cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cancer vaccination at older age.

Cancer vaccination is less effective at old than at young age, due to T cell unresponsiveness. This is caused by various age-related changes of the immune system, such as lack of naive T cells, defects in activation pathways of T cells and antigen-presenting cells, and age-related changes in the tumor microenvironment. Natural killer, natural killer T cells, and γδT cells of the innate immune system also change with age but these responses may be more susceptible for improvement than adaptive immune responses at older age. This chapter compares various studies involving adaptive and innate immune responses in elderly and cancer patients, as well as cancer vaccination at young and old age. Finally, potential new directions in cancer vaccination at older age are discussed.
Correlation Between the Ability of Tumor Cells To Incorporate Specific Fatty Acids and Their Sensitivity to Killing by a Specific Antibody Plus Guinea Pig Complement

Line-1 diethylnitrosamine-induced guinea pig tumor cells can be rendered sensitive to killing by rabbit anti-Forssman IgM antibody plus guinea pig complement (GPC) or antitumor antibody plus GPC following prolonged incubation (17 hr ) of the cells with one of several metabolic inhibitors. Compared to control cells, these cells have been shown to be inhibited in their ability to incorporate fatty acids into complex cellular lipids, which suggested that lipid synthesis is of fundamental importance for the ability of the tumor cells to resist humoral immune killing. In this study, drug-treated cells that were rendered sensitive to killing by anti-Forssman antibody plus GPC, but not antitumor antibody plus GPC, were inhibited in their incorporation of saturated (palmitic or stearic acid), but not an unsaturated, fatty acid (linoleic acid). These data suggested that the fatty acid composition of specific lipids may also be important for the resistance of these tumor cells to killing by antibody and complement.
Virtual Worlds for Energy: A Topical Review

In this chapter we review how virtual worlds can be used to educate for a particular topic—the topic of energy. Energy is a key concern for the twenty-first century. Fossil fuels are dwindling and society needs to reconsider their energy “footprint”, which requires that: (a) people have better energy management skills, and (b) they educate themselves about sustainable and renewable energy alternatives. However, people lack the opportunity to experience their energy management skills under scarce conditions, and many of the energy alternatives—like solar and wind—are still too expensive for the average consumer. Finally, some promising alternatives like energy harvesters are still in research and development. 3D3C Virtual Worlds provide people with a rich, immersive, and plausible environment in which to test their energy management skills and to experiment with alternative energy.
Total synthesis of 7-deoxy-6-O-methylfusarentin featuring a chelation-controlled 1,3-Reetz-Keck-type allylation.

The total synthesis of 7-deoxy-6-O-methylfusarentin (1) and a formal synthesis of 7-deoxy-6,8-O-dimethylfusarentin (2) has been successfully achieved in 10 steps. The described tactic underscores a diastereoselective strategy which incorporates a single acyclic reaction based on the initial stereocenter by means of a 1,3-chelation-controlled Reetz–Keck-type allylation.
Effect of anti-rheumatic drugs on synovial membrane permeability.

Summary and Conclusions(1) Permeability studies were performed in rabbits and in patients with rheumatoid arthritis using the method of Seifter which employs injection of PSP into the joint, and recovery of the dye from the urine. (2) Cortisone and ACTH were given to rabbits and patients to determine any effect upon synovial membrane permeability and to detect any anti-hyaluronidase effect in rabbits. (3) Our results fail to demonstrate significant alterations of synovial permeability in rabbits or humans following parenteral therapy with ACTH or Cortisone. There was no evidence of hyaluronidase inhibition in rabbits. (4) Cortisone injected into the joints of rabbits impaired the absorption of PSP. A mechanical blocking effect was not excluded. (5) The injection of PSP into joints is not necessarily a valid measurement of permeability of synovial membranes to physiologic substances.
Zeroing In on the Delta Function

Joan Rohrer Hundhausen (jhundhau@slate.mines.edu) has an MS in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a PhD in applied mathematics from CarnegieMellon University. Her undergraduate physics major led to a lasting interest in modeling and applications. She has taught at the Colorado School of Mines since 1974 and recently helped design an integrated course in calculus and physics for an NSF project. Hobbies include playing the piano, hiking, and following the careers of her three sons.
A Proof-of-Concept System to Analyze Joint Sounds in Real Time for Knee Health Assessment in Uncontrolled Settings

A proof-of-concept wearable system for measuring, processing, analyzing, and logging activity-contextualized joint sound signatures from the knee joint is presented. Microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMS)-based microphones are used to detect the acoustical emissions from the knee joint, and MEMS accelerometer-gyroscope pairs at the joint are used to calculate joint angle. The joint angle measurement is used as a context for evaluating the resultant acoustical emissions of the knee joint during unloaded flexion-extension cycles. Automated click detection, performed real-time on-board the field-programmable gate array, is demonstrated successfully in both quiet (lab) and simulated loud (coffee shop) environments for proof-of-concept recordings.
Pain Management During Pregnancy and Breast-Feeding

This chapter reviews the common causes of pain during gestation and medications that are appropriate for consumption during pregnancy as well as more conservative alternatives for pain management.
Hematopoiesis on cellulose ester membranes (CEM). V. Enrichment of CEM by demineralized mouse bone matrix powder.

Mouse bone matrix powder was implanted subcutaneously or put into folded tubular cellulose ester membranes (CEM) and implanted i.p. Calcification and new bone formation did not develop. Sinusoidal vascularization of the matrix developed by 3 to 4 wk. Stromal cells such as fat cells and fibroblasts were present by 4 wk. Hematopoiesis was absent except for rare foci of granulopoiesis on some of the CEM at 6 wk. Rat bone matrix implanted subcutaneously into mice and mouse bone matrix implanted subcutaneously into rats failed to induce new bone formation or hematopoiesis.
An ontology-driven tool for structured data acquisition using Web forms.

Structured data acquisition is a common task that is widely performed in biomedicine. However, current solutions for this task are far from providing a means to structure data in such a way that it can be automatically employed in decision making (e.g., in our example application domain of clinical functional assessment, for determining eligibility for disability benefits) based on conclusions derived from acquired data (e.g., assessment of impaired motor function). To use data in these settings, we need it structured in a way that can be exploited by automated reasoning systems, for instance, in the Web Ontology Language (OWL); the de facto ontology language for the Web. We tackle the problem of generating Web-based assessment forms from OWL ontologies, and aggregating input gathered through these forms as an ontology of “semantically-enriched” form data that can be queried using an RDF query language, such as SPARQL. We developed an ontology-based structured data acquisition system, which we present through its specific application to the clinical functional assessment domain. We found that data gathered through our system is highly amenable to automatic analysis using queries. We demonstrated how ontologies can be used to help structuring Web-based forms and to semantically enrich the data elements of the acquired structured data. The ontologies associated with the enriched data elements enable automated inferences and provide a rich vocabulary for performing queries.
Improving the thermoelectric performance and thermal stability of Ca3Co4O9 + δ ceramics by sintering in oxygen atmosphere

We report on the influence of sintering gas atmosphere on the thermoelectric (TE) performance of Ca3Co4O9 + δ ceramics made from precursor powders synthesized using chemical sol–gel route. Two sets of polycrystalline pellets were sintered in air and oxygen atmosphere, respectively. Sintering gas atmosphere and sintering temperature were found to have great influence on the Ca3Co4O9 + δ crystal orientation and formation of the Co3O4 secondary phase. All samples, regardless of sintering atmosphere, had similar Seebeck coefficients S that increased with measurement temperature. By contrast, the electrical resistivity ρ changed dramatically as the sintering temperature and atmosphere changed. For samples sintered in air, when the sintering temperature is above 1193 K, ρ increased as the sintering temperature increased. For samples sintering in oxygen, ρ decreased monotonically as the sintering temperature increased up to 1253 K. Benefited from the reduced ρ, the electrical power factor of the sample sintered in the oxygen at 1253 K is 0.539 mW m−1 K−2, and 40% greater than that from the sample sintered at 1193 K in air. Dimensionless figure-of-merit ZT of the sample sintered at 1253 K in oxygen is 0.28 at 1073 K, which is 20% greater than that of samples sintered in air at 1193 K. Overall, the highest TE performance was obtained for Ca3Co4O9 + δceramics sintered in oxygen at 1253 K, which is significantly higher than the Ca3Co4O9 + δ decomposition temperature of 1199 K in air.
Pole Location in GMT

This chapter begins with an overview of the variety of methods and techniques used to choose discrete pole locations in the family of Generalized Multipole Techniques (GMT). The heuristic rules and guidelines that are described are often quite successful. In addition, studies of the performance of GMT methods for canonical problems are reviewed. It has been shown that there are at least two sources of error when using GMT: analytically-based error and numerically-based error. The effective spatial bandwidth (EBW) of fields along the boundary of scatterers is described and used to show the conditions necessary to obtain stable solutions from GMT techniques. The EBW for two-dimensional circular boundaries is applied to some examples. In addition, an extension of EBW for non-circular boundaries is described and applied to elliptically shaped boundaries.
Stem cell and gene-based approaches for cardiac repair

Abstract Besides current medical and surgical revascularization therapy, novel therapeutic interventions such as administration of recombinant or purified proteins, and cell and gene therapies have been used to compensate for the loss of cardiomyocytes and to limit the process of left ventricular remodeling. These approaches have been evaluated for use both alone and as adjuncts to bypass grafting in patients who are not candidates for coronary artery surgery. Additional studies need to focus on the development of strategies for optimization of cell delivery, which include adequate cell volume, preconditioned or gene modified to optimal functional results. Induced pluripotent cells from adult somatic cells, ex vivo cell-based gene therapy, and endogenous progenitor stem cell mobilization by mobilizing drugs (alone or/and as an adjuvant with stem cell therapy) into ischemic tissues may represent new directions for cardiac repair. Recently, stem cell exosome-based therapy in clinical settings may represent a novel and viable cardio-regenerative strategy.
Appendix: Study Approach and Methodology

Our empirical analyses of the demographic, economic, and social transformations occurring across the Intermountain West were pursued at several different analytic scales, utilizing multiple data sources and varied analytic methodologies. Consistent with the framework presented in Chap. 2, this multi-level, multi-method approach was grounded in the realization linkages between social and economic conditions and natural resource conditions can vary in complex ways that reflect a “nestedness” of relationships across different spatial and analytic scales and differing units of analysis (see Beckley 1998). As we discussed in some detail in Chap. 2, an understanding of the relationships between human behavior, community structure, and ecosystem change requires consideration of temporal factors, spatial factors, and also the differing insights provided by varied theoretical lenses.
Metabolic regulation by multifunctional glucose-6-phosphatase.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses metabolic regulation by multifunctional glucose-6-phosphatase. Glucose-6-phosphatase (D-glucose-6-phosphate phosphohydrolase; EC 3.1.3.9), once believed to be a rather specific hepatic phosphatase, is presently known to exhibit quite broad specificity, distribution, and multiplicity of functions. It is intrinsically the most potent hepatic glucose phosphorylating enzymatic activity yet discovered. The chapter describes a variety of new mechanisms for control of activities of the enzyme that are inherent in its multifunctional nature. Glucose-6-phosphatase is known to catalyze the hydrolysis of a variety of phosphate esters and phosphoanhydrides. In addition, the enzyme also effectively catalyzes the transfer of a phosphoryl group from such compounds to D-glucose, or with a lesser degree of efficiency, to various other sugars and polyols as well. Once believed to be confined exclusively to endoplasmic reticulum of the cell, glucose-6-phosphatase-phosphotransferase has presently been unequivocally established as present in the outer nuclear membrane also, where roughly 10%–15% of the total hepatic activity resides.
Actual Versus Ideal Body Weight: The Devil Is in the Details.

Respiratory failure remains one of the most common reasons for children to be admitted to the ICU, and a large number of these patients require invasive mechanical ventilation and progress to ARDS. Mortality related to ARDS correlates directly with the severity of lung disease, and patients who
Counseling for Wellness and Prevention: Helping People Become Empowered in Systems and Settings

Counseling for Wellness and Prevention brings Preventative Counseling, one of prevention’s founding texts, firmly into the twenty-first century. Counseling for Wellness and Prevention thoroughly updates and significantly expands on discussions of practical applications and emerging best practices. Counselors and counseling psychologists will find evidence-based, contemporary guidance to help them engage in needed efforts to help clients and the general population to enhance their overall wellness and ward off future dysfunction. Author Robert Conyne demonstrates the ways in which the traditional model of one-to-one therapy can be expanded to embrace wellness and prevention as well as strategies for putting into practice a broad range of environmental and system change strategies, such as advocacy and community organization. The book is well-suited for adoption in counselor-education courses and includes explicit connections to CACREP accreditation standards. It’s also an excellent choice for programs in psychology, where the APA-approved prevention guidelines for psychologists are now available, and in social work, where prevention and community change have long been hallmarks.
The valency of fatty acid conjugates impacts siRNA pharmacokinetics, distribution, and efficacy in vivo

Lipid-conjugated small-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) exhibit accumulation and gene silencing in extrahepatic tissues, providing an opportunity to expand therapeutic siRNA utility beyond the liver. Chemically engineering lipids may further improve siRNA delivery and efficacy, but the relationship between lipid structure/configuration and siRNA pharmacodynamics is unclear. Here, we synthesized a panel of mono-, di-, and tri-meric fatty acid-conjugated siRNAs to systematically evaluate the impact of fatty acid structure and valency on siRNA clearance, distribution, and efficacy. Fatty acid valency significantly altered the physicochemical properties of conjugated siRNAs, including hydrophobicity and micelle formation, which affected distribution. Trivalent lipid-conjugated siRNAs were predominantly retained at the site of injection with minimal systemic exposure, whereas monovalent lipid-conjugated siRNAs were quickly released into the circulation and accumulated primarily in kidney. Divalent lipid-conjugated siRNAs showed intermediate behavior, and preferentially accumulated in liver with functional distribution to lung, heart, and fat. The chemical structure of the conjugate, rather than overall physicochemical properties (i.e. hydrophobicity), predicted the degree of extrahepatic tissue accumulation necessary for productive gene silencing. Our findings will inform chemical engineering strategies for enhancing the extrahepatic delivery of lipophilic siRNAs.
Treatment of Refractory Mastocytic Enterocolitis with Budesonide

Mast cells (MCs) are being increasingly implicated as a possible contributor to symptoms in diarrhea predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The term "mastocytic enterocolitis" was proposed to describe an increase in mucosal MCs in patients with chronic diarrhea due to functional gastrointestinal disease (FGID). The efficacy of anti-MC mediator therapy (antihistamines and MC stabilizers) has been well documented in this setting. Here we describe the treatment with oral budesonide of mastocytic enterocolitis refractory to standard anti-MC therapy.
P52 Intervention Mapping of Maternal Self-Care Practices to Facilitate Intervention Design

Background Maternal self-care, or behaviors facilitating healthy eating, physical activity (PA), and stress management practices, may play an important role in child weight status. Few childhood obesity interventions, however, consider maternal self-care and health practices. Objective To understand existing beliefs, practices, and supports or barriers related to self-care in mothers of preschoolers in rural communities via in-depth interviews, and develop and refine a theory-based self-care intervention using Intervention Mapping (IM). Study Design, Setting, Participants A semi-structured interview guide was developed using Social Cognitive Theory constructs and pilot tested to establish content and face validity. Telephone interviews with mothers (n = 19) recruited from preschool centers in rural Colorado were conducted by a trained researcher. Measurable Outcome/Analysis Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed using an iterative approach. IM steps were then followed: formulation of change objectives, material creation, and implementation/evaluation plan development. Results Three interview themes emerged: self-care practices; facilitators and barriers; and resources. Mothers had varying definitions of self-care and contexts in which self-care strategies were used. The majority of participants described self-care practices as important for helping them be a better mom, but reported infrequent practices of self-care. Barriers such as time, access to healthy food options or facilities for PA, and exhaustion made incorporation difficult in daily life. This input guided IM for the development of a self-care program which includes 2 workshops, 4 remote health coaching sessions, and a companion website. Topics addressed include what defines self-care, how to incorporate self-care behaviors into a busy life, and how self-care can benefit families. Conclusions Understanding mothers’ existing self-care practices and beliefs provided insights to inform and guide the development and refinement of a self-care intervention using IM. A maternal self-care intervention offers a unique approach to childhood obesity prevention efforts.
Sexual Agreements and Intimate Partner Violence Among Male Couples in the U.S.: An Analysis of Dyadic Data.

Prior research with male couples has focused on how sexual agreements can influence relationship dynamics, sexual risk taking, and health promoting behaviors. Little is known about the association between sexual agreements and the experience or perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV) in this population. Our study sought to evaluate these associations using dyadic data from a sample of 386 male couples residing in the U.S. Both partners independently reported on their relationship characteristics, sexual agreements, and specific acts reflecting physical, emotional, controlling, and monitoring IPV in separate surveys. Participants were more likely to have experienced IPV in the past year if they were in a relationship for ≥ 3 years versus < 3 years (aOR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.03–2.53). Among 278 couples who had formulated sexual agreements, men who concurred with their partners on being in an “open” relationship were less likely to have experienced IPV versus those in a “closed” relationship (aOR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.25–0.89). However, participants were more likely to have experienced IPV if their partners believed they had previously broken their sexual agreement (aOR = 2.79, 95% CI = 1.03–7.52). The verbal explicitness and duration of sexual agreements were not associated with either experiencing or perpetrating IPV in the past year. However, increasing levels of depressive symptomatology were associated with a greater likelihood of both experiencing and perpetrating IPV. Our findings highlight the need to prioritize dyadic interventions for male couples that focus on skills building around enhancing mutual communication and negotiating sexual agreements to reduce IPV.
Presence of Obstructive Symptoms and Absence of Perianal Crohn Disease Is Predictive of Surgery After Endoscopic Balloon Dilation.

Background Patients with Crohn disease (CD) often develop strictures that require surgery. Endoscopic balloon dilation (EBD) is an alternative treatment that can be safe and effective. The objective of this study was to assess factors associated with the need for repeat EBD and surgery after initial EBD for stricturing CD. Methods Patients with stricturing CD who underwent EBD from 2007 to 2017 were identified. Demographic and clinical information was obtained from the electronic medical record. A Cox proportional hazards regression model and Kaplan-Meier curves were generated for variables associated with repeat EBD and surgical resection. Results Ninety-nine patients underwent a total of 240 EBD proedures; 35% had a history of perianal disease, and 63% were on a biologic at the time of initial EBD. Fifty-one percent of patients had obstructive symptoms at the time of initial EBD, and 75% of the EBDs were successful. Complications occurred in 8 EBDs (3.3%). Repeat intervention after EBD was more likely in patients on biologics at baseline EBD (76% vs 54%; P = 0.029). Thirty-three percent of patients had surgical resection at a median of 5 months (interquartile ratio = 2.0-13.0 months) after initial EBD. The presence of obstructive symptoms at the time of EBD was associated with surgical resection (hazard ratio = 3.18; 95% confidence interval, 1.28-7.86). Conversely, a history of perianal disease was negatively associated with surgical resection (hazard ratio = 0.27; 95% confidence interval, 0.10-0.68). Conclusions Patients on biologic treatment at the time of EBD are more likely to need an intervention in the future. Patients with obstructive symptoms at the time of initial EBD and those without a history of perianal involvement are more likely to undergo surgical intervention.
Infalling Gas Towards the Galactic Center

VLA maps of ammonia emission were made for the Galactic Center region. The NH3(1,1) and NH3(2,2) transitions were observed in three 2' x 2' fields covering Sgr A* and the region 3' immediately south of it. In the central 3 parsecs surrounding Sgr A* we find emission which appears to be associated with the circumnuclear disk (CND), both morphologically and kinematically. This central emission is connected to a long, narrow 2 pc x 10 pc streamer of clumpy molecular gas located towards the south, which appears to be carrying gas from the nearby 20 km/s giant molecular cloud (GMC) to the circumnuclear region. We find a velocity gradient along the streamer, with progressively higher velocities as the gas approaches Sgr A*. The streamer stops at the location of the CND, where the line width of the NH3 emission increases dramatically. This may be the kinematic signature of accretion onto the CND. The ratio of the NH3(2,2)/NH3(1,1) emission indicates that the gas is heated at the northern tip of the streamer, located inside the eastern edge of the CND. The morphology, kinematics and temperature gradients of the gas all indicate that the southern streamer is located at the Galactic Center and is interacting with the circumnuclear region.
Does economics have an ‘Africa problem’?

There has been increasing interest on the apparent underrepresentation of African-based scholars in economics scholarship on Africa. Much of this debate, however, proceeds with little by way of evi...
David F. Garcia. 2017. Listening for Africa: Freedom, Modernity, and the Logic of Black Music’s African Origins.

David F. Garcia. 2017. Listening for Africa: Freedom, Modernity, and the Logic of Black Music’s African Origins. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. xii + 360 pp. ISBN 9780822363705 (pbk)
Mean Field Models to Regulate Carbon Emissions in Electricity Production

The most serious threat to ecosystems is the global climate change fueled by the uncontrolled increase in carbon emissions. In this project, we use mean field control and mean field game models to analyze and inform the decisions of electricity producers on how much renewable sources of production ought to be used in the presence of a carbon tax. The trade-off between higher revenues from production and the negative externality of carbon emissions is quantified for each producer who needs to balance in real time reliance on reliable but polluting (fossil fuel) thermal power stations versus investing in and depending upon clean production from uncertain wind and solar technologies. We compare the impacts of these decisions in two different scenarios: 1) the producers are competitive and hopefully reach a Nash Equilibrium; 2) they cooperate and reach a Social Optimum. We first prove that both problems have a unique solution using forward-backward systems of stochastic differential equations. We then illustrate with numerical experiments the producers' behavior in each scenario. We further introduce and analyze the impact of a regulator in control of the carbon tax policy, and we study the resulting Stackelberg equilibrium with the field of producers.
Perspective taking as a mechanism for children's developing preferences for equitable distributions.

How do young children develop a concept of equity? Infants prefer dividing resources equally and expect others to make such distributions. Between the ages of 3–8, children begin to exhibit preferences to avoid inequitable outcomes in their distributions, dividing resources unequally if the result of that distribution is a more equitable outcome. Four studies investigated children’s developing preferences for generating equitable distributions, focusing on the mechanisms for this development. Children were presented with two characters with different amount of resources, and then a third character who will distribute more resources to them. Three- to 8-year-olds were asked whether the third character should give an equal number of resources to the recipients, preserving the inequity, or an unequal number to them, creating an equitable outcome. Starting at age 7, children showed a preference for equitable distributions (Study 1, N = 144). Studies 2a (N = 72) and 2b (N = 48) suggest that this development is independent of children’s numerical competence. When asked to take the perspective of the recipient with fewer resources, 3- to 6-year-olds were more likely to make an equitable distribution (Study 3, N = 122). These data suggest that social perspective taking underlies children’s prosocial actions, and supports the hypothesis that their spontaneous capacity to take others’ perspectives develops during the early elementary-school years.
Producing Data for Under-Resourced Languages: A Dari-English Parallel Corpus of Multi-Genre Text

In Developers producing language technology for under-resourced languages often find relatively little machine readable text for data required to train machine translation systems. Typically, the kinds of text that are most accessible for production of parallel data are news and news-related genres, yet the language that requires translation for analysts and decision-makers reflects a broad range of forms and contents. The proposed paper will describe an effort funded by the ODNI FLPO in which the Army Research Laboratory, assisted by MITRE language technology researchers, produced a Dari-English parallel corpus containing text in a variety of styles and genres that more closely resemble the kinds of documents needed by government users than do traditional news genres. The data production effort began with a survey of Dari documents catalogued in a government repository of material obtained from the field in Afghanistan. Because the documents in the repository are not available for creation of parallel corpora, the goal was to quantify the types of documents in the collection and identify their linguistic features in order to find documents that are similar. Document images were obtained from two sources: (1) the Preserving and Creating Access to Unique Afghan Records collection, an online resource produced by the University of Arizona Libraries and the Afghanistan Centre at Kabul University and (2) The University of Nebraska Arthur Paul Afghanistan Collection. For the latter, document images were obtained by camera capture of books and by selecting pdf images of microfiche records. A set of 1395 document page images was selected to provide 250,000 translated English words in 10 content domains. The images were transcribed and translated according to specifications designed to maximize the quality and usefulness of the data. The corpus will be used to create a Dari-English glossary, and an experiment will quantify improvements to Dari-English translation of multi-genre text when a generic Dari-English machine translation system is customized using the corpus. The proposed paper will present highlights from these efforts.
Building and managing high performance, scalable, commodity mass storage systems

The NAS Systems Division has recently embarked on a significant new way of handling the mass storage problem. One of the basic goals of this new development are to build systems at very large capacity and high performance, yet have the advantages of commodity products. The central design philosophy is to build storage systems the way the Internet was built. Competitive, survivable, expandable, and wide open. The thrust of this paper is to describe the motivation for this effort, what we mean by commodity mass storage, what the implications are for a facility that performs such an action, and where we think it will lead.
Hemodynamic Response to Intentionally Altered Flow Continuity of Dobutamine and Dopamine by an Infusion Pump in Infants

Study Objective. To evaluate the effect of an intentional alteration in infusion pump flow continuity on the hemodynamic stability of infants receiving either dobutamine or dopamine. Design. Prospective, open-label study. Setting. A university-affiliated children's hospital. Patients. Ten hemodynamically stable infants (age 2 wks-10 mo) in intensive care receiving dobutamine (5) or dopamine (5). Three patients received both agents and were studied at independent times. Interventions. Dobutamine and dopamine were administered using the Flo-Gard VP pump that delivers an intentional alteration of flow continuity (rate pulse). Heart rate and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were recorded every second. Analysis was based on the measurements obtained from the first 5 minutes on the study pump and the 2 minutes before and after the rate pulse. Measurements and Main Results. Although hemodynamic changes in pre- and post-rate pulses were statistically significant (p<0.05) in some individuals, only one infant had a greater that 10% change in MAP 2 minutes after the rate pulse. Alterations in hemodynamics were not consistent among or within patients. Conclusion. In infants requiring dobutamine or dopamine, no clinically significant pharmacodynamic effects were associated with alteration in continuity of drug delivery caused by the single positive rate pulse. Therefore, we conclude there is no contraindication to the use of this infusion pump in hemodynamically stable infants receiving these drugs.
Enabling concurrent multithreaded MPI communication on multicore petascale systems

With the ever-increasing numbers of cores per node on HPC systems, applications are increasingly using threads to exploit the shared memory within a node, combined with MPI across nodes. Achieving high performance when a large number of concurrent threads make MPI calls is a challenging task for an MPI implementation. We describe the design and implementation of our solution in MPICH2 to achieve high-performance multithreaded communication on the IBM Blue Gene/P. We use a combination of a multichannel-enabled network interface, fine-grained locks, lock-free atomic operations, and specially designed queues to provide a high degree of concurrent access while still maintaining MPI's message-ordering semantics. We present performance results that demonstrate that our new design improves the multithreaded message rate by a factor of 3.6 compared with the existing implementation on the BG/P. Our solutions are also applicable to other high-end systems that have parallel network access capabilities.
Embryogenesis in Angiosperms, Somatic

Introduction: Defining a Somatic Embryo Somatic Embryogenesis from Plant Cells in Culture Origin of Somatic Embryos Somatic Embryo Developmental Biology Repetitive Embryogenesis Uses of Repetitive Embryogenesis Androgenesis and Gynogenesis Summary Bibliography Keywords: plant propagation; hormones; culture medium
Microneedle array with integrated microchannels for transdermal sample extraction and in situ analysis

This paper presents a hollow, silicon microneedle array, integrated with fluidic microchannels for the extraction and analysis of biofluids from just beneath the skin's surface. This microinstrument is the first known to have been reported to successfully demonstrate the transdermal extraction of human interstitial fluid (ISF) using only capillary action. The needle fabrication is accomplished through a combination of dry and wet silicon etching technologies, wafer sawing, and anodic bonding to glass. The needle shape and size are controlled by independent fabrication steps enabling optimization of needle design for a wide range of applications.
Design methodology for systolic arrays

Many important algorithms in signal and image processing, speech and pattern recognition or matrix computations consist of coupled systems of recurrence equations. Systolic arrays are regular networks of tightly coupled simple processors with limited storage that provide cost-effective high-throughput implementations of many such algorithms. While there are some mathematical techniques for finding efficient systolic implementations for uniform recurrence equations, there is no general theory for more general coupled systems of affine recurrence equations. The first elements of such a theory are presented in this paper.
Example-Based Color Vehicle Retrieval for Surveillance

In this paper, we evaluate several low dimensionalcolor features for object retrieval in surveillance video.Previous work in object retrieval in surveillance has beenhampered by issues in low resolution, poor segmentation,pose and lighting variations and the cost of retrieval. Toovercome these difficulties, we restrict our analysis toalarm-based vehicle detection and as a consequence, werestrict both pose and lighting variations. In addition, westudy the utility of example-based retrieval to avoid thelimitations of strict color classification. Finally, since weperform our evaluation at run-time for alarm-baseddetection, we do not need to index into a large database.We evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of severalcolor features including standard color histograms,weighted color histograms, variable bin size colorhistograms and color correlograms. Results show colorcorrelogram to have the best performance for ourdatasets.
Molecular Systematic Analysis of Butterfly Family and Some Subfamily Relationships (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea)

Data obtained from ribosomal RNA sequences were used to study phylogenetic relationships within butterflies. In total, 28 taxa representing five commonly recognized papilionoid families and eight nymphalid subfamilies were examined. Within Nymphalidae, Libytheinae was the most basal lineage in three equally parsimonious trees. The largest subfamily, Nymphalinae, was not monophyletic. Vanessa , usually placed in the Nymphalinae, was grouped with the Apaturinae. Remaining nymphaline genera, Agraulis, Heliconius, Speyeria , and Basilarchia , formed a distinct clade. Relationships among Satyrinae, Morphinae, and Brassolinae varied among trees but the three subfamilies were always placed apically in the same clade. The position of Danainae was unstable. It was the sister taxon to the Satyrinae in two trees and to the Apaturinae in the third. At the family level, the Papilionidae formed a basal monophyletic group in four equally parsimonious trees. The Pieridae was consistently placed in the same clade with Nymphalidae and Riodinidae. In contrast to morphological phylogenies that place riodinids within lycaenids, riodinids were in a clade with pierids and nymphalids. Although we excluded several previous proposed phylogenies, molecular data were unable to resolve placements of all controversial groups.
Thermoregulation in Antarctic fulmarine petrels.

We measured resting metabolic rates at air temperatures between ca. −5 and 30 °C in snow petrels (Pagodroma nivea), cape petrels (Daption capense), Antarctic petrels (Thalassoica antarctica), and Antarctic fulmars (Fulmarus glacialoides). We measured seven age classes for each species: adults, and nestlings that were 3, 8, 15, 28, 35, and 42 days old. Basal metabolic rate (BMR) and thermal conductance (C) of adults averaged, respectively, 140% and 100% of values predicted allometrically for nonpasserine birds. Minimum metabolic rates of unfasted nestlings aged 15–42 days averaged, respectively, 97% and 98% of predicted adult BMR in Antarctic petrels and snow petrels, versus 119% and 126% of predicted in Antarctic fulmars and cape petrels. Nestlings of the southerly breeding snow petrel and Antarctic petrel were relatively well insulated compared with nestlings of other high-latitude seabirds. Adult lower critical temperature (Tlc) was inversely related to body mass and averaged 9 °C lower than predicted allometrically. As nestlings grew, their Tlc decreased with increasing body mass from ca. 14 to 22 °C (depending upon species) at 3 days of age, to −4 to 8 °C when nestlings attained peak mass. Nestling Tlc subsequently increased as body mass decreased during pre-fledging weight recession. Nestling Tlc was close to mean air temperature from the end of brooding until fledging in the three surface nesting species.
Progress on a computational model of achromatic color processing

This paper reports further progress on a computational model of human achromatic color perception first presented at Human Vision and Electronic Imaging VI. The model predicts the achromatic colors of regions within 2D images comprising arbitrary geometric arrangements of luminance patches separated by sharp borders (i.e., Land Mondrian patterns). The achromatic colors of regions of homogeneous luminance are computed from the log luminance ratios at borders. Separate lightness and darkness induction signals are generated at the locations of borders in a cortical representation of the image and spread directionally over several degrees of visual angle. The color assigned to each point in the image is a weighted sum of all of the lightness and darkness signals converging on that point. The spatial convergence of induction signals can be modeled as a diffusive color filling-in process and realized in a neural network. The model has previously been used to predict lightness matches in psychophysical experiments conducted with stimuli consisting of disks and surrounding rings. Here a formal connection is made between the model equations used to predict lightness matches in these experiments and Stevens' power law model of the relationship between brightness and physical intensity. A neural mechanism involving lateral interactions between neurons that detect borders and generate spreading achromatic color induction signals is proposed to account for observed changes in the parameters of the model, including the brightness law exponent, with changes in surround size.
Kinetics of the formation of thrombin-thrombospondin complexes: Involvement of a 77-kDa intermediate

Abstract Thrombin forms sodium dodecyl sulfate stable complexes of 77 and >450 kDa with proteins secreted by activated platelets. The kinetics of formation of these complexes were investigated by addition of 125I-thrombin to the supernatant solution of A23187-activated platelets. Complexes were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis either with or without reduction of disulfide bonds. When analyzed on nonreduced gels, the 77-kDa complex reached a maximum at about 3 min and then declined as the >450-kDa complex increased. On reduced gels (on which there was no >450-kDa complex) the 77-kDa complex approached the level of the >450-kDa complex on nonreduced gels. The half-time of formation was less than 1 min for the 77-kDa complex and about 15 min for the >450-kDa complex. These time courses suggested that the 77-kDa complex was incorporated into the >450-kDa complex as an essential precursor. Formation of complexes was inhibited by a competitive inhibitor or a noncompetitive inhibitor of thrombin, and the pH dependence of formation of both complexes was similar to the pH dependence for catalytic activity of thrombin. Ca2+ inhibited formation of the >450-kDa complex but not of the 77-kDa complex. A model is presented in which thrombin and a secreted protein form a 77-kDa complex by a process that involves the active site of thrombin. The 77-kDa complex is then incorporated into a >450-kDa complex by thiol-disulfide exchange with thrombospondin, a process that is inhibited by Ca2+. Thrombin in the >450-kDa complex had no catalytic activity.
Mg sheet metal forming: Lessons learned from deep drawing Li and Y solid-solution alloys

The sheet formability of current magnesium alloys at ambient temperatures is poor; however, the formability at moderately elevated temperatures can be excellent. Cylindrical cup drawing tests are used to compare the warm forming characteristics of conventional alloy AZ31B with alloys containing lithium oryttrium solid solutions. While both types of experimental alloy can have better room-temperature ductility (ef∼25–30%) than AZ31B, only the lithium alloy has comparable or better deep-drawing capacity. The results are discussed in terms of the sheet anisotropy. Particular attention is drawn to the fact that magnesium alloys exhibit poor bending ductility due to their anisotropy and mechanical twinning-induced tension-compression strength asymmetry.
Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863). "Arab Horses Fighting in a Stable." 1860.

Potter P. Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863). "Arab Horses Fighting in a Stable." 1860 [about the cover]. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2002 Aug [date cited]. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol8no8/v8n8cover.htm
Cryoprotection mechanisms of polyethylene glycols on lactate dehydrogenase during freeze-thawing.

The purpose of this study was to explore the cryoprotection mechanisms of high molecular weight polyethylene glycols (PEGs) (eg, PEG 4000 and PEG 8000) on lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Ultraviolet activity assays, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, gel filtration, sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE),14C-PEG 4000 labeling and binding, and cryostage microscopic study were conducted. Different molecular weights and concentrations of PEGs in LDH formulations were treated by freeze-thawing. Higher molecular weights and concentrations of PEGs in LDH-PEG formulations obtained better activity and secondary structure recoveries of LDH after freeze-thawing. Insoluble aggregation of LDH was not observed in gel filtration studies. SDS-PAGE results suggested surface characteristic modifications of LDH by the larger molecular weight PEGs. The14C-PEG 4000 labeling and binding study showed extensive nonspecific interactions between the PEG 4000 and LDH molecules in a concentration-dependent manner. The bound LDH-PEG 4000/free PEG 4000 ratio increased when LDH or PEG 4000 concentrations increased. Cryostage microscopic study showed that PEG 8000 delayed the ice crystallization and eutectic transition of LDH formulation. It appeared that multiple mechanisms were at work during PEGs' cryoprotection of LDH. It was unclear whether the delayed eutectic characteristics of PEGs contributed to LDH cryoprotection. The favorable interaction, rather than preferential exclusion, between LDH and PEGs (eg, 4000) cryoprotected LDH.
Platelet survival in rabbits to detect hyperacute rejection.

Abstract The in vivo platelet survival test, which is based on the rate of disappearance of labelled donor platelets from the circulation of the recipient, was evaluated as a means of assessing preimmunization to transplantation antigens. Platelet survival was shown to correlate closely with the intensity of immunization and proved to be most useful in predicting hyperacute rejection. The immunizing effect of test platelets was variable but slight and could be successfully prevented by 6-MP. The test appears to be more sensitive and accurate in predicting preimmunization than the lymphocyte cytotoxicity test.
New Grading System Based on Magnetic Resonance Imaging in a Mouse Model of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Background and Purpose— A grading system for experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) that does not require animal euthanasia is currently unavailable. We proposed a new grading system based on MRI and evaluated the feasibility of this method in a mouse model of SAH. Methods— SAH was induced by endovascular perforation in adult male C57BL/6 mice. Mice underwent MRI 24 hours after SAH and were categorized into the following 5 grades based on T2*-weighted imaging: Grade 0, no visible SAH or intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH); Grade 1, minimal/localized SAH without IVH; Grade 2, minimal/localized SAH with IVH; Grade 3, thick/diffuse SAH without IVH; and Grade 4, thick/diffuse SAH with IVH. Neurological deficits were then assessed and the mice euthanized for conventional SAH grading. Results— Among a total of 47 mice, 4% were scored as grade 0, 30% as grade 1, 11% as grade 2, 30% as grade 3, and 26% as grade 4. This MRI grading had excellent interobserver reliability (weighted κ value =0.94), and there were strong correlations between the MRI grading and the conventional grading ( r =0.85; P <0.001) or between MRI grade and neurological scores ( r =−0.46; P <0.01). Conclusions— The new MRI grading correlated well with conventional grading and enabled in vivo evaluation of SAH severity. This grading system may offer advantages in future studies of experimental SAH.
New method of nucleating diamonds

SYNTHESIS of diamond from graphite in the size range <0.1 to 1 mm requires an ultra-autoclave capable of operating at about 100,000 atm and 2000° K (ref. 1). A molten metal solvent-catalyst is also needed so that the conversion may be achieved in a relatively short time (minutes). Catalysts used include chromium, manganese and tantalum plus all elements of Group VIII of the periodic table, but nickel is used most frequently. The cross hatched region of Fig. 1 shows the combinations of pressure and temperature used for diamond synthesis when nickel is the catalyst.