds with anti-angiogenic properties are useful in combating cancer by preventing new blood vessel formation to support the tumor. The search for new angiogenesis inhibitors is ongoing, and utilizes a variety of time-intensive cell culture models. In this report we introduce a rapid, inexpensive method for screening potential anti-angiogenic compounds in a model system that stimulates the production of secondary defense chemicals in plants, thus increasing the potential yield of effective compounds. Plant chemicals under investigation for anti-angiogenic activity include flavonoids, a broad group of compounds that are present in most photosynthesizing cells of plants. Flavonoids share a common phenyl-chromanone structure (C6-C3-C6), and include thousands of compounds, subdivided into 6 major categories; flavones, flavonols, isoflavones, flavanols, flavanones, and anthocyanins. Humans do not synthesize flavonoids, but derive an average of 1 gram per day in their diet. Their reported pharmacological properties include antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative properties. Methods In order to induce defense chemical production, we chose thyme and mint plants to combine because thyme was observed to inhibit the spread of mint, a highly invasive vascular plant. The thyme plants grown alone, as well as the mint alone, were analyzed as controls. The plant leaves and stems were extracted and the flavonoid products were analyzed by reverse phase HPLC. The flavonoids that appear in the thyme in the presence of mint, that are not present in the thyme plants grown alone, were considered induced by the presence of mint. The induced compounds were collected and tested in a vertical plate assay that measures root length as a quantitative assay for drug sensitivity. The compounds were applied to the vascular root tissue of mint seedlings 5-7 days after germination. Results Of eight Thymus vulgaris compounds that were induced by the presence of mint, 5 were tested by bioassay, and one was found to have an inhibitory effect. Known angiogenesis inhibitors, VEGF receptor tyrosine kinase and amelioride hydrochloride, significantly reduced root growth compared to the control. An HPLC-isolated compound b, which eluted at 15.2 minutes, reduced the growth of root vascular tissue compared to the control and vehicle control, and 50% as well as known angiogenesis inhibitors. Conclusion This report demonstrates that induced secondary defense chemicals produced by thyme plants include flavonoid compounds. Useful inhibitors may be identified with this rapid, sensitive, and inexpensive technique. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2008;1(7 Suppl):A55.
Misfit Stresses Caused by Atomic Size Mismatch: The Origin of Doping-Induced Destabilization of Dicalcium Silicate

Density functional theory (DFT) simulations are carried out to systemically investigate doping in dicalcium silicate (Ca2SiO4: C2S), a major phase in calcium silicate cements. By evaluating the energetics of defect formation mechanisms for species involving Na+, K+, Mg2+, Sr2+, Al3+, Fe3+, B3+, and Ge4+, we find a strong site preference for all cationic substitutions. As a result, distinct defects form at low dopant concentrations (i.e., ≤ 0.52 atom %), in which, expectedly, larger dopants prefer (larger) Ca2+ sites, while smaller dopants favor (smaller) Si4+ sites, with charge balance being ensured by the formation of vacancies. Such site preferences arise due to local atomic distortions, which are induced when doping occurs at unfavorable substitution sites. Interestingly, we note that the formation enthalpy of each substitutional defect is proportional to the size mismatch between the dopant and the native cations. This indicates that the destabilization of the C2S structure has its origins in an “atom...
Physical Processes on Circumplanetary Dust

The life cycles of grains in circumplanetary space are governed by various physical processes that alter sizes and modify orbits. Lifetimes are quite short, perhaps 102–104 years for typical circumplanetary grains of 1 micron radius. Thus particles must be continually supplied to the circumplanetary complex, probably by the grinding down of larger parent bodies in collisions. Dust is eroded gradually through sublimation and through sputtering by the magnetospheric plasma but also is catastrophically destroyed through hypervelocity impacts with interplanetary micrometeoroids. Orbits evolve through momentum transfer (light drag, plasma or Coulomb drag, and atmospheric drag), and through resonant gravitational and electromagnetic forces. Plasma drag is generally the most effective evolution mechanism, with the possible exceptions of exospheric drag at Uranus and of electromagnetic schemes for some conditions. Since grains become charged (with typical electric potentials of a few volts), they undergo associated orbital perturbations: variable electromagnetic forces can cause the systematic drain of energy (orbital collapse) or, at specific (resonant) orbital locations can force large orbital inclinations/eccentricities. Solar radiation induces a periodic orbital eccentricity that can reach substantial values for 1 micron particles distant from the giant planets.
The Contingencies of Style

The fiction of Henry James reveals on close examination the ‘vast thematic and semiotic network’ (de Man, 1979, p. 16), the system of relations, which structures his texts, a syntagym that attempts the paradigmatic in its effort to totalise the discourse and bring about the unity James seeks. In the face of a language that works always already against his quest, James devised a hermetic system of signs which could speak only of themselves, ‘motivated’ to serve the text and to erect the arbitrary fictional orders that would stem the tide of contingency and trace threatening to dissolve them in difference. Joining language at its own game, James mobilised a style that could accommodate and exploit the oppositions words mount against determinancy, a play of difference whose infinite movement he yet struggled to contain. His fiction may be seen as Jean-Francois Lyotard’s ‘temporary contract’, a but ‘local’ stay against the slippage of signs and the inexhaustible ‘possible utterances’ of language’s reserve that Lyotard says must restrict any attempt at meta-argument to a ‘limited time and space’ (Lyotard, 1984, p. 66). If ‘rules and categories are what the work of art itself is looking for’, it is only in form and ‘its recognizable consistency’ that they can be provided, for content is ‘missing’, in its absence alluding to the unpresentable, and in ‘pain that imagination or sensibility should not be equal to the concept’ (ibid., p. 81).
Global and Regional Aspects of Climate ChangeOpen image in new window

This has been a long list of unpleasant topics. Summarizing them might lead to depression. Predictions are much too vague to make a timeline but the implications of Fig. 32.25 are well worth contemplating. It’s time to open a good bottle of wine.
Advances in Etching & Deposition Reactor Technologies for Metallization of Semiconductor Devices

Increasing circuit densities on a chip is placing aggressive demands on metallization. In recent years, metal interconnection technology has indeed became a gating factor in realizing high speeds at the circuit level. Stringent process requirements have brought about major changes in the design of process equipment, particularly plasma etchers and chemical vapor deposition systems. Among the noteworthy are the low pressure, single wafer magnetron and “electron cyclotron resonance” reactors, a new breed of thin film deposition systems, down-stream reactors, clustered integrated process systems, and laser processing equipment. This paper discusses these recent trends in reactor development, along with underlying principles that are used in their design.