cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Measurement of human small airway smooth muscle function in vitro. Comparison of bronchiolar strips and segments.

Abstract We have compared isotonic responses to methacholine of human bronchiolar segments and spiral strips. Both types of preparations contracted dose-dependently to methacholine and had a stable intrinsic contractile activity, which was significantly higher in segments ( p 50 ) in time for both segments and strips. Net contraction, i.e. the difference between resting length and the length at maximal contraction, did not change in time. Limited length-active shortening experiments indicated that 250 mg was a suitable load for both strips and segments. We concluded that, although human bronchiolar strips and segments are functionally comparable, bronchiolar segments are preferable because of their practical and theoretical advantages over bronchiolar strips.
An Evolution of a Software Engineering Curriculum

Many software engineering master's programs, particularly in the U.S., are based on the SEI curriculum archetype published in 1987. This paper describes how one such program at the University of Houston — Clear Lake is being modified to accomodate developments in software engineering practice and to better meet the needs of a particular local constituency. Highlights of the revised program include a new 5-course core curriculum, four concentration areas and a two-semester capstone experience enabling students to apply their knowledge to real-world projects. The new curriculum is designed to provide an optimum balance between the needs of students, the requirements of industry and the integration of new technology.
Moving to CSR: What to Packfor the Trip

The study of Social Issues in Management (SIM) has exhausted its primary analytic framework based on corporate social performance (social science), business ethics (philosophy), and stakeholder the...
Quantitative Encoding of the Effect of a Partial Agonist on Individual Opioid Receptors by Multisite Phosphorylation and Threshold Detection

In comparison to endogenous ligands of seven-transmembrane receptors, which typically act as full agonists, many drugs act as partial agonists. Partial agonism is best described as a "macroscopic" property that is manifest at the level of physiological systems or cell populations; however, whether partial agonists also encode discrete regulatory information at the "microscopic" level of individual receptors is not known. Here, we addressed this question by focusing on morphine, a partial agonist drug for μ-type opioid peptide receptors (MORs), and by combining quantitative mass spectrometry with cell biological analysis to investigate the reduced efficacy of morphine, compared to that of a peptide full agonist, in promoting receptor endocytosis. We showed that these chemically distinct ligands produced a complex and qualitatively similar mixture of phosphorylated opioid receptor forms in intact cells. Quantitatively, however, the different agonists promoted disproportionate multisite phosphorylation of a specific serine and threonine motif, and we found that modification at more than one residue was essential for the efficient recruitment of the adaptor protein β-arrestin that mediated subsequent endocytosis of MORs. Thus, quantitative encoding of agonist-selective endocytosis at the level of individual opioid receptors was based on the conserved biochemical principles of multisite phosphorylation and threshold detection.
Learning to live with black bears: A psychological model of acceptance

The reappearance and recovery of large carnivores in human-dominated landscapes creates a need to understand how people will respond to the presence of these animals. We tested a psychological model of acceptance to determine what variables most influence people's acceptance for black bears (Ursus americanus) in an area with an emerging black bear population (Ohio, USA). We hypothesized that people's perceptions of risk and benefit related to bears would mediate the effect of trust (in wildlife management agencies) and personal control (over interactions with and management of wildlife) on acceptance for black bears. We used a mail-back survey of Ohio residents (n = 9,400; adjusted response rate = 35%) to assess the variables of interest and test the hypothesized model. Based on multiple criteria of model fit, the hypothesized model fit the data acceptably well. The model explained approximately 62% of the variance in acceptance, and perception of risk associated with black bears had the largest impact on the level of acceptance. As large carnivore populations expand and interactions with humans increase, our results will aid managers in designing outreach materials and communications aimed at promoting acceptance for large carnivores. Our model suggests that interventions raising an individual's social trust in the managing agency, or personal control can indirectly raise stakeholders' acceptance by reducing risk perception and increasing perception of benefit from carnivores. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.
Storage of information in transient auditory memory

This study concerns the manner in which features of auditory stimuli are stored in acoustic memory. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded to sequences of tones in which sequential, infrequent deviant tones were presented in a row, each of which differed from the frequent standard tones along a different stimulus dimension. The object was to determine whether a change in a single feature of a stimulus would have an effect on the entire representation of the standard tone in memory, or only on the representation of the stimulus dimension by which the first deviant differed from the standards. It was found that the amplitude of the mismatch negativity elicited by subsequent deviants was not reduced by the presence of the first deviant, supporting independent storage of features.
A Semantic Basis for Evaluative Trait Judgments

A measure of trait inter-relatedness derived from correlations, across subjects, between evaluative ratings of separate traits was (a) examined in terms of its ability to provide a satisfac tory representation of the semantic structure underlying judg ments of a set of traits and (b) compared to a trait-sorting task measure of stimulus co-occurrence. Results suggested that evaluative intercorrelations provide a better measure of semantic similarity than provided by trait-sorting. Reasons for this superiority are discussed.
IT employee retention: employee expectations and workplace environments

IT employee retention is a serious problem facing many organizations. Building on person-environment fit theory and utilizing survey data drawn from 21 state government IT departments, in this paper we examine the relationship between voluntary turnover and various aspects of the working environments which IT employees perceive to be unique to their profession (i.e., a departmental disposition toward learning and change, opportunities for cross-training, opportunities for job rotation, knowledgeable managers, knowledgeable colleagues, and work exhaustion). Work exhaustion, disposition toward learning and change, knowledgeable managers, and opportunities for cross training explained 30% of the variance in voluntary turnover intentions. Gender differences emerged.
Central-Upwind Schemes for Two-Layer Shallow Water Equations

We derive a second-order semidiscrete central-upwind scheme for one- and two-dimensional systems of two-layer shallow water equations. We prove that the presented scheme is well-balanced in the sense that stationary steady-state solutions are exactly preserved by the scheme and positivity preserving; that is, the depth of each fluid layer is guaranteed to be nonnegative. We also propose a new technique for the treatment of the nonconservative products describing the momentum exchange between the layers. The performance of the proposed method is illustrated on a number of numerical examples, in which we successfully capture (quasi) steady-state solutions and propagating interfaces.
Determination of the /sup 3/He superfluid-density tensor for the A and B phases

The classic technique of Andronikashvili has been used to determine the superfluid density of the A and B phases of superfluid /sup 3/He. In the anisotropic A phase, the texture of the fluid is controlled through the interaction between the boundary condition on the l vector and an externally applied magnetic field. Comparison of measurements made for different textures clearly establish the anisotropy of the superfluid density tensor for /sup 3/He-A. (AIP)
Molecular epidemiology of pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Currently there is no early diagnostic test and no effective treatment options for this deadly disease. Prevention of pancreatic cancer is difficult because little is known about its etiology. The main modifiable risk factors for pancreatic cancer include cigarette smoking and dietary factors. Information from molecular epidemiological study of pancreatic cancer is very limited. DNA adducts derived from exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, aromatic amines, and heterocyclic amines have been detected in human pancreatic tissues. DNA damages derived from oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation are also present in pancreas. No study has demonstrated a main effect of carcinogen-metabolizing genes and DNA repair genes on the risk of pancreatic cancer thus far. However, significant effects of these genes have been observed among individuals with known carcinogen exposure, such as smoking. A number of environmental and lifestyle factors, such as smoking, alcohol, coffee consumption, and exposure to organochlorine or hydrocarbon solvent, have been associated with the frequency and spectrum of K-ras mutation in pancreatic tumors. Dietary folate intake and serum levels of folate have been associated with the risk of pancreatic cancer among male smokers. These findings demonstrate the potential of the molecular epidemiology approach in understanding the etiology of pancreatic cancer. Further efforts should be made to understand the interactive relationship between genetic and environmental factors in the etiology of pancreatic cancer, which will in turn be important in identifying the high-risk population for the primary prevention of this deadly disease.
The lost chant tradition of early Christian Jerusalem: some possible melodic survivals in the Byzantine and Latin chant repertories

The medieval chant traditions of the Eastern and Western churches can generally be traced back to about the tenth century, when the earliest surviving notated manuscripts were created. In these earliest sources, the various traditions are already distinct from each other and fully formed, each with thousands of chants that are assigned to at least eight modes and belong to dozens of melody types or families, carefully distributed across the daily, weekly and annual cycles of a complicated liturgical calendar. Yet we have hardly any information at all as to how these traditions evolved into the highly complex state in which we first find them. Where did they come from and when did they originate? How and when did they achieve the relatively fixed form in which we know them? Questions such as these have been important in chant research during the last thirty years, ever since Willi Apel outlined what he called ‘the “central” problem of the chant, that is, the question concerning its origin and development’. But attempts to investigate these questions have often been conceived too narrowly, overlooking as much evidence as they include or more. For instance, many scholars have written about ‘the central problem’ as if it belonged mainly to Gregorian chant and its close relative, the Old Roman or special Urban repertory, when in fact the origins and early history of almost every tradition of Eastern and Western chant are equally obscure.
Electrospray-assisted characterization and deposition of chlorosomes to fabricate a biomimetic light-harvesting device

Photosynthesis is an efficient process by which solar energy is converted into chemical energy. Green photosynthetic bacteria such as Chloroflexus aurantiacus have supramolecular antenna complexes called chlorosomes attached to their cytoplasmic membrane that increase the cross section for light absorption even in low-light conditions. Self-assembled bacteriochlorophyll pigments in the chlorosome interior play a key role in the efficient transfer and funneling of the harvested energy. In this work it was demonstrated that chlorosomes can be rapidly and precisely size-characterized online in real time using an electrospray-assisted mobility-based technique. Chlorosomes were electrospray-deposited onto TiO2 nanostructured films with columnar morphology to fabricate a novel biomimetic device to overcome the solvent compatibility issues associated with biological particles and synthetic dyes. The assembled unit retained the viability of the chlorosomes, and the harvesting of sunlight over a broader range of wavelengths was demonstrated. It was shown that the presence of chlorosomes in the biomimetic device had a 30-fold increase in photocurrent.
Accumulation of non-utilizable starch in laticifers of Euphorbia heterophylla and E. myrsinites

Starch biosynthesis and degradation was studied in seedlings and mature plants of Euphorbia heterophylla L. and E. myrsinites L. Mature embryos, which lack starch grains in the non-articulated laticifers, develop into seedlings that accumulate starch rapidly when grown either in the light or the dark. Starch accumulation in laticifers of dark-grown seedlings was ca. 47 and 43% of total starch in light-grown controls in E. heterophylla and E. myrsinites, respectively. In light-grown seedlings, starch was present in laticifers as well as parenchyma of stems and leaves, whereas in dark-grown seedlings starch synthesis was almost exclusively limited to laticifers. In 7-month-old plants placed into total darkness, the starch in chyma was depleted within 6 d, whereas starch in laticifers was not mobilized. The starch content of latex in plants during development of floral primordia, flowering, and subsequent fruit formation remained rather constant. The results indicate that laticifers in seedlings divert embryonal storage reserves to synthesize starch even under stress conditions (darkness) in contrast to other cells, and that starch accumulated in laticifers does not serve as a metabolic reserve. The laticifer in Euphorbia functions in the accumulation and storage of secondary metabolites yet retains the capacity to produce, but not utilize starch, a primary metabolite.
Web macros by example: users managing the WWW of applications

As the WWW moves from a web of documents to a web of interactive applications, hypertext organization and navigation tools such as bookmarks do not fully support user activities. I propose the concept of Web macros - parameterized, context-aware WWW navigation programs created by demonstration. Web macros can automate common tasks for their author, as well as be offered for public use with personalized parameters factored out and substituted. I am developing the model, requirements and technology for Web macros, and will investigate authoring by demonstration.
Characterization of suppressor cells generated in mice after surgical trauma.

Abstract Immunoincompetency is associated with various types of trauma in humans and animals. In an earlier study designed to explore the mechanism of the supression of cellular immunity mediated by trauma, we found that a splenic suppressor cell population was generated in surgically traumatized mice and was responsible for the inhibition of the induction of alloreactivity seen in these animals. The suppressor cells were macrophage-like since they adhered to glass and nylon-wool columns and ingested iron fillings, but exhibited no Thy-1.2 or Ig-surface determinants. In the present study, we were able to abrogate suppression by treatment of these cells with anti-Ia and anti-Mac-1 antibodies and complement, thus demonstrating that the splenic suppressor cells in traumatized animals appeared to be macrophages. Furthermore, addition of indomethacin, acetylsalicylic acid, and 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraynoic acid to these cells completely reversed the suppression, clearly indicating that prostaglandins possibly released from the suppressor macrophages were essential mediators in this system.
NFκB-mediated cyclin D1 expression by microRNA-21 influences renal cancer cell proliferation

Abstract MicroRNAs regulate post-transcriptomic landscape in many tumors including renal cell carcinoma. We have recently shown significantly increased expression of miR-21 in renal tumors and that this miRNA contributes to the proliferation of renal cancer cells in culture. However, the mechanism by which miR-21 regulates renal cancer cell proliferation is poorly understood. Addiction to constitutive NFκB activity is hallmark of many cancers including renal cancer. Using miR-21 Sponge in renal cancer cells to block endogenous function of miR-21, we show inhibition of phosphorylation of p65 subunit of NFκB, IKKβ and IκB, which results in attenuation of NFκB transcriptional activity. Subtle reduction in the tumor suppressor PTEN has been linked to various malignancies. We showed previously that miR-21 targeted PTEN in renal cancer cells. Inhibition of PTEN by siRNAs restored miR-21 Sponge-induced suppression of phosphorylation of p65, IKKβ, IκB and NFκB transcriptional activity along with reversal of miR-21 Sponge-reduced phosphorylation of Akt. Expression of constitutively active Akt protected against miR-21 Sponge- and PTEN-mediated decrease in p65/IKKβ/IκB phosphorylation and NFκB transcriptional activity. Furthermore, IKKβ and p65 were required for miR-21-induced renal cancer cell proliferation. Interestingly, miR-21 controlled the expression of cyclin D1 through NFκB-dependent transcription. Finally, we demonstrate that miR-21-regulated renal cancer cell proliferation is mediated by cyclin D1 and CDK4. Together, our results establish a molecular order of a phosphatase–kinase couple involving PTEN/Akt/IKKβ and NFκB-dependent cyclin D1 expression for renal carcinoma cell proliferation by increased miR-21 levels.
Imparting Cultural Values to Chinese Children Through Literature

Based on the occurrence of modernization and globalization in Chinese society over the last few decades, the content of 145 stories, published in the most popular Chinese children’s story magazine from the 1980s to the present, were examined for the representation of cultural values. The presence of Chinese, Western and social-moral values in stories were assessed using checklists. The ANOVAs analyses compared cultural values found in the fiction and folklore stories published in each of the three decades reviewed. The presence of Western cultural values steadily increased over the past 20 years. Some Chinese traditional values (e.g., self-control) were consistently reflected in stories across all decades, while a few traditional values occurred less frequently, and Western values were introduced. Fiction stories reflected more Western cultural values, but fewer Chinese traditional values than folklore stories. The findings suggest that Western culture has an impacted on Chinese children’s stories. However, the continuity of Chinese traditional culture appears to be as strong as ever within the Chinese children’s stories reviewed.
A 21st Century Communication Sciences and Disorders Program

Abstract The focus of graduate programs in communication sciences and disorders has changed greatly in the last decade to reflect changes in society in general. Newly formed graduate programs must ...
Statistical problems in environmental research

Growing concern about the health effects of exposure to pollutants and other chemicals in the environment has stimulated new research to detect and quantify environmental hazards. This research has generated many interesting and challenging methodological problems for statisticians. One type of statistical research develops new methods for the design and analysis of individual studies. Because current research of this type is too diverse to summarize in a single article, we discuss current work in two areas of application: the carcinogen bioassay in small rodents and epidemiologic studies of air pollution. To assess the risk of a potentially harmful agent, one must frequently combine evidence from different and often quite dissimilar studies. Hence, this paper also discusses the central role of data synthesis in risk assessment, reviews some of the relevant statistical literature, and considers the role of statisticians in evaluating and combining evidence from diverse sources. Au cours des dernieres annees, on a vu grandir l'inquietude du public a l'egard des efets nocifs que peut avoir sur la sante un contact prolonge aux polluants et elements chimiques divers presents dans notre environnement. Cette preoccupation a stimule la recherche de nouveaux moyens de detection et de mesure des dangers du milieu, creant par la měme occasion une plethore de problemes methodologiques interessants pour les statisticiens. C'est ainsi que la recherche statistique a produit de nouvelles methodes de planification et d'analyse d'etudes individuelles. Comme les connaissances dans ce domaine sont deja trop abondantes pour qu'on puisse rěver de les resumer dans un seul article, nous nous restreignons ici a deux champs d'application particuliers: (1) les analyses d'impact d'agents cancerigenes chez les petits rongeurs; et (2) les etudes epidemiologiques concernant la pollution de l'air. Pour evaluer les risques que comporte un agent potentiellement dangereux, il est souvent necessaire de reunir des donnees provenant d'etudes diverses et parfois disparates. Dans cet article, nous mettons en lumiere le rǒle important de la synthese de donnees dans l'evaluation de risques et passons en revue une partie de la litterature statistique qui s'y rattache. Nous soulignons egalement l'apport de la statistique et des statisticiens a ce processus.
Climatonomical modeling of temperature response to dust contamination of Antarctic snow surfaces

Monthly averages of the surface energy balance are parameterized, resulting in a reduced solar forcing function and a non-dimensional time scale for computing the thermal response at the air/snow interface by numerical forward integration. The climatonomic transform of the balance equation serves to assess surface-temperature perturbations resulting from parameter modifications which simulate effects of dust contamination of a snow surface. Three climatonomical model experiments permit the following conclusions: (1) an albedo reduction increases primarily the summer temperatures; (2) an emissivity decrease raises the temperature of all months nearly uniformly; (3) the thermally induced feedback on submedium structure (if summer melting is instigated) increases the storage capacity and reduces spring and summer temperatures with compensating rise in autumn and winter temperature. Quantitative results are exemplified by assumed modification of conditions known to exist at the South Polar Plateau.
Motivation for Security, Certainty, and Self-Esteem

(1961). Motivation for Security, Certainty, and Self-Esteem. The Journal of General Psychology: Vol. 65, No. 1, pp. 75-87.
Complementary Truncations of a Hydrogen Bond to Ribose Involved in Transition-State Stabilization by Cytidine Deaminase†

The crystal structure of the complex formed between Escherichia coli cytidine deaminase and the transition-state analogue inhibitor 3,4-dihydrouridine [Betts, L., Xiang, S., Short, S. A., Wolfenden, R., & Carter, C. W. (1994) J. Mol. Biol. 235, 635] shows the presence of an H-bond between Glu-91 and the 3'-OH group of substituent ribose, a part of the substrate that is not directly involved in its chemical transformation. To test the contribution of this interaction to transition-state stabilization, Glu-91 was converted to alanine. The mutant enzyme is very much less active than the wild-type enzyme, with a 500-fold increase in Km and a 32-fold reduction in kcat using cytidine as substrate. No change in secondary structure is evident in the circular dichroic spectrum. As measured by kcat/Km, Glu-91 thus appears to stabilize the transition state for cytidine deamination by an overall factor of 1.7 x 10(4), equivalent to -5.8 kcal/mol in free energy. To test the contribution of this interaction in the opposite sense, the 3'-OH group of the substrate was replaced by a hydrogen atom. Comparing 3'-deoxycytidine with cytidine, the native enzyme shows a 17-fold increase in Km and a 400-fold decrease in kcat, indicating that the 3'-hydroxyl group of cytidine stabilizes the transition state for deamination by an overall factor of 6.3 x 10(3), equivalent to -5.2 kcal/mol in free energy, as measured by kcat/Km. After one binding partner has been removed, however, the effect of removing the remaining partner is relatively slight. For the mutant enzyme E91A, removal of the 3'-hydroxyl group from substrate cytidine reduces kcat/Km by a factor of only 3. Complete removal of substituent ribose reduces the wild-type enzyme's kcat/Km by a factor of more than 10(8); thus, substituent ribose, although distant from the site of chemical transformation of the substrate, contributes at least 11 kcal to the free energy of stabilization of the transition state for cytidine deamination, matching the apparent contribution to transition state binding made by the 4-OH group of the pyrimidine ring, which is at the site of substrate transformation [Frick, L., Yang, C., Marquez, V. E., & Wolfenden, R. (1989) Biochemistry 28, 9423].
Computer applications for health care facility design.

Abstract This paper examines the general concepts and methodology for health care facility planning and design. It presents specifically two proposed models to illustrate the computer applications of the concepts and methodology. These models have been implemented in the computer language APL, and selected examples of application are included. The results of the investigation and the potential for future developments are also discussed.
A factor which counteracts the stabilizing activity of acetate ion on ophioxidase at alkaline pH.

Lal-aminoacide oxydase de venin de serpent est tres instable en milieu alcalin et les ions d'acetate soutiennent cette inactivation. Le foie de bœuf contient un facteur qui inhibe partiellement l'effet des ions d'acetate. Cette inhibition est en partie de type competitif.
The Endocrine Society: Past and Present Presidential Address of The Endocrine Society, 66th Annual Meeting

Philip Abelson, editor of Science, wrote an editorial in the September 9, 1983 issue of Science entitled: Communication Between Scientists (1). In this editorial he referred to “unhealthy long term trends—in both written and verbal scientific communication,” including the problems of the proliferating scientific literature and the changing pattern of annual meetings. Some idea of the magnitude of the scientific literature explosion is evident from the recent estimate of Eugene Garfield that “there have been at least 20,000,000 papers published (overall) and at least 10,000,000 of them since 1950” (2).
Systematic properties of CO emission from galaxies: Weighted correlations

The dependence of molecular gas emission on various global galaxy properties is tested by examining a series of correlations. CO luminosities of entire galaxies are correlated with their H I content, blue luminosity, disk area, far-infrared luminosity, Hubble type, Elmegreen arm type, DDO luminosity class, total B-V color, disk B-V color, and H-alpha emission. A weighted correlation test is derived and applied to correct for the strong Malmquist bias in the available CO observations of galaxies. The relative strengths of the correlations indicate that molecular emission has a strong dependence on galaxy scale, a weak dependence on galaxy form, and is closely linked to tracers of star forming regions.
Self-assembly via Active Transport By Biomolecular Motors

Modified kinesin gliding motility assays display striking self-assembly phenomena,[1] in particular the formation of non-equilibrium structures. Biotinylated microtubules partially coated with streptavidin form “wires” and “spools” while gliding on kinesins adhered to the surface.[2] The spool formation process was investigated in detail, and we found that the assembled spools exhibit a narrow distribution of spool diameters, and that the average diameter is an order of magnitude smaller than what would be obtained from a thermally driven assembly process. We also observe that pinning of the microtubule leading tip on the surface initiates the spool formation in 80% of the cases. By modeling the mechanism of microtubule tip buckling and the resultant microtubule spool diameter as a function of the microtubule persistence length and the number of motors attached to the microtubule, we can predict the average spool diameter and the observed spool diameter distribution. The model suggests a strong dependence of spool diameters and size distribution on the surface kinesin density. The goal of our research is to obtain a better understanding of the dynamics of this multi-agent process and its implications for self-assembly in general.[1] Hess, H. Self-assembly driven by molecular motors. Soft Matter 2 (8), 669-677 (2006).[2] Hess, Henry et al. Molecular self-assembly of “Nanowires” and “Nanospools” using active transport. Nano Letters 5 (4), 629-633 (2005).
Molecular Pathogenesis of Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinomas.

Non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) from histological and biological perspectives is a complex neoplasm. The sequential preneoplastic changes have been defined for centrally arising squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) of the lung, and they are less documented for peripherally arising adenocarcinomas. The main morphologic forms of preneoplastic lesions recognized in the lung are squamous dysplasias for SCC, and atypical adenomatous hyperplasia for adenocarcinoma. Several studies have provided information regarding the molecular characterization of lung preneoplastic changes, especially for SCC. These molecular changes have been detected in the histologically normal and abnormal respiratory epithelium of smokers and patients with lung cancer, phenomenon known as field of cancerization. Our improved understanding of the changes and origins of the field of cancerization can be applied clinically to improve early detection of lung cancer. In the last decade, significant progress has been made in the characterization of molecular abnormalities in NSCLC tumors that are being used as molecular targets and predictive biomarkers for patients’ selection for targeted therapy. As our understanding of the biology of the molecular pathogenesis of lung cancer evolves, there is an opportunity to use this knowledge for the development of novel chemoprevention strategies using those molecularly targeted agents used to treat advanced lung cancer, a concept coined as reverse migration. The rapid development of technologies for large-scale molecular analysis, includeing microarrays and next-generation sequencing will facilitate high-throughput molecular analysis of lung cancer preneoplastic lesions and the field of cancerization.
Asymptomatic Aortic and Mitral Regurgitation: How Should I Follow the Patient in Practice?

During the past quarter century, major advances in cardiac valve surgery have resulted in reduced operative mortality and improved long-term postoperative survival of patients undergoing surgery for aortic regurgitation (AR) and mitral regurgitation (MR). However, the management of the asymptomatic patient and the indications for surgery continue to be the subject of considerable controversy and disagreement. Valve replacement or repair continues to entail both immediate and long-term risks, and these risks clearly are not justified in all asymptomatic patients with AR or MR. In general, surgery is indicated when the patient first develops significant cardiac symptoms. Numerous studies have also identified subgroups of asymptomatic patients with evidence of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction who may benefit from early operation before the onset of symptoms. This realization has prompted a movement toward early operation in patients with minimal or no cardiac symptoms who manifest declining LV function. Noninvasive imaging techniques are critical in making this evaluation and have a major impact in management decision making.
Intelligent Control of High-Speed Turning in a Quadruped

Understanding and implementing the control mechanisms that animals use to robustly negotiate a variety of terrains at high speed remains an unsolved problem. Previous research has resulted in control of quadruped running over a range of low speeds or narrowly around a single high speed. Control over a range of both low and high speeds is difficult because a quadruped system is significantly more responsive at high speeds than at low speeds, and because the proportional-derivative style controllers used by many of the previous researchers are only effective locally around the single speed and turning rate at which the controller was tuned. This work presents a fuzzy control strategy that manages the complex coupling between the multiple system inputs and outputs to successfully execute high-speed turns over a range of speeds and turning rates. The resulting control system stabilizes a 3D quadruped trot up to 4 m/s and turning up to 30 deg/s, on a quadruped system with articulated legs and practical leg mass properties in a simulation environment with realistic friction coefficients and system losses.
Intermittent Parathyroid Hormone Administration Counteracts the Adverse Effects of Glucocorticoids on Osteoblast and Osteocyte Viability, Bone Formation, and Strength in Mice

Glucocorticoids act directly on bone cells to decrease production of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, increase osteoblast and osteocyte apoptosis, and prolong osteoclast life span. Conversely, daily injections of PTH decrease osteoblast and osteocyte apoptosis and increase bone formation and strength. Using a mouse model, we investigated whether the recently demonstrated efficacy of PTH in glucocorticoid-induced bone disease results from the ability of this therapeutic modality to counteract at least some of the direct effects of glucocorticoids on bone cells. Glucocorticoid administration to 5- to 6-month-old Swiss-Webster mice for 28 d increased the prevalence of osteoblast and osteocyte apoptosis and decreased osteoblast number, activation frequency, and bone formation rate, resulting in reduced osteoid, wall and trabecular width, bone mineral density, and bone strength. In contrast, daily injections of PTH caused a decrease in osteoblast and osteocyte apoptosis and an increase in osteoblast number, activation frequency, bone formation rate, bone mineral density, and bone strength. The decreased osteocyte apoptosis was associated with increased bone strength. When the two agents were combined, all the adverse effects of glucocorticoid excess on bone were prevented. Likewise, in cultured osteoblastic cells, PTH attenuated the adverse effects of glucocorticoids on osteoblast survival and Wnt signaling via an Akt phosphorylation-dependent mechanism. We conclude that intermittent PTH administration directly counteracts the key pathogenetic mechanisms of glucocorticoid excess on bone, thus providing a mechanistic explanation of its efficacy against glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.
Hierarchical power management for DC microgrid in islanding mode and Solid State transformer enabled mode

A hierarchical power management scheme is proposed in this paper for a typical DC Microgrid. Different from other Microgrids, the DC Microgrid can interface to the distribution system by Solid-State transformer (SST). The hierarchical power management strategy includes three control levels: 1) primary control for DC Microgrid to implement distributed operation 2) secondary control for the DC Microgrid bus voltage recovery to achieve seamless mode switch 3) tertiary control to manage the battery charge and discharge. The DC Microgrid can operate in islanding mode, including the individual control for distributed renewable energy source (DRER) and distributed energy storage device (DESD). In addition, the DC microgrid can operate in SST-enabled mode to interface to the distribution system. The DC Micorgrid can seamlessly switch between islanding mode and SST-enable mode. The consideration of state of charge (SOC) for battery is also involved into the tertiary control. To this end, a lab test-bed is constructed to verify the system performance. Lastly, several typical case studies are carried out and the experimental results verify the proposed power management strategy.
Symbolic implementation of arbitrary-order perturbation theory using computer algebra : application to vibrational-rotational analysis of diatomic molecules.

Abstract Theoretical details necessary to calculate arbitrary-order correction terms to vibrational–rotational energies and wave functions in Rayleigh–Schrodinger perturbation theory are presented. Since manual derivation of high-order perturbation formulae is not feasible due to the lengthy algebra involved, the commercial computer algebra software Mathematica® is employed to perform the symbolic manipulations necessary to derive the requisite correction formulae in terms of universal constants, molecular constants, and quantum numbers. Correction terms through sixth order for 1∑ diatomic molecules are derived and then evaluated for H2, HD, N2, CO, and HF. It is thus possible, with the aid of computer-generated algebra, to apply arbitrarily high-order perturbation theory successfully to the problem of intramolecular nuclear motion.
Tandem Transcorporal Artificial Urinary Sphincter Cuff Salvage Technique: Surgical Description and Results

Purpose: Complications associated with placement of artificial urinary sphincter may make reoperation necessary. We present a surgical description and outcome data for tandem transcorporal artificial urinary sphincter salvage technique for nonmechanical artificial urinary sphincter failure.Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis from July 2002 to December 2005 identified 198 consecutive men who underwent artificial urinary sphincter placement by a single surgeon (DSE) for postoperative stress urinary incontinence. Tandem transcorporal salvage artificial urinary sphincter surgery was performed in 18 patients with 1 (10 of 18) or both (8 of 18) cuffs placed transcorporally. Etiology of previous artificial urinary sphincter failure leading to the insertion of both cuffs in the transcorporal position included 3 infections, 2 erosions, 2 impending erosions, and 1 failed male sling. A self-administered standardized questionnaire was used to assess continence and quality of life outcomes.Results: At a me...
Impact of plasma transfusion in massively transfused trauma patients.

Objective:The objective of this study was to determine the optimal use of fresh-frozen plasma (FFP) in trauma. Our hypothesis was that a higher FFP: packed red blood cells (PRBC) ratio is associated with improved survival.Methods:This is a 6-year retrospective trauma registry and blood bank database
Editor's Note on Policy Advocacy Essays

As our legion of obviously highly observant and dedicated readers will immediately note, this issue of the Policy Studies Review is marked by the introduction of a new feature which we have chosen to characterize as policy advocacy essays. Specifically, the two essays featured in this issue—“Strategic Treasury Debt Management in Public Policy” by Campbell R. Harvey and “How the Clinton Administration Can Make Foreign Aid Work” by Neil S. Zank—are significantly different from our typical articles. They go a good way beyond the usually rather cautious recommendations for policy change that are upon occasion put forward at the conclusion of our typically quite analytical and often empirically based articles. In contrast, neither of the two essays that follow intend to be objective. Rather, both authors, as individuals with long-time expertise in the areas about which they are writing, have quite decided opinions about significant reforms in major areas of national policy which they would like to see implemented.
An Evolutionary Perspective for Bimodal Respiration: A Biological Synthesis of Fish Air Breathing

SYNOPSIS: The broad phyletic distribution of bimodal breathing among the fishes, the diversity of this group's aerial-respiratory specializations, and the numerous ways that bimodality has permeated the natural history of many species provide a broad perspective on the evolution and biological significance of bimodal breathing. The long term evolutionary view of bimodal breathing emphasizes its importance in the evolutionary transition to terrestriality; a key role in this process was played by the fishes which were the first air-breathing vertebrates. On the other hand, in most extant fishes bimodality has not led to terrestriality. Rather, auxiliary air breathing enables a species to remain in or to exploit an aquatic habitat from which it would otherwise be excluded.
Group Therapy for Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse Who Have Chronic Mental Illness

Medication and supportive services are usually the approaches used to treat women with chronic mental illness (CMI). The goal of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of group therapy for women with CMI in comparison with those for women without CMI, all of whom experienced childhood sexual abuse. The sample (N = 121) consisted of women, all of whom were sexually abused as children. The results indicated that abused women with CMI had improved self-esteem and decreased symptom scores at the same rate as abused women without CMI. It was suggested that nurses can play an essential role in their practice with this population.
Mono alkylating agents as therapeutic agents in plasma sterilization and plasma protein stabilization.

Summary o 1. Monochloroacetate is an effective bacteriostatic agent and has varying bactericidal ability according to the bacteria tested. It is less potent in this regard than the other halogens in bactericidal effect but it is, on the other hand, far less toxic. 2. Monochloroacetate, as with the other halogen acetates, inhibits the aggregation of proteins during denaturation by heat, by blocking the sulfhydryl groups which form covalent bonds between the — SH groups of albumin and those of the other proteins. This generally causes favorable stabilization of plasma proteins when subjected to heat or other denaturing agents. This is an added beneficial factor in protecting against protein loss in long term plasma storage. 3. Plasma treated with monochloroacetate did not form antigenic compounds in the plasma on subsequent infusions. The nutritional aspect of plasma was not impaired in long range chronic toxicity experiments. 4. It is hoped from work now being carried on in this laboratory that its interference with RNA and DNA metabolism will prove it valuable as a therapeutic agent.
The effect of ticlopidine on canine platelets, fibrinogen, and antithrombin III activity.

The effect of ticlopidine on platelet function, platelet number, mean platelet volume, antithrombin III activity, and fibrinogen was evaluated in 10 laboratory beagles. Ticlopidine (62 mg/kg) significantly inhibited ADP- and collagen-induced platelet aggregation within 2 days of the beginning of oral administration. Collagen-induced platelet 14C-serotonin release was not inhibited by day 9 of medication but was inhibited by day 20 in two of three beagles given medication for 32 days. Significant increases in mean platelet number were observed on days 2 and 5. The trend toward increased platelet number continued until day 16, at which time platelet number began to decrease toward baseline in three of three dogs treated for 32 days. Mean platelet volume (MPV) was significantly decreased compared to baseline on days 5 and 9. In three dogs treated for 32 clays, the lowest MPV was observed on day 9 in two dogs and on day 12 in one dog. Significant changes were not observed in antithrombin III activity or fibrinogen with ticlopicline treatment.
Active control of lean blowout in a swirl-stabilized combustor using a tunable diode laser

Abstract A novel tunable diode laser temperature sensor is used to prevent lean blowout (LBO) in a swirl-stabilized, partially premixed dump combustor which serves as a model of gas turbine combustors. The fast-response temperature sensor is based on rapid, repetitive (2 kHz) wavelength-scanned laser absorption of two vibrational overtone transitions of water vapor near 1.4 μm using a single fiber-coupled diode laser. Although the gas composition and temperature are not uniform along the line-of-sight, low-frequency temperature fluctuations are identified in the FFT power spectrum of the real-time temperature measurements at an optimized location. We found that the fraction of the FFT power at low-frequencies (0–50 Hz) increases exponentially as the flame approaches LBO. The intensity of these low-frequency temperature fluctuations is used to detect the proximity to LBO and as a control variable for the active LBO control system. Successful prevention of LBO during power reduction and transient fuel variation is demonstrated even without knowledge of the LBO fuel/air ratio limit for the specific operating conditions of the combustor. The active control system also can maintain the flame at very lean conditions (0.03 above the LBO equivalence ratio), and thus reduce the LBO margin. To our knowledge, this is the first application of laser-based sensors in active LBO control of swirl-stabilized flames. The results demonstrate the potential of tunable diode laser sensors for closed-loop combustion control applications.
Effects of Right Ventriculotomy upon Activation of the Epicardial Surface of the Canine Right Ventricle

The sequence of activation of the epicardial surface of the right ventricle has been studied before and after right ventriculotomy. Normally, the area of the right ventricle adjacent to the anterior interventricular groove is activated first, the midportion of the wall second, and the area adjacent to the posterior interventricular groove and the anterior basal area are activated last. Activation of the entire epicardial surface of the right ventricle requires 25 to 40 msec. Right ventriculotomy does not alter the sequence of activation or the time of activation of the right ventricular epicardium if the incision passes medial to the free-running Purkinje fibers or through their arborization on the right, ventricular wall. When the ventriculotomy is made lateral to the arborization of these fibers, activation of that portion of the wall lateral to the incision is delayed, and activation of the entire ventricular surface requires 42 to 52 msec. There is no electrocardiographic evidence of bundle-branch blo...