cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
OXYGEN/HYDROGEN CHEMISTRY IN THE INNER COMAE OF ACTIVE COMETS

We have constructed a concentric-shell, one-dimensional kinetic model that examines the chemistry of hydrogen and oxygen species in detail. We have studied the effects of the reactions of the reactive OH, O( 3 P), and O( 1 D) species with themselves and with the abundant stable molecules in the inner coma of moderately and highly active comets. We find that the reactions (1) Oð 1 DÞþH2O! 2OH and (2) Oð 3 PÞþOH! O2þ Hp lay important roles in the inner comae of active comets. Inclusion of reaction (2) predicts the formation of significant amounts of molecular oxygen. As the densities of O2 may be as high as 1% those of water in some cases, the possibility of detection exists. We suggest the possibility that the ion O þ may contribute to some previously unassigned features in the optical ion-tail spectra of comets. We also consider the role that reactions of the reactive species might play in the destruction of CO, NH3, and organic molecules in the inner coma of the active comet. We find that destruction offormaldehyde, for example, by reaction with OH has a small but essentially negligible effect on the predicted production rate offormaldehyde. Finally, we examine the significance of the reaction of OH with CO in the dense inner coma. Subject headings: astrochemistry — comets: general
Repeated acquisition and extinction of an operant by opossums and rats

Five Virginia opossums and seven rats were shaped and extinguished on a barpressing response on each of 10 succeeding days. Both opossums and rats made fewer responses during the extinction period over days, indicating that both species show progressive improvement on this task. These results were interpreted as being consistent with earlier studies.
Targeting gold at the end of the rainbow: surgical gamma probes in the 21st century.

Surgical gamma detection probes (GDPs) have become important in the surgical management of neoplastic disease in the past 20 years. Their history and radiophysics are discussed, with consideration of the overarching issue of tumor-to-background ratio (TBR). GDPs are currently most commonly used in sentinel node applications in a variety of tumors. Whether their role in clinical surgical practice can be extended to other applications will depend on the development of radiolabeled tumor marking agents which have much improved TBR, and parallel developments in oncology research which may overtake this technology. J. Surg. Oncol. 2007;96:286–289. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Orbital rhabdomyosarcoma fifty-seven years after radiotherapy for retinoblastoma

A 58-year-old man developed a left orbital mass 57 years after bilateral enucleation and external beam radiotherapy for bilateral sporadic retinoblastoma. Eighteen years earlier, the patient had a basal cell carcinoma successfully excised from the same area. Orbital computed tomography revealed an infiltrative soft tissue mass measuring 50 ± 40 ± 15 mm involving the left medial orbit, left ethmoid sinus and the cribriform plate. An incisional biopsy was performed, and the lesion proved to be a poorly differentiated rhabdomyosarcoma of alveolar cell type. Despite aggressive chemotherapy, intracranial extension progressed and the patient expired.Late second malignancy following irradiated and non-irradiated retinoblastoma has been documented to occur even up to 54 years after retinoblastoma diagnosis. The 57-year interval between retinoblastoma and second cancer highlights this phenomenon and emphasizes the need for long term medical care of these patients.
Picophytoplankton dynamics and production in the Arabian Sea during the 1995 Southwest Monsoon

Abstract Phytoplankton community structure is expected to shift to larger cells (e.g., diatoms) with monsoonal forcing in the Arabian Sea, but recent studies suggest that small primary producers remain active and important, even in areas strongly influenced by coastal upwelling. To better understand the role of smaller phytoplankton in such systems, we investigated growth and grazing rates of picophytoplankton populations and their contributions to phytoplankton community biomass and primary productivity during the 1995 Southwest Monsoon (August–September). Environmental conditions at six study stations varied broadly from open-ocean oligotrophic to coastal eutrophic, with mixed-layer nitrate and chlorophyll concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 11.5 μM NO 3 and 0.16 to 1.5 μg Chl a . Picophytoplankton comprised up to 92% of phytoplankton carbon at the oceanic stations, 35% in the diatom-dominated coastal zone, and 26% in a declining Phaeocystis bloom. Concurrent in situ dilution and 14 C-uptake experiments gave comparable ranges of community growth rates (0.53–1.05 d −1 and 0.44–1.17 d −1 , to the 1% light level), but uncertainties in C:Chl a confounded agreement at individual stations. Microzooplankton grazing utilized 81% of community phytoplankton growth at the oligotrophic stations and 54% at high-nutrient coastal stations. Prochlorococcus (PRO) was present at two oligotrophic stations, where its maximum growth approached 1.4 d −1 (two doublings per day) and depth-integrated growth varied from 0.2 to 0.8 d −1 . Synechococcus (SYN) growth ranged from 0.5 to 1.1 d −1 at offshore stations and 0.6 to 0.7 d −1 at coastal sites. Except for the most oligotrophic stations, growth rates of picoeukaryotic algae (PEUK) exceeded PRO and SYN, reaching 1.3 d −1 offshore and decreasing to 0.8 d −1 at the most coastal station. Microzooplankton grazing impact averaged 90, 70, and 86% of growth for PRO, SYN, and PEUK, respectively. Picoplankton as a group accounted for 64% of estimated gross carbon production for all stations, and 50% at high-nutrient, upwelling stations. Prokaryotes (PRO and SYN) contributed disproportionately to production relative to biomass at the most oligotrophic station, while PEUK were more important at the coastal stations. Even during intense monsoonal forcing in the Arabian Sea, picoeukaryotic algae appear to account for a large portion of primary production in the coastal upwelling regions, supporting an active community of protistan grazers and a high rate of carbon cycling in these areas.
Trend towards low cost, low power, ultra-violet (UV) based biological agent detectors

Ultra-violet fluorescence remains a corner stone technique for the detection of biological agent aerosols. Historically, these UV based detectors have employed relatively costly and power demanding lasers that have influenced the exploitation of the technology to wider use. Recent advancements from the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency's (DARPA) Solid-state Ultra Violet Optical Sources (SUVOS) program has changed this. The UV light emitting diode (LED) devices based on Gallium Nitride offer a unique opportunity to produce small, low power, and inexpensive detectors. It may, in fact, be possible to extend the SUVOS technology into detectors that are potentially disposable. This report will present ongoing efforts to explore this possibility. It will present candidate UV fluorescence based detector designs along with the biological aerosol responses obtained from these designs.
Macrophage-targeted photosensitizer conjugate delivered by intratumoral injection.

A conjugate between maleylated albumin and a photosensitizer (PS) shows cell type specific targeting to macrophages via the scavenger receptor. Administration of this conjugate to a tumor-bearing mouse followed by illumination may allow selective destruction of macro- phages within tumors. There is accumulating evidence that tumor-associated macrophages contribute to tumor growth, invasiveness, metastasis, and immune suppression. We tested the intravenous (IV) injection of a conjugate between maleylated albumin and chlorin(e6) to BALB/c mice bearing three tumor types with differing proportions of tumor-associated macrophages. The accumulation of PS within the tumors after IV injection and 24 h incubation time was disappointing, and we therefore investigated intratumoral (IT) injection. This gave 20-50 times greater concentrations of PS within the tumor compared to IV injection as determined by tissue extraction. Furthermore the amounts of PS in each tumor type correlated well with the numbers of macrophages both as determined by extraction from bulk tumor and fluorescence quantification and as determined by tissue dissociation to a single cell suspension and two-color flow cytometry with macrophage-specific antibodies. IT injection of nonconjugated PS gave lower tumor accumulation that did not correlate with macrophage content. IT injection of targeted macro- molecular delivery systems is an underexplored area and worthy of further study.
Novel surgical treatment of a transverse-sigmoid sinus aneurysm presenting as pulsatile tinnitus: technical case report.

OBJECTIVE Pulsatile tinnitus is a relatively common, potentially incapacitating condition that is often vascular in origin. We present a case of disabling pulsatile tinnitus caused by a transverse-sigmoid sinus aneurysm that was surgically treated with self-tying U-clips (Medtronic, Inc., Memphis, TN). We also review the literature and discuss other described interventions. CLINICAL PRESENTATION A 48-year-old woman presented with a 5-year history of progressive pulsatile tinnitus involving the right ear. Her physical examination was consistent with a lesion that was venous in origin. Angiography demonstrated a wide-necked venous aneurysm of the transverse-sigmoid sinus that had eroded the mastoid bone. INTERVENTION The patient underwent a retromastoid suboccipital craniectomy to expose the aneurysm and surrounding anatomy. The aneurysm dome was tamponaded and the aneurysm neck was coagulated until the dome had shrunk to a small remnant. The linear defect in the transverse sigmoid junction was then reconstructed with a series of U-clips and covered with Gelfoam hemostatic sponge (Pfizer, Inc., New York, NY). The patient awakened without neurological deficit and with immediate resolution of her tinnitus. A postoperative angiogram demonstrated obliteration of the aneurysm, with minimal stenosis in the region of the repair and good flow through the dominant right transverse-sigmoid junction. CONCLUSION This technical case report describes a novel definitive surgical treatment of venous sinus aneurysms. This technique does not necessitate long-term anticoagulation, has a low likelihood of reintervention, and provides immediate resolution of pulsatile tinnitus.
Does a global DNA barcoding gap exist in Annelida

AbstractAccurate identification of unknown specimens by means of DNA barcoding is contingent on the presence of a DNA barcoding gap, among other factors, as its absence may result in dubious specimen identifications – false negatives or positives. Whereas the utility of DNA barcoding would be greatly reduced in the absence of a distinct and sufficiently sized barcoding gap, the limits of intraspecific and interspecific distances are seldom thoroughly inspected across comprehensive sampling. The present study aims to illuminate this aspect of barcoding in a comprehensive manner for the animal phylum Annelida. All cytochrome c oxidase subunit I sequences (cox1 gene; the chosen region for zoological DNA barcoding) present in GenBank for Annelida, as well as for “Polychaeta”, “Oligochaeta”, and Hirudinea separately, were downloaded and curated for length, coverage and potential contaminations. The final datasets consisted of 9782 (Annelida), 5545 (“Polychaeta”), 3639 (“Oligochaeta”), and 598 (Hirudinea) cox1 ...
Factors affecting glucose transfer into bowfin brainin vitro. Significance of damage to glial footplates

The thick layer of glial footplates at the ventral surface of the medulla oblongata of the bowfin (Amia calva) was damaged unilaterally or bilaterally by ‘stripping’ the meninges. Damage to the footplate layer had no consistent effect on glucose content, some experiments showing a moderate decrease. Experiments with [3H]glucose showed that the latter enters intact brains rapidly, equilibrating with the incubation fluid within 15 min. Transfer of [3H]glucose from the incubation fluid into the tissue was accelerated by increasing its concentration in the incubation fluid and by increasing the temperature; it was not affected by varying the total glucose in the medium while maintaining constant concentrations of [3H]glucose. These effects were consistent with a physical diffusion process. There was indication, on the other hand, that glucose content of the tissue was stabilized by intrinsic biochemical mechanisms. Damage to the glial footplate layer accelerated the transfer of [3H]glucose into the tissue. The data give no evidence for a ‘nutritive’ role of glial footplates in terms of facilitating the transfer of glucose from the incubation fluid into the tissue.
Electrochromatography—a preliminary study of the effect of applied potential on a carbonaceous chromatographic column

Abstract The preparation of a trimethylchlorosilane-modified carbon support material and the construction of a three-electrode high-performance liquid chromatographic column are described. The effects of applied potential on the capacity factors are described. The capacity factors decrease by factors of 8 for toluene, 2 for phenol, and 1.1 for pyridine as the applied potential is changed from +0.8 to −0.8 V vs. Ag.
An automated tunnel evaporation measurement system for confined spaces

An automated tunnel evaporation-rate measurement system (TEMS) has been designed to measure automatically the evaporation from a cylinder 0·30 m in diameter and ∼0·10 m tall. This cylinder continuously maintains a constant height of water, with losses to evaporation replenished from a stilling cylinder connected to a water reservoir. The evaporation rate is measured by a transducer located at the bottom of the stilling well. The TEMS was tested over a period of 3 months in an underground research facility with relatively strong wind effects, changing temperature, and changing humidity. During this period, the TEMS continued to function uninterrupted, automatically measuring the evaporation amounts along a tunnel and an enclosed niche. These observations suggest that this tool can be useful for investigations of evaporation processes both in enclosed and ventilated environments. Published in 2002 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A prize catch for diabetic retinopathy.

A new approach to treating leaky blood vessels emerges from a proteomic analysis. The findings have implications for diabetic retinopathy and other diseases associated with increased vascular permeability (pages 181–188).
The C-Terminal Region of Cytoplasmic Polyadenylation Element Binding Protein Is a ZZ Domain with Potential for Protein–Protein Interactions

Cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding protein (CPEB) provides temporal and spatial control of protein synthesis required for early development and neuronal synaptic plasticity. CPEB regulates protein expression by inhibiting polyadenylation of selected mRNA transcripts, which prevents binding of the ribosome for protein synthesis. Two RNA recognition motif domains and a C-terminal binuclear zinc-binding domain are required for mRNA binding, but the zinc-binding domain is not required for sequence-specific recognition of the targeted mRNA transcript. The structure and function of the zinc-binding domain of CPEB are unknown. The C-terminal region of CPEB may participate in assembly of the ribonucleoprotein complex that includes the scaffold protein, Symplekin, and the cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor. Sumoylation of Symplekin is required for polyadenylation, and both cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor and poly(A) polymerase are sumoylated. The foreshortened poly(A) tail is maintained by poly(A) ribonuclease, which associates with CPEB. While zinc-binding domains are renowned for nucleic acid recognition, binuclear zinc-binding structural motifs, such as LIM (Lin-11, Isl-1, Mec-3), RING (really interesting new gene), PHD (plant homeodomain) and ZZ (ZZ-type zinc finger) domains, participate in protein-protein interactions. Here, we report the solution structure of the C-terminal zinc-binding domain of CPEB1 (CPEB1-ZZ), which has a cross-braced zinc binding topology. The structural similarity to other ZZ domains suggests that the CPEB1-ZZ domain recruits sumoylated proteins during assembly of the ribonucleoprotein complex prior to mRNA export from the nucleus.
Evaluation of physical carrier sense based spanner construction and maintenance as well as broadcast and convergecast in ad hoc networks

While the use of physical carrier sensing for medium access control in ad hoc wireless networks is well established, exploiting physical carrier sensing directly for network layer functions is largely unexplored. We conduct extensive simulation evaluations of recently proposed algorithms that directly exploit physical carrier sensing for backbone network (spanner) construction, broadcast, and convergecast in wireless ad hoc networks. Our algorithms accommodate interference ranges larger than transmission ranges, explicitly incorporate the medium access control and packet collisions, and do not require any prior knowledge of the network. For spanner construction, our algorithms include three self-stabilizing phases that establish leader nodes able to reach all nodes in one hop, assign the leaders non-interfering transmission rounds, and connect the leaders through gateway nodes. We evaluate the backbone construction and maintenance as well as broadcast and convergecast through simulations. We find that over 75% of the control messages for backbone network construction are received from physical carrier sensing. While the number of backbone nodes is relatively large, the backbone is very robust, quickly self-stabilizing, and only a fraction of the backbone nodes are used for broadcast.
SU‐GG‐T‐580: Parameterization of Dose Volume Histograms (DVHs) of Planning Target Volume (PTV) Among Patients Undergoing Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer

Purpose: To propose and validate a method to parameterize Dose Volume Histograms (DVHs) of the Planning Target Volume (PTV) for prostate cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy.Methods and Materials: There are generally two different formats of DVH: differential DVH (dDVH) and cumulative DVH (cDVH). Although cDVHs are more commonly used for radiotherapytreatment plan evaluation, dDVHs were used in our study to test the parameterization, as mathematically, the deferential format preserves more details than the cumulative/integral format. Prostate adenocarcinoma patients previously irradiated at our institution were selected for the study. For these patients, the total dose was 7400 cGy prescribed to cover 95%–98% of the PTV. The treatments were planned using a 7–9 field IMRT technique. It was found that the PTV dDVHs could be characterized by a normal function. Fifteen patients were selected and their PTV DVHs were fitted with a normal function. Parameters regularly used for the treatment plan evaluations, e.g. D95, mean dose and generalized mean dose (GMD), from the original DVHs were compared with those from fitted DVHs. Results: The fittings of the rectal DVHs yielded high goodness of fit with adjusted R‐square greater than 0.97. The mode of the peak was 7575.4 ± 57.1 cGy. The standard deviation was 43.3 ± 10.5 cGy. For D95, mean dose and GMD, the relative differences between original and fitted DVHs were within 3%. Conclusions: DVHs could be represented by several parameters. The PTV DVH of patients undergoing irradiation to the prostate gland could successfully be parameterized using a normal function.
Restriction of Epstein-Barr virus-specific cytotoxic T cells by HLA-A, -B, and -C molecules

HLA-loss variants of an Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B-lymphoblastoid cell line (EBV-LCL) 721 were used as target cells to identify HLA molecules utilized by EBV-LCL-specific cytotoxic T cells. Split culture analysis of cytotoxic T cells plated at limiting dilution showed killing of HLA-loss variants bearing either HLA-A2 or -B5 molecules, with 10 times higher frequency of cytotoxic T cells restricted by the HLA-B5 molecule. Clonal analysis confirmed the restriction by HLA-A2 or -B5 of some cytotoxic T-cell clones and identified cytotoxic T-cell clones cytolytic for target cells which do not express HLA-A or -B but do express the HLA-C determinant. Thus, our results show immunodominance of the HLA-B5 restriction determinant for EBV-induced antigens in the donor of the HLA-loss variants and provide evidence that the HLA-C molecule can also serve as restriction determinant for EBV-LCL-specific cytotoxic T cells.
Spore Detection in Air and Fluid Using Micro-cantilever Sensors

The purpose of this paper is to report on our work to develop a real-time monitoring device by using micro-cantilevers for the mass detection of biological organisms in air and fluid. The biological agent used was Bacillus anthracis Sterne spore. The experiment was conducted using a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) to measure the resonant frequency of the thermal noise cantilevers and the corresponding decrease in frequency as a result of the added mass. Moreover, the added mass attributed to the spores was quantified and compared in air and deionized (DI) water. The silicon cantilevers used in this study were of lengths ranging from 25 μm to 50 μm, 200 nm thick and a width of approximately 9 μm. The first part of the experiment consisted of suspending spores onto the cantilevers in fluid, drying the cantilevers, performing measurements in air and extracting the mass of the added spores. The average mass of a spore in air was 367 fg. The second part of the experiment utilized antibody and bovine serum albumin (BSA) physically adsorbed onto the cantilevers in order to fix the spores on the surface during the measurements in deionized water. The extracted mass of a spore in fluid was measured to be an average of 1.85 pg. This study demonstrated the ability to detect biological samples not only in air but also in a liquid environment.
Hyperactivation of the folded gastrulation pathway induces specific cell shape changes

During Drosophila gastrulation, mesodermal precursors are brought into the interior of the embryo by formation of the ventral furrow. The first steps of ventral furrow formation involve a flattening of the apical surface of the presumptive mesodermal cells and a constriction of their apical diameters. In embryos mutant for folded gastrulation (fog), these cell shape changes occur but the timing and synchrony of the constrictions are abnormal. A similar phenotype is seen in a maternal effect mutant, concertina (cta). fog encodes a putative secreted protein whereas cta encodes an (alpha)-subunit of a heterotrimeric G protein. We have proposed that localized expression of the fog signaling protein induces apical constriction by interacting with a receptor whose downstream cellular effects are mediated by the cta G(alpha)protein. In order to test this model, we have ectopically expressed fog at the blastoderm stage using an inducible promoter. In addition, we have examined the constitutive activation of cta protein by blocking GTP hydrolysis using both in vitro synthesized mutant alleles and cholera toxin treatment. Activation of the fog/cta pathway by any of these procedures results in ectopic cell shape changes in the gastrula. Uniform fog expression rescues the gastrulation defects of fog null embryos but not cta mutant embryos, arguing that cta functions downstream of fog expression. The normal location of the ventral furrow in embryos with uniformly expressed fog suggests the existence of a fog-independent pathway determining mesoderm-specific cell behaviors and invagination. Epistasis experiments indicate that this pathway requires snail but not twist expression.
Printed microinductors on flexible substrates for power applications

A low-profile microinductor was fabricated on a copper-clad polyimide substrate where the current carrying coils were patterned from the existing metallization layer and the magnetic core was printed using a magnetic ceramic-polymer composite material. Highly loaded ferrite-polymer composite materials were formulated, yielding adherent films with 4/spl pi/M/sub s//spl ap/3900 G at +5000 Oe applied DC field. These composite magnetic films combine many of the superior properties of high temperature ceramic magnetic materials with the inherent processibility of polymer thick films. Processing temperatures for the printed films were between 100/spl deg/C and 130/spl deg/C, facilitating integration with a wide range of substrates and components. The quality factor of the microinductor was found to peak at Q=18.5 near 10 MHz, within the optimal frequency range for power applications. A flat, nearly frequency independent inductance of 1.33 /spl mu/H was measured throughout this frequency range for a 5 mm/spl times/5 mm component, with a DC resistance of 2.6 /spl Omega/ and a resonant frequency of 124 MHz. The combination of printed ceramic composites with organic/polymer substrates enables new methods for embedding passive components and ultimately the integration of high Q inductors with standard integrated circuits for low profile power electronics.
Spatio‐temporal processes

We present an overview of the literature on the analysis of spatio-temporal processes with a nonseparable covariance structure. We focus on those methods that rely heavily on computing for the estimation or inference. Topics are classified into frequentist approaches, which rely on expectation–maximization algorithms, and hierarchical Bayesian approaches, which rely on Markov chain Monte Carlo. We also present discussions on other computational issues related to the analysis of spatio-temporal data. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Science for surgeons: understanding pump thrombogenesis in continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices.

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have emerged as a mainstay, lifesaving treatment option for patients with refractory heart failure, with 1and 2-year actuarial survival rates of 80% and 70%, respectively, for the current generation of Food and Drug Administration-approved continuous-flow devices. Despite this progress, continuousflow LVADs are not without their shortcomings. One issue in particular continues to vex these devices and is increasingly garnering attention in the literature: Device thrombosis and its attendant thromboembolic complications. After a recent article exposed an unexpected uptick in the incidence of pump thrombosis with 1 of the 2 approved durable continuous-flow pumps, a flurry of studies quickly ensued that sought to better delineate the problem of LVAD thrombogenesis. Much of this effort focuses on developing patient-level and/or device-specific predictors of thrombus formation as clotting is not inevitable with current devices. The results of such clinical endeavors will no doubt bevital to improving outcomes; however, what is often lost in these analyses is an understanding of the thrombus itself. Simple questions like, ‘‘What exactly is a thrombus?’’ are often taken for granted, yet, overcoming the multifactorial scourge of LVAD thrombosis demands that we understand the answers to these fundamental questions. We therefore present a contemporary review of the basic science of thrombogenesis in the setting of LVAD support and begin by outlining how clots typically form in devices, incorporating new insights into established clotting cascades. Then, we invoke a Virchow’s triad of sorts to explain the 3 fundamental determinants of pump thrombogenesis: (1) titanium’s bioreactive surface acts as a nidus for
Mechanical properties of hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide thin films

The reliable fabrication of interconnects containing ultra low-k organosilicate dielectrics (ULK) has been a significant technological challenge. ULK's are inherently fragile with reduced elastic constants. In addition, their Si-O backbone makes organosilicate films prone to moisture-assisted cracking leading to serious reliability concerns. In this study, we investigated the mechanical properties of hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide films (a-SiC:H) that do not contain Si-O bonds. The mechanical properties of a-SiC:H films are considered together with their enhanced fracture resistance and remarkable insensitivity to moisture assisted cracking.
CUMULATIVE ADVANTAGE: CONDUCTORS AND INSULATORS OF HEAVY-TAILED PRODUCTIVITY DISTRIBUTIONS AND PRODUCTIVITY STARS

We use the metatheoretical principle of cumulative advantage as a framework to understand the presence of heavy-tailed productivity distributions and productivity stars. We relied on 229 datasets including 633,876 productivity observations collected from approximately 625,000 individuals in occupations including research, entertainment, politics, sports, sales, and manufacturing, among others. We implemented a novel methodological approach developed in the field of physics to assess the precise shape of the productivity distribution rather than relying on a normal versus nonnormal artificial dichotomy. Results indicate that higher levels of multiplicity of productivity, monopolistic productivity, job autonomy, and job complexity (i.e., conductors of cumulative advantage) are associated with a higher probability of an underlying power law distribution, whereas lower productivity ceilings (i.e., insulator of cumulative advantage) are associated with a lower probability. In addition, higher levels of multiplicity of productivity, monopolistic productivity, and job autonomy were associated with a greater proportion of productivity stars (i.e., productivity distributions with heavier tails), whereas lower productivity ceilings were associated with a smaller proportion of productivity stars (i.e., productivity distributions with lighter tails). Results serve as a building block for future theory development and testing efforts aimed at understanding why, when, and how the distribution of individual productivity may follow a nonnormal curve—and to what extent. We also discuss implications for organizations and management in terms of the design and implementation of human resource systems (e.g., selection, training, compensation), as well as for individuals interested in becoming productivity stars themselves.
Evolving optical fiber designs

The introduction of optical amplifiers early this decade, combined with the advancement of transmitter and multiplexing technology, has allowed the bundling of many transmission channels onto a single fiber. This has occurred simultaneously with an increasing demand for information carrying capacity driven by everything from deregulation to an explosion in Internet use. To meet these challenges, fiber manufacturers are evolving new fiber designs to facilitate changing transmission techniques. This paper discusses the driving forces behind new fiber designs, and examine some of the advances that have been made, including dispersion compensating fiber, non-zero dispersion shifted fiber, and large effective area fiber.
Modernizing Device Regulation

At what point does a modification of a device warrant an entirely new approval process? And who should make that decision? Dr. Alan Garber describes how the FDA might best approach its role as a device regulator.
Numerical Solution Scheme for Local Nonsimilarity Boundary-Layer Analysis

Abstract In the analysis of boundary layers by the local nonsimilarity solution method, the central task is the numerical solution of a set of simultaneous ordinary differential equations. The current method of solving these equations is forward integration in conjunction with a shooting method for determining certain of the starting values for the integration. This approach has been found to be less and less effective as the number of simultaneous equations increases. The numerical solution scheme described here is able to deal effectively with the multiequation systems encountered in local nonsimilarity boundary-layer analysis. It employs integrated forms of the governing differential equations. The key feature of the integrated forms is that they already satisfy the boundary conditions. With these equations, initial, almost arbitrary guesses of the profiles are refined automatically until convergence is attained. For concreteness, the description of the scheme is illustrated by a nonsimilar natural con...
Haemofiltration in newborns treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: a case-comparison study

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is a supportive cardiopulmonary bypass technique for patients with acute reversible cardiovascular or respiratory failure. Favourable effects of haemofiltration during cardiopulmonary bypass instigated the use of this technique in infants on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The current study aimed at comparing clinical outcomes of newborns on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation with and without continuous haemofiltration. Demographic data of newborns treated with haemofiltration during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation were compared with those of patients treated without haemofiltration in a retrospective 1:3 case-comparison study. Primary outcome parameters were time on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, time until extubation after decannulation, mortality and potential cost reduction. Secondary outcome parameters were total and mean fluid balance, urine output in mL/kg/day, dose of vasopressors, blood products and fluid bolus infusions, serum creatinin, urea and albumin levels. Fifteen patients with haemofiltration (HF group) were compared with 46 patients without haemofiltration (control group). Time on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was significantly shorter in the HF group: 98 hours (interquartile range (IQR) = 48 to 187 hours) versus 126 hours (IQR = 24 to 403 hours) in the control group (P = 0.02). Time from decannulation until extubation was shorter as well: 2.5 days (IQR = 0 to 6.4 days) versus 4.8 days (IQR = 0 to 121.5 days; P = 0.04). The calculated cost reduction was €5000 per extracorporeal membrane oxygenation run. There were no significant differences in mortality. Patients in the HF group needed fewer blood transfusions: 0.9 mL/kg/day (IQR = 0.2 to 2.7 mL/kg/day) versus 1.8 mL/kg/day (IQR = 0.8 to 2.9 mL/kg/day) in the control group (P< 0.001). Consequently the number of blood units used was significantly lower in the HF group (P< 0.001). There was no significant difference in inotropic support or other fluid resuscitation. Adding continuous haemofiltration to the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation circuit in newborns improves outcome by significantly reducing time on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and on mechanical ventilation, because of better fluid management and a possible reduction of capillary leakage syndrome. Fewer blood transfusions are needed. All in all, overall costs per extracorporeal membrane oxygenation run will be lower.
Inpatient management of acute leukemia.

Inpatients with acute leukemia need meticulous supportive care, which can be complex and challenging. The physician must be vigilant for infection, hemorrhage, and other complications. Aggressive transfusion support is often necessary, but can itself cause complications.
The NNP/DNP shortage: transforming neonatal nurse practitioners into DNPs

Neonatal nurse practitioners (NNPs) represent a high-demand specialty practice that is especially targeted for US secondary and tertiary care neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). NNPs make primary decisions about the caregiving of high-risk newborns at the time of admission, throughout hospitalization, at transfer, and at discharge that require an advanced knowledge base in neonatology as well as NICU clinical experience. NNPs prepared at the master's level are currently in very short supply, with some estimates suggesting that for each NNP who graduates, there are 80 positions open across the country. Even with the present shortage, due to the high cost of NNP education, NNP programs are diminishing and those that are remaining are not graduating a sufficient number of new NNPs each year to keep up with the demand. To add to the basic shortage problem, in 2004 the American Association of Colleges of Nursing decided that by 2015, the terminal degree for all nurse practitioners should move from the master's degree to the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree. That decision added a minimum of 12 months of full-time education to the advanced education requirements for nurse practitioners. What impact will the decision to require a DNP degree have on NNP specialty practice? Will even more NNP programs close because of faculty shortages of NNPs prepared at the DNP level? If a worse shortage occurs in the number of NNPs prepared to practice in NICUs, will physician assistants or other nonphysician clinicians who meet the need for advanced neonatal care providers replace NNPs? What steps, if any, can nursing take to ensure that NNP specialty practice is still needed and survives after supplementing the DNP requirement to NNP education?
Perinephric Hematoma and Hemorrhagic Shock as a Rare Presentation for an Acutely Obstructive Ureteral Stone with Forniceal Rupture: A Case Report.

Abstract Background: Spontaneous perinephric hematoma (SPH) secondary to a forniceal rupture as the first presenting sign for an obstructive ureteral stone in a patient without history of urolithiasis has not been described previously. Case presentation: We report a 70-year-old Caucasian male patient who presented to our emergency room with fever, altered mental status, and left flank pain. He had a temperature of 103.3°F, tachycardia, but stable blood pressure. He had left flank tenderness. A computed tomography scan of the abdomen/pelvis with intravenous contrast revealed an intracapsular hematoma (13.3 × 10.0 × 6.4 cm) with an active bleeding and a 1.1 cm left proximal ureteral stone. The patient became quickly hemodynamically unstable and was taken for emergent exploratory laparotomy and left nephrectomy. An active bleeding was encountered secondary to a (2.4 × 2.0 cm) lateral capsular defect in the kidney. Conclusion: Hemorrhagic/septic shock as a presenting sign for an obstructive ureteral stone may...
Investigation on pH Change during the Fermentation of Yellow Rice Wine

Normal yellow rice wine production, as a complicated biochemical change process, is influenced by physical factors and biochemical factors including the composition of fermented mash, pH value, temperature, oxygen, and sundry bacteria contamination. pH change rules in fermentation are as follows: when yeast cells grew and propagated after addition of fermented mash into fermenting pots, pH value decreased, when alcohol developed by yeast metabolism, pH value increased at first and kept stable then, in late fermentation stage, pH value increased. pH change in fermentation would influence the activity of enzyme, the growth and propagation of microzyme, and the decomposition of some nutrient substances in fermented mash or the decomposition of yeast mesostate. (Tran. by YUE Yang)
Broomcorn—The frontiersman’s cash crop

About 50,000,000 brooms are manufactured annually in the United States from the long fibrous branches in the inflorescences oi this corn-like crop.
1999 directory of mass spectrometry manufacturers and suppliers

The intent of this directory is to provide a concise, annual listing of companies that supply instruments or hardware components and services which are specific to mass spectrometry. The scope of the directory is currently limited to exclude manufacturers of general vacuum components, contract analysis laboratories and companies that solely provide instrument service and repair. A unique, two-letter code has been established for each company. This code is then is referenced in one or more of four tables. Table 1 lists, by code, those companies that manufacture or supply complete mass spectrometer systems for general analysis and cross-references the main analyzer type with a variety of available ion sources and inlets. The second table lists companies that also manufacture complete systems, but these instruments have a specific or unique application. Table 3 catalogs companies that provide major mass spectrometry components. In order to be included in this table, the company should provide the component for more than one brand of mass spectrometer. Finally in Table 4, companies are listed that provide a special hardwareoriented service, again preferably for more than one instrument brand. The tables are followed by the address directory, which contains a listing of the companies. The listing is organized alphabetically by the company’s twoletter code and therefore roughly by company name. An attempt has been made to assign codes with match the company name, however due to the evolving nature of the mass spectrometry business, there are exceptions. The first entry in the company directory contains the company headquarters or primary contact address and phone numbers. The second and third entries provide, if available, other regional contact information. Contact addresses are provided (in no fixed order) for three regions: North America, Europe, and the Pacific Rim. As the directory is updated once per year (typically in the January-March time frame) changes to company addresses or other contact information that occur shortly after publication cannot be reflected until the next year. The are a few internet web-sites that may provide an updated contact. Some have been used in the editing of this directory. Three sites which contain company contact information (and are updated frequently) are listed below.
The Scale2 Multi-Network Architecture for IoT-Based Resilient Communities

Safe Community Awareness and Alerting Network (SCALE) is a community government/academic/industry partnership effort that aims to deploy, actuate and evaluate techniques to support multiple heterogeneous IoT technologies in real world communities. SCALE2, an extension of SCALE, engages a multi-tier and multi-network approach to drive data flow from IoT devices to the cloud platforms. While devices are used to gather data, most of the analytics are executed in the cloud. Managing and utilizing these multiple networks, devices and technologies is a big challenge that calls for an integrated management. In this context, we propose to leverage a related effort, MINA (Multi-network INformation Architecture), that aims at integrating operations of multi-networks IoT deployments in a hierarchical manner. This paper discusses the mapping of the SCALE2 heterogeneous platforms in the MINA environment and argues for a hierarchical approach to extending and managing community IoT multi-networks. We discuss resilience methods that can be employed at different tiers in the hierarchical architecture. We illustrate examples of how multiple applications can be supported in this heterogeneous setting; example applications include cooperative seismic event detection, mobile data collections for air quality information and assisted living for elders. Finally, we discuss novel research challenges associated with managing multi-network IoT architecture.
Advances and challenges: dendritic cell vaccination strategies for glioblastoma.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Glioblastoma is the most common primary brain tumor in adults and prognosis remains poor with a median survival of approximately 15–17 months. This review provides an overview of recent advances in the field of glioblastoma immunotherapy.Areas covered: Recent advances in dendritic cell vaccination immunotherapy are showing encouraging results in clinical trials and promise to extend patient survival. In this report we discuss current scientific knowledge regarding dendritic cell (DC) vaccines, including approaches to differentiating, priming, and injecting dendritic cells to achieve maximal anti-tumor efficacy in glioblastoma. These findings are compared to recently completed and currently ongoing glioblastoma clinical trials. Novel methods such as ‘fastDCs’ and vaccines targeting DCs in-vivo may offer more effective treatment when compared to traditional DC vaccines and have already entered the clinic.Expert commentary: Finally, we discuss the challenges of T-cell dysfunctions cause...
MantisBot: The Implementation of a Photonic Vision System

This paper presents the design of a vision system for MantisBot, a robot designed to model a male Tenodera sinensis. The vision system mounted on the head of the robot consists of five oriented voltaic panels that distinguish the location of the most dominant light source in reference to the head’s location. The purpose of this vision system is to provide the neural control system of the robot with descending commands, allowing for the investigation of transitions between targeted motions. In order to mimic the vision system of the insect, the voltaic panels were positioned in a particular orientation that when combined with a designed electric circuit yields an output that can be used by the neural controller to control the robot’s motion. This paper summarizes the design of the vision system and its outputs. It also presents calibration data revealing the system’s ability to encode a light source’s elevation and azimuth angle as well as its distance.
Empirical Modeling of Lean Adoption in Small to Medium Size Manufacturers

The practice of lean production has been documented in detail by production and operations management specialists world-wide [B. B. Flynn, S. Sakakibara, R. G. Schroeder, K. A. Bates and E. J. Flynn, Empirical research methods in operations management, Journal of Operations Management 9(2) (1990) 250–284]. Theoretically, on the other hand, there has been little research that define and quantify what it means to be a lean manufacturer. A typological definition of what it means to be lean has in part been resolved by a model initially developed by Shah and Ward [Defining and developing measures of lean production, Journal of Operations Management 25(4) (2007) 785–805]. This definition was used to determine the underlying concepts of lean production in small to medium size manufacturers (SMMs). While most of the factors found in the Shah and Ward [Defining and developing measures of lean production, Journal of Operations Management 25(4) (2007) 785–805] study remained valid, the model developed for SMMs displayed some new factors.
Pharmacogenomics-guided approach to minimize adverse drug reactions

A drug reactions (ADRs) are one of the major causes of patient morbidity and mortality. Pharmacogenetics is the study of how the genetic variations affect drug response in individual patients, while pharmacogenomics emphasizes the identification of the network of genes that govern drug response in individual patients using genome-wide approaches. Numerous genes, in particular those encoding drug metabolizing enzymes, drug transporters and drug targets, have been identified to affect drug response and ADRs. In the past decade, my laboratory has investigated the impact of polymorphisms of a number of important genes including CYP2B6, CYP2C9, ApoE, PXR/NR1I2, UGT1A1, GSTM1, GSTT1, GSTP1, TPMT, etc. on drug clearance, response, or ADRs. Mutations of these genes can significantly alter drug clearance, response or ADRs in different ethnic groups. In addition, mutations of certain genes can precipitate ADRs. Over the past years, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified a number of common and rare variants that are associated with increased risk of ADRs. As affordable and reliable genetic testing tools become available to physicians, pharmacogenomics looks promising to facilitate individualization of drug therapy and as a result, this will maximize the therapeutic efficacy of drugs in patients while minimizing the occurrence of ADRs. Shu-Feng Zhou, J Data Mining Genomics Proteomics 2013, 4:5 http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2153-0602.S1.004