cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
NT-11TARGETING INTERSTITIAL FLUID PRESSURE TO REDUCE TUMOR GROWTH AND INCREASE DRUG UPTAKE IN BRAIN TUMORS

High interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) represents a barrier for drug uptake in human GBM, the most common malignant primary brain tumor in adults. Increased IFP is due to leakiness of blood vessels and reduced drainage of fluid. This accumulation of fluid and high cell density compresses tumor tissue and promotes swelling of tumor cells. Although studies have clarified the role of tumor vasculature, it is still unclear if elevated IFP and swelling of cancer cells regulates tumor growth and drug uptake. Inhibition of NKCC1 (Na-K-Cl cotransporter) activity with bumetanide renders glioma cells unable to restore cell volume following osmotic challenges, blocks invasion in GBM xenografts, and augments temozolomide-mediated apoptosis in vitro. However, concerns about side-effects following bumetanide treatment warrants development of new approaches. Our preliminary data show that induction of antisecretory factor (AF), a regulator of fluid secretion, inhibited phosphorylation of NKCC1 in intracranial xenografts of human primary GBMs. Since AF therapy is safe in patients and lowers IFP in experimental models of solid tumors, we hypothesize that AF induction lowers IFP levels and increases drug uptake in xenografted GBMs. We have established novel methodology to study IFP in GBMs intracranially grafted into mice and the effects of compression in 3D-cultures. Our preliminary data show that elevated IFP and compression promotes tumor growth of GBMs. Our data suggest that AF induction lowers IFP levels by blocking restoration of cell volume and increases uptake of chemotherapy. Surprisingly, we found that AF induction alone reduced tumor growth and extended the survival of transplanted mice. Our work establish a role for IFP and cell swelling as potential therapeutic targets in GBMs and other solid cancers. As a novel pressure-reducing therapy, AF-induction represents an attractive strategy to reduce tumor growth, increase drug uptake, and improve survival in brain tumor patients.
Designing a High Fidelity Wake Simulator for Research Using Linear Cascades

Owing to the extensive use of wake generators in the study of turbine and compressor airfoils in linear cascades, a study was undertaken to determine the most accurate model for the wakes generated by upstream blade rows. Velocity (PIV) measurements were taken to compare wake properties of several bluff bodies with different cross sections to the wake of an ultra high lift low pressure turbine profile. These measurements were taken at two Reynolds numbers, a low and a high one to simulate a separated and attached wake, respectively, for both the blade and two of the shape configurations. The L1A turbine blade profile was determined to shed a wake typical of high lift turbine blade profiles. It is shown that the wake of the turbine blade is highly dependent on Reynolds number. In order to make an appropriate comparison, all bluff body data were extracted along a plane parallel to the equivalent inlet plane of a rotor stage in the stationary frame of reference. It was found that no single rod shape matched all of the blade wake characteristics. From among the shapes used in this study, a 30° isosceles wedge placed 6 diameters upstream of the cascade inlet in the axial direction and skewed 15° from the rod relative flow was found to yield the closest match for the low Re case due to the asymmetry in the velocity and Reynolds shear stresses in this wake compared with the wake of the low pressure turbine blade. The same configuration placed 10 diameters upstream yielded the best comparison to a higher Re, more attached L1A wake. Large Eddy Simulations of various shapes largely corroborate the experimental findings.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Microstructural characterization of a die-cast magnesium-rare earth alloy

Abstract Microstructural characterization of high-pressure die-cast alloy MEZ (Mg–2.5RE–0.35Zn–0.3Mn) reveals equiaxed dendrites of α-Mg with a partially divorced interdendritic eutectic. Detailed diffraction studies coupled with WDS analysis reveal the presence of a continuous Mg 12 RE intermetallic phase in the eutectic aggregate along with fine Mg particles.
Tree growth as indicator of tree vitality and of tree reaction to environmental stress: a review

The intensive monitoring plots (Level II) of ICP Forests serve to examine the effects of air pollution and other stress factors on forest condition, including tree vitality. However, tree vitality cannot be measured directly. Indicators, such as tree growth or crown transparency, may instead be used.
Focal nodular hyperplasia contiguous with an echinococcal cyst

We report the first case of an Echinococcal cyst and focal nodular hyperplasia, two usually isolated hepatic lesions, in direct contiguity. The patient presented with right upper quadrant pain and subsequent imaging studies found a cystic and solid lesion. These studies suggested that this lesion was an hepatic adenoma, which had bled forming a hematoma. Pathological examination of the surgical resection showed Echinococcus multilocularis with contiguous focal nodular hyperplasia. Because focal nodular hyperplasia is a benign hepatic lesion the etiology of which is thought to be abnormal arterial blood flow, we postulate that the parasitic hepatic infection by E. multilocularis may have incited the formation of this contiguous hepatic lesion.
Relationships between psychological mindedness and personality traits and ego functioning: Validity studies

Two studies further investigated the psychometric properties of the self-report Psychological Mindedness Scale (PMS), which has been shown to have good internal consistency and evidence of predictive and divergent validity. Its construct validity was investigated by assessing (1) whether total scores on the PMS of a group of medical students attending a personnel clinic in a psychiatric outpatient setting would be related in theoretically expected ways to their scores on a personality test; and (2) whether total scores on the PMS of a group of regular clinic patients would have the expected theoretical relationships to scores on a measure of ego functions. The findings of both studies provided support for the construct validity of the PMS.
Defective Lymphoid Development in Mice Lacking Jak3

The Janus tyrosine kinases (Jaks) play a central role in signaling through cytokine receptors. Although Jak1, Jak2, and Tyk2 are widely expressed, Jak3 is predominantly expressed in hematopoietic cells and is known to associate only with the common gamma (gamma c) chain of the interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-7, IL-9, and IL-15 receptors. Homozygous mutant mice in which the Jak3 gene had been disrupted were generated by gene targeting. Jak3-deficient mice had profound reductions in thymocytes and severe B cell and T cell lymphopenia similar to severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID), and the residual T cells and B cells were functionally deficient. Thus, Jak3 plays a critical role in gamma c signaling and lymphoid development.
Derivation of approximate activity-composition relations in MgOMnO solid solutions

Abstract The extent of the solid miscibility gap, and directions of conjugation lines between coexisting solid-solution phases in the ternary system CaO-MnO-MgO have been determined. These data, in conjunction with previously available data for the system CaO-MnO, are used to infer approximate activity-composition relations for the system MgO-MnO. The latter system is shown to display a large positive deviation from ideality.
Nationwide practices for screening and reporting prenatal cocaine abuse: A survey of teaching programs☆

Questionnaires surveying policies and opinions about prenatal cocaine abuse were sent to training programs nationwide. Eighty-one pediatric and 81 obstetric programs from 42 states responded. Although respondents favored routinely screening all patients by maternal history (81%) and by urine toxicology (36%), only 64% and 8%, respectively, reported these as established policy. Physicians reporting higher regional prenatal cocaine abuse rates more commonly favored universal perinatal screening (p = .009), but established policies were similar regardless of local prevalence (p = .19). Fifty-two percent of respondents were unaware of their state's requirements for reporting prenatal cocaine abuse. While most physicians favored interventions such as voluntary drug rehabilitation (64%) and family support services (64%), some physicians favored foster care placement for the infants (28%) and involuntary drug rehabilitation (31%). Only 3% felt that criminal prosecution of the mother was appropriate. Policies for managing prenatal cocaine abuse often did not reflect physicians' opinions. A multidisciplinary medical, social, and legal approach is needed to develop effective management policies.
Genital Mutilation and Adult Role Behavior Among Lowland Christian Filipinos of Cebu

among which the chief social distinction is between childless and child-rearing adults rather than between males and females. This was the greatest surprise of my study. The pattern of chimpanzee social life may have grown out of the long and intensive care the animals give their young. Carrying a child around almost constantly for four or more years obviously tends to restrict the range of the mother's movements [my italics.]
Alterations in the proestrous pattern of median eminence LHRH, serum LH, FSH, estradiol and progesterone concentrations in middle-aged rats

Abstract The purpose of the following study was to assess the changes in the proestrous hormone profile in middle-aged cycling rats to better understand the inter-relationship and possible interaction of these hormones during the transition to estrous acyclicity. Median eminence LHRH concentrations and serum LH, FSH, estradiol and progesterone concentrations were measured in young (3–4 months old) and middle-aged (8–10 months old) proestrous rats at 0900, 1200, 1500 and 1800h. The data demonstrate that (1) baseline hormone concentrations prior to the surge at 0900h are the same in middle-aged and young rats; (2) the proestrous gonadotropin surge is temporally delayed in middle-aged rats; (3) this delay is preceded by lower median eminence LHRH concentrations and serum estradiol concentrations at 1200h; (4) serum progesterone concentrations are lower in middle-aged rats during the preovulatory gonadotropin surge (at 1500 and 1800h) probably as a consequence of the delayed LH surge.
Wavelet modulation and recovery of weak signals via frequency selective thresholding

The limitations of straight forward wavelet transformations have been investigated for some time1. In this paper, it is shown that the time-frequency resolution tradeoff may be significantly improved by frequency modulating the mother wavelet. In this way weak signal components may be more efficiently recovered from strong noise. This technique is applied on discrete seismic data sets. In addition to frequency modulating the mother wavelet, it is shown that the quality of the recovered signals may be substantially improved by the application of weights to modify the mean wavelet transform of the data set. The two-dimensional variance and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) plots will be used in order to achieve this goal. It is also shown that by employing a frequency selective thresholding method, even better results as far as suppressing noise while keeping the signal can be attained.
Heparin-induced circular dichroism of chloroquine

Circular dichroism (CD) and UV/Visible absorption (UV/Vis) spectroscopy techniques were used to investigate the interaction between heparin and chloroquine, an antimalarial drug that has shown potential as an anti-prion agent. CD spectra of rac-chloroquine upon addition of heparin provide evidence of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) binding, support recent findings suggesting that interactions between heparin and antimalarial drugs are largely due to electrostatic interactions, and represent the first reported GAG-induced CD signal of a bicyclic, aromatic compound. The association constant ( approximately 10(3)M(-1)) between chloroquine and heparin was calculated from a UV titration curve and provided additional insight into the nature of the association between these two compounds.
A Model for DNA Detection by Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence from Immobilized Silver Nanoparticles on Solid Substrate

N-(2-Mercaptopropionyl)glycine (tiopronin)-coated silver nanoparticles (average diameter of metal core = 5 nm) were prepared by a modified Brust method. Tiopronin ligands were partially displaced by thiolate single-stranded oligonucleotides via ligand exchange. These particles were immobilized onto a solid substrate through hybridization with target oligonucleotides in a layer-by-layer approach. The dye-labeled complementary oligonucleotides were bound to the particle layers through hybridization. Fluorescence intensity was enhanced with a simultaneous increase of plasmon absorbance from accumulated particles. A steady state was shown at the 10th particle layer and then the fluorescence enhancement showed a plateau. This result reveals that increasing the particle layer contributes to fluorescence enhancement. This novel method was used to detect DNA hybridization through both absorbance and emission spectral changes.
Function of WW Domains as Phosphoserine- or Phosphothreonine-Binding Modules

Protein-interacting modules help determine the specificity of signal transduction events, and protein phosphorylation can modulate the assembly of such modules into specific signaling complexes. Although phosphotyrosine-binding modules have been well-characterized, phosphoserine- or phosphothreonine-binding modules have not been described. WW domains are small protein modules found in various proteins that participate in cell signaling or regulation. WW domains of the essential mitotic prolyl isomerase Pin1 and the ubiquitin ligase Nedd4 bound to phosphoproteins, including physiological substrates of enzymes, in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. The Pin1 WW domain functioned as a phosphoserine- or phosphothreonine-binding module, with properties similar to those of SRC homology 2 domains. Phosphoserine- or phosphothreonine-binding activity was required for Pin1 to interact with its substrates in vitro and to perform its essential function in vivo.
Disney and the presentation of colonial America

This paper uses the concepts of Disneyfication and Disneyization to discuss the (re)presentation of history at Disney’s American Adventure, Mount Vernon, Monticello, and Colonial Williamsburg. It is argued that these historical properties to varying degrees have adopted Disney principles. While the discussion focuses upon the Disney‐like experiences of colonial America at these sites, the piece concludes with a comment on the Disneyesque nature of everyday life in contemporary consumer culture.
Ozone flux in Glycine max (L.) Merr.: Sites of regulation and relationship to leaf injury.

Hood and Dare cultivars of soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr., vary in their foliar response to ozone. The physiological basis of this variation was investigated as a function of leaf age through an analysis of ozone flux data, leaf developmental morphology, and analogue modelling techniques. At all concentrations (0.25–0.58 μl l-1) and exposure times (1–4 h), resistance to O3 flux in the gas phase of the diffusive pathway (i.e., boundary layer and stomate) did not account fully for variation in pollutant uptake rates into the leaf interior. Ozone molecules experienced a residual resistance to diffusion that is not shared by effluxing water vapor molecules. Residual resistance to O3 flux increased with pollutant concentration and exposure time and was associated with age-dependent differences in foliar O3 response. Leaf morphology data, including stomatal frequency and the ratio of internal to external surface area, did not help explain cultivar or age-dependent differences in O3 flux. The extent of foliar injury was not consistently related to the magnitude of O3 flux into the leaf interior. An analysis of the residual resistance to O3 flux suggests that the gas and liquid phase pathways for O3, water vapor, and carbon dioxide are not identical.
Mechanical loading regimes affect the anabolic and catabolic activities by chondrocytes encapsulated in PEG hydrogels.

Summary Objective Mechanical loading of cell-laden synthetic hydrogels is one strategy for regenerating functional cartilage. This work tests the hypothesis that type of loading (continuous vs intermittent) and timing when loading is applied (immediate vs delayed) influence anabolic and catabolic activities of chondrocytes when encapsulated in poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels. Methods Primary bovine chondrocytes encapsulated in PEG hydrogels were subjected to unconfined dynamic compressive strains applied continuously or intermittently for 1 week (i.e., immediate) or intermittently for 1 week but after a 1 week free-swelling (FS) period (i.e., delayed). Anabolic activities were assessed by gene expression for collagen II and aggrecan (AGC) and extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition by (immuno)histochemistry. Catabolic activities were assessed by gene expression for matrix metalloproteinases, MMP-1, 3, and 13. Results Intermittent loading (IL) upregulated ECM and MMP expressions, e.g., 2-fold, 16-fold and 8-fold for collagen II, MMP-1, MMP-3, respectively. Continuous loading upregulated AGC expression 1.5-fold but down-regulated MMP-1 (3-fold) and -3 (2-fold) expressions. For delayed loading, chondrocytes responded to FS conditions by down-regulating MMP expressions ( P Conclusions The type and timing of dynamic loading dramatically influenced ECM and MMP gene expression and to a lesser degree matrix deposition. Our findings suggest that early applications of IL is necessary to stimulate both anabolic and catabolic activities, which may be important in regenerating and restructuring the engineered tissue long-term.
A three-dimensional Maxwell's equation solver for computation of scattering from layered media

The differential time-domain Maxwell's equations are cast in a conservative form and then solved using a finite-volume discretization procedure derived from computational fluid dynamics methods applied to linear/nonlinear gasdynamics equations. The formulation accounts for any variations in the material properties (time, space, and frequency dependence) and can handle thin resistive sheets and lossy coatings by positioning them at finite-volume cell boundaries. The time-domain approach handles both continuous-wave (single-frequency) and pulsed (broadband-frequency) incident excitation. Arbitrarily shaped objects are modeled using a body-fitted coordinate transformation. For treatment of complex internal/external structures with many material layers, a multizone framework with ability to handle any type of zonal boundary conditions (perfectly conducting, flux through, zero flux, periodic, nonreflecting outer boundary, resistive card, lossy coatings, etc.) is implemented. >
Marangoni instability with non-uniform volumetric energy sources due to incident radiation

Abstract The effects of non-uniform volumetric energy sources, temperature-dependent viscosity and surface-tension on Marangoni convection in an incompressible fluid layer are studied. The nonlinear temperature profile arises from external incident radiation. The critical conditions for the onset of Marangoni instability in a microgravity environment ( 10 −6 –10 −3 g ) are determined numerically after a normal mode-type linear stability analysis. The perturbation equations are solved as an optimal control problem in the calculus of variations using Miele's sequential gradient-restoration algorithm (SGRA). The results indicate that viscosity plays a significant role in Marangoni convection relative to surface-tension. External radiation is a destabilizing factor while the degree of heat transfer (larger values of Bi) from the fluid to the adjacent gas is a stabilizing factor in Marangoni instability.
Organisation and sequence determination of glutamine-dependent carbamoyl phosphate synthetase II in Toxoplasma gondii.

Carbamoyl phosphate synthetase II encodes the first enzymic step of de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis. Carbamoyl phosphate synthetase II is essential for Toxoplasma gondii replication and virulence. In this study, we characterised the primary structure of a 28 kb gene encoding Toxoplasma gondii carbamoyl phosphate synthetase II. The carbamoyl phosphate synthetase II gene was interrupted by 36 introns. The predicted protein encoded by the 37 carbamoyl phosphate synthetase II exons was a 1,687 amino acid polypeptide with an N-terminal glutamine amidotransferase domain fused with C-terminal carbamoyl phosphate synthetase domains. This bifunctional organisation of carbamoyl phosphate synthetase II is unique, so far, to protozoan parasites from the phylum Apicomplexa (Plasmodium, Babesia, Toxoplasma) or zoomastigina (Trypanosoma, Leishmania). Apicomplexan parasites possessed the largest carbamoyl phosphate synthetase II enzymes due to insertions in the glutamine amidotransferase and carbamoyl phosphate synthetase domains that were not present in the corresponding gene segments from bacteria, plants, fungi and mammals. The C-terminal allosteric regulatory domain, the carbamoyl phosphate synthetase linker domain and the oligomerisation domain were also distinct from the corresponding domains in other species. The novel C-terminal regulatory domain may explain the lack of activation of Toxoplasma gondii carbamoyl phosphate synthetase II by the allosteric effector 5-phosphoribosyl 1-pyrophosphate. Toxoplasma gondii growth in vitro was markedly inhibited by the glutamine antagonist acivicin, an inhibitor of glutamine amidotransferase activity typically associated with carbamoyl phosphate synthetase II, guanosine monophosphate synthetase, or CTP synthetase.
Cytogenetics of diploid and triploid salamanders of the Ambystoma jeffersonianum complex

Analysis of C-band heterochromatin (CBH) and cold-induced secondary constrictions (CICs) indicates that gynogenetic triploidy in the Ambystoma jeffersonianum complex is a cytogenetic consequence of hybridization between the two diploid species, A. jeffersonianum and A. laterale. The key feature in the history of this complex was the apparent proclivity for germ-line chromosome reduplication, and incidental production of chromosomally unreduced ova, allowing the circumvention of meiotic difficulties in diploid hybrid females. Chromosome structure, in terms of CBH and CICs, the mechanism of sex determination (dominant W, female heterogametic), and a recognizable WZ female/ZZ male sex chromosome heteromorphism in the diploid species A. laterale, are cytogenetic factors that allow reconstruction of the probable evolutionary history of the complex. The constitution of the triploid karyotypes suggests that the putative ancestral hybrid diploid females resulted from a mating between female A. jeffersonianum and male A. laterale, and that when such a hybrid female backcrossed to normal males of A. jeffersonianum and A. laterale, both kinds of allotriploids, A. platineum and A. tremblayi respectively, were produced. Karyological differentiation in each triploid species suggests that their origin was relatively recent and virtually simultaneous. It is conceivable that only one such hybrid female gave rise to both kinds of allotriploids in just one or two breeding seasons, and that present geographic distributions are due to persistent post-glaciation migrations of the resulting triploid clones. All offspring from such a back-cross carried a jeffersonianum W-chromosome and hence were female as well as triploid, and probably continued to produce chromosomally unreduced (triploid) ova by the same mechanism that operated in their hybrid mother. Sperm rejection resulting in gynogenesis in the allotriploids can be viewed as a physiological response to “pseudopolyspermy” by the chromosomally unreduced triploid ova. Evidence is presented that one of the triploid species, A. platineum, may produce a high percentage of diploid offspring with karyotypes identical to A. jeffersonianum. Diploids have not been detected among the offspring of A. tremblayi, but tetraploids are occasionally produced.
High light-level blooming in the silicon vidicon

Blooming occurs in silicon-vidicon targets because more hole-electron pairs are created at a given point by the incident light signal than can be removed by the action of the scanning electron beam. The excess carriers move laterally in the target through diffusion and, as a result, the blooming has the following properties- 1) the Slope of the blooming curve on semilog paper does not depend on the size of the incident light spot, i.e., at a given overload intensity, all circular spot sizes add the same excess amount to their radii; 2) the radius of a bloomed spot increases linearly with the log of the incident intensity; 3) the Slope of the blooming curve does not depend on beam current; however, the intensity at which the blooming begins does depend directly on the beam current. At very high incident-light intensities, a dramatic increase in the blooming is observed. This can be attributed to diffusion under conditions where the minority carrier level has become equal to the majority carrier level.
Relativistic transformation of wavelength provides insights into the geometry of photons

The wavelength has been a common denominator to the various wave-like and particle-like models of the photon - this wavelength being inversely proportional to the momentum and energy ascribed to the photon. The Lorentz transformation has been utilized with both wave-like and particle-like descriptions to generate the relativistic Doppler Effect and the associated transformation of the wavelength. The relativistic transformation of those models is reexamined here, noting the common feature that wavelength transforms as a specific time-length projected along the trajectory of the photon. While in the wave-model this length can be associated with the periodicity of the wave, in the particle-model this length can be associated with a real, quantized geometric property of the photon. This associated length can tie the photon to the description of components of other quantum particles modeled variously by strings or membranes. Whatever description for the structure of light we ultimately converge upon should integrate this real, geometric property of wavelength. A novel membrane-like model for the photon is discussed that integrates this geometric time-length and suggests the correlation to mass-energy.
Toward understanding twin–twin interactions in hcp metals: Utilizing multiscale techniques to characterize deformation mechanisms in magnesium

Abstract The mechanical properties of hexagonal close-packed (hcp) metals depend heavily on both slip and twinning, and interactions between twins have important implications on hardening behavior. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), as well as conventional, in situ straining, and high resolution (HR) transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are used to study these interactions. HRTEM is used to observe the twin boundary structure. Twin boundaries that deviate from the characteristic { 10 1 ¯ 2 } twin planes at the macroscale are revealed to be a combination of perfect { 10 1 ¯ 2 } boundaries and characteristic facets at the nanoscale. Faceting for tensile { 10 1 ¯ 2 } twins adopts basal-prismatic (B-P) character, where basal planes in the matrix very nearly align with prism planes in the twin, or similarly, prism planes in the matrix align with basal planes in the twin. Such features play a significant role in twin boundaries, where faceting accommodates the large changes to boundary shape observed. in situ straining is used to study twin–twin interactions as they occur, and also detwinning behavior upon load reversal. During the initial interaction, considerable changes to the shape of the twin boundaries are observed, consistent with post-mortem analyses. On load reversal, detwinning is observed, and the interacting twins disengage from one another, however a change in boundary structure due to the interaction is retained.
Evaluation of model approximations in simulating pressure swing adsorption-solvent vapor recovery

Sixteen different mathematical models, based on all combinations of four major assumptions (i.e., frozen solid phase during pressurization/blowdown, isothermal, equilibrium, and constant gas phase velocity during constant pressure steps), were evaluated in simulating a pressure swing adsorption−solvent vapor recovery process, which was representative of any Langmuirian system utilizing a Skarstrom-type cycle. The evaluation was based on the bed dynamics and process performance predicted by each model, and obtained from a 24 full factorial design. Overwhelmingly, the results showed that the predictions of the process dynamics and performance from the 16 different models varied widely, and depended on which combination of assumptions was applied. Qualitative trends, based on the factorial analysis, indicated that both the constant velocity and frozen assumptions caused an overprediction in the solvent vapor enrichment and the bed capacity factor; and significant interaction effects existed between these two...
Discussion Dilemmas: An Analysis of Beliefs and Ideals in the Undergraduate Seminar.

In an effort to improve our understanding of intellectual discussion in the undergraduate seminar and how it may be enhanced, three interdisciplinary discussion-based classes taken by primarily first-year students at a liberal arts college were studied ethnographically. Specifically, this article explores the struggles experienced by the students and professors, and the implicit ideals they held regarding the discussion in these seminars. Action-implicative discourse analysis of individual and group interviews revealed three situated problems: how to encourage participation amidst disengagement and dominance and support student risk-taking, how to teach the texts and have a sophisticated discussion that is student-driven, and how to have exciting intellectual discussions that are not “too emotional.” These problems are each part of larger dilemmas including the desire for a supportive and challenging environment, the desire for coverage and openness, and the desire for emotional involvement and detachment.
Towards a Format Registry for Engineering Data

There has been a great deal of interest recently in the problem of long term archiving of digital data. This is especially so in engineering design, where the CAD software tools evolve rapidly but the manufactured products themselves have much longer lifetimes whose support requires archived design data in a usable form. The ISO Open Archival Information Systems (OAIS) Reference Model is a widely used standard for digital archiving, with an essential piece of this model being a file format registry. A file format registry is a system for housing information about file formats that allows for correct interpretation, rendering, storage, and translation of digital files. Currently there exists no file format registry specifically for CAD file formats. This paper explains the purpose of a file format registry for CAD in the greater context of digital archiving, and then presents our approach to creating a CAD file format registry using the Resource Description Framework (RDF) language of the Semantic Web. By creating our file format registry in RDF, we allow archival systems to perform automated reasoning on the stored files. We hope that this paper will increase awareness of this element of engineering design repositories in the research community of this conference.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Preparation of ultradrawn polyethylene by a novel radial‐compression method

High density polyethylene has been ultradrawn at 80°C by a novel radial–compression method which involves the gradual buildup of highly-stretched elastic (spandex) filaments around the circumference of a solid polymer cylinder. The sheath of tightly-wound filaments generates a high-radial pressure which forces the polyethylene cylinder to neck down, uniaxially extend, and ultradraw. The physical and mechanical properties of radially-compressed polyethylene of maximum draw ratio, 40-45X, were evaluated and compared with the same polymer ultradrawn in other stress fields. In most physical property categories, the radially-compressed samples are virtually indistinguishable from samples prepared by solid-state extrusion at higher temperature and pressure. The transparency and the maximum tensile modulus, 62 GPa, further confirm the effectiveness of radial compression in achieving ultradraw. An experimental technique for measuring the radial pressure generated by the winding of the highly-stretched elastic filament is presented. The upper-bound pressure in the radial-compression experiments was less than 100 MPa.
Structure of trans-aqua-bis(pyridine)dibenzoatocopper(II)

Crystals oftrans-aqua-bis(pyridine)dibenzoatocopper(II), Cu(NC5H5)2(C7H5O2)2(H2O), are monoclinic,P21/n, witha=5.9847(10),b=18.874(5),c=19.728(10)A,β=92.97(4)°,Z=4, andV=2225.5(13)A3. The full-matrix least-squares refinement used 3030 reflections withI> 2.5σ(I) and converged toR=0.067. The benzoate ions bond as monodentate ligands in this five-coordinate complex. The copper ion is in a square pyrimidal environment with trans pyridine groups and benzoate ions in a slightly distorted square planar arrangement and a water ligand in the axial position. The Cu-O distance to the water molecule is significantly longer (2.273(4) A) than the distances to the O atoms of the carboxyl groups (1.934(3) and 1.930(4)A).
Stereotactic radiosurgery for hemangioblastomas of the brain.

Objective. To assess the effectiveness of stereotactic radiosurgery in achieving tumor control and improving survival in patients with hemangioblastoma, we evaluated results from patients who were managed at the University of Pittsburgh and the Mayo Clinic.
A Secure Revised Simplex Algorithm for Privacy-Preserving Linear Programming

Linear programming is one of the most widely applied solutions to optimization problems. This paper presents a privacy-preserving solution to linear programming for two parties when the cost, or objective, function is known only to one party, and the constraint equations are known only to the other party. An algorithm based on Revised Simplex is given that ensures that neither party gains access to the other’s private information. While this has been proposed before, our solution is significantly more efficient for the given data distribution. This enables collaboration among companies in many domains, enhancing efficiency while maintaining competitiveness.
ARTEMISININ: THE BIOSYNTHETIC PATHWAY AND ITS REGULATION IN ARTEMISIA ANNUA, A TERPENOID-RICH SPECIES

Artemisinin is a sesquiterpene lactone isolated from the aerial parts of Artemisia annua L. plants. Besides being currently the best therapeutic against both drug-resistant and cerebral malaria-causing strains of Plasmodium falciparum, the drug has also been shown to be effective against other infections diseases including schistosomiasis and hepatitis. More recently, it has also been shown to be effective against numerous types of tumors. Although chemical synthesis of artemisinin is possible, it is not economically feasible. The relatively low yield (0.01–0.8%) of artemisinin in A. annua is a further serious limitation to the commercialization of the drug. Therffore, the enhanced production of artemisinin either in cell/tissue culture or in the whole plant of A. annua is highly desirable. A better understanding of the biochemical pathway leading to the synthesis of artemisinin and its regulation by both exogenous and endogenous factors is essential for facilitating increased yield. Two genes of the artemisinin biosynthetic pathway have now been identified. This critical review covers recent developments related to the biosynthesis of this important compound and related terpenoids, their regulation, and the production of these compounds both in vitro and in whole plants.
The Radiation Area Monitoring System at NAL

A digital multiplexing system for monitoring radiation levels adjacent to approximately eight (8) miles of beam line with over 500 detectors is being implemented at NAL. Data from individual detectors is collected in a central area via a dedicated-time-slot digital multiplexing system, designed for high reliability rather than high bit rates, and is completely independent of any accelerator control system. Data processing is performed in a hardwired core memory system, and record keeping is accomplished via a link to the Accelerator Control Computer. A wide variety of oscilloscope displays are available for selective intensification of data.
Hard Bargains: The Impact of Multinational Corporations on Economic Reform in Latin America

This article promotes the idea that multinational corporations have independent agency in the process of economic reform in Latin American host countries. Through a number of pooled cross-sectional time series analyses, it shows that accumulated foreign direct investment can affect policy reform in ways unanticipated by earlier theories predicated on the obsolescence of firms' influence after initial investment. The influence of firms varies across different reform areas, and competitive pressures lead firms to press alternately for liberal and illiberal reform measures. The study also considers sectoral issues, and argues that a preponderance of natural resource–oriented FDI can alter the impact of multinational investment on policy reform. Indexes of economic reform are measured against stocks of FDI and a number of political and economic control variables. Evidence shows that the dramatic increase in FDI in the region in recent years has bolstered firms' bargaining power and concomitant policy leverage.
The informativeness and frequency of presentation of a social stimulus as determinants of its efficacy as a reinforcer

Abstract It was demonstrated that variations in the informativeness of a social stimulus place important limitations on the generality of the proposition that deprivation heightens, while satiation lowers, responsiveness to a social stimulus. Using 60 children 5 to 6 years of age as subjects, a social stimulus (“good”) was presented at either a high or a low frequency in one of three information-value contexts (high, medium, or low). Immediately following the exposure treatment the same social stimulus was employed as a reinforcer of nonpreferred responses in a two-choice discrimination learning task. The findings indicated that the heightened efficacy of deprivation relative to satiation only held for low information value; when initial information value was high the subsequent efficacy of a social stimulus was enhanced by its initial recurrent usage. Trend analyses revealed that the effects of variations in information value were strongest within the high-frequency-of-praise treatment. Possible mechanisms underlying the significant Information Value × Frequency interaction were discussed.
Nonbinary LDPC Codes for 4-kB Sectors

The performance of nonbinary LDPC codes on perpendicular magnetic recording channels (PMRCs) with 4-kB sectors is investigated. Each sector is encoded by either 4- or 0.5-kB-long codes. Both quasi-cyclic (QC) and nonquasi-cyclic (non-QC) nonbinary low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes are designed, and a set of simulations in a mixture of 10% additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and 90% position jitter noise power, with and without turbo equalization and with a rereading technique, is presented. The results show that sector-long codes perform better than 0.5-kB codes for all decoding schemes considered. In addition, the erasure correction capabilities of these nonbinary LDPC codes are calculated under both maximum-likelihood decoding and iterative decoding, and, as expected, longer codes can correct longer erasures. QC and non-QC nonbinary LDPC codes exhibit similar performance and have almost the same erasure correction capability under iterative decoding. Because of their efficient encoding, QC nonbinary LDPC codes are a good choice for perpendicular recording channels with 4-kB sectors, and offer a tradeoff between performance and code length.
Inseparable Impulses: The Science and Aesthetics of Ernst Haeckel and Charley Harper

In this article, we examine the way images make arguments about science. The two examples we put forth make arguments about Darwinian theory. Darwin’s theory is a useful example, because the artists make visual arguments in many different ways, and the examples we present here expose the role of aesthetics in making scientific arguments. The first image, Plate 67 from Ernst Haeckel’s Art Forms in Nature, shown in Fig. 1a, depicts Chiroptera, or bats, evenly spaced on a white field. The second, Charley Harper’s Darwin’s Finches from The Giant Golden Book of Biology, shows 13 finches, also placed next to one another on a white field (Fig. 1b). Although these two images appear to have little in common, they can both be viewed as arguments for some aspect of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. This paper will analyze these images in light of the image-makers and their styles. We will show how these images connect to broader scientific discourses. In doing so, we hope to show that visual style is intimately connected with scientific practice. As we shall see, just as artwork may always be understood in terms of style, to neglect to take account of the style of a scientific image is also to miss something about its content. Aesthetic components are not auxiliary to scientific representation but are required to make sense of images and to understand the scientific discourse they represent.
Emphysematous gastritis in a patient with coxsackie B3 myocarditis and cardiogenic shock requiring veno-arterial extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation.

Introduction Emphysematous gastritis is a rare condition in which gas accumulates in the stomach lining usually due to an infectious source.
The Body of Paradise and the Body of the Resurrection: Gender and the Angelic Life in Gregory of Nyssa's De hominis opificio

As one of the central concerns of De hominis opificio, Gregory of Nyssa attempts to reconcile the biblical claim that God made human beings in the image of God (, Gen 1:27) with the reality of humanity's present misery and corruption. How, Nyssen asks, can God invest human beings with rational faculties that equip them as God's viceroys over creation and yet find themselves subject to the dominion of non-rational, sensual impulses? He answers the question by distinguishing human nature in its present form and orientation from those lofty, intellectual aspects of human nature that God intended for humanity in the beginning and in the resurrection. He characterizes the former by passions and pain; the latter, by the blessedness of communion with God. But this raises some key questions: If the passions cause our present misery, what does that say about gender and sexuality? Does he associate them solely with our present condition? Do they represent an accommodation or a cause of our present corruption? Or do gender and sexuality form part and parcel of human nature as God willed it from the beginning?
Impact of exclusion criteria on patient selection for endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair

Abstract Purpose: Wide-ranging predictions have been made about the usefulness of endovascular repair for patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). The availability of US Food and Drug Administration–approved devices has removed the restrictions on patient selection, which had been controlled by device trials. This study examined the applicability of endovascular AAA repair and identified the anatomic barriers to successful endovascular AAA repair that should guide future device development. Methods: All patients who came to our institution for infrarenal AAA repair between April 1998 and June 2000 were offered evaluation for endovascular repair. Thin-cut spiral computed tomography scans and arteriograms were obtained on all patients, and their anatomic characteristics were prospectively entered into a database. A wide selection of available devices allowed the treatment of diverse AAA anatomic features. Results: A total of 307 patients were examined (264 men, 43 women). Of these, 204 patients (66%; 185 men, 19 women) underwent endovascular repair, and 103 patients (34%, 79 men, 24 women) were rejected. Reasons for exclusion included short aneurysm neck (56, 54%), inadequate access because of small iliac arteries (48, 47%), wide aneurysm neck (41, 40%), presence of bilateral common iliac aneurysms extending to the hypogastric artery (22, 21%), excessive neck angulation (14, 14%), extensive mural thrombus in the aneurysm neck (10, 10%), extreme tortuosity of the iliac arteries (10, 10%), accessory renal arteries originating from the AAA (6, 6%), malignancy discovered during the examination (5, 5%), and death during the examination interval (2, 2%). Rejected patients had an average of 1.9 exclusion criteria (range, 1 to 4). A disproportionate number of women were excluded because of anatomic findings ( P =.0009). Although 80% of patients who were at low risk for surgery qualified for endovascular repair, only 49% of our patients who were at high risk for surgery were acceptable candidates ( P Conclusion: Most infrarenal AAAs (66%) can be treated with endovascular devices currently available commercially or through US Food and Drug Administration–approved clinical trials. However, patients who are at high risk for surgery and might benefit most from endovascular repair are less likely to qualify for the procedure (49%). Men (70%) are more likely than women (40%) to meet the anatomic criteria for endografting. Difficulties with vascular access and attachment site geometry predominate as reasons for exclusion. Our findings suggest that smaller profile devices, which can negotiate small and tortuous iliac arteries, are needed. Proximal and distal attachment site problems require devices that can accommodate wide and angulated attachment necks and achieve short seal zones. (J Vasc Surg 2001;34:1050-4.)
Hoof wall function in horses and donkeys: Experimental alteration of surface strain

Surface strains recorded from multiple rosette gauges at different sites on the left forehooves of horses and donkeys during walks at 1.8 m/s are discussed. The strain pattern of the wall was manipulated by adding 12 mm cleat wedges to the heels of the horseshoes. Principal strains were repeatable for each gauge site and cleat situation on an individual. Substantial inter-individual variation existed. Peak principal strains were always in compression. Under normal circumstances (no cleats attached) peak strains were on the order of 1000-3000 /spl mu//spl epsi/, depending on gauge site. Biaxial compression dominated in the wall, but the degree of horizontal compression was reduced by altering the mediolateral balance of the foot. The strain pattern of the hoof wall correlates well with the complex fiber orientation of the wall material and appears to result from well coordinated distortion of different regions of the structure. >
Curriculum at forty below: a phenomenological inquiry of an educator/explorer’s experience with adventure learning in the Arctic

Grounded in the theoretical approaches of experiential learning and inquiry‐based learning, adventure learning (AL) is a hybrid distance education approach that seeks to transform the experiences of students by having learners explore real‐world issues and pursue answers to their own questions in an authentic, anchor‐based environment. In this article we present a theoretical overview of AL, provide a brief summary of recently examined AL impacts in the classroom, and use a phenomenological lens to examine the experience of an educator/explorer who traveled by dogsled over 3000 miles across the Arctic to engage students and teachers from around the world in a truly authentic learning context. We conclude by offering recommendations for teachers who wish to embark on their own unique AL experiences with their students (without necessarily having to travel to the Arctic).