cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High incidence of graft failure in children receiving CD34+ augmented elutriated allografts for nonmalignant diseases.

T-cell depletion of the marrow graft using counterflow centrifugal elutriation reduces the risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). However, because of high rates of graft failure and relapse, elutriation alone has not improved survival. We have carried out a phase II clinical trial in 54 pediatric patients to determine if CD34+ selection to rescue pluripotent stem cells from the small lymphocyte fraction improves engraftment. The processed grafts contained a mean of 5.5 × 107 cells/kg IBW, 4.7 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg IBW, and 6.3 × 105 CD3+cells/kg IBW. Patients achieved an ANC >500 at a median of 16 days and platelet count >20 000 at a median of 28 days. The incidence of clinically significant GVHD was 19%. In total, 10 patients enrolled in this study experienced graft failure, with eight of the 14 patients transplanted for nonmalignant indications failing to engraft stably. Graft failure was statistically significantly associated with nonmalignant diagnosis (P<0.001), but was not associated with CMV seropositivity, donor gender, or cell counts of the allograft. We conclude that although time to engraftment is similar to that seen with unmanipulated grafts, graft failure remains a significant problem in patients with hereditary, nonmalignant diseases. Future efforts will seek to preserve the benefits of elutriation with CD34+ selection by increasing immune ablation of the preparative regimen and/or increasing posttransplant immune suppression.
Seasonality on terrestrial extrasolar planets: inferring obliquity and surface conditions from infrared light curves

Abstract We investigate the relationship between the seasonality of hypothetical terrestrial extrasolar planets and their infrared light curves. The moderate obliquity of the Earth leads to seasonal variation in insolation and surface temperatures and, consequently, the infrared radiation emitted to space. The orbital parameters of known extrasolar planets and planet formation theory suggest that terrestrial exoplanets may have more eccentric orbits and/or larger obliquities than that of the Earth. These planets will experience larger variations in stellar radiation: we propose that changes in the emitted infrared flux along the orbit might be detectable by a future planet-finding observatory and that orbital infrared light curves contains information about the obliquities and thermal properties of these objects complementary to other data (e.g., spectroscopy). We present an analytical energy balance model that includes both meridional heat transport and the thermal inertia of an ocean/atmosphere. We use this model to calculate infrared light curves for different obliquities, orbital eccentricities, and viewing geometries. We show that: (1) the infrared orbital variability of “blackbody” planets lacking atmospheres or oceans is comparable to the mean value; (2) the shape of the light curve is sensitive to the obliquity of a planet and the location of the equinoxes along the orbit; and (3) the light curve of an Earth-like planet with a global ocean and atmosphere is dramatically attenuated and shifted in phase relative to a blackbody planet. We investigate the distribution of infrared light curve amplitudes in a statistical ensemble of blackbody and Earth-like planets. We examine the question of light-curve uniqueness and conclude that to independently constrain the major parameters it will be necessary to measure the amplitude and phase of higher (suborbital) harmonics in the light curve. Alternatively, measurements of seasonally-varying parameters other than IR flux must be used.
Endocrine pancreas of teleost fish: A model for interaction of islet hormones?

The structure of the teleost endocrine pancreas is unique in its tendency to form either a large accumulation of islet tissue (principal islet) or a similar accumulation, surrounded by a rim of exocrine tissue (Brockmann body). This morphological peculiarity constitutes a valuable model for investigation of islet hormones and their interactions. Understanding of the functional and molecular characteristics of the fish pancreas was slowed by the unavailability of purified piscine islet hormones. This obstacle has been overcome recently. Our experiments on the endocrine pancreas of salmon, Oncorhynchus sp., which we review here, can serve as an example of the advantages of using a teleost fish in studies of vertebrate pancreatic physiology and biochemistry.
Access to Health Care for Uninsured Hispanics: Policy Recommendations

Uninsured and underinsured persons in the United States have limited access to health and mental health care and often enter the health care system via hospital emergency rooms. This pattern is even more pronounced among ethnic minorities, particularly Hispanics, a disproportionate number of whom are uninsured. The author reviews the problems faced by Hispanics in gaining access to the health and mental health care system and examines the current health and mental health status of the Hispanic population. He suggests public policy initiatives to increase the likelihood that currently uninsured members of ethnic minorities, including Hispanics, will have access to high-quality health and mental health care.
Human and rat serum proteins, lipoproteins, ammonium persulfate, gel concentration, and disc electrophoresis

Abstract Since the presence of residual ammonium persulfate in polyacrylamide gels has been reported to cause artifacts in electrophoretic patterns of certain proteins, extensive electrophoretic experiments were conducted with human and rat serum proteins and lipoproteins. These experiments included substitution of riboflavin and light as a catalyst for ammonium persulfate at several gel concentrations, removal of ammonium persulfate from the gel by preliminary electrophoresis, and incubation of serum proteins and isolated lipoproteins with ammonium persulfate prior to electrophoresis. The riboflavin catalyzed gels were much softer and were of larger pore sizes than ammonium persulfate catalyzed gels of the same acrylamide concentration and, therefore, the elecerophoretic patterns in the two gel systems were different. However, differences were not observed when the ammonium persulfate was was removed by preliminary electrophoresis. Similarly, incubation of samples with ammonium persulfate did not produce spurious bands and, thus, established that ammonium persulfate does not produce artifacts during disc electrophoresis of serum lipoproteins and proteins using the pH 9.5 system.
cDNA isolation, expression, and chromosomal localization of the mouse pcph proto-oncogene.

We report here the isolation and characterization of a cDNA from mouse thymus encoding the murine homolog of the protein product of the Syrian hamster Pcph proto-oncogene. The single open reading frame identified in the cDNA sequence encoded a protein predicted to have 428 amino acids, which shared 93.7% amino acid identity with the Syrian hamster Pcph within the first 412 residues but had a shorter, highly dissimilar C-terminus. Northern and western analyses revealed that Pcph mRNA and protein were widely distributed in mouse embryo and adult tissues, with the highest expression in adults detected in kidney and liver. The mouse Pcph proto-oncogene was mapped by linkage analysis to within 3.3+/-2.3 cM of Pkch-rs1 on chromosome 12. These data should prove valuable in designing studies to define the cellular function of the Pcph proto-oncogene.
Increasing exposure to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in pregnancy

Objective The objective of the study was to identify angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor prescription-filling trends in pregnant women. Study Design This was a retrospective cohort study in women continuously enrolled in Tennessee Medicaid during pregnancy who delivered a live infant or had a fetal death between 1986-2003 (n = 262,179). Results ACE inhibitor exposures increased more than 4-fold: from 11.2 per 10,000 pregnancies in 1986-1988 to 58.9 per 10,000 pregnancies by 2003 (adjusted risk ratio [RR], 4.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.78-7.25). Exposures in the second and third trimesters nearly tripled (RR, 2.88; 95% CI, 1.45-5.75) and did not decrease following a US Food and Drug Administration black box warning against such use in 1992. Exposures were most common among women 35 years of age or older. Conclusion Despite evidence of fetal complications associated with ACE inhibitor use during pregnancy, the number of pregnant women with pregnancy-related ACE inhibitor exposures increased steadily between 1986-2003. Better methods are needed to reduce fetal exposure to potentially teratogenic prescribed medications.
Electron-induced stabilization of ferromagnetism in Ga 1 − x Gd x N

Using ab initio band structure calculations and symmetry arguments, we show that the magnetic property of ${\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Gd}}_{x}\mathrm{N}$ is drastically different from TM-doped GaN. The coupling between Gd atoms in the alloy is antiferromagnetic, but the ferromagnetic phase can be stabilized by introducing electrons. Furthermore, we propose a model that may explain the recently observed colossal magnetic moments in this system, based on the polarization of donor electrons.
Overwintering biology of Myiopharus aberrans and Myiopharus doryphorae (Dipt. Tachinidae) larval parasitoids of the Colorado potato beetle (Col. : Chrysomelidae)

The overwintering biology ofMyiopharus aberrans (Townsend) andMyiopharus doryphorae (Riley), tachinid parasitoids of the Colorado potato beetle, was investigated. Sixty seven overwintered Colorado potato beetle adults were dug from the soil before beetle emergence in the spring of 1990 from a field that had been planted to potatoes the previous year. Five adultM. aberrans and two adultM. doryphorae flies were reared from seven beetles. This is the first record of howM. aberrans andM. doryphorae flies overwinter.
Occlusive wound dressings. Why, when, which?

For more than a century, the practice of dressing a wound has had as one of its major rationales the prevention of infection. Dressings can theoretically protect the wound from gross microbial contamination and help to prevent the spread of infection to other patients on the surgical ward. In this setting, one thinks of dressings as a barrier between the wound and the outside world. It is a relatively novel idea that the composition and properties of the dressing itself can play a major role in modifying the wound microenvironment. In the span of a decade, three key observations have helped physicians think of dressings as pharmacologic agents. Odland 1 first observed in 1958 that a blister healed faster if left unbroken. Then, in a 1962 landmark article, Winter 2 showed that occlusion of wounds with a polyethylene film (Polythene) more than doubled wound epithelialization in domestic pigs. Finally, Hinman
Global Production Networks, Relational Proximity, and the Sociospatial Dynamics of Market Internationalization in Bolivia's Wood Products Sector

This article advances conceptualizations of global production networks (GPNs) through an analysis of the relational processes that firms in Bolivia's growing wood products industry use to build ties to international markets. Both large- and small-scale manufacturers are increasingly internationalizing their operations in response to the global demand for tropical hardwoods and decentralization of control over the country's forest resources. These firms use four different types of production networks and networking practices to develop international market ties. Each of these networks is distinguishable by its entry barriers, value-creation possibilities, upgrading strategies, and the cognitive, social, and cultural factors that influence who participates in them. There are important differences in the strategies used and challenges faced by Bolivian suppliers striving to develop relational proximity (i.e., a mutual alignment of interests) to international buyers or clients. These differences—in the role o...
Wait Times for Breast Surgical Operations, 2003–2011: A Report from the National Cancer Data Base

Few large-scale multicenter studies have examined wait times for breast surgery and no benchmarks exist. Using the National Cancer Data Base, we analyzed time from diagnosis to first surgery for 819,175 non-neoadjuvant AJCC stage 0–III breast cancer patients treated from 2003 to 2011. Chi-square tests and logistic regression models were used to examine factors associated with delays to surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. Seventy percent of patients underwent an initial lumpectomy (LP), 22 % a mastectomy (MA), and 8 % a mastectomy with reconstruction (MR). The median time from diagnosis to first surgery significantly increased by approximately 1 week for all three procedures over the study period. In a multivariate analysis, the following variables were independent predictors of a longer wait time to first surgery: increasing age, black or Hispanic race, Medicaid or no insurance, low-education communities and metropolitan areas, increasing comorbidities, stage 0 and grade 1 disease, academic/research facilities, high-volume facilities, and facilities located in the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Pacific regions. In 2010–2011, patients who waited >30 days for surgery were 1.36 times more likely (OR = 1.36, 95 % CI 1.30–1.43) to experience a delay to adjuvant chemotherapy >60 days compared with patients who were surgically treated within 30 days of diagnosis. Facility and socioeconomic factors are most strongly associated with longer wait times for breast operations, and delays to surgery are associated with delays to adjuvant chemotherapy initiation.
The cartilage-derived, C-type lectin (CLECSF1): structure of the gene and chromosomal location.

Abstract Cartilage is a tissue that is primarily extracellular matrix, the bulk of which consists of proteoglycan aggregates constrained within a collagen framework. Candidate components that organize the extracellular assembly of the matrix consist of collagens, proteoglycans and multimeric glycoproteins. We describe the human gene structure of a potential organizing factor, a cartilage-derived member of the C-type lectin superfamily (CLECSF1; C-type lectin superfamily) related to the serum protein, tetranectin. We show by Northern analysis that this protein is restricted to cartilage and locate the gene on chromosome 16q23. We have characterized 10.9 kb of sequence upstream of the first exon. Similarly to human tetranectin, there are three exons. The residues that are conserved between CLECSF1 and tetranectin suggest that the cartilage-derived protein forms a trimeric structure similar to that of tetranectin, with three N-terminal α-helical domains aggregating through hydrophobic faces. The globular, C-terminal domain that has been shown to bind carbohydrate in some members of the family and plasminogen in tetranectin, is likely to have a similar overall structure to that of tetranectin.
The association between nonsuicidal self-injury and the emotional disorders: A meta-analytic review

Existing research supports a relationship between nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and the emotional disorders (i.e., anxiety, mood, and related disorders). The aim of this investigation was to conduct a meta-analysis of the associations between NSSI and the emotional disorders, and evaluate the quality of evidence supporting this relationship. A literature search was conducted from database inception through June 2014, and two reviewers independently determined the eligibility and quality of studies. A total of 56 articles providing data on engagement in NSSI among individuals with and without emotional disorders met eligibility criteria. Compared to those without an emotional disorder, individuals with an emotional disorder were more likely to report engagement in NSSI (OR=1.75, 95% CI: 1.49, 2.06). This increase of risk of NSSI was shown for each disorder subgroup, with the exceptions of bipolar disorder and social anxiety disorder. The largest associations were observed for panic and post-traumatic stress disorder; however, the risk of NSSI did not differ significantly across disorders. The quality of evidence was variable due to inconsistent methodological factors (e.g., adjustment for confounding variables, NSSI assessment). Overall, these findings provide evidence for a relationship between NSSI and the emotional disorders, and support conceptualizations of NSSI as transdiagnostic.
Selective translation of mRNAs in the left ventricular myocardium of the mouse in response to acute pressure overload.

During pressure overload hypertrophy, selective changes in cardiac gene expression occur that regulate growth and modify the structural and functional properties of the myocardium. To determine the role of translational mechanisms, a murine model of transverse aortic constriction was used to screen a set of specified mRNAs for changes in translational activity by measuring incorporation into polysomes in response to acute pressure overload. Candidate mRNAs were selected on the basis of two main criteria: 1) the 5′-untranslated region of the mRNA contains an excessive amount of secondary structure (ΔG < −50 kCal/mol), which is postulated to regulate efficiency of translation, and 2) the protein product has been implicated in the regulation of cardiac hypertrophy. After 24 hours of transverse aortic constriction, homogenates derived from the left ventricle were layered onto 15%-50% linear sucrose gradients and resolved into monosome fractions (messenger ribonucleoprotein particles) and polysome fractions by density gradient ultracentrifugation. The levels of mRNA in each fraction were quantified by real-time RT-PCR. The screen revealed that pressure overload increased translational activity of 6 candidate mRNAs as determined by a significant increase in the percentage of total mRNA incorporated into the polysome fractions. The mRNAs code for several functional classes of proteins linked to cardiac hypertrophy: the transcription factors c-myc, c-jun and MEF2D, growth factors VEGF and FGF-2, and the E3 ubiquitin ligase MDM2. These studies demonstrate that acute pressure overload alters cardiac gene expression by mechanisms that selectively regulate translational activity of specific mRNAs.
Anatomical Variation in the Amount and Composition of Human Skin Surface Lipid

Quantitative thin-layer chromatography was employed for determining the amount and composition of skin surface lipid from the forehead, cheek, chest, back, side, arm, and leg of adult male subjects. These data served as a basis for determining the relative contribution of epidermal and sebaceous lipids to the extractable surface lipid. The results indicate that lipid produced by the epidermis is an insignificant fraction of the total extractable surface lipid on areas rich in sebaceous glands, but can affect surface lipid composition on the limbs and on the trunk away from the midline. The amount of epidermal lipid recovered from the skin surface averaged between 5 and 10 μ per sq cm, compared with average recoveries of 150 to 300 μ of sebum per sq cm from the forehead.
Serum trypsin inhibitory capacity and the idiopathic respiratory distress syndrome

Alpha-1 antitrypsin, alpha-2 macroglobulin, and total trypsin inhibitory capacity levels were significantly lower in the umbilical cord serum of newborn infants with idiopathic respiratory distress syndrome (IRDS) than in weight-matched control subjects. Levels were unrelated to gestational age or sex. Sequential serum samples were drawn in 17 infants with IRDS; there was a tendency for levels of total trypsin inhibitory capacity to increase in 6 of 9 survivors. In contrast, 7 of the 8 infants who died had persistently low levels and some had further decreases in concentration. In amniotic fluid obtained at 12 to 22 weeks' gestation in cases not related to IRDS, alpha-1 antitrypsin and total trypsin inhibitory capacity could usually be detected but alpha-2 macroglobulin was not. Serum enzyme inhibitor levels may be of diagnostic significance in IRDS.
Case report 692

Synovial chondrometaplasia, also known as synovial chondromatosis, is a rare disease affecting the synovial membrane and characterized by a nodular proliferation of metaplastic cartilage. It most commonly involves large joints such as the knee, hip, and elbow, but its presence in unusual locations such as small joints and the temporomandibular joint has been described. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of synovial chondrometaplasia involving the costovertebral joint in a patient with a previous injury to that area.
An Animal-Assisted Therapy Intervention with Female Inmates

ABSTRACTFor many years corrections facilities have used animals as rehabilitative or therapeutic tools. Using the Outcome Questionnaire 45.2 to measure change, this study employed an experimental design to measure the effects of an animal-assisted therapy group on symptom distress, interpersonal relationships, social role performance, and overall distress of incarcerated women living in the general prison population at the Utah State Prison. Data were gathered during pretest, posttest, and at 30-day follow-up. Participants were selected using randomized systematic sampling and randomly assigned to control or experimental groups. Both the experimental and control groups used the same curriculum. The experimental group had a dog present and the control group did not. Statistical analysis indicated significant improvement for all domains measured for participants in both groups. However, there was no difference in this improvement between groups, indicating that having a dog present during the group process ...
Einfache Zugänge zu Evernitrose und Vancosaminderivaten sowie Synthese eines Vancomycin-Modellglycosids

In nur sieben Schritten konnen die aktivierten Evernitrose- und Vancosamin-Derivate 2 bzw. 3 aus der gemeinsamen, aus L-Milchsaureethylester zuganglichen Vorstufe 1 hergestellt werden. Die Verbindung 3 ermoglicht eine effizienten Synthese der Vancomycin-Modellverbindung 4.
Raman spectrum of sulfur hexafluoride in the gaseous and solid states

Abstract The Raman spectrum of gaseous SF 6 was studied with the aid of a multiple-reflection Raman tube and a 3-prism glass spectrograph of reciprocal linear dispersion 15 A/mm at 4358 A. All three Raman-active fundamentals were observed, at 769.4 ( a 1g ), 639.5 ( e g ), and 522 cm −1 ( f 2g ). In addition, a very weak sharp band was found at 690 cm −1 which is interpreted as the overtone of the inactive f 2 u fundamental. The Raman spectrum of a crystalline aggregate at −160°, −170°, and −185°C, was obtained. In addition to the three Raman-active fundamentals, two very weak bands were observed which probably arise from combinations of the f 2 g fundamental with low librational lattice modes.
The effects of castration on song development in zebra finches (Poephila guttata).

It has been suggested that the learning processes which occur during the critical period for bird song development are dependent on androgens. Castration of male zebra finches (Poephila guttata, Estrildidae) at ages 9–17 days did not prevent song development, and normal learning occurred after the time of castration. Thus the learning processes of song development occur in the absence of gonadal androgens. Castrates tended to develop song more slowly than normals, which is potentially attributable to a decreased rate of singing in the castrates, or to a direct effect of androgen on the learning processes.
Engineering Financial Engineering

In order to bridge the gap between theory and practice in the Financial Engineering community it is important that financial models demonstrate sound engineering features of reliability and robustness and apply a repeatable process. A review of 47 journal and conference financial engineering papers from 1990 to 2013 reveals a large gap between theory and practice persists. This paper surveys these papers in terms of repeatability, reliability, realism, and robustness. It offers strategies for bridging the gap between theory and practice.
Time-dependent simulation of small scale turbulent mixing and reaction

A mathematical model of the local transient diffusion-controlled reaction between initially unmixed species is presented. It is intended ultimately as a computational “molecule” to be imbedded in direct simulations of larger scale reacting flows. The model consists of an interacting three-dimensional strain vortex field which exactly satisfies the Navier-Stokes equations, an analytically determined Lagrangian representation of the mixing process and convection-diffusion equations for the reacting species in Lagrangian coordinates. The length scale established by the stretching of the vorticity field is shown to be directly relatable to the Kolmogoroff scale if the local strain rate has a scale consistent with laminar boundary layer theory coordinates. Results are shown for the flow pattern and the induced mixing. An analytical solution to the convection-diffusion equation governing the diffusion-controlled reaction is derived. The solution is valid for large Schmidt number and describes the evolution of any initially two-dimensional configuration of reactants.
Characterization and autoradiographic localization of TRH receptors in sections of rat brain

Receptors for thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) in rat brain have been localized autoradiographically by exposing tritium-sensitive film to sections labeled with [3H]3-Me-His2-TRH. Greatest grain density was found over certain nuclei of the amygdala, with considerable density over several other forebrain areas. Properties of TRH receptor binding in frozen sections closely resembled those of receptors in fresh membrane fragments.
Mitochondrial calcium uptake in the perfused contracting rat heart and the influence of epinephrine on calcium exchange.

Abstract Perfused rat hearts were exposed to solutions containing 45 Ca 2+ with and without epinephrine. They were subjected to differential centrifugation and the distribution of Ca and 45 Ca in mitochondria and microsomes was determined. It was found that the mitochondria contain most of the calcium of the intact heart and that the exchange of mitochondrial calcium with extracellular calcium was extremely rapid. This process was accelerated in hearts stimulated by epinephrine.
Theophylline pharmacokinetics in normal elderly subjects

The effect of age on theophylline kinetics was examined in six normal young men and six elderly men. There were no age-associated differences in theophylline volume of distribution, total clearance, or t1/2. The unbound fraction of theophylline was significantly raised in the elderly (mean 77.7% vs. 62.3%, p less than 0.001) and was correlated with the serum albumin level (r = -0.7, p less than 0.01). Theophylline nonrenal clearance was not changed, but the total unbound clearance was significantly reduced in the elderly subjects as compared with the young ones (mean 0.744 vs. 1.085 ml/min/kg, p less than 0.05). Creatinine clearance was reduced in the elderly and was significantly correlated with unbound renal clearance (r = 0.6, p less than 0.04). There were no age-related differences in the urinary excretion of theophylline, 1-methyluric acid, 3-methylxanthine, or 1,3-dimethyluric acid. However, significant reduction in unbound renal theophylline clearance (p less than 0.002) as well as the unbound metabolic clearance of 1,3-dimethyluric acid (p less than 0.03), 3-methylxanthine (p less than 0.04), and 1-methyluric acid (p less than 0.02) were observed in the elderly subjects. These observations indicate that both renal and metabolic elimination processes for theophylline are less active in the normal elderly.
A Comparative Study of CO and CO2Hydrogenation over Rh/SiO2

Abstract The hydrogenation of CO and CO2over Rh/SiO2have been investigated for the purpose of identifying the similarities and differences between these two reaction systems.In situinfrared spectroscopy was used to characterize the surface of the catalyst. Exposure of the catalyst to CO or CO2produced very similar infrared spectra in which the principal features are those for linearly and bridge-bonded CO. In the case of CO2adsorption, a band for weakly adsorbed CO2could also be observed. For identical reaction conditions the rate of CO2hydrogenation to methane is higher than that for CO hydrogenation. The activation energy for CO hydrogenation is 23.2 kcal/mol and that for CO2hydrogenation is 16.6 kcal/mol. The partial pressure dependances on H2and COz(z=1, 2) are 0.67 and −0.80, respectively, for CO hydrogenation, and 0.53 and −0.46, respectively, for CO2hydrogenation. Infrared spectroscopy reveals that under reaction conditions the catalyst surface is nearly saturated by adsorbed CO. The spectra observed during CO and CO2hydrogenation are similar, the principal difference being that the CO coverage during CO hydrogenation is somewhat higher than that during CO2hydrogenation. The CO coverage is insensitive to H2partial pressure, but increases slightly with increasing COzpartial pressure. Transient-response experiments demonstrate that the adsorbed CO is a critical intermediate in both reaction systems. It is proposed that the rate determining step in the formation of methane is the dissociation of H2CO, produced by the stepwise hydrogenation of adsorbed CO. A rate expression derived from the proposed mechanism properly describes the experimentally observed reaction kinetics both under steady-state and transient-response conditions.
A unified theory of strong uniqueness in uniform approximation with constraints

Abstract The previously developed unified theory of constrained uniform approximation from a finite dimensional subspace is extended to treat strong uniqueness and continuity of the best approximation operator.
Thermal stability of friction stir processed ultrafine grained AlMgSc alloy

Abstract Two different aspects of the thermal stability of grains were studied — (i) thermal stability of grain structure evolution during friction stir processing (FSP), and (ii) thermal stability of grains after FSP. It was concluded that Al 3 (Sc,Zr) dispersoids are effective in limiting grain growth to ultrafine grained regime (UFG) by stabilizing the microstructure during FSP. The presence of these dispersoids before processing was more effective in refining the grain size than the case in which these dispersoids precipitated during FSP. The mean grain sizes for these cases were 0.40 ± 0.17 μm and 0.50 ± 0.25 μm, respectively. Isothermal grain growth study revealed that UFG grain structure was maintained up to 723 K even after 16 h of annealing whereas most of the UFG alloys reported in the literature show extensive grain growth above 473 K. To understand the role of Al 3 (Sc,Zr) dispersoids in this alloy, 5086Al H32 was friction stir processed and subjected to identical annealing conditions. Annealing of FSP 5086Al H32 at 623 K for 1 h resulted into abnormal grain growth (AGG). The onset of AGG was observed for UFG sample only after annealing at 823 K for 1 h. This was rationalized using Humphreys' model for AGG [F.J. Humphreys, Acta Mater., 45 (1997) 5031].
Gender differences in correlates of disablement among the elderly in Egypt

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to examine gender-specific models to determine whether different combinations of correlates are associated with male and female disablement, using a sample of non-institutionalized elderly persons in Egypt. Because women and men have different work, family, and household roles, as well as different health risks, it is reasonable to assume that there may be differing correlates for disablement for elderly males and females. The dichotomous dependent variable indicates problems, or the inability, in performing at least one of six activities of daily living (ADL). Of interest is the association of health, economic, and family variables, controlling for age. Logistic regression models are estimated for the total, male, and female samples. The results indicate that for males, having to stop working due to illness and having an unattended medical need are associated with higher odds for disablement as compared with females. Additionally, illiteracy increases the odds for male disablement, yet it has no effect on female disablement. Having experienced an injury in the past year is associated with disability for females, as is spending a lifetime in a rural setting and currently living in a fair to poor residence. Also for the females, increased number of living children significantly increases the odds for functional disability. Separate male and female models were estimated for each of the six ADL items. The trends indicated that the model covariates were more useful in modeling female disabilities in personal care activities, rather than problems with eating and mobility. The health variables were significantly associated with most of the specific ADL problems for the males.
Another generalized Golomb-Posner code

Through the use of mutually orthogonal frequency squares, a generalization of the original Golomb-Posner code is constructed. The minimum distance and weight distribution of the generalized code when it is constructed from a complete set of orthogonal squares over a finite field are also determined. >
Assessment of Georges Bank recirculation from Eulerian current observations in the Great South Channel

Abstract Twenty Vector Averaging Current Meters (VACMs) were deployed at various depths in the vicinity of the Great South Channel during several experiments conducted between 1976 and 1986 (average record length ∼ 5 months). Since little more than mean current vectors from some records has been reported previously, a basic description of the flow field is presented here. With at least one current record occurring in every month of the year, the hypothesis of increased subtidal flow around Georges Bank during the stratified season is supported. Anemometer data obtained at nearby NOAA environmental buoys and the Nantucket Lightship are used to estimate wind stress, the primary forcing in the well-mixed season. Empirical modes of current structure demonstrate the spatial structure and the seasonal variability of wind and density-driven dynamics in this region. When averaged over a few months, the northward transport through the Great South Channel (fall mean ∼ 0.095 Sv) is small compared to the westward transport along the southern flank of Georges Bank (fall mean ∼ 0.421 Sv), but the subtidal variability of the Great South Channel transport is highly energetic, with a standard deviation (∼ 0.11 Sv) greater than the mean, indicating that large reversals in transport can occur over a few days.
Aging, health, and the Indigenous people of North America.

Although the articles for this special issue on Native North American elders cover a diversearray of topics, approaches, and geographical areas, this issue was motivated by a singledesire: to gather together in one venue a collection of varied disciplinary approaches tocontemporary social and cultural research with older American Indian, Alaska Native, andFirst Nations people. These Native elders constitute a relatively small, but rapidly growing,population (John 1996). The importance of elders to Native communities, however, beliesthese small numbers. Elders have traditionally been leaders, keepers of history and culturalknowledge, and socializers of the younger generation (Red Horse 1983; Red Horse 1980;Weibel-Orlando 1989). In many communities, these roles continue, although they may bechallenged in the face of contemporary pressures. Despite elders’ symbolic and practicalimportance in many tribal communities, current empirical research with this group remainslimited. Indeed, there are many important elder-related topics that have received scantresearch attention, although they are of keen interest to communities themselves. Thisspecial issue is one step toward rectifying that discrepancy.Most of the manuscripts here were presented as part of the 2009 Association forAnthropology and Gerontology Annual Conference held at the University of Oklahoma.The theme of the meeting was “Aging and the Indigenous People of North America.” Theconference brought together a variety of scholars and researchers working in this area. Asdemonstrated below, much of the research currently being conducted focuses on healthissues. Given the many health disparities faced by Native people in general and olderNative people in particular (Dixon and Roubideaux 2001), it is not surprising that health-related issues are an especially pertinent aspect of the aging experience for Native elders.These disparities and systemic health system inadequacies may be further exacerbated whenWestern biomedical constructs come into conflict with indigenous illness conceptualiza-tions, potentially posing challenges for elders, traditional healers, and biomedically orientedhealth care practitioners (Kleinman 1980).Two articles in this special issue concentrate on Native elders’ perspectives on healthissues. Henderson focuses on an urgent problem in many Native communities, the diabetes
Linguistic Predictors of Mindfulness in Written Self-Disclosure Narratives

This study investigated whether relative changes in cognitive, emotion, temporal, and self-reference word frequencies in repeated narratives predicted improvements in mindfulness skills (i.e., nonjudgmental acceptance of present-moment experiences, observing and describing present stimuli, and acting with awareness) subsequent to narrative self-disclosure. Participants wrote repeated narratives of traumatic or daily events over 3 days. Mindfulness was assessed at baseline and 4 to 8 weeks posttask. Results indicated that relative increases in cognitive processing words (among traumatic events participants and women in both conditions) and present tense words (among all participants) significantly predicted increases in nonjudgmental acceptance, describing, or overall mindfulness. Increases in present tense words appeared to partially mediate the higher mindfulness outcomes of participants writing about daily events when compared with those writing about trauma. The findings suggest that linguistic changes in self-disclosure narratives are associated with improvements in specific mindfulness skills.
QoS-Based Network Service Broker for High-Performance Grid Applications

Grid computing is an emerging computing paradigm that have a significant impact on the next generation information infrastructure. Computer networks and the Grid should be integrated together for supporting high-performance applications and a QoS-based network service broker is the key to this integration. In this paper, we propose a new approach for describing QoS capabilities of network services and develop a QoS-based broker technology for selecting network services that meet QoS requirements of grid applications. Our approach for network service description and selection is highly flexible and applicable to networking systems with various implementations. We also propose a system architecture for realizing the QoS-based network service broker within the service-oriented grid architecture.
Truth and Other Self‐Effacing Properties

A ‘self-effacing’ property is one that is definable without referring to it. Colin McGinn has argued that there is exactly one such property: truth. I show that if truth is a self-effacing property, then there are very many others — too many even to constitute a set.
A Subrecent Beach Ridge Complex in Southeastern Louisiana

Formation of the Moreau-Caminada chenier plain on the southeast Louisiana coast started about 3000 years ago. Autochthonous and detrital peat layers and laminae were found interlayered in the beach ridges. The very fine-grained, well-sorted beach sand contained 1.4 to 7.6 percent detrital lignite grains, eroded from pre-existing peaty marsh deposits. Some time after chenier progradation had ceased, sediments of a more recent Mississippi delta lobe surrounded the chenier plain. Later, a substantial portion of the plain was eroded and a reversal of littoral drift direction took place, possibly as the result of the growth of the Mississippi Plaquemines-Balize delta lobe. Original shore outline and drift and sediment source directions are the most important determining factors in the formation of chenier beach ridge configurations. Periods of mudflat and beach ridge formation were not related to major shifts in the positions of active Mississippi delta lobes but to fluctuations in local wave conditions and sediment supply.
Sífilis por "exposição normal" e inoculação: um médico da equipe do estudo Tuskegee na Guatemala, 1946-1948

Entre 1946 e 1948, o Servico de Saude Publica dos Estados Unidos (PHS) e a Oficina Sanitaria Panamericana, com a colaboracao de funcionarios de saude publica do governo da Guatemala, realizaram um estudo sobre o uso da penicilina como possivel profilaxia para a sifilis, gonorreia e cancro. Os "sujeitos" do estudo - prisioneiros, doentes mentais e soldados gualtematecos foram inoculados com essas doencas e tambem pelo contato com prostitutas infectadas. A fraude foi parte do estudo e os abusos eticos foram discutidos no PHS. Os resultados do estudo nao foram publicados.
Proteonomics: High-Throughput Structural Biology—Methods for Cloning, Protein Expression, and Purification

The problems associated with expressing and purifying human proteins, especially in Escherichia coli, the primary host organism for high-throughput (HTP) applications, are welldocumented and have plagued researchers for decades. Low yields due to toxicity, recombinant protein insolubility, and poor purification are just some of the problems that result1 in typical success rates from 2%–20% when expressing eukaryotic proteins in E. coli (Service). HTP structural genomic (SG) projects, such as NIH’s protein structure initiative (PSI) begun in 2000. Initially, the PSI focused on technology development to provide highly automated procedures for cloning, expression testing, protein purification, and protein crystallization, thus addressing production problems by increasing throughput. The development of these techniques has allowed PSI centers and other similar initiatives around the world to deposit over 2,000 novel protein structures in the Protein Dada Bank (PBD) as of January 2006 (PSI, http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Initiatives/PSI/). Nevertheless, despite the expenditure of significant resources,2 the rate of discovery is much less than hoped for at the beginning of the initiative due to bottlenecks at every stage of the pipeline1 as the problems mentioned above persist.
Application of the theory of absolute reaction rates to the creep failure of polymeric filaments

A discussion is given of the creep failure of partially oriented polymeric filaments. The theory of absolute reaction rates is used to obtain differential equations which permit the calculation of the lifetime of a single filament when it is subjected to different uniaxial loading histories. Explicit expressions are obtained for the lifetime of a filament for three special cases: dead loads, increasing linearly with time, and sinusoidal loads. Results of lifetime under dead load measurements are presented for drawn 66 nylon yarns. The treatment of the data by the theory yields plausible values for the molecular parameters involved. It is shown that the parameters which are calculated from the dead loading experiments may be used to calculate the dependence of the tensile strength on the speed of measurement (when obtained using a constant rate of loading tester). Tensile strength values were measured at rates of loading in the range between 0.14 × 109 and 4.8 × 109 dynes cm.−2 sec.−1 and found to be in satisfactory, agreement with those predicated by the theory.
The Political Economy of Agricultural Protection

In this paper we analyze the political economy of agricultural producer support in the OECD countries between 1986 and 2001. We review the variety of theories of agricultural protection created by economists to explain this apparent anomaly. Most of these theories give short shrift to institutional features of the political system by simply assuming that politics is determined by underlying economic factors. We explicitly include political institutional factors, such as veto players, federalism, party fragmentation, and the timing of elections, alongside traditional economic factors to model agricultural producer support. A political economy model demonstrates that agriculture should not be treated as the exception to our understanding of protectionism as is often the conclusion of previous econometric studies. The results of several cross-sectional time-series analyses suggest that agricultural producer support conforms to general patterns of protectionism in other areas of industry.
Spectroscopy of Hydrothermal Reactions. 7. Kinetics of Aqueous (NH3OH)NO3 at 463-523 K and 27.5 MPa by Infrared Spectroscopy

The first kinetic measurements for aqueous [NH3OH]NO3 that are based on species concentrations at hydrothermal conditions are discussed. The decomposition rate of 0.1 and 0.2 m [NH3OH]NO3 was determined in real time by flow-cell IR spectroscopy at 463−523 K and 27.5 MPa. The loss of NH3OH+ (2730 cm-1 bending combination) and formation of N2O (ν3 at 2230 cm-1) occur at the same rate under these conditions and were fit to a first-order rate expression. Using all of the data, Ea = 103 ± 21 kJ/mol and ln(A/s) = 21 ± 5. The decomposition rate resembles that of solid [NH3OH]NO3 in a similar temperature range, but the kinetics for dilute solutions and the solid state are too slow to apply to the combustion rate of a more concentrated solution of [NH3OH]NO3.
End-to-End Energy Management in Networked Real-Time Embedded Systems

Performing end-to-end energy management for the data aggregation application poses certain unique challenges particularly when the computational demands on the individual nodes are significant. In this paper, we address the problem of minimizing the total energy consumption of data aggregation with an end-to-end latency constraint while taking into account both the computational and communication workloads in the network. We consider a model where individual nodes support both dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) and dynamic modulation scaling (DMS) power management techniques and explore the energy-time tradeoffs these techniques offer. Specifically, we make the following contributions in this paper. First, we present an analytical problem formulation for the ideal case where each node can scale its frequency and modulation continuously. Second, we prove that the problem is NP-hard for practical scenarios where such continuity cannot be supported. We then present a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) formulation to obtain the optimal solution for the practical problem. Further, we present polynomial time heuristic algorithms which employ the energy-gain metric. We evaluated the performance of the proposed algorithms for a variety of scenarios and our results show that the energy savings obtained by the proposed algorithms are comparable to that of MILP.
Primary vaginal cancer: Role of MRI in diagnosis, staging and treatment

Primary carcinoma of the vagina is rare, accounting for 1–3% of all gynaecological malignancies. MRI has an increasing role in diagnosis, staging, treatment and assessment of complications in gynaecologic malignancy. In this review, we illustrate the utility of MRI in patients with primary vaginal cancer and highlight key aspects of staging, treatment, recurrence and complications.