cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Software debugging: the virtual machine approach

The support of efficient debugging environments for systems software and complete operating systems was one of the initial motivations for virtual machine (VM) systems, such as IBM's VM/370 [2.12]. These systems typically provide a user with a VM which is a functional duplicate of a real computer system and which includes simulated switches, buttons, and lights (console functions) for rudimentary system debugging. In the same way that real console functions proved to be inadequate debugging aids for real machines [15, 18], virtual console functions have proved inadequate for VMs [9]. As a result, a number of more powerful debugging tools have been combined with VMs to yield more flexible debugging systems.
NEUROMOTOR MATURATION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE: A DEVELOPMENTAL STUDY

Groups of 50 normal kindergarten and 50 first-grade children were examined three times at six-month intervals on the extended neuromotor examination for children, as well as on measures of reading achievement and language performance. The joint effect of five neuromotor measures accounted for a substantial percentage of variance in reading achievement and language performance 12 months later. As a global measure, neuromotor status therefore may constitute a reliable, independent criterion of developmental age for psychological investigations of young, normal children. The best individual predictors of psychological outcome were mirror movements and speed of timed motor repetitions, while reading achievement and automated naming speed were the dependent measures most closely associated over time with neuromotor status. Such findings suggest that the individual motor signs may also provide indirect clues about the presumed functional relationship between development of motor co-ordination and language competence.
Characterization of a photosynthetic mutant of Lemna lacking the cytochrome b6-f complex.

A photosynthetic mutant of Lemna perpusilla (no. 1073) has been examined by spectrophotometric and immunoblotting techniques in order to localize the site of defect. In contrast to previous conclusions (Shahak, Y., Posner, H.B. and Avron, M. (1976) Plant Physiol. 57, 577-679), neither cytochrome f nor cytochrome b6 could be detected spectrophotometrically in the mutant. Furthermore, immunoblotting using antibodies specific for each of the four constituent subunits of the cytochrome b6-f complex demonstrate that the entire complex is absent in the mutant. The light-harvesting chlorophyll-protein complex of Photosystem II is present in similar amounts in wild-type and mutant Lemna. However, the total amount of plastoquinone-9 is reduced by approx. 65% in the mutant strain, while the photoreducible plastoquinone-9 pool is comparable in wild-type and mutant Lemna.
Genital herpes in older women: A silent epidemic

Purpose: To present an overview of the prevalence of genital herpes in older women and to present case studies of older women diagnosed with genital herpes in a geriatric practice in the southeastern United States. Data sources: Review of current scientific literature and treatment/practice guidelines. Specific descriptive cases are reviewed to illustrate the clinical problem. Conclusions: Genital herpes is an important differential diagnosis to include when assessing and treating older women for recurrent genital symptoms. Implications for practice: Given the large numbers of older individuals potentially infected with genital herpes, the nurse practitioner (NP) is well positioned to accurately diagnose and initiate treatment that can improve quality of life. The NP’s skill in education and counseling is essential to the ongoing management of genital herpes infections.
Energy-Efficient Scheduling under Delay Constraints for Wireless Networks

Packet delay and energy consumption are important considerations in wireless and sensor networks as these metrics directly affect the quality of service of the application and the resource consumption of the network; especially, for a rapidly growing class of real-time applications that impose strict restrictions on packet delays. Dynamic rate control is a novel technique for adapting the transmission rate of wireless devices, almost in real-time, to opportunistically exploit time-varying channel conditions as well as changing traffic patterns. Since power consumption is not a linear function of the rate and varies significantly with the channel conditions, adapting the rate has significant benefits in minimizing energy consumption. These benefits have prompted significant research in developing algorithms for achieving optimal rate adaptation while satisfying quality of service requirements. In this book, we provide a comprehensive study of dynamic rate control for energy minimization under packet delay constraints. We present several formulations and approaches adopted in the literature ranging from discrete-time formulations and dynamic programming based solutions to continuous-time approaches utilizing ideas from network calculus and stochastic optimal control theory. The goal of this book is to expose the reader to the important problem of wireless data transmission with delay constraints and to the rich set of tools developed in recent years to address it. Table of Contents: Introduction / Transmission Rate Adaptation under Deadline Constraints / Average Delay Constraints
A Novel mRNA-cDNA interference phenomenon for silencing bcl-2 expression in human LNCaP cells

The templates required for inducing posttranscriptional gene silencing (PTGS) effects have been investigated in human prostate cancer LNCaP cells. Transfection of a mRNA-cDNA hybrid construct was found to result in a relatively long-term interference of specific gene expression. Androgen-stimulated expression of bcl-2 has been reported to increase the tumorigenic and metastatic potentials of human prostate cancer LNCaP cells, as well as their resistance to many apoptotic stimuli. The addition of bcl-2 antisense oligonucleotides, however, restored apoptosis. Our studies demonstrate gene silencing effects of the mRNA-cDNA transfection that is similar to those of PTGS/RNAi in this in vitro prostate cancer cell model. A potential RNA-directed RNA polymerase activity was also detected which is alpha-amanitin-sensitive. These findings indicate that a novel gene silencing system may exist in mammalian cells.
Robust Computation through Percolation: Synthesizing Logic with Percolation in Nanoscale Lattices

This paper proposes a probabilistic framework for digital computation with lattices of nanoscale switches based on the mathematical phenomenon of percolation. With random connectivity, percolation gives rise to a sharp non-linearity in the probability of global connectivity as a function of the probability of local connectivity. This phenomenon is exploited to compute Boolean functions robustly in the presence of defects. It is shown that the margins, defined in terms of the steepness of the non-linearity, translate into the degree of defect tolerance. Achieving good margins entails a mapping problem. Given a target Boolean function, the problem is how to assign literals to regions of the lattice such that no diagonal paths of 1’s exist in any assignment that evaluates to 0. Assignments with such paths result in poor error margins due to stray, random connections that can form across the diagonal. A necessary and sufficient condition is formulated for a mapping strategy that preserves good margins: the top-to-bottom and left-to-right connectivity functions across the lattice must be dual functions. Based on lattice duality, an efficient algorithm to perform the mapping is proposed. The algorithm optimizes the lattice area while meeting prescribed worst-case margins. Its effectiveness is demonstrated on benchmark circuits. DOI: 10.4018/jnmc.2011040102 International Journal of Nanotechnology and Molecular Computation, 3(2), 12-30, April-June 2011 13 Copyright © 2011, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. Robinett, Seroussi, & Williams, 2005; Sun & Zhang, 2006; Hogg & Snider, 2007; Snider &
Molecular views of redox regulation: three-dimensional structures of redox regulatory proteins and protein complexes.

ABSTRACT The last decade has witnessed the explosion of research on redox-controlled cellular and biochemical processes. Whereas the vast majority of these studies have centered on clinical, genetic, and biochemical aspects of redox signaling and regulation inside and outside the cell, a significant number of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and crystallographic studies have been undertaken to obtain an atomic-level understanding of the mechanisms of the redox regulation. This review highlights the recent progress of three-dimensional structure determination of key proteins and protein complexes involved in redox regulation. An increased list of such class of protein structures and their complexes with ligands will provide invaluable insight into the molecular basis of redox-regulatory processes and may be useful for the future development of therapeutic agents for redox-related diseases.
Determinants of smoking behavior among nurses.

This article explores the determinants of smoking behavior among nurses and reviews the research documenting the history and current trends of cigarette use among nurses. National and international studies of cigarette use among nurses show them to smoke more than any other group of health professionals. Stress has been the primary theory of smoking causation among nurses. While some studies suggest this, there are also studies demonstrating no significant differences of stress among smoking and nonsmoking nurses. The literature offers other determinants, including socialization processes, the pharmacological action of nicotine, normative influences, the medical environment, and the feminist movement. A surprising late addition to this list is that nursing education itself may play a major role in the smoking behavior of student and graduate nurses. The failure of nursing education to emphasize health behaviors as well as the use of the medical model in nursing curriculum is suggested as an explanation fo...
Improbable or Impossible? How Children Reason About the Possibility of Extraordinary Events

The present study investigated the development of possibility-judgment strategies between the ages of 4 and 8. In Experiment 1, 48 children and 16 adults were asked whether a variety of extraordinary events could or could not occur in real life. Although children of all ages denied the possibility of events that adults also judged impossible, children frequently denied the possibility of events that adults judged improbable but not impossible. Three additional experiments varied the manner in which possibility judgments were elicited and confirmed the robustness of preschoolers' tendency to judge improbable events impossible. Overall, it is argued that children initially mistake their inability to imagine circumstances that would allow an event to occur for evidence that no such circumstances exist.
Effect of Antibiotics Taken for other Illnesses on Incidence of Helicobacter Pylori Infection in Children

Purpose This analysis estimated rate ratios for the effect of antibiotic exposure on the incidence of a first detected H. pylori infection in children. We hypothesized that antibiotics taken for common infections decrease the incidence of H. pylori infections that persist long enough to be detected. Methods The Pasitos Cohort Study (1998–2005) investigated predictors of H. pylori infection in children from El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico. We screened children for infection at target intervals of 6 months from 6 to 84 months of age, using the 13 C-urea breath test corrected for body-size-dependent variation in CO 2 production. Reported exposure was defined in two ways: 1) any systemic antibiotic use in the immediately preceding at-risk interval (interval-specific exposure) and 2) average number of courses across all at-risk intervals (average exposure). Cox proportional hazards regression models included country of residence, mother's education, and prenatal care adequacy. We defined infection onset time as the midpoint between last negative and first positive test. For model checking, we also estimated rate ratios with an interval-censored survival model using a Weibull distribution. Results Of 589 children with complete data, 247 had a first detected infection during 15,762 person-months at risk; ≥1 antibiotic courses were reported at 48% of 1,920 visits. Rate ratios (95% CI) comparing 0 to >0 courses were 1.0 (0.79–1.3) for interval-specific and 0.45 (0.34–0.61) for average exposure. Across interval-specific exposure levels, estimates showed weak effects; rate ratios comparing low and high average exposure to none were 0.38 (0.27–0.55) and 0.50 (0.37–0.69), respectively. Interval-censored models produced similar results. Conclusion Incidental antibiotic exposure was associated with a decreased rate of detected acquisition of childhood H. pylori infection when measured as the average across at-risk person-time. Reasons for inconsistent effects across exposure definitions and levels need further study.
Programming in Equational Logic

Orthogonal term rewriting systems (also known as regular systems) provide an elegant framework for programming in equational logic. O?Donnell showed that the parallel-outermost strategy, which replaces all outermost redexes in each step, is complete for such systems. Many of the reductions performed by this strategy could be wasteful in general. A lazy normalization algorithm that completely eliminated these wasteful reductions by reducing only "needed redexes" was later developed by Huet and Levy. However, this algorithm required the input programs to be restricted to the subclass of strongly sequential systems. This is because needed redexes do not exist for all orthogonal programs, and even when they do, they may not be computable. It is therefore quite natural to ask whether it is possible to devise a complete normalization algorithm for the entire class that minimizes (rather than eliminates) the wasteful reductions. In this paper we propose a solution to this problem using the concept of a necessary set of redexes. In such a set, at least one of the redexes must be reduced to normalize a term. We devise an algorithm to compute a necessary set for any term not in normal form and show that a strategy that repeatedly reduces all redexes in such a set is complete for orthogonal programs. We also show that our algorithm is "optimal" among all normalization algorithms that are based on left-hand sides alone. This means that our algorithm is lazy (like Huet and Levy?s) on strongly sequential parts of a program and "relaxes laziness minimally" to handle the other parts and thus does not sacrifice generality for the sake of efficiency.
Ultrasound instrumentation and physics-a review with test questions.

Ultrasound refers to any sound whose frequency is above the audible range (i.e., >20 kHz). Ultrasound transducers use piezoelectric crystals to convert electric signals into mechanical vibrations and pressure waves, and can detect any returning pressure waves converting them back into electric signals; serving a dual role of both pulse transmission and echo detection. Oscillations per second of the piezoelectric element in the transducer establish the frequency of the ultrasound wave. Frequency is expressed in cycles per second, or hertz (Hz). Diagnostic ultrasound transducers use transducer-emitting frequencies in the 1 MHz to 30 MHz (1 million to 30 million Hz) frequency range. Transducer frequencies used in clinical applications are:
Home discharge of technology-dependent children: evaluation of a respiratory-therapist driven family education program.

BACKGROUND: Initial hospital discharge to home of technology-dependent children requires extensive training and education of the family caregivers. Education of adult family members should promote positive interactions in a nonthreatening manner while facilitating the development of the knowledge and skills to competently and independently provide all aspects of the medical care. We utilize a training program for adult family members of children who have undergone tracheostomy to facilitate long-term mechanical ventilatory support and who are being prepared for their initial discharge from the hospital to home. A dedicated respiratory therapist family educator directs this program. Multiple teaching tools, activities, and training sessions, based on adult learning theory, are utilized to develop appropriate clinical skills to manage children with tracheostomies and the associated technological supports. METHODS: We evaluated the effectiveness of our program by administering a written test to caregivers, at the start and the conclusion of their training. We also surveyed the caregivers about their satisfaction with the educational program and the respiratory therapist family educator's performance. We also surveyed employees of the durable medical equipment companies used by the families, regarding the caregivers' knowledge and competency in the home one month following discharge. RESULTS: Our program was associated with a statistically significant improvement in caregiver test performance, and the caregivers expressed a high degree of satisfaction with the program. The employees of the durable medical equipment companies perceived a high degree of knowledge and competence on the part of the home caregivers. CONCLUSION: Our training program appears to have a positive impact on the educational preparation of caregivers.
Glucocorticoid Regulation of Plasma Ketone Body Concentration in Insulin Deficient Man

This study was designed to assess the hyperketonemic activity of glucocorticoids in insulin deficient diabetic man. Both the duration of exposure and the site of action of glucocorticoids were examined relative to a significant increase in plasma ketone body concentration. Six stable insulin dependent diabetic subjects participated in a control, an acute glucocorticoid exposure, and a prolonged glucocorticoid exposure study. For the control study, no glucocorticoids were administered before or during the study. During the acute glucocorticoid exposure study, acute hypercortisolemia was induced for 80 min by the bolus iv administration of 50 mg of cortisol. In the prolonged glucocorticoid exposure study, 24 h of prolonged glucocorticoid stimulation was produced by the oral administration of 1.0 mg of dexamethasone, at 24 and 12 h prior to study. During these studies, a hepatic stimulating effect of glucocorticoids independent of the free fatty acid mobilization activity of glucocorticoids was assessed by a...
Sequences to Systems

A report of the seventh annual meeting on Systems Biology: Global Regulation of Gene Expression, 23-27 March 2010, Cold Spring Harbor, USA.
Treatment of superficial bladder carcinoma in private practice

Abstract Until the mid-1950s, patients with superficial bladder carcinoma were routinely treated with repeat electrocoagulation. Several new developments revolutionized the management of this malignancy, including the introduction of ileal conduits, the growing use of radiotherapy and total cystectomy for the treatment of carcinoma with muscle invasion, the availability of thiotepa, and the development of flexible cystoscopes. Today, the spectrum of chemotherapeutic and immunotherapeutic agents for the treatment of superficial bladder cancer has expanded and a variety of agents are available, each characterized by a distinct therapeutic and side effect profile. The indications for the use of intravesical therapy and guidelines for patient follow-up are outlined. A favorable therapeutic outcome (including good patient compliance) also depends in large part on the degree to which the practitioner provides adequate patient reassurance and education, and encourages dialogue. Personal experience in the private practice setting suggests that the combination of good interpersonal communication and the use of an effective and well-tolerated agent, such as mitomycin, ensures a positive prognosis for most patients with superficial bladder carcinoma.
Security constraint processing during the update operation in a multilevel secure database management system

In a multilevel secure database management system (MLS/DBMS), users cleared at different security levels access and share a database consisting of data at different sensitivity levels (also called security levels) to data is one which utilizes security constraints or classification rules. Security constraints provide an effective and versatile classification policy. They can be used to assign security levels to the data depending on the content, context, and time. Security constraints are a special form of integrity constraints enforced in a MLS/DBMS. As such, they can be handled during query processing, during database updates or during database design. The authors describe in detail the design and implementation of a secure update processor which handles security constraints in a multilevel secure database management system. >
Analysis of Functional Cell Sets in the Immune System

In the immune system it has been possible to distinguish subpopulations of cells on the basis of the surface antigens they express. The genetic program of each set of cells combines information which codes for a unique pattern of cell surface glycoproteins that is invariably associated with a particular immunologic function. More recently, it has been possible to identify the functional role of one of these surface glycoproteins. The purpose of this article is to review the experimental approaches which have contributed to the definition of functional cell sets in the immune system in the hope that similar strategies may be useful in the dissection of functionally relevant cell sets in the nervous system.
The role of the multifocal visual evoked potential (mfVEP) latency in understanding optic nerve and retinal diseases.

Purpose To examine the extent to which changes in the latency of the multifocal visual evoked potential (mfVEP) overlap in patients with glaucoma, recovered optic neuritis/multiple sclerosis (ON/MS), and retinal disease.
Caveolin-1 modulates cardiac gap junction homeostasis and arrhythmogenecity by regulating csrc tyrosine kinase

Background—Genome-wide association studies have revealed significant association of caveolin-1 (Cav1) gene variants with increased risk of cardiac arrhythmias. Nevertheless, the mechanism for this ...
The Use of Pressure to Modify Enzyme Activity in Reversed Micelles

Pressurization of enzyme-containing AOT-water-isooctane reversed micelles with low molecular weight gases leads to markedly different responses in activity characteristics. Microbial lipases exhibit a total cutoff in activity with as low a pressure as 2 MPa and a remarkable activity regain with depressurization. The observation also holds for reaction in monophasic organic solvents. The protease, α-chymotrypsin, is unaffected by pressurization until a critical pressure wherein micellar instability occurs. The use of pressure as a switch for lipase reaction in nonaqueous media is discussed.
A high speed access protocol for LANs and WANs

A demand driven access (ADDA) protocol for a dual ring architecture with spatial reuse is presented. The proposed protocol is simple and distributed. Under light load conditions, the arbitration mechanism is dormant and allows for efficient use of the available bandwidth since no overhead is incurred. The spatial reuse of the ring considerably increases the potential throughput of the network. The ADDA protocol, via simulation, is shown to outperform FDDI and MetaRing both in terms of throughput and access delay. >
Towards a theory of application in systems science

The actual utilization of systems science, especially social systems engineering, has not measured up to the plethora of theories and examples of potential applications in the literature. To begin developing a theory of application in systems science, one may consider modeling the systems scientist as a system or consider nonsystems approaches that would include the political influence, feelings, aesthetic, and religious dimensions of both the analyst and the user. The essential ideas of this process are presented in summary form.
Toward SQUID-Based Direct Measurement of Neural Currents by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

Modern high field (HF) MRI uses magnetic fields greater than 1.5 T to yield exquisite anatomical features. We have also seen an explosion in functional MRI in the last decade that measures hemodynamic responses that are ultimately sluggish (~one sec) and only indirectly related to electrophysiological processes. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a direct measure of the external fields generated by neuronal currents with exquisite temporal information (less than one msec). Spatial localization, however, is inferred from modeling priors, making MEG ldquoimagingrdquo only indirect at best. Ultra low field (ULF) MRI has recently been demonstrated with 2-3 mm resolution using fields in the microtesla regime. While the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal at ULF is dramatically weaker than at HF, we acquired high signal-to-noise measurements for a variety of samples at ULF using SQUID technology. Several researchers have proposed that electrophysiological activity may interact with the nuclear spins in a volume of interest, causing measurable variations in the NMR signal. We have developed a new approach to directly measuring neuronal activity with SQUID-based ULF-NMR techniques based on the hypothesis that interactions between the spin population and neural activity in cortex can be dominated by resonant mechanisms unique to ULF. We have experimentally demonstrated the feasibility of this approach via ULF-NMR using a single-channel SQUID system.
Using the Context, Input, Process, and Product Evaluation Model (CIPP) as a Comprehensive Framework to Guide the Planning, Implementation, and Assessment of Service-learning Programs

Planning, implementing, and assessing a service-learning projectcan be a complex task because service-learning projects ofteninvolve multiple constituencies and aim to meet both the needsof service providers and community partners. In this article,Stufflebeam’s Context, Input, Process, and Product (CIPP) evaluationmodel is recommended as a framework to systematicallyguide the conception, design, implementation, and assessmentof service-learning projects, and provide feedback and judgmentof the project’s effectiveness for continuous improvement. Thisarticle (1) explores the CIPP evaluation model’s theoretical rootsand applications, (2) delineates its four components, (3) analyzeseach component’s role in a service-learning project’s success,and (4) discusses how the model effectively addresses Service-Learning Standards for Quality Practice. This article illustratesthe application and evaluation of the model in a teacher-educationservice-learning tutoring project.
Vanadium pentoxide induces pulmonary inflammation and tumor promotion in a strain-dependent manner

Elevated levels of air pollution are associated with increased risk of lung cancer. Particulate matter (PM) contains transition metals that may potentiate neoplastic development through the induction of oxidative stress and inflammation, a lung cancer risk factor. Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) is a component of PM derived from fuel combustion as well as a source of occupational exposure in humans. In the current investigation we examined the influence of genetic background on susceptibility to V2O5-induced inflammation and evaluated whether V2O5 functions as a tumor promoter using a 2-stage (initiation-promotion) model of pulmonary neoplasia in mice. A/J, BALB/cJ (BALB), and C57BL/6J (B6) mice were treated either with the initiator 3-methylcholanthrene (MCA; 10 μg/g; i.p.) or corn oil followed by 5 weekly aspirations of V2O5 or PBS and pulmonary tumors were enumerated 20 weeks following MCA treatment. Susceptibility to V2O5-induced pulmonary inflammation was assessed in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and chemokines, transcription factor activity, and MAPK signaling were quantified in lung homogenates. We found that treatment of animals with MCA followed by V2O5 promoted lung tumors in both A/J (10.3 ± 0.9 tumors/mouse) and BALB (2.2 ± 0.36) mice significantly above that observed with MCA/PBS or V2O5 alone (P BALB>B6). Differential strain responses in inflammation were positively associated with elevated levels of the chemokines KC and MCP-1, higher NFκB and c-Fos binding activity, as well as sustained ERK1/2 activation in lung tissue. In this study we demonstrate that V2O5, an occupational and environmentally relevant metal oxide, functions as an in vivo lung tumor promoter among different inbred strains of mice. Further, we identified a positive relationship between tumor promotion and susceptibility to V2O5-induced pulmonary inflammation. These findings suggest that repeated exposures to V2O5 containing particles may augment lung carcinogenesis in susceptible individuals through oxidative stress mediated pathways.
On the use of thin scrapers for momentum collimation

In transverse collimation systems, thin scrapers are used as primary collimators to interact with the beam halo and increase its impact parameter on the secondary collimators or absorbers. In the same way, placing the primary collimator in a dispersion region is used for momentum collimation. However, the use of scrapers for momentum collimation presents an additional disadvantage when handling medium-low energy beams. The energy lost by ionization is non negligible and the proton can be kicked out of the RF bucket. The material and thickness of the scraper have to be carefully adjusted according to the position of secondary collimators and momentum aperture of the machine. We derive simple analytical expressions for a generic case. The same calculations have been applied to the case of the SNS accumulator ring. After careful considerations, the use of scrapers for momentum collimation was ruled out in favor of a beam in gap kicker system.
Continuous‐time modeling and global optimization approach for scheduling of crude oil operations

Scheduling of crude oil operations is a critical and complicated component of overall refinery operations, because crude oil costs account for about 80% of the refinery turnover. Moreover, blending with less expensive crudes can significantly increase profit margins. The mathematical modeling of blending different crudes in storage tanks results in many bilinear terms, which transforms the problem into a challenging, nonconvex, and mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) optimization model. Two primary contributions have been made. First, the authors developed a novel unit-specific event-based continuous-time MINLP formulation for this problem. Then they incorporated realistic operational features such as single buoy mooring (SBM), multiple jetties, multiparcel vessels, single-parcel vessels, crude blending, brine settling, crude segregation, and multiple tanks feeding one crude distillation unit at one time and vice versa. In addition, 15 important volume-based or weight-based crude property indices are also considered. Second, they exploited recent advances in piecewise-linear underestimation of bilinear terms within a branch-and-bound algorithm to globally optimize the MINLP problem. It is shown that the continuous-time model results in substantially fewer bilinear terms. Several examples taken from the work of Li et al. are used to illustrate that (1) better solutions are obtained and (2) e-global optimality can be attained using the proposed branch-and-bound global optimization algorithm with piecewise-linear underestimations of the bilinear terms. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2012
Corona-Stabilized Interpolyelectrolyte Complexes of SiRNA with Nonimmunogenic, Hydrophilic/Cationic Block Copolymers Prepared by Aqueous RAFT Polymerization†

The complexation of small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) with a series of specifically designed block copolymers consisting of the hydrophilic, nonimmunogenic monomer N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) and the cationic monomer N-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]methacrylamide (DMAPMA) has been investigated for potential siRNA stabilization and delivery applications. Specific compositions of poly(HPMA-b-DMAPMA) copolymers were synthesized via aqueous reversible addition−fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and characterized using aqueous size exclusion chromatography with multiangle laser light scattering (SEC-MALLS) and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The degree of soluble complex formation between a model siRNA and the polymers was determined by centrifugal membrane filtration experiments and quantitated by scintillation counting of 32P ATP-labeled siRNA to determine complex solubility and to estimate the degree of complexation relative to cationic and neutral block lengths. Dynamic and static lig...
Long-Term Outcomes Comparing Surgery to Embolization-Ablation for Treatment of Solitary HCC <7 cm

Resection has been the standard of care for patients with solitary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Transarterial embolization and percutaneous ablation are alternative therapies often reserved for suboptimal surgical candidates. Here we compare long-term outcomes of patients with solitary HCC treated with resection versus combined embo-ablation. We previously reported a retrospective comparison of resection and embo-ablation in 73 patients with solitary HCC <7 cm after a median follow-up of 23 months. This study represents long-term updated follow-up over a median of 134 months. There was no difference in survival among Okuda I patients who underwent resection versus embo-ablation (66 vs 58 months, p = .39). There was no difference between the groups in the rate of distant intrahepatic (p = .35) or metastatic progression (p = .48). Surgical patients experienced more complications (p = .004), longer hospitalizations (p < .001), and were more likely to require hospital readmission within 30 days of discharge (p = .03). Over a median follow up of more than 10 years, we found no significant difference in overall survival of Okuda 1 patients with solitary HCC <7 cm who underwent surgical resection versus embo-ablation. Our data suggest that there may be a greater role for primary embo-ablation in the treatment of potentially resectable solitary HCC.
Simple existence proofs for one-dimensional semi-positone problems

In this paper we use phase-plane analysis to study one-dimensional p -Laplacian semi-positone problems under general sub-( p – 1)linear, asymptotically ( p – 1)-linear, and super-( p – 1)linear conditions.
Impaired erythrocyte calcium homeostasis in beta-thalassemia.

ntracellular calcium (Ca) concentration in erythrocytes (RBCs) is controlled by a low passive influx through a relatively impermeable membrane and by active efflux catalyzed by Ca2+,Mg2+-ATPase. Since precipitation of alpha-globin chains in thalassemic RBCs may interfere with normal membrane function, we studied the RBC intracellular Ca content and the RBC membrane Ca2+,Mg2+-ATPase activity in two groups of patients with nonsplenectomized (n = 9) and splenectomized (n = 9) beta- thalassemia intermedia and in two groups of matched controls. The mean +/- SD Ca concentration in the nonsplenectomized (n = 12) and splenectomized (n = 6) controls were 6.1 +/- 6.0 and 5.8 +/- 3.4 mumol Ca per liter of RBCs, respectively, compared with 26.0 +/- 7.6 (P less than .001) and 85 +/- 24.4 (P less than .001) in the nonsplenectomized and splenectomized thalassemia patients, respectively. The mean +/- SD Ca2+,Mg2+-ATPase activity in the eight nonsplenectomized patients was 0.77 +/- 0.58 mumol inorganic phosphate (Pi) per milligram of protein per hour compared with 0.66 +/- 0.41 in the controls (P = NS). Similar values were obtained for the splenectomized patients and their controls. No correlation was found between either the intracellular Ca content or the Ca2+,Mg2+-ATPase activity with the peripheral nucleated RBC count. These findings suggest that there is a major defect in the membrane of the thalassemic RBC leading to an increased Ca content that is more pronounced in splenectomized patients.
Reliability of the Overground Walk Test in Persons with Parkinson's Disease (P06.045)

Objective: This study is to test the reliability and validity of an overground walk test in patients with Parkinson9s disease (PD). Background The overground gait test has been used extensively to test functional ability and measure progress in patients with various neurological deficits. It refers to physical therapists9 observation and cuing of the patient9s walking pattern. In an effort to make the test easier to administer, some conduct this test on the speed-adjustable apparatus. The reliability and validity of this modification compared to the traditional electronic walkway had not been studied in patients with PD. Design/Methods: Thirty patients (21 men) with PD were studied. The mean age was 68.90 ± 9.28 years. The mean PD duration was 8.75 ± 5.68 years. All were taking levodopa as one of the medications for their PD. The reliability of the manual overground walk test was conducted in both states: a) before patients taking levodopa (off), and b) one hour after taking levodopa (on). The subjects could select their own usual speeds overground during the test. The results were compared to walking on a computerized walkway. Results: During 9off9 state, correlations between the overground walk test and the instrumented measures for gait speed, cadence, and stride length were .93 (p Conclusions: The gait speed and stride length obtained by the overground walk test were highly correlated with those obtained by the electronic walkway. With proven reliability from this preliminary result, the overground walk test has advantages of being the quick, simple and inexpensive gait evaluation for individuals with PD. Supported by: The National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke, K12 HD055929 and the National Institute of Health, R01 HD051844. Disclosure: Dr. Hou has nothing to disclose. Dr. Bryant has nothing to disclose. Dr. Rintala has nothing to disclose. Dr. Protas has nothing to disclose.
Properties of canine herpesvirus DNA.

SummaryThe DNA isolated from purified canine herpesvirus had the following biophysical properties: Buoyant density in CsCl gradients of 1.691 g/cm3; Tm of 66.5°C in 0.1 SSC; guanine plus cytosine content of 31%; and a molecular weight of 63 × 106 daltons as estimated by velocity sedimentation in neutral sucrose gradients.The technical collaboration of W. Pronsky is gratefully acknowledged.
Rb atoms in a blue-detuned dipole trap: Coherence and ground-state differential ac Stark shift

Blue-detuned dipole traps and their ability to preserve atomic coherences are interesting for precision measurement applications. In this paper, we present experimental studies on the differential ac Stark shift of the ground-state hyperfine splitting in ${}^{87}$Rb atoms confined in a dynamic blue-detuned dipole trap. We systematically study the power and detuning effects on the Rabi resonance frequency (differential ac Stark shift) and its linewidth (coherence) and find that their performance is compatible with future parity violation experiments in Fr.
Mating, Fertility, and Fecundity of Some Sod Webworms (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in the Laboratory1

The rearing of sod webworms in the laboratory has resulted in varying degrees of success. Tahama bonifatella (Hulst) (Bohart 1947), Pediasia trisecta Walker (Banerjee 1969), Crambus leachellus cypridalis Hulst (Kamm 1970), Crambus tutillus McDunnough (Kamm 1971), Pediasia mutabilis Clemens (Ainslie 1927) and Pediasia teterrellus Zincken (Ainslie 1930) have all been reared in the laboratory but only for several generations. Also, Banerjee and Decker (1966) reported a reduction in fecundity and fertility when P. trisecta did not mate the night of emergence, but Dupnik and Kamm (1970) found that P. trisecta failed to mate after being reared for 4 generations in the laboratory even when females were exposed to males the day of emergence. The present paper describes the frequency of mating, fertility, and fecundity of T. bonifatella and Chrysoteuchia topiaria (Zeller) during the 1st generation in the laboratory.
Independence of arterial phospholipid synthesis from alterations in blood lipids

Rabbits fed cholesterol for 1 to 5 months showed gradually increasing amounts of aortic phospholipid preceded by increases in plasma phospholipid concentration. Cholesterol feeding appeared to increase the turnover of plasma as well as aortic phospholipid. Curtailment of plasma phospholipid synthesis to one-tenth of normal by evisceration did not diminish the incorporation of P32 into aortic lipids. In these animals the aortic phospholipid specific activity was 15 to 90 times as great as that of plasma, so that practically all the labeled aortic phospholipid must have been synthesized in situ. Lowering the plasma lipid levels by removal of cholesterol from the diet did not diminish the cholesterol content of the aortic lesion or alter its phospholipogenesis.
Epidemiological and etiological characteristics of hand-foot-mouth disease in Shaanxi Province,2009-2013

Objective To analyze the epidemic characteristics and etiological types of hand-foot-mouth disease( HFMD) in Shaanxi Province,2009- 2013. Methods The case-data of HFMD in Shaanxi Province during 2009- 2013 was collected from the Chinese National Notifiable Infectious Disease Reporting System,and a descriptive epidemiological analysis was conducted. Results A total of 229 903 cases of HFMD were reported in Shaanxi from 2009 to 2013,including 3 071 severe cases and 108 deaths. 91. 44% cases were younger than 5 years. Scatteredly living children accounted for 68. 87% of the total cases. The peak of incidence was from April to July. The highest incidence was found in the regions of Xi'an,Weinan,and Xianyang of the province. A total of 6 603 cases of HFMD were laboratorily confirmed,including 4 872 common cases,1 673 severe cases and 58 deaths. Enterovirus 71( EV71),coxsackie virus A16( Cox A16) and other enteroviruses( EV) accounted for 44. 81%,18. 87% and 36. 31% of laboratorily confirmed HFMD cases,respectively.The differences were statistically significant between common cases and severe cases( x2= 622. 46,P 0. 001). Conclusions Scatteredly living children under the age of 5 years were the major population at risk. Both EV71 and Cox A16 were the major etiologic agents. The etiologic constituents were different between common cases and severe cases.
Performance of Cervical Arthroplasty at a Pseudarthrosed Level of a MultiLevel Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion: Case Report

ABSTRACT Objective: To present a conversion from an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) to cervical arthroplasty in a 40-year-old, active duty member and perform a review of the literature. Methods: A helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army underwent a three-level ACDF in 2010 at a nonmilitary institution for symptoms of bilateral upper-extremity radiculopathy. His symptoms resolved; however, per regulations, he was grounded. The patient recently presented at our clinic for evaluation of axial neck and intrascapular pain with radiographic evaluation revealing pseudarthrosis at C6-7 with segmental motion without facet joint degeneration. Surgery was performed to remove the existing allograft and replace it with an artificial disc, thus restoring a motion segment. Results: Postoperative imaging reveals appropriate placement of the artificial disc and range of motion at C6-7 with the patient reporting improvement in neck pain. He has since been granted a waiver to return to active flight status. Conclus...
Tying Early Childhood Education More Closely to Schooling: Promise, Perils and Practical Problems.

BackgroundOver the past decade or so, the idea of joining early childhood education (ECE) and schooling has gained currency in the educational reform arena. Numerous education reform proposals and ...
Linguistic analysis of chat transcripts from child predator undercover sex stings

AbstractWe analyzed chat transcripts from 590 undercover Internet sex stings across the US, using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count software program to examine trends in sexual word usage, total word usage, and clout (a measure conveying social dominance) for convicted child sex offenders and undercover agents. Offenders and agents varied greatly in their scores in these word categories; however, generally, offenders used more words in each: 91% used more sexual words, 66% used more words overall, and 82% exhibited more clout than their respective agents. Linguistic analyses can provide the trier of fact with objective measures of psychometric properties that may help them assess the offender’s predisposition and appropriateness of government conduct. Additionally, our data-set shows the distribution of these language dimensions across a wide sample of offenders, providing a statistical context for linguistic evidence from individual cases. As language-based digital evidence become more prevalent, for...
Freshwater diatoms in the Sajama, Quelccaya, and Coropuna glaciers of the South American Andes

Diatoms in ice cores have been used to infer regional and global climatic events. These archives offer high-resolution records of past climate events, often providing annual resolution of environmental variability during the Late Holocene. Recently, the first low-latitude tropical diatoms were described from the Quelccaya Summit Dome. Here, we document diatoms observed in ice cores from Quelccaya, spanning AD 1300 to 1815, along with those from two additional glaciers (Coropuna, and Sajama glaciers) in the tropical Andes, spanning AD 1764 to 1814. Diatom assemblages recovered from these three sites were rare, but differ in abundance and species composition through time. Assemblages are characterized by cosmopolitan and aerophilic species, mostly pennate diatoms. There were 44 taxa in all, with Pinnularia cf. borealis Ehrenberg being the most common species encountered in the samples. Eleven taxa were found at all three sites. Both Coropuna and Sajama had taxa that were unique to these locations, whereas Q...
ELUCIDATING NUCLEAR SIZE CONTROL IN THE XENOPUS MODEL SYSTEM.

Background Nuclear size is a tightly regulated cellular feature. Mechanisms that regulate nuclear size and the functional significance of this regulation are largely unknown. Nuclear size and morphology are often altered in many diseases, such as cancer. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms that regulate nuclear size is crucial to provide insight into the role of nuclear size in disease. Scope and approach The goal of this review is to summarize the most recent studies about the mechanisms and functional significance of nuclear size control using the Xenopus model system. First, this review describes how Xenopus egg extracts, embryos, and embryo extracts are prepared and used in scientific research. Next, the review focuses on the mechanisms and functional effects of proper nuclear size control that have been learned using the Xenopus system. Key findings and conclusions Xenopus is an excellent in vivo and in vitro experimental platform to study mechanisms of nuclear size control. Given its close evolutionary relationship with mammals and that most cellular processes and pathways are highly conserved between Xenopus and humans, the Xenopus system has been a valuable tool to advance biomedical research. Some of the mechanisms that regulate nuclear size include components of nuclear import such as importin α and NTF2, nuclear lamins, nucleoporins, proteins that regulate the morphology of the endoplasmic reticulum, and cytoskeletal elements.
Reducing Fractions to Lowest Terms

The purpose of this paper is to investigate putting or reducing a fraction to lowest terms in a general integral domain. We investigate the integral domains in which every fraction can be (uniquely) put in or reduced to lowest terms.