cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Perillus bioculatus and Podisus maculiventris (Hemiptera:Pentatomidae) as potential control agents of the Colorado potato beetle (Coleoptera:Chrysomelidae).

In laboratory and microplot consumption tests, spined soldier bug, Podisus maculiventris (Say), ate at least as many Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), eggs and larvae as did the twospotted stink bug, Perillus bioculatus (F.). P. maculiventris also remained in field microplots infested with Colorado potato beetle egg masses for slightly longer than did P. bioculatus . The 2 predators were equally effective at consuming egg masses, reducing densities of beetle larvae, and preventing potato defoliation in small field plots. These results contrast with previous trials, in which P. bioculatus had been more effective. In laboratory trials, larger P. maculiventris nymphs selected larger prey larvae, whereas P. bioculatus nymphs did not discriminate by size of prey; thus, the relative effectiveness of the 2 predators may depend on the life stages of the prey that are present at the time of predator release.
On distributively generated near-rings

The following theorems in ring theory are well-known: 1. Let R be a ring. If e is a unique left identity, then e is also a right identity. 2. If R is a ring with more than one element such that aR = R for every nonzero element a e R , then R is a division ring. 3. A ring R with identity e ≠ 0 is a division ring if and only if it has no proper right ideals.
A Utopian perspective on ecology and development

Effective communication concerning environmental issues can take a variety of forms. The following essay is offered as a “metalogue”, a piece of writing in which the writing itself illustrates the principles developed in the writing.
Public Perception of Desalinated Water from Oil and Gas Field Operations: Data from Texas

Data collected in two counties in north central Texas were used to empirically explore issues associated with public perception of desalinated water from oil and gas field operations. The data reveal that small percentages of respondents are extremely familiar with the process of desalination and extremely confident that desalinated water could meet human drinking water quality and purity standards. The data also indicate that respondents are more favorably disposed toward the use of desalinated water for purposes where the probability of human or animal ingestion is lessened. Lastly, the data show that respondents who are more familiar with desalination technology are more likely than those who are less familiar to believe that desalinated oil and gas field water could safely be used for selected purposes. Possible implications of these findings are advanced, as are suggestions for future research.
Betaine and methionine on renal hemorrhagic degeneration in rats receiving 2-amino-2-methyl propanol-1.

Summary1. The incidence of hemorrhagic kidneys in young male rats on a low choline diet is increaased by the addition of 10 mg of 2-amino-2-methylpropanol-l per gram of food. Choline at a level of 10.76 × 10−3 mM per gram of food protects against renal hemorrhagic degeneration caused by 10 mg of 2-amino-2-methylpropanol-l per gram of food. Betaine, methionine, and casein at the levels studied were unable to completely prevent the incidence of kidney lesions caused by 10 mg of 2-amino-2-methylpropanol-l per gram of food.
Research--The Sparse Component of Calculus Reform-- Part I: An Analysis of the Reform Effort.

ABSTRACT Several mathematicians have expressed their criticism of calculus instruction and some have developed innovations. This paper reviews the criticisms and innovations and then questions the approach and the emphasis of the reformers. * Based on a presentation given at the Conference on the Teaching of Calculus held at Harvard University on 12–13 June 1992.
Erythroleukemia: A study of 15 cases and literature review

Out of a total of 185 cases of acute leukemia at our institution from 1967 to 1978, fifteen cases (8.1%) were identified as erythroleukemia or erythremic myelosis. The symptoms at presentation were often related to anemia (10/15 cases); the presenting hemoglobin value was lower than 10.0 gm/100 ml. Nucleated red cells were present in the peripheral blood and reticulocyte response was inappropriate to the degree of anemia. Marrow biopsy showed erythroid hyperplasia with megaloblastic and dyserythropoietic features, increase in myeloblasts greater than 5% (10/15 cases), positive PAS staining of erythroid precursors (12/12 cases), and erythrophagocytosis by abnormal erythroid precursors (6/15 cases). Abnormalities were noted in monocytic and megakaryocytic cell lines, and it was concluded that erythroleukemia is probably a stem cell disorder. Response to chemotherapy was poor with median survival of four months from initial diagnosis. Intracranial hemorrhage and bacterial or fungal infection were the most frequent cause of death.
Singlet excited-state “energy hopping” in alkylbenzenes

The quenching of toluene fluorescence by cis-6-phenyl-2-hexene has been studied to determine the rate of singlet “energy hopping” in dilute solutions of alkylbenzenes. The singlet lifetime date have been analyzed by the Stern-Volmer method to give the quasi-isoenergetic rate, kq, as 1.2 × 1010 M−1 −1. The result is consistent with an excimer formation dissociation mechanism for alkylaromatic singlet energy transfer in dilute solution.
Solution conformation of the (-)-cis-anti-benzo[a]pyrenyl-dG adduct opposite dC in a DNA duplex: intercalation of the covalently attached BP ring into the helix with base displacement of the modified deoxyguanosine into the major groove.

This paper reports on the combined NMR−molecular mechanics computational studies of the solution structure of the (−)-cis-anti-[BP]dG adduct positioned opposite dC in the sequence context d(C1-C2-A3-T4-C5-[BP]G6-C7-T8-A9-C10-C11)·d(G12-G13-T14-A15-G16-C17-G18-A19-T20-G21-G22) duplex [designated (−)-cis-anti-[BP]dG·dC 11-mer duplex]. This adduct is derived from cis addition at C10 of (−)-anti-7(S),8(R)-dihydroxy-9(R),10(S)-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene [(−)-anti-BPDE] to the N2 position of dG6 in this duplex sequence. The exchangeable and nonexchangeable protons of the benzo[a]pyrenyl moiety and nucleic acid of the major conformation were assigned following analysis of two-dimensional NMR data sets in H2O and D2O solution. There was a general broadening of proton resonances for a three-nucleotide segment centered about the lesion site which resulted in a tentative assignment for the sugar protons of the C7 residue in the spectrum of the adduct duplex. The solution conformation of the major confor...
Adaptive resemblance: a unifying concept for mimicry and crypsis

Adaptive resemblance (AR) is a broad and inclusive concept which requires that only one condition be met: that members of a species of organism gain fitness due to a selective advantage imparted by a resemblance to some cue or signal in the organism's environment. Essential to the evolution and maintenance of AR is the dynamic and ongoing relationship among model, mimic and selective agent (SA) that provides a complex selective milieu within which evolves resemblance. Because specifics of a resemblance, including phenotypic traits being imitated, the nature of the model, and the function of the resemblance, are not relevant to the concept of AR, the diversity and abundance of such resemblances are limited only by the diversity and abundance of exploitable model-SA relationships. Defined as it is by a single mimic-related criterion, AR thus provides the basis for uniting under one conceptual umbrella diverse resemblances that range from cryptic to sematic, interspecific to intraspecific, organismal to molecular, and material to attributive or implied. The defining criterion excludes incidental resemblances which are contrastingly defined as those which are the result of coincidental phenotypic responses to functional requirements or to other selective influences. Some adaptive resemblances are attributable to more than one selective factor and thus may be categorized in more than one way (having aposematic and procryptic functions, for instance), while some others apparently are due to incidental resemblance as well as adaptive (such as thermoadaptive and procryptic functions).
Solar Panel Orientation and Modeling Based on Hourly Clearness Index

Published hourly solar irradiance data are used to calculate the hourly clearness indices for three municipalities (Los Angles, Orlando and New York City). The clearness index method is then used to model the hourly total solar irradiance (summation of beam, diffuse and ground reflected) on an arbitrarily oriented surface. The orientations of solar panel for maximum annual solar irradiance for these locations are determined. It is shown that in some cases the southward solar panels do not yield maximum annual solar irradiance. Further, it is shown that using the hourly clearness index results in solar irradiance distribution that is not symmetric with respect to the solar noon.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Financial crises and coordination failure: A comment

Abstract The three papers of this session link financial crises (explicitly or implicitly) to coordination failure . In Bryant (Journal of Banking and Finance, 2002), the possibility of coordination failure is due to complementarity in the productive technology. In Chui et al. (Journal of Banking and Finance, 2002), foreign lenders to a small country fail to coordinate on the optimal strategy rolling over short-term loans. Finally, Amable et al. (Journal of Banking and Finance, 2002) implicitly introduce coordination failure through a production function with external increasing returns to scale. This sort of “thick markets” externality can be viewed as a reduced form that stands for coordination problems in a non-Walrasian economy.
Chance-Constrained Optimization of OFDMA Cognitive Radio Uplinks

A resource allocation task for the uplink of OFDMA-based cognitive radio (CR) systems is considered. The weighted sum-rate is maximized over subcarrier assignment as well as over power loading per CR user, while protecting primary user (PU) systems. However, due to the lack of explicit support from PU systems, the channels from CR users to the PU may not be accurately acquired. Thus, the PU interference constraint is posed as a chance constraint, for which conservative convex approximation is employed for tractability. In particular, to mitigate the combinatorial complexity incurred for optimal subcarrier assignment, a separable structure is pursued, and the dual decomposition method is adopted to obtain near-optimal solutions. Numerical tests verify that the proposed algorithms yield higher weighted sum-rate at lower computational complexity than a benchmark algorithm.
Development of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis during treatment of severe asthma with systemic corticosteroids

Abstract Rapid clinical improvement of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is usually noted with corticosteroid therapy. We report a case of ABPA that developed in a patient who was being treated with prednisone on a maintenance basis for severe asthma. Recovery from the short-term episode of ABPA was protracted and required higher doses of corticosteroids for control of the syndrome than usually necessary. It is suggested that corticosteroids do not prevent the development of ABPA, and that patients who develop the syndrome while on corticosteroids may have a protracted course with poor response to the usually effective doses of corticosteroids.
Challenges and opportunities of manufacturing the next generation of integrated photonics

Integrated photonics has the potential of fabricating a diverse set of photonic systems on a single substrate. At nanoscales (< 100 nm), the properties of material depend on quantum confinements. The challenge is to integrate these unique properties of nanostructures into low-cost manufacturing. For material deposition, a photo-assisted monolayer deposition technique can provide nanomaterials with an ultra-low defect density. Epitaxial dielectrics offer the possibility of growing defect-free optical materials including compound semiconductors on silicon substrates. In this paper, we have also provided manufacturing directions that must be incorporated for developing the next generation of integrated photonics.
GENXERS VERSUS BOOMERS: Work Motivators and Management Implications

This research examines workforce generational changes and specifically focuses on Generation X. GenXers comprise about one-third of the American labor force and are becoming a major influence in the workplace. To test common wisdom that they are substantially different from Baby Boomers, this study uses the 2002 General Social Survey of 454 government employees to compare Baby Boomers to GenXers. Using contingency table analysis and ordered logit analysis, we find little difference between the Baby Boom generation and Generation X in terms of their appraisal of work motivation factors. Management implications are suggested.
Improving Small Molecule Docking for Bcl-xL via Accelerated Molecular Dynamics with Cosolvent

The anti-apoptotic factor Bcl-xL operates by binding and sequestering a range of pro-apoptotic factors that otherwise promote programmed cell death. Overexpression of Bcl-xL and its anti-apoptotic relatives is common in many human cancers. Consequently, extensive efforts are being directed to developing inhibitors of Bcl-xL protein-protein interactions. Here we describe the development of an improved workflow for utilizing experimental and simulated conformations in structure-based inhibitor design strategies. By employing computational docking of known small molecule inhibitors we demonstrate that certain methods of enhanced sampling molecular dynamics (MD) are more amenable to productive docking studies. In particular, structural ensembles derived from both accelerated MD (aMD) and MD in the presence of an organic cosolvent generally scored better than those from equivalent conventional MD. Furthermore, combined cosolvent aMD simulations yielded better average and minimum docking scores for known binders than an ensemble of 80 high-resolution experimental structures. A detailed analysis of the docked conformations indicates that the improved scores resulted from an increased flexibility of the helices flanking the main Bcl-xL binding groove. This enhanced conformational sampling allowed cosolvent to penetrate more deeply into the binding pocket and stabilize conformations not evident in conventional simulations. We believe this approach could potentially be used to identify protein-protein interaction inhibitors for other systems, and would be particularly beneficial against those targets for which there is less accumulated structural data.
La Maison de Verre: Negotiating a Modern Domesticity

The Maison de Verre (1928–1932), built in Paris and designed by Pierre Chareau in collaboration with Dutch architect Bernard Bijvoet, metalworker Louis Dalbet, and the clients, Dr. and Mme Dalsace, does not fit easily within the canon of modern architecture and interior design. Though acknowledged at the time of its construction for the groundbreaking use of modern building materials and technological innovations, it went unacknowledged throughout much of the twentieth century as a defining modernist building until a 1969 essay by Kenneth Frampton rescued the house from critical obscurity. In his essay, Frampton asks whether the house is to be understood as a conventional building or as a piece of furniture. The possibility that the house might be better understood as a “piece of furniture” suggests two questions: (1) Is the Maison de Verre more significant for its interior design than for its architecture and (2) can its significance be located in the quality of livability that resulted from the negotiation between the ideals of early modernism and the demands of habitation? Our purpose is to propose answers to these questions by analyzing the complexities of Chareau’s design in relation to the rhetoric of early modern architectural theory and its challenge to the nineteenth-century concept of domesticity. We assert that Chareau’s design resolution as expressed in the interior of the Maison de Verre represents a case study in livability that warrants greater attention in the context of the history and theory of interior design distinct from architectural history and theory.
Depletion of phospholipid arachidonoyl-containing molecular species in a human Schwann cell line grown in elevated glucose and their restoration by an aldose reductase inhibitor

Abstract: In experimental diabetic neuropathy, defective arachidonic acid metabolism characterized by a decrease in the proportion of glycerophospholipid arachidonoyl-containing molecular species (ACMS) occurs and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of the disorder. In this study, we evaluated the suitability of a tumor-derived human Schwann cell line (NF1T) as a model to investigate the mechanism underlying the loss of ACMS. NF1T cells grown in 30 versus 5.5 mM glucose undergo a marked reduction in ACMS in phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylinositol, in a manner resembling that of diabetic nerve. The depletion of ACMS can be reversed on transferring the cells from 30 mM glucose to medium containing physiological levels of glucose. Cells maintained in 5.5 mM glucose plus 25 mM mannitol or sorbitol did not exhibit decreased ACMS levels, indicating that osmotic effects were not responsible for ACMS depletion. However, growth in 25 mM fructose elicited a reduction of ACMS similar to that produced by 30 mM glucose. Excessive glucose flux through the polyol pathway has been implicated in the neural and vascular abnormalities associated with diabetes. Therefore, we examined the effects of polyol pathway inhibitors, including two aldose reductase inhibitors, zopolrestat and sorbinil, and a sorbitol dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDI), CP166,572, on ACMS levels in NF1T cells cultured in elevated glucose concentrations. At 200 µM, zopolrestat fully and sorbinil partially corrected ACMS depletion. The SDI at concentrations up to 100 µM failed to affect diminished ACMS levels. Neither zopolrestat nor the SDI restored ACMS levels reduced in the presence of elevated fructose concentrations. These findings suggest that enhanced flux through the polyol pathway and, in particular, elevated aldose reductase activity may play a significant role in the reduction of ACMS levels in the cells brought about by elevated glucose levels.
Symmetries of S-systems.

Abstract An S-system is a set of first-order nonlinear differential equations that all have the same structure: The derivative of a variable is equal to the difference of two products of power-law functions. S-systems have been used as models for a variety of problems. primarily in biology. In addition, S-systems possess the interesting property that large classes of differential equations can be recast exactly as S-systems, a feature that has been proven useful in statistics and numerical analysis. Here, simple criteria are introduced that determine whether an S-system possesses certain types of symmetries and how the underlying transformation groups can be constructed. If a transformation group exists, families of solutions can be characterized, the number of S-system equations necessary for solution can be reduced, and some boundary value problems can be reduced to initial value problems.
Children's Metamemory: A Review of the Literature and Implications for the Classroom.

In this paper we examine the development of children's metamemory and provide practical implications of research findings for the classroom. In the first part of the paper we define and discuss the global concept of metacognition, the component processes of metacognition and the importance of each component to children's learning. We then examine the development of children's knowledge about memory and ability to monitor memory (i.e., metamemory). We focus, in particular, on seven major research themes: children's metamemory develops with age and experience, younger children are less aware than older children of the benefits of categorization on recall, younger children use different strategies than older children, children's causal attributions may affect metamemory, instructional interventions must be appropriately timed, children will show more strategy transfer when explicit instructions are provided and children overestimate their memory ability. We discuss implications of these major themes for teachers of young children.
Aspirin Enhances the Benefits of Late Reperfusion on Infarct Shape A Possible Mechanism of the Beneficial Effects of Aspirin on Survival After Acute Myocardial Infarction

Background The time window of the benefits of late reperfusion on infarct shape is limited. In rats, these benefits diminish in a wave front over time, with minimal benefits when reperfusion follows 16 hours of coronary occlusion. The mechanism of the benefits of aspirin on survival after acute myocardial infarction is unknown. The purpose of this study was to test the ability of aspirin to enhance the benefits of late coronary artery reperfusion on infarct shape and to examine the mechanism of the benefits of aspirin on infarct shape. Methods and Results Rats were entered into two different protocols, the morphometric and the histological protocols. In the morphometric protocol, rats were randomized into two groups: the aspirin group, in which rats underwent left coronary artery occlusion followed by treatment with aspirin (12 mg/kg IV), and the control group, in which rats underwent left coronary artery occlusion followed by treatment with placebo. Rats in both groups were reperfused 8 hours after coron...
Changes in episiotomy practice: evidence-based medicine in action

Episiotomy during vaginal delivery was first recommended in 1920 as a way to protect the pelvic floor from lacerations and protect the fetal head from trauma. It was rapidly adopted as a standard practice and has been widely used since then. However, over the last several decades, there has been a growing body of evidence that episiotomy does not provide these purported benefits and may contribute to more severe perineal lacerations and future pelvic floor dysfunction. In this review, we examine the evidence that led to changing episiotomy practices and the debate that has surrounded episiotomy. By doing so, we can not only evaluate this specific obstetric procedure, but also gain insights into the challenge of changing medical practice as new data emerge.
Dimensions of Drinking Among Male College Students

The purpose of this paper is to define quantitatively salient aspects, or dimensions, of drinking in terms of observationally identifiable traits of the college drinker which would facilitate description and measurement of drinking patterns. Drinking among young adults, such as college students, by and large represents beginning stages of drinking careers and, in extreme cases, incipient phases of what will eventually become alcoholism. A frame of refer-
A Harmonic Analysis of Saturation Recording in a Magnetic Medium

A single write-read head coupled with saturation recording techniques is commonly used to store digital information. Because of the experimental difficulty in determining the contribution of individual parameters to the system, a theoretical equation describing the output of a system in terms of the physical, magnetic, and electrical parameters of the system has been developed and programmed for the IBM 704 Data Processing System. When applied to an experimental NRZ system, excellent agreement between observed and calculated results was obtained. The phenomena of peak or phase shift and amplitude shift occurring for an isolated pair of adjacent ones at high bit densities is demonstrated and discussed. The calculated dependence of the zero-to-peak output and the peak-and-amplitude shifts is shown for variations in the thickness, retentivity, coercivity and squareness of the storage medium, and for variations in the write current, the head-to-medium spacing, and the pole gap dimensions.
Tools of Exclusion: Race, Disability, and (Re)segregated Education

In this article we explore the dynamic interplay between racism and ableismFor discrimination against someone based on perceived ‘‘ability’’ 1 Fin the resistance to school desegregation and inclusion of students with disabilities in general education. In attending to the workings of power that connect these two histories, we show how racialized notions of ability functioned to uphold segregated schooling and justify the use of special education as a tool of racial resegregation. Moreover, we locate the current problem of overrepresentation of Black 2 students (and other students of color) in segregated special education classrooms to the connected discourses of segregation and exclusion. Recent efforts to challenge exclusionary practices in special education through the increased ‘‘inclusion’’ of students with disabilities in regular classrooms have resulted in resistance similar to that expressed in response to school desegregation shortly after Brown. In this article we first provide an overview of the complicated and intertwined histories of school desegregation and special education. Then, in the discursive context of a sample of very diverse newspapers, we examine how editors, readers and contributors responded to both court-ordered desegregation in the 1950s and then special education inclusion in the 1980s and 1990s by calling for delays and gradual compliance. We argue that gradualism has functioned to maintain, rather than disrupt, the status quo of racially segregated schooling both within and across schools. Finally, we argue that race and disability should be understood primarily as interactive social constructs and not distinct biological markers.
Polarization of light scattered by microrough surfaces and subsurface defects

The polarization of light scattered into directions out of the plane of incidence for 532-nm light incident at 45° with p polarization was measured from rough silicon, rough titanium nitride, polished fused silica and glass ceramic, and ground and incompletely polished black glass. Models for polarized light scattering from microroughness, subsurface defects, and facets are reviewed. The measurements demonstrate the validity of the models and the utility of polarized light scattering measurements for distinguishing between roughness and defects.
Catalytic Studies of Sodium Hydroxide and Carbon Monoxide Reaction

We have studied the effect of ball milling on alumina mixed nickel, magnetite and Raney nickel on the reaction: 2NaOH(s) + CO (g) = Na2CO3 (s) + H2 (g) and determined the optimum particle size for the catalysts. The best performance was shown by a 2 h ball milled Raney nickel with average crystallite size of 209 A. This reaction serves the dual purpose of carbon sequestration and yielding hydrogen gas.
This is My Story: participatory performance for HIV and AIDS education at the University of Malawi

University students represent a subset of young men and women at risk for HIV in high prevalence settings. Innovative programs are needed to raise awareness on the unique issues around HIV and AIDS in the university campus, while training student leaders for peer-based education. The Process and Collaboration for Empowerment and Discussion (PACED) method engages artists and people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) to create a performance that encourages community dialog about HIV and AIDS and empowers PLWHA. ‘This is My Story’ was a program at the University of Malawi, Chancellor College, which adapted the PACED approach for university students. A qualitative evaluation conducted 1 year later among students and PLWHA participants and audience members demonstrated retention of the following themes: (i) trust in a relationship and how it affects women,(ii) equality for PLWHA and (iii) life after HIV and AIDS. All of the PLWHA and 90.9% of student participants reported a greater sense of empowerment. Of the audience members, 82.1% discussed the performance with friends and family. We thus present the PACED approach as a valuable tool in HIV and AIDS education and prevention among university students in Malawi.
Analysis of IR-drop scaling with implications for deep submicron P/G network designs

This paper presents a detailed analysis of the power-supply voltage (IR) drop scaling in DSM technologies. For the first time, the effects of temperature, electromigration and interconnect technology scaling (including resistivity increase of Cu interconnects due to electron surface scattering and finite barrier thickness) are taken into consideration during this analysis. It is shown that the IR-drop effect in the power/ground (P/G) network increases rapidly with technology scaling, and using well-known counter measures such as wire-sizing and decoupling capacitor insertion with resource allocation schemes that are typically used in the present designs may not be sufficient to limit the voltage fluctuations over the power grid for future technologies. It is also shown that such voltage drops on power lines of switching devices in a clock network can introduce significant amount of skew which in turn degrades the signal integrity.
Site-specific evaluation of the CROPGRO-soybean model on Missouri claypan soils

Abstract Crop yield is affected by many factors, primarily encompassing soil and weather conditions, and crop management practices. Crop modeling can be used to help understand how multiple factors interact and impact yield. The CROPGRO modeling package has been used extensively to assess the effects of management practices and environmental conditions on soybean growth and development. However, the model has not been thoroughly evaluated for some environments that have unique characteristics such as claypan soils in which the depth to the claypan horizon can vary greatly within fields. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the performance of the CROPGRO-Soybean model for simulating site-specific crop growth, soil water content, and grain yield on claypan soils. Data were obtained during low and average rainfall conditions from two sites over 3 years in central Missouri. Plant (e.g. yield, leaf area, root length density) and soil (e.g. topsoil thickness, moisture, texture) measurements were collected for calibrating and validating the model. Results indicated that CROPGRO-simulated soil water contents in the 15–90 cm soil profile agreed well with measured values. Simulated leaf area index and grain yield also agreed well with measured values during average precipitation years, but were under-estimated during extremely dry years. Within-season precipitation and claypan soil topsoil depth were shown to have greatest influence on soybean yield. Although we hypothesized it to be otherwise, field measurements in 1997 showed that the claypan did not negatively affect soybean root penetration.
Impact of Inlet Swirl on High-Speed High-Flow Centrifugal Stage Performance

Cooling cycle in applications such as Liquefied Natural Gas makes use of centrifugal impellers associated with heavy gas. Increasing projects handled flow leads compressor manufacturers to try to increase flow coefficient and peripheral Mach Number of those stages to limit compressor size. As a consequence, severe aerodynamic problems linked to the blade aspect ratio, meridional channel curvature and inlet tip relative Mach number arise. Of the three, the onset of transonic or supersonic inlet conditions at tip is a matter of concern since it can significantly reduce stage range and performance. Very aggressive blade redesign is often not possible due to mechanical limitations. An accurate coupling of the impeller with the upstream stator parts may partly overcome the problem. The paper summarizes the design activity of a centrifugal stage designed for inlet pre-rotation, covering the most significant considerations made during its design, starting from 1D preliminary design until three dimensional CFD verifications. Finally, the paper draws conclusions on comparison with the results of an experimental campaign the purpose of which was to evaluate the benefits brought about by the new impeller design and different inlet configurations. The new impeller design allowed to reach still acceptable operating range even with relative Mach Number of 1.05 but with a noticeable efficiency decay. Use of Inlet Guide Vane with prewhirl, to bring Mach down to lower value, allowed to recover efficiency values without any further gain of operating range.Copyright © 2007 by General Electric
The Cost of Status Enhancement: Performance Effects of Individuals' Status Mobility in Task Groups

Although we know that considerable benefits accrue to individuals with high social status, we do not know the performance effects of gaining or losing status in one's group over time. In two longitudinal studies, we measure the status positions of middle managers currently enrolled in a part-time MBA program at the beginning and end of their study group's life. In both samples, we compare the individual performance (course grades) of the students who gained or lost status to those who maintained high and low stable status positions in their groups. We find that higher status at the end of the group's life is associated with higher performance. We also find, however, that the performance of individuals who gain or lose status over time does not correspond to their final status positions. Instead, those who gain status—including those who eventually attain high status—perform worse than those who maintain high-status positions for the whole quarter. They perform no better than those in stable low-status positions throughout. Those who lose status over time actually perform as well as those who maintain high status. We interpret these results to suggest that people might trade off resources they could apply to individual performance for opportunities to enhance their status. After replicating this effect in our second sample, we identify overinvestment in increasing assertive communication and generosity as behavioral mechanisms through which individuals successfully gain status to the detriment of their own performance.
Optimization of transient temperature uniformity in RTP systems

Independent, dynamic control of multiple lamps in a rapid thermal processing (RTP) system is a potential solution to the problem of transient wafer temperature nonuniformity. The author addresses the problem of minimizing temperature error during transients when independent control of lamp power settings is available. He presents a technique based on linear programming for minimization of worst case error during temperature trajectory following, given a model of an axisymmetric, multilamp RTP system. >
Effect of mono- and di-acylation on the ocular disposition of ganciclovir: physicochemical properties, ocular bioreversion, and antiviral activity of short chain ester prodrugs

A series of short-chain carboxylic mono- and diesters of ganciclovir were synthesized in our laboratory. Physico-chemical properties, i.e., solubility (pH 4.2), partition coefficient in 1-octanol/phosphate buffer (pH 7.4), aqueous stability at various pH values, bioreversion kinetics in various ocular homogenates and effectiveness against various Herpes viruses in vitro were determined. The compounds exhibited a decrease in solubility as the ester length ascended with a corresponding increase in the octanol/buffer partition coefficient values. All of the prodrugs exhibit stability profiles typical of a carboxylic ester with maximum stability at neutral or slight acidic pH (4.0-7.0). Apparent first-order rate constants associated with prodrug to drug hydrolysis in the ocular homogenates varied depending on the size of the promoiety, lipophilicity of the compound, and the ocular tissue studied. The acetyl and butyryl mono and diesters were screened against various Herpes viruses. The monobutyrate ester of ganciclovir exhibits excellent activity against HSV-2 and VZV and provides a very high selectivity index against most of the viruses studied.
A Latent Factor Model with Global, Country, and Industry Shocks for International Stock Returns

We estimate a latent factor model that decomposes international stock returns into global, country-, and industry-specific shocks and allows for stock-specific exposures to these shocks. We find that across stocks there is substantial dispersion in these exposures, which is partly explained by the extent to which firms operate across countries. We show that portfolios consisting of stocks with low exposures to country shocks achieve substantial variance reduction relative to the global market, both in- and out-of-sample. The shock exposures are thus a stock-selection device for international portfolio diversification.
5-HT2B antagonism arrests non-canonical TGF-β1-induced valvular myofibroblast differentiation

Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) induces myofibroblast activation of quiescent aortic valve interstitial cells (AVICs), a differentiation process implicated in calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD). The ubiquity of TGF-β1 signaling makes it difficult to target in a tissue specific manner; however, the serotonin 2B receptor (5-HT2B) is highly localized to cardiopulmonary tissues and agonism of this receptor displays pro-fibrotic effects in a TGF-β1-dependent manner. Therefore, we hypothesized that antagonism of 5-HT2B opposes TGF-β1-induced pathologic differentiation of AVICs and may offer a druggable target to prevent CAVD. To test this hypothesis, we assessed the interaction of 5-HT2B antagonism with canonical and non-canonical TGF-β1 pathways to inhibit TGF-β1-induced activation of isolated porcine AVICs in vitro. Here we show that AVIC activation and subsequent calcific nodule formation is completely mitigated by 5-HT2B antagonism. Interestingly, 5-HT2B antagonism does not inhibit canonical TGF-β1 signaling as identified by Smad3 phosphorylation and activation of a partial plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 promoter (PAI-1, a transcriptional target of Smad3), but prevents non-canonical p38 MAPK phosphorylation. It was initially suspected that 5-HT2B antagonism prevents Src tyrosine kinase phosphorylation; however, we found that this is not the case and time-lapse microscopy indicates that 5-HT2B antagonism prevents non-canonical TGF-β1 signaling by physically arresting Src tyrosine kinase. This study demonstrates the necessity of non-canonical TGF-β1 signaling in leading to pathologic AVIC differentiation. Moreover, we believe that the results of this study suggest 5-HT2B antagonism as a novel therapeutic approach for CAVD that merits further investigation.
Requirements of inter data center networks to meet the explosive growth of cloud services

Cloud networking bandwidth demand continues to surge. New technologies and architectures are required to meet this demand in an economically viable manner. The evolution of DC interconnect technologies and architectures are examined. Issues around disaggregation vs vertical integration and network virtualization are discussed.
Episode-based payment for ischemic stroke care with implications for neurologists

Episode-based payment bundles a single lumped payment around a health care event, such as ischemic stroke. Hospitals are already experienced with a type of episode-based payment for stroke, the diagnosis-related group payment system. Ischemic stroke fits well into an episode-based system because (1) ischemic stroke is common, (2) an ischemic stroke care episode lasts for a definable period of time, and (3) ischemic stroke care costs are high and episode-based payment could provide savings. In an episode-based ischemic stroke care payment system built around cost savings, it is unclear whether neurologists would provide savings. Neurologists need to prove, and define, the value they bring to ischemic stroke care.
Diophantine approximation with partial sums of power series

For each nonzero rational number r, in [1], we considered the problem of approximating G(r) with partial sums of the series (1.1). In the case that an ≡ 1 and s = 1, we asked how well one can approximate e by the partial sums ∑n `=0 1 `! . J. Sondow [6] conjectured that exactly two of these partial sums are also convergents to the continued fraction of e. Among several results, Sondow and K. Schalm [7], proved that for almost all positive integers n, the partial sum ∑n `=0 1 `! is not a convergent to the continued fraction of e. Thus, the probability of obtaining a convergent to the continued fraction of e upon randomly choosing one of the first n partial sums of the power series of e tends to zero as n → ∞. Knowledge of the continued fraction of e, where a is a nonzero integer, and the best possible diophantine approximation of e, discovered by S. Ramanujan [5] and rediscovered by C. S. Davis [4], enabled the authors to prove in [2] that at most Oa(logM) of the first M convergents to the continued fraction of e are also partial sums of the corresponding power series. In [1], we considered general hypergeometric functions pFp(a1, . . . , ap; b1, . . . , bp; r) and showed that among their first N partial sums, no more than O(logN) are convergents to the continued fraction of pFp(a1, . . . , ap; b1, . . . , bp; r). Observe that this result includes e as a special case and that this particular corollary is a dual of the aforementioned result established in [2]. Moreover, when an is a real Dirichlet character or when {an}, n > 0, are the coefficients of an L-series attached to an elliptic curve without complex multiplication, we proved similar theorems in [1]. Lastly, we remark that in [2], we, in fact, proved Sondow’s conjecture. At the focal point of our study in [1] and in this paper are the following two definitions. For any rational number μ = a/b, with (a, b) = 1, consider the height H(μ) of μ, given by H(μ) = max{|a|, |b|}. For any real number α, and any positive real number δ, denote
Management of subarachnoid hemorrhage in the critical care unit

Subarachnoid hemorrhage from a ruptured intracranial saccular aneurysm is associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. Most complications occur two to three weeks after the initial hemorrhage. The key to minimizing morbidity and mortality is early and aggressive intensive-care management. The Cleveland Clinic Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit approach is reviewed.
ET-17TRANSIENT FASTING ENHANCES REPLICATION AND THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF ONCOLYTIC HSV IN GLIOBLASTOMA THERAPY

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Short term fasting has been shown to enhance efficacy of chemotherapy by sensitizing tumor cells and protecting normal cells in a variety of cancer models including glioblastoma (GBM). Malignant cells, unlike normal cells, respond to fasting by promoting oncogenic signaling and protein synthesis, which could in turn sensitize them to anti-cancer agents, broadening therapeutic window. We hypothesize that fasting increases replication of oncolytic herpes simplex virus (oHSV) and its oncolytic activity in glioblastoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patient-derived GBM cell lines, MGG8F and MGG29F, were subjected to transient fasting by switching culture medium [DMEM (4.5 g/L of glucose) supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum (FCS)] to DMEM with low glucose (0.5 g/L) and 1% FCS. oHSV G47Δ [ϒ34.5(-), ICP6 (-), LacZ (+), α47 (-)], currently tested in a phase I/II trial for recurrent GBM, and its derivative G47Δ-US11fluc, expressing firefly luciferase driven by the late US11 promoter, were used to investigate the impacts of short term fasting on late HSV gene expression, virus yields and tumor cell killing. RESULTS: 24-hour fasting followed by 24-hour recovery with regular medium increased luciferase expression after G47Δ-US11fluc infection of MGG8F and MGG29F cells. Transient fasting mediated 2-3-fold increase in G47Δ yields in both GBM cells, but not in normal human astrocytes. Although transient fasting alone did not alter cell growth, it significantly enhanced G47Δ killing of GBM cells in vitro. In vivo, 48-hour food restriction doubled luciferase activity and caused no toxicity when G47Δ-US11fluc was intratumorally injected in orthotopic MGG8F xenografts. CONCLUSION: Transient fasting increased viral replication of G47Δ and strengthened its oncolytic activity in GBM cells. These results suggest that transient fasting may be effectively combined to enhance oncolytic HSV therapy of GBM.
Recent advances in chemical kinetics of jet fuels

Chemical kinetics of all kinds of transportation fuels have become essential tools in the development of engines that can burn fuels more efficiently, emit lower levels of toxic chemicals into the atmosphere, and produce more flexible, reliable and higher performing operation. Like gasoline and diesel fuels used in automobiles and trucks, jet fuels historically have been produced primarily from petroleum that has been refined to satisfy the specific needs of each type of engine, and for many years these fuels have been evaluated experimentally and refined on the basis of actual engine tests. However, in recent years, dramatic advances have been made in developing, testing, and utilizing chemical kinetic models to assist in evaluation of many types of fuels. A particular challenge in the past was that kinetic fuel models could simulate combustion only for relatively small hydrocarbon molecules such as natural gas, propane, or hydrogen, due to a variety of limitations. This was unfortunate because all of these practical transportation fuels actually consist of many types of rather large molecules. But the last few years have brought a revolution in the variety, size, and complexity of fuel components that can now be modeled using detailed chemical kinetic reaction mechanisms. This is especially true for jet fuels, which have previously received less attention from kinetics modeling than either gasoline or diesel fuel. The present paper intends to provide an update of the detailed chemical kinetic landscape, with particular attention to those classes and sizes of fuels that are burned in jet engines.
Basophils induce Th2 immunity: Is this final answer?

Despite that basophils represent less than 0.5% of circulating leukocytes, recent studies have begun to unveil their potent immunoregulatory functions, i.e., induction of Th2 immunity. It is believed that basophils are capable of doing so primarily by secreting key Th2-inducing cytokines, namely IL-4 and Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin (TSLP), and by functioning as professional antigen presenting cells. However, we have recently demonstrated that Th2 immunity can develop in the absence of basophils or IL-4 during helminth infection. In this review, how basophils may (and may not) contribute to the development of Th2 immunity in vivo is discussed.