cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dynamic penny-shaped cracks in multilayer sandwich composites

Abstract A point force method is proposed for obtaining the dynamic elastic response of a multilayer sandwich composite in the presence of a penny-shaped crack under a harmonic loading. The sandwich composite is a multilayered solid whose lower half is the mirror image of the upper half with the center plane as the mirror. The crack is lying on the mirror plane of the composite. The solution of the mode I dynamic crack problem is formulated by integrating the Green’s function of a time-harmonic surface normal point force over the crack surface with an unknown point force distribution. The dual integral equations of the unknown point force distribution are established by considering the boundary conditions, which can be reduced to a Fredholm integral equation of the second kind. A complete solution of the crack problem under consideration can be obtained by solving this Fredholm integral equation. It will be shown that the results obtained by this approach are the same as some existing solutions.
Russian Agriculture and the WTO

In an effort to prepare for international competition, Russia is attempting to strengthen its agricultural sector through trade policies and domestic programs.
Suspended Matter in Deep Ocean Water

A nepheloid layer has been observed by optical means in the lower part of the water column on the continental slope and rise. By sampling it has been found to be a suspension of lutite, apparently in sufficient quantity to induce downslope flow. Sediment transported in the nepheloid layer may be a major component of deep-sea sediment bodies.
Klippel–Trenaunay–Weber syndrome (KTWS) and spontaneous spinal CSF leak: coincidence or link

Objective To highlight the occurrence of spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak in the setting of Klippel–Trenaunay–Weber syndrome (KTWS). Background KTWS is a congenital multicomponent disorder of angiogenesis plus limb asymmetry. The cause of spontaneous CSF leaks often remains unknown, but the notion of a pre-existing dural weakness related to a disorder of connective tissue matrix is gaining momentum. Report of Cases and Methods Two women with KTWS developed spontaneous CSF leaks. Each underwent extensive head and spine imaging studies. One patient underwent surgery to treat the CSF leak and later an epidural blood patch upon partial recurrence of her symptoms. The other patient, who had intermittent CSF leak, developed cerebral venous thrombosis requiring several months of anticoagulation therapy. Both patients have histories of visceral bleeding: gastrointestinal in 1 patient and genitourinary in the other. Results The predominant site of vascular anomaly was the left lower limb in 1 patient and the right upper limb in the other, while the involved limb was larger in 1 patient and smaller in the other. Each patient presented with orthostatic headaches. One had additional choreiform movements and cognitive difficulties that responded to the treatment of the leak. Head magnetic resonance imaging in both patients showed diffuse pachymeningeal enhancement and evidence of sinking of the brain. Computed tomography myelography in 1 patient disclosed the site of the leak; and she underwent surgery to treat the leak, and later an epidural blood patch upon partial recurrence of her symptoms to which she responded well. The other patient had intermittent leak with history of long remission and was reluctant to go through invasive diagnostic or therapeutic measures. Conclusion The occurrence of an uncommon disorder (spontaneous CSF leak) in the setting of a rare congenital disorder in 2 unrelated patients is intriguing. Whether this represents coincidence or a link is not clear but deserves further observations and investigation.
Evaluation of serotonin 5-HT(1A) receptors in rodent models using [¹⁸F]mefway PET.

Introduction Serotonin 5-HT1A receptors have been investigated in various CNS disorders, including epilepsy, mood disorders and neurodegeneration. [18F]Mefway (N-{2-[4-(2'-methoxyphenyl)piperazinyl]ethyl}-N-(2-pyridyl)-N-(cis/trans-4'-[18F]fluoromethylcyclohexane)-carboxamide) has been developed as a suitable positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agent for these receptors. We have now evaluated the suitability of [18F]trans-mefway in rat and mouse models using PET and computerized tomography (CT) imaging and corroborated with ex vivo and in vitro autoradiographic studies.
Unsteady high‐pressure flow experiments with applications to explosive volcanic eruptions

Motivated by the hypothesis that volcanic blasts can have supersonic regions, we investigate the role of unsteady flow in jets from a high-pressure finite reservoir. We examine the processes for formation of far-field features, such as Mach disk shocks, by using a shock tube facility and numerical experiments to investigate phenomena to previously unobtained pressure ratios of 250:1. The Mach disk shock initially forms at the edges of the vent and moves toward the centerline. The shock is established within a few vent diameters and propagates downstream toward the equilibrium location as the jet develops. The start-up process is characterized by two different timescales: the duration of supersonic flow at the nozzle exit and the formation time of the Mach disk shock. The termination process also is characterized by two different timescales: the travel time required for the Mach disk shock to reach its equilibrium position and the time at which the Mach disk shock begins significantly to collapse away from its equilibrium position. The critical comparisons for the formation of steady state supersonic regions are between the two start-up timescales and the termination timescales. We conclude that for typical vulcanian eruptions and the Mount St. Helens directed blast, the Mach disk shock could have formed near the vent, and that there was time for it to propagate a distance comparable to its equilibrium location. These experiments provide a framework for analysis of short-lived volcanic eruptions and data for benchmarking simulations of jet structures in explosive volcanic blasts.
Halting the revolving door of faculty turnover: recruiting and retaining clinician educators in an academic medical simulation center.

Simulation-based education is indispensable in preparing healthcare providers for patient care.1 Simulation centers and programs that serve as a critical platform for promoting patient safety and high-quality training depend on multiple requirements for success: diversified and sustainable financing,2–5 technical personnel with a long-term commitment to simulation education,6,7 simulation and information technology infrastructure designed to match priority training needs,8–12 and resources for curricular development, instruction, faculty development, and research.6,7,9,12–14 An additional requirement not widely discussed in the literature is the recruitment and retention of faculty who serve as simulation educators, which is the focus of this report.
An isolated intracardiac echogenic focus as a marker for aneuploidy.

Objective This study was undertaken to evaluate the relationship of an isolated fetal intracardiac echogenic focus in a population of patients with a mixed risk for aneuploidy when presenting for prenatal diagnosis. Study design All women referred to our institution for screening ultrasound were prospectively evaluated for the presence of an intracardiac echogenic focus in the fetal heart. Each patient was evaluated for the presence of clinical risk factors including ultrasound findings, biochemical screening, and maternal age. The population of patients was then described and neonatal outcomes were obtained. Results A total of 10,875 patients were referred and 176 cases of fetal intracardiac echogenic foci were evaluated. There was an overall prevalence of 1.6% in our population. The patients with other ultrasound findings and/or maternal age older than 35 years who underwent amniocentesis had 3 abnormal karyotypes identified and had identifiable risk factors. In the group less than 35 years, the relative risk was 2.55 of having an amniocentesis for an isolated echogenic focus (with no cases of fetal aneuploidy found) in comparison with our referred group of nonadvanced maternal age patients without any ultrasound markers or findings. Conclusion This isolated echogenic finding appears to be a benign variant and not an increased risk for fetal aneuploidy. The chromosomal abnormalities were seen in the group with risk factors including maternal age and/or other ultrasound findings. Evaluation of maternal age, biochemical markers, and ultrasound markers should be used together to help determine the risk of patients with an isolated echogenic focus.
Determination of urinary glucose by a flow injection analysis amperometric biosensor and ion-exchange chromatography

A practical biosensor system has been developed for the determination of urinary glucose using a flow-injection analysis (FIA) amperometric detector and ion-exchange chromatography. Glucose oxidase was immobilized onto porous aminopropyl glass beads via glutaraldehyde activation to form an immobilized enzyme column. On the basis of its negative charge at pH 5.5, endogenous urate in urine samples was effectively retained by an upstream anion-exchange resin column. The biosensor system possessed a sensitivity of 160 +/- 2.4 RU microM-1 (RU or relative unit is defined as 2.86 microV at the detection output) for glucose with a minimum detection level of 10 microM. When applied for the determination of urinary glucose, the result obtained compared very well with that of the widely accepted hexokinase assay. The immobilized glucose oxidase could be reused for more than 1000 repeated analyses without losing its original activity. The reuse of the acetate anion-exchange column before replacement would be about 25-30 analyses. Acetaminophen and ascorbic acid were also effectively adsorbed by the acetate anion exchanger. The introduction of this type of anion exchanger thus greatly improved the selectivity of the FIA biosensor system and fostered its applicability for the determination of glucose in urine samples.
New challenges for urban policy under a flexible regime of accumulation

Abstract The course of urban planning came under severe attack in the 1970s. This had an impact on and changes the scope of planning, the research agenda, the planner's tool-kit, and on forms of urban organization. An attempt is made to explain these changing forms of urban organization through the specific modes of social and economic organization in a certain period of time (Fordism and post-Fordism). Emphasis will be put on local policies and on some recent developments that can be witnessed in Europe.
Excellence through High-Quality Individualization.

he quality of education in our schools is a topic of widespread discussion. Our complex social structure, a growing world population, the knowledge explosion, and a world of instantaneous communication increase the need to rethink what constitutes an education. Suggestions for improvement include a return to the basics, tougher standards, more time in school, and higher pay for teachers, to name just a few. What is needed in education is not conformity and standardization, but educated individuals who can think for themselves, solve problems, make decisions, and produce original ideas. Rigid educational approaches will not meet the future needs of our nation. Individualized instruction, with a new focus, might do so. Current efforts to individualize instruction are commonly limited to the variables of time, methods, materials, learner interest, and learning objectives. Means include learning packets, individualized lessons, contracts, learning centers, and open classrooms. Time is the common variable with these strategies. That is, the learner is allowed to go at his or her own pace. Administratively, most schools cannot handle the resulting problems of what to do with learners when they finish a lesson or course in this manner. The reward for rapid learning often takes the form of play, or activities that kill time but do not challenge the rapid learner at a higher learning level. When methods and materials vary, but objectives remain the same, the result of using packets, contracts, and centers does little to help each learner use his or her full abilities. Regardless of the terms used to label classes or methods, the vast majority of classrooms use common tests, drills, exercises, topics, visual aids, and other resource materials in the learning process. Instruction is still carried on for the majority of time in group settings using the pattern, assign-study-recite. These approaches are increasingly nonproductive in preparing young adults for the complex society they face. A new approach to indi-
A Wrinkle in Time Asymmetric Valuation of Past and Future Events

A series of studies shows that people value future events more than equivalent events in the equidistant past. Whether people imagined being compensated or compensating others, they required and offered more compensation for events that would take place in the future than for identical events that had taken place in the past. This temporal value asymmetry (TVA) was robust in between-persons comparisons and absent in within-persons comparisons, which suggests that participants considered the TVA irrational. Contemplating future events produced greater affect than did contemplating past events, and this difference mediated the TVA. We suggest that the TVA, the gain-loss asymmetry, and hyperbolic time discounting can be unified in a three-dimensional value function that describes how people value gains and losses of different magnitudes at different moments in time.
The Commonwealth Fund report on academic health centers.

Excerpt The 2-year-long study on the future of the academic health center, sponsored by the Commonwealth Fund (1), is now complete and presents some concrete, sensible proposals for resolving the p...
The Professional Stress Syndrome

Abstract Following a review of studies of protracted stress, the manifestations of professional stress syndrome are described. These include disruptions in relationships and complaints of ex haustion, fatigue, headaches, gastrointestinal disturbances, weight loss or gain, insomnia, and depression. Accompanying behavioral signs are lability of mood, diminished frustration tolerance, sus piciousness, feelings of omnipotence, and heightened levels of risk-taking. Unless recognized and treated early, physical and emotional disorders, including addictive behavior, can develop. Personal and institutional strategies for intervention include de velopment of peer relationships, changes in work and recreational routines, clarification of goals, and ventilation of feelings.
Sensitivity Analysis for Nonlinear Heat Conduction

Parameters in the heat conduction equation are frequently modeled as temperature dependent. Thermal conductivity, volumetric heat capacity, convection coefficients, emissivity, and volumetric source terms are parameters that may depend on temperature. Many applications, such as parameter estimation, optimal experimental design, optimization, and uncertainty analysis, require sensitivity to the parameters describing temperature-dependent properties. A general procedure to compute the sensitivity of the temperature field to model parameters for nonlinear heat conduction is studied. Parameters are modeled as arbitrary functions of temperature. Sensitivity equations are implemented in an unstructured grid, element-based numerical solver. The objectives of this study are to describe the methodology to derive sensitivity equations for the temperature-dependent parameters and present demonstration calculations. In addition to a verification problem, the design of an experiment to estimate temperature variable thermal properties is discussed
On the Variational Properties of Scott and van der Waals ``One‐Fluid'' Theories of Mixtures

In light of the Gibbs‐Bogoliubov inequality for the Helmholtz free energy of the classical systems, the variational properties of Scott and van der Waals ``one‐fluid'' theories of mixtures with Lennard‐Jones potential functions are studied. It is shown that, while the Scott's theory gives an upper bound for the Helmholtz free energy of mixtures, it is not certain whether this upper bound is a least upper bound. It is also shown that the van der Waals theory is an approximation in order to get the upper bound on the entropy of mixtures.
Simulating InP-based composite channel p-HEMTs with ultrashort gates for THz applications

Ultrashort gate length pseudomorphic highelectron-mobility transistors (p-HEMTs) based on an InP substrate and featuring a InAs/In 0.053 Ga 0.47 As composite channel have been modeled using a full-band Cellular Monte Carlo simulator. The affects of pair generation by impact ionization are included and we have incorporated a model to allow carriers to tunnel into and out of the channel. Using a gate length scaling analysis, we can obtain a theoretical upper limit for the cut-off frequency, f T , which we find to be 1.7 THz for this specific type of structure. We also examine factors that may be preventing actual devices from achieving such high frequency operation.
Use of an electrochemical nitric oxide sensor to detect neuronal nitric oxide production in conscious, unrestrained rats.

Introduction: Amperometric sensors that directly measure nitric oxide (NO) are readily employed in pharmacologic research. While several of these sensors have been developed, none has been investigated for use in conscious, freely moving animals. An approach was developed and validated for real-time quantitation of neuronal NO production in rats without restricting locomotor activity or other potentially useful behavioral endpoints. Methods: Male Sprague–Dawley rats were equipped with a femoral vein or intraperitoneal cannula. A guide cannula and an amperometric NO sensor were placed in the left and right hippocampus, respectively. Following recovery, rats received a 6-h intravenous infusion of saline, L-arginine (an NO precursor; 250 or 500 mg/kg/h), or incremental intraperitoneal 7nitroindazole (an NO synthase inhibitor; 200-mg/kg loading dose and 100 mg/kg every 2 h). The sensor recorded NO production continuously and microdialysis samples were collected incrementally throughout the experiment. Griess assay analysis of microdialysate samples was compared to sensor readings in vivo. In vitro degradation of an NO donor also was used to validate sensor performance. Results: Exogenous administration of L-arginine resulted in incremental increases in the neuronal NO signal. A reduction in NO production was observed during administration of 7-nitroindazole, a selective neuronal NO synthase inhibitor. A significant correlation was observed in vitro between the Griess assay analysis, an indirect analytical approach, and the NO sensor readings. The lack of a strong correlation between these measures in vivo is consistent with the indirect nature of the Griess assay. Discussion: The current approach allows real-time determination of neuronal NO production in unrestrained rats. This model will be invaluable in evaluating pharmacologic issues regarding brain tissue NO synthesis, assessing brain NO synthase as a molecular target, and establishing the effects of pharmacologic agents on neuronal NO production.
The Impact of Reading Deficiency on the Global Self-Concept of the Adolescent

In a study conducted at a midwestern suburban junior high, data were gathered regarding the self-concept and reading achievement of 83 eighth grade students who had been placed in low reading classes due to actual deficiency in reading or to behavior problems accompanied by poor read-ing scores. Statistical analysis of the data revealed that self-concept scores were not overwhelmingly low. Deficiency in reading was not related to overall self-concept. Improvement in reading did not result in higher self-concept scores, nor was decline in the former accompanied by decline in the latter. Implications for instruction of this apparent dis-association of reading deficiency and global self-concept are presented.
Statistical Security for Social Security

The financial viability of Social Security, the single largest U.S. government program, depends on accurate forecasts of the solvency of its intergenerational trust fund. We begin by detailing information necessary for replicating the Social Security Administration’s (SSA’s) forecasting procedures, which until now has been unavailable in the public domain. We then offer a way to improve the quality of these procedures via age- and sex-specific mortality forecasts. The most recent SSA mortality forecasts were based on the best available technology at the time, which was a combination of linear extrapolation and qualitative judgments. Unfortunately, linear extrapolation excludes known risk factors and is inconsistent with long-standing demographic patterns, such as the smoothness of age profiles. Modern statistical methods typically outperform even the best qualitative judgments in these contexts. We show how to use such methods, enabling researchers to forecast using far more information, such as the known risk factors of smoking and obesity and known demographic patterns. Including this extra information makes a substantial difference. For example, by improving only mortality forecasting methods, we predict three fewer years of net surplus, $730 billion less in Social Security Trust Funds, and program costs that are 0.66% greater for projected taxable payroll by 2031 compared with SSA projections. More important than specific numerical estimates are the advantages of transparency, replicability, reduction of uncertainty, and what may be the resulting lower vulnerability to the politicization of program forecasts. In addition, by offering with this article software and detailed replication information, we hope to marshal the efforts of the research community to include ever more informative inputs and to continue to reduce uncertainties in Social Security forecasts.
The Potential Energy Coefficients for Internal Rotation in CH2DSH and CHD2SH

Abstract An internal axis method (IAM) has been used to determine the potential energy coefficients V1, V2, and V3 to internal rotation in CH2DSH and CHD2SH. Two torsional differences for the gauche ground states and one torsional difference for the excited states were used to fix the V's. A fourth term, K(ς), 3(e2)–2(o2), determines the torsional state assignment for this Q-branch series as o2 to e2 that was not known previously. For CH2DSH, the potential energy coefficients are V1 = 4.54 cm−1, V2 = −9.36 cm−1, V3 = 440.50 cm−1; for CHD2SH, V1 = −4.12 cm−1, V2 = 8.23 cm−1, V3 = 439.65 cm−1. Nonrigidity coefficients have also been determined for both the trans and gauche conformations of the ground state.
Cdk1-dependent phosphorylation of Iqg1 governs actomyosin ring assembly prior to cytokinesis

Contraction of the actomyosin ring (AMR) provides the centripetal force that drives cytokinesis. In budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), assembly and contraction of the AMR is coordinated with membrane deposition and septum formation at the bud neck. A central player in this process is Iqg1, which promotes recruitment of actin to the myosin ring and links AMR assembly with that of septum-forming components. We observed early actin recruitment in response to inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1) activity, and we find that the Cdk1-dependent phosphorylation state of Iqg1 is a determining factor in the timing of bud neck localization of both Iqg1 and actin, with both proteins accumulating prematurely in cells expressing nonphosphorylatable Iqg1 mutants. We also identified the primary septum regulator Hof1 as a binding partner of Iqg1, providing a regulatory link between the septation and contractile pathways that cooperate to complete cytokinesis.
Expression in aneuploid Drosophila S2 cells.

Extensive departures from balanced gene dose in aneuploids are highly deleterious. However, we know very little about the relationship between gene copy number and expression in aneuploid cells. We determined copy number and transcript abundance (expression) genome-wide in Drosophila S2 cells by DNA-Seq and RNA-Seq. We found that S2 cells are aneuploid for >43 Mb of the genome, primarily in the range of one to five copies, and show a male genotype (∼ two X chromosomes and four sets of autosomes, or 2X;4A). Both X chromosomes and autosomes showed expression dosage compensation. X chromosome expression was elevated in a fixed-fold manner regardless of actual gene dose. In engineering terms, the system “anticipates” the perturbation caused by X dose, rather than responding to an error caused by the perturbation. This feed-forward regulation resulted in precise dosage compensation only when X dose was half of the autosome dose. Insufficient compensation occurred at lower X chromosome dose and excessive expression occurred at higher doses. RNAi knockdown of the Male Specific Lethal complex abolished feed-forward regulation. Both autosome and X chromosome genes show Male Specific Lethal–independent compensation that fits a first order dose-response curve. Our data indicate that expression dosage compensation dampens the effect of altered DNA copy number genome-wide. For the X chromosome, compensation includes fixed and dose-dependent components.
A RECONSIDERATION OF LOTKA'S EXTINCTION PROBABILITY USING A BISEXUAL BRANCHING PROCESS

It is generally recognized that Alfred Lotka made the first application of standard GaltonWatson branching process theory to calculate an extinction probability in a specific population (using asexual reproduction). This note applies bisexual Galton-Watson branching process theory to the calculation of an extinction probability from Lotka's data, yielding a somewhat higher value.
Moral Regeneration and Divine Aid in Kant

Kant is often viewed as the exemplar of the Enlightenment tendency to reduce religion to morality, to eliminate religious appeals to mystery or to supernatural action, and to insist – in Kant's own words – that we ourselves must make ourselves ‘into whatever, in a moral sense, whether good or evil’, we are to become. His entire philosophy in some ways epitomizes what Hans Blumenberg has called the ‘project of self–assertion’, the ‘essence of which [can be] formulated as the “program of antidivine self–deification”’. For if the centerpiece of Kant's philosophical vision is human autonomy, and if the implicit point of a Kantian view of morality and religion is to equate salvation with the individual achievement of virtue, then there seems to be little role left for a heteronomous grace or divine act to play.
“It Was Like a Revolution”: Women’s Perceptions of Work–Family Practices at a Mexican Multinational Corporation

In 1997, a multinational company in northern Mexico replaced a work policy that required women to quit on marriage or pregnancy. Analysis of extensive data from a qualitative case study shows how the women perceive the policy change as shaping work–family choices. The women interpret the change as significant because it recognizes women’s “right to work” and grants them access to family-friendly workplace policies. But their interpretations of how it plays out in practice vary over the gendered life course. Furthermore, evidence of obstacles to women’s advancement indicates that workplace practices remain gendered and vary by occupational status and age. This analysis demonstrates the importance of situating women’s workplace experiences within a particular context with its distinct cultural and sociopolitical framings of work and family.
A limited-global information model for dynamic fault-tolerant routing in cube-based multicomputers

The safety level model is a special coded fault information model designed to support fault-tolerant routing in hypercubes. In this model, each node is associated with an integer, called safety level, which is an approximated measure of the number and distribution of faulty nodes in the neighborhood. The safety level of each node in an n-dimensional hypercube (n-cube) can be easily calculated through (n-1) rounds of information exchanges among neighboring nodes. We focus on routing capability using safety levels in a dynamic system; that is, a system in which new faults might occur during a routing process. In this case, the updates of safety levels and the routing process proceed hand-in-hand. Our approach is based on an early work (2001) in a special fault model. In that model, each fault appears at a different time step and before each fault occurrence the safety levels in the cube are stabilized. This paper extends our results to a general fault model without any limitation on fault occurrence. Under the assumption that the total number of faults is less than n, we provide an upper bound of detour number in a routing process. Simulation results are also provided to compare with the proposed upper bound.
Spiral Sling Salvage Anti-Incontinence Surgery in Female Patients With a Nonfunctional Urethra: Technique and Initial Results

Purpose: Female patients with severe urethral incompetence are a unique surgical challenge. Urethral closure and continent diversion are often the next step in the treatment of these patients. We present a technique that provides circumferential coaptation of the urethra as a salvage procedure in this severe subset of patients.Materials and Methods: We prospectively evaluated 47 patients who had a spiral sling. A 1 × 15 cm piece of soft polypropylene mesh was prepared with a zero polyglactin suture applied at each end. A clamp was used to pass the mesh between the urethra and pubis. The ends of the mesh were crossed at the ventral aspect of the urethra, creating a complete circle around the urethra. The sutures were transferred to the suprapubic area and tied without tension. The surgical outcome was determined by patient self-assessment, including symptom, bother and quality of life questionnaires.Results: Mean patient age was 59 years. At presentation patients had undergone a mean of 2.6 incontinence pr...
Malaria in a Returning Traveler From Jamaica

ABSTRACT Malaria in Jamaica is a real, but uncommon entity and poses a health risk to our Department of Defense personnel, which should not be overlooked in returning travelers. Malaria in Jamaica was actually considered eradicated in the 1960s, but there has been a reemergence attributed to the combination of Haitian nationals as well as endemic Anopheles mosquitoes in the Kingston area. Our facility recently admitted a 33-year-old Marine who had two Emergency Department visits before being evaluated for malaria. He had returned from Kingston 14 days before presentation, which included fever, night sweats, and headache followed by a period of malaise prior to the next paroxysm. He was found to have a 1.5% parasitemia with Malaria falciparum that borders on severe malaria. Fortunately, he was treated effectively with atovaquone/proguanil and had a favorable outcome. The Center for Disease Control acknowledges that malaria is present in Jamaica, but only recommends mosquito avoidance without prophylaxis. T...
Measure transcript integrity using RNA-seq data

Stored biological samples with pathology information and medical records are invaluable resources for translational medical research. However, RNAs extracted from the archived clinical tissues are often substantially degraded. RNA degradation distorts the RNA-seq read coverage in a gene-specific manner, and has profound influences on whole-genome gene expression profiling. We developed the transcript integrity number (TIN) to measure RNA degradation. When applied to 3 independent RNA-seq datasets, we demonstrated TIN is a reliable and sensitive measure of the RNA degradation at both transcript and sample level. Through comparing 10 prostate cancer clinical samples with lower RNA integrity to 10 samples with higher RNA quality, we demonstrated that calibrating gene expression counts with TIN scores could effectively neutralize RNA degradation effects by reducing false positives and recovering biologically meaningful pathways. When further evaluating the performance of TIN correction using spike-in transcripts in RNA-seq data generated from the Sequencing Quality Control consortium, we found TIN adjustment had better control of false positives and false negatives (sensitivity = 0.89, specificity = 0.91, accuracy = 0.90), as compared to gene expression analysis results without TIN correction (sensitivity = 0.98, specificity = 0.50, accuracy = 0.86). TIN is a reliable measurement of RNA integrity and a valuable approach used to neutralize in vitro RNA degradation effect and improve differential gene expression analysis.
Electron Irradiation on Amorphous Silicon

For the first time we use fluctuation electron microscopy to study the effect of electron irradiation on amorphous silicon. Before showing the results, we compare two variable coherence methods, hollow cone and dark field. These techniques have been successfully implemented in the Philips CM12, JEOL 4000 and Hitachi 9000 microscopes. The image fluctuations for ion-implanted and vacuum-deposited amorphous silicon can be reliably measured under the conditions used in these microscopes.
Efficacy of mycobacterial cell walls as a vaccine against airborne tuberculosis in the Rheusus monkey.

Investigation of the rhesus monkey as an experimental host for the evaluation of vaccines against airborne infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain H37Rv has recently been reported [1]. The data demonstrated that progressive tuberculosis could be induced reproducibly by aerosol challenge with a small number of virulent bacilli, thereby simulating the natural route of infection in man. It was also shown that viable Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) intravenously (iv) administered afforded a high level of resistance to such an airborne infection. The present paper describes the ability of oil-treated cell walls from three strains of Mycobacterium bovis to induce a high level of resistance to aerosol infection with H37Rv when administered intravenously to the monkey. Because both BCG and mycobacterial cell walls given iv had been found to protect mice against airborne infection better than did the same vaccines given by other routes [2], the iv route was selected for this study.
From Wires to Cables: Attempted Synthesis of 1,3,5-Trifluorenylcyclohexane as a Platform for Molecular Cables.

Multiple molecular wires braided together in a single assembly, termed as molecular cable, are promising next-generation materials for effective long-range charge transport. As an example of the platform for constructing molecular cables, 1,3,5-trifluorenylcyclohexane (TFC) and its difluorenyl analogues (DFCs) were systematically investigated both experimentally (X-ray crystallography) and theoretically (DFT calculations). Although the syntheses of DFCs were successfully achieved, the synthesis of TFC, which involved a similar intramolecular Friedel–Crafts cyclization as the last step, was unsuccessful. An exhaustive study of the conformational landscape of cyclohexane ring of TFC and DFCs revealed that TFC is a moderately strained molecule (∼17 kcal/mol), and computational studies of the reaction profile show that this steric strain, present in the transition state, is responsible for the unusually high (∼5 years) reaction half-life. A successful synthesis of TFC will require that the steric strain is in...
Advance on the diagnosis and treatment of infantile hemangioma

The adrance on the diagnosis and treatment of infantile hemanqioma have been reviewed in this paper.
Lipid metabolism. Evidence of a δ-oxidation pathway for saturated fatty acids

Abstract 1. Specific radioactivities of milk triglyceride fatty acids and γ- and δ-hydroxy fatty acids were measured after the intramammary infusion of [1-14C]acetate, δ-hydroxy[1-14C]laurate and [1-14C]laurate as their sodium salts into fed lactating goats. 2. Net incorporations of the radioactive tracer into the total milk lipids were comparable, being 16, 17 and 21% of the label infused respectively. 3. The specific radioactivities of the C4–C8 fatty acids after [1-14C]acetate infusion were lower than those of the C10–C14 fatty acids. 4. After δ-hydroxy[1-14C]laurate administration the milk triglyceride fatty acids were labelled and their specific radioactivities were characterized by decreasing values with increasing chain length of the fatty acids, implicating C4 unit incorporation. 5. The γ- and δ-hydroxy fatty acids isolated after [1-14C]laurate infusion were highly labelled and the milk triglyceride fatty acids, other than laurate, exhibited a labelling pattern similar to that of the fatty acids derived from the radioactive δ-hydroxy fatty acid. 6. Evidence is presented for the existence of saturated fatty acid δ-oxidation in the mammary gland, in which the γ- and δ-hydroxy fatty acids are active intermediates.
G390(P) An unusual complication of a common condition

Post-renal obstruction is an unusual cause of acute kidney injury (AKI) in the paediatric population, with haemolytic-uraemic syndrome being the commonest cause of acquired AKI.1–3 We present a case of a two year old with AKI secondary to severe chronic constipation. The patient presented with abdominal pain and bloating on the background of chronic constipation and Fragile X syndrome. Initial treatment was for constipation. However, after clinical deterioration and concerns on clinical examination an abdominal film was obtained (Figure 1). This shows a large mass in the right iliac fossa, possibly arising from the pelvis, leading to suspicion of a malignant diagnosis. Biochemistry results showed acute kidney injury with a creatinine of 166 µmol/L. Further investigations showed a raised CRP. Urine and blood cultures grew Enterococcus faecalis. The patient was started on intravenous antibiotics and fluid restricted. The next day he was transferred to a tertiary renal unit where ultrasound investigation showed the mass to be a large bladder, combined with bilateral hydronephrosis. A likely diagnosis of constipation causing post-renal obstruction was made and after catheterisation and faecal disimpaction the patient improved, (Figure 2). A repeat ultrasound showed improvement in the hydronephrosis and subsequent MRI scanning demonstrated a normal spine and a large bladder with no mass/lesion causing bladder outflow obstruction. Constipation is a rare, but previously documented cause of acute renal injury.4 This case further demonstrates the need to have an open mind to rarer consequences of common conditions and indeed, diligence in investigating these as a possibility. References Williams DM. Acute kidney failure, A Paediatric Experience Over 20 years. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2002; 156:893–900 Moghal NE. A review of acute renal failure in children: incidence, etiology and outcome. Clin Nephrol. 1998; 49(2):91–5 Shaheen IS. Acute renal failure in children: Eitology, Treatment and Outcome. Saudi J Kidney Dis Transplant 2006; 17(2):153–158 Barrett MJ and Macken S. Chronic constipation causing obstructive nephropathy in a delayed toddler. BMJ Case Rep. 2012 Jun 14;2012. pii: bcr0220125902. doi: 10.1136/bcr.02.2012.5902
An incidental finding: pruritic patches on the patient's trunk and extremities prompted his visit, but it was the "birthmark" on his back that was far more worrisome

Pruritic patches on the patient's trunk and extremities prompted his visit, but it was the "birthmark" on his back that was far more worrisome.
Effect of iron on taste perception and emotional response of sweetened beverage under different water conditions

Abstract Although sweeteners are widely used additives in beverages, taste interaction between sweeteners and minerals in water is rarely reported. The objective was to investigate the influence of different concentrations of iron and water hardness on taste perception of sweetened beverages and characterize the corresponding emotional profiles. Taste interaction was developed by dissolving five natural and artificial sweeteners [sucrose, honey, sucralose, saccharin, and acesulfame potassium (ace-K)] into four synthetic waters [soft water (0 mg Fe/L), moderate hard water (0.3 mg Fe/L), hard water (1 mg Fe/L) and very hard water (3 mg Fe/L)], respectively. Sweet and metallic taste intensity of different combinations were compared by pairwise ranking tests. Acceptability and emotional response on sucrose sweetened beverage with and without the addition of iron was evaluated by 9-point hedonic score test and check-all-that-apply emotional term ballot. Iron (Fe2+) created metallic flavor in drinking water and produced bored and disgusted feelings for consumers. Other minerals such as Ca2+, Mg2+ and Na+ at subthresholds impacted taste perception of water. Sweetness of sweeteners was varied with different concentrations of minerals in water and with different types of sweeteners. High concentration of iron and water hardness significantly increased (p
Into the State

At a November 1897 demonstration in Mile End, John Burns condemned London’s India Docks company for launching a compulsory friendly society, presenting their 4000 permanent employees with the choice of joining the company society and leaving their current societies, or losing their jobs. Burns, a prominent leader in the 1889 dock strike and future Labour member of parliament, told an approving crowd, ‘if ever the Docks Companies started on a bad job, and they had pursued a good many, this was the worst they ever went for’. He concluded ‘The scheme must be recalled or 1889 would be revived.’ The crowd at this ‘monster meeting’ cheered Burns frequently, but gave a cold reception to Sydney Holland, vice-chairman of the docks’ company, when he spoke. Holland asserted that the docks society had been created to end malingering and, in a statement greeted by ‘uproar,’ claimed ‘This is not to bind the men to us and prevent them striking.’1
Alpers’ Progressive Neuronal Degeneration

Reporting from the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormono Street, London WC1, the authors have selected 13 cases, 10 boys and 3 girls, with progressive neuronal degeneration of childhood (PNDC) that was complicated by liver disease and confirmed at post mortem in 11.
Probing the Universe with the Lyα forest — I. Hydrodynamics of the low-density intergalactic medium

We introduce an efficient and accurate alternative to full hydrodynamic simulations, Hydro-PM (HPM), for the study of the low column density Lyman-alpha forest (NHI <∼ 10 14 cm−2). It consists of a Particle-Mesh (PM) solver, modified to compute, in addition to the gravitational potential, an effective potential due to the gas pressure. Such an effective potential can be computed from the density field because of a tight correlation between density and pressure in the low density limit (δ <∼ 10), which can be calculated for any photo-reionization history by a method outlined in Hui & Gnedin (1997). Such a correlation exists, in part, because of minimal shock-heating in the low density limit. We compare carefully the density and velocity fields as well as absorption spectra, computed using HPM versus hydrodynamic simulations, and find good agreement. We show that HPM is capable of reproducing measurable quantities, such as the column density distribution, computed from full hydrodynamic simulations, to a precision comparable to that of observations. We discuss how, by virtue of its speed and accuracy, HPM can enable us to use the Lyman-alpha forest as a cosmological probe. We also discuss in detail the smoothing of the gas (or baryon) fluctuation relative to that of the dark matter on small scales due to finite gas pressure: (1) It is shown the conventional wisdom that the linear gas fluctuation is smoothed on the Jeans scale is incorrect for general reionization (or reheating) history; the correct linear filtering scale is in general smaller than the Jeans scale after reheating, but larger prior to it. (2) It is demonstrated further that in the mildly nonlinear regime, a PM solver, combined with suitable pre-filtering of the initial conditions, can be used to model the low density IGM. But such an approximation is shown to be less accurate than HPM, unless a non-uniform pre-filtering scheme is implemented.
Engineering Finite Element Analysis

Finite element analysis is a basic foundational topic that all engineering majors need to understand in order for them to be productive engineering analysts for a variety of industries. This book provides an introductory treatment of finite element analysis with an overview of the various fundamental concepts and applications. It introduces the basic concepts of the finite element method and examples of analysis using systematic methodologies based on ANSYS software. Finite element concepts involving one-dimensional problems are discussed in detail so the reader can thoroughly comprehend the concepts and progressively build upon those problems to aid in analyzing two-dimensional and three-dimensional problems. Moreover, the analysis processes are listed step-by-step for easy implementation, and an overview of two dimensional and three-dimensional concepts and problems is also provided. In addition, multiphysics problems involving coupled analysis examples are presented to further illustrate the broad applicability of the finite element method for a variety of engineering disciplines. The book is primarily targeted toward undergraduate students majoring in civil, biomedical, mechanical, electrical, and aerospace engineering and any other fields involving aspects of engineering analysis.
Syntax: An Introduction to Minimalism

Using a concise and clear style, this book highlights insights from current syntactic theory and minimalism. Chapter 1 starts with the general idea behind generative grammar and should be read from a big picture perspective. Because the book expects no prior syntactic background, its next two chapters are on lexical and grammatical categories and on basic phrase structure rules. After these introductory chapters, the book covers the clausal spine, the VP, TP, and CP in Chapters 4, 5, and 6, respectively. For the VP, it emphasizes lexical aspect, theta-roles, and the VP-shell; for the TP and CP, it uses a cartographic approach and juxtaposes that to free adjunction. Chapter 7 covers the DP and Chapter 8 discusses the importance of features. Chapter 9 returns to some of the issues raised in Chapter 1 and summarizes the approach. It includes keywords, frequent summaries, exercises, and suggested answers to the exercises. Cartoons and frequent corpus examples enliven the text.
Catharine MacKinnon, Feminism, and Continental Philosophy: Comments on Toward a Feminist Theory of the State—Twenty-Five Years Later

Catharine MacKinnon’s feminist work on sexual abuse and violence has had a major impact on law and on policy in the United States and internationally. However, her complex theoretical writings, which are a foundation of that work, have yet to be adequately appreciated by philosophy, especially continental philosophy, that tradition with which she identifies her project. I explain her project in continental terms, especially Heidegger’s thought, so that we may better grasp the philosophical nature and significance of her work. In doing so, I also open paths by which those within the continental tradition may make it more relevant to the pressing real-world problems that MacKinnon uniquely illuminates, especially pornography, prostitution, and other practices significantly constituted by sexual abuse and violence.