cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Current Bronchodilator Responsiveness Criteria Underestimate Asthma in Older Adults.

BACKGROUND: Asthma is common in older adults and is confirmed by demonstration of variable expiratory air-flow limitations, typically evaluated by spirometric assessment of bronchodilator responsiveness. However, many patients with clinically suspected asthma and documented air-flow obstruction do not exhibit a post-bronchodilator response that meets or exceeds current established guidelines. We investigated if extending the time from bronchodilator administration to assessment of bronchodilator response increases the yield of spirometry for the diagnosis of asthma in older adults. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. The subjects were non-smokers, ≥ 60 y old, and with suspected asthma. Subjects were characterized as (1) those with a positive bronchodilator response on the 30-min post-bronchodilator spirometry, (2) those with a positive bronchodilator response on the 60-min post-bronchodilator spirometry, and (3) those without a positive bronchodilator response but with a positive methacholine challenge test. Factors associated with a late response to bronchodilator were evaluated by using bivariate analysis and by multivariate analysis by using a logistic regression model. RESULTS: This study enrolled 165 subjects. Of these, 81 (49.1%) had a positive bronchodilator response on 30-min post-bronchodilator spirometry; 25 (15.2%) had a positive bronchodilator response on the 1-h post-bronchodilator spirometry; and 59 (35.8%) had no positive bronchodilator response but had a positive methacholine challenge test. On multivariable regression analysis, those with a higher baseline percentage of predicted FEV1, higher scores on a standard asthma control test, and wheezing and/or cough after exercise were more likely to either have a late bronchodilator response or no bronchodilator response. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that a late positive response to bronchodilator use was more common than previously presumed in older subjects with suspected asthma. Pulmonary function testing laboratories should consider routinely reassessing spirometry at 1 h after bronchodilator use if the earlier assessment did not reveal a significant response.
Science, Hermeneutics, and Metaphorical Thought

The central idea of this paper is that different understandings of metaphor divide science from hermeneutics, that science as modern heir to the project of rational knowledge is committed to and requires a sharp division of the literal and metaphorical sense of language, and that hermeneutics can acknowledge the fundamental metaphoricity of thought and the role of metaphor in the general process of producing concepts. Consequently, science by its very project, goals, and self-understanding must truncate what metaphor can be and constrain what it can do whereas hermeneutics can embrace the full semantic import of metaphor. In doing so, hermeneutics can make sense of a project of participatory knowledge that differs radically from the project of knowledge as rational accounting.
Polymorphic erythema associated with mycoplasma pneumoniae.

Image in medicine Male child, 6 and a half years old, followed for psychomotor delay from the age of 2 years with diagnosis of epilepsy put on sodium valproate for 3 years and in the absence of seizure control carbamazepine was added 2 months before admission. The patient had presented 5 days before his consultation a generalized erythematous rash with edemas of two lower limbs, a dry cough and a fever. He was initially treated as a meningococcemia. On skin examination: generalized erythematous lesions with a rosette appearance, vesicular lesions in the lips. On admission to the service, the patient was put on acilovir, josamycin with discontinuation of carbamazepine. HSV 1 and 2 serology returned negative. Mycoplasma serology was positive for IgM and negative for IgG. The chest X-ray was normal. The skin biopsy was in favor of superficial dermatitis. The evolution was favorable with progressive disappearance of the lesions. Aciclovir was discontinued due to the rapid improvement and negativity of serology and josamycin was discontinued after 14 days of treatment. The general condition improved in 48 hours and the skin lesions disappeared in 15 days. Figure 1 polymorphic erythema associated with mycoplasma pneumoniae in a child of six and half years old
Limiting Fungal Foliar Diseases on Carrots for Organic and Conventional Markets

Michigan ranks fourth in carrot production for the combined fresh and processing markets. Fungal foliar diseases caused by Alternaria dauci and Cercospora carotae occur annually in the state, causi...
Associations Between Cholecalciferol Supplementation and Self-Reported Symptoms Among Women With Metastatic Breast Cancer and Vitamin D Deficiency: A Pilot Study.

Objectives To assess the potential effect of cholecalciferol supplementation to reduce symptom burden for women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Sample & setting 11 clinically stable women with estrogen receptor-positive MBC were recruited from a single cancer center for this phase 1, nonrandomized study (NCT02186015). Methods & variables Women with insufficient serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels qualified to receive high-dose repletion therapy. Clinical and questionnaire data on common symptoms and quality of life were obtained prior to and following supplementation. Results Serum 25(OH)D increased significantly pre- versus postintervention. Trends for improvements in endocrine symptoms, bone pain, and fatigue were observed following the intervention. Implications for nursing Women achieved normal serum 25(OH)D levels after eight weeks of supplementation and reported reduced symptom burden. Vitamin D may be a low-cost supportive care therapy; however, future studies should be considered.
Zum Geleit: Situative Kaufanreize, Marketing und Monitoring

Die vom Internet gepragte digitale Wirtschaft verandert unser Leben. Dies wird als dritte „industrielle Revolution“ bezeichnet: intelligente Software, neue Prozesse und neuartige Dienstleistungen erlauben es neuen Unternehmen mit verhaltnismasig niedrigen Einstiegskosten, Marktanteile bestehender Unternehmen abzuwerben. Beispiele fur etablierte digitale Unternehmen sind Amazon, Google, eBay sowie Facebook. Im Vergleich zu Unternehmen mit einem hoheren Investitionsbedarf und hoheren Fixkostensind digitalen Unternehmen in der Lage, ihre Geschaftsmodelle und Wertschopfungen schneller zu erweitern. Google hat sich vom reinen Suchanbieter zum Werbeplatz mit den hochsten Online-Werbeeinnahmen gewandelt. eBay hat das Marktplatzangebot um die Vereinnahmung von Transaktionen durch die Ubernahme von PayPal erweitert. Diese digitalen Unternehmen stehen in Konkurrenz zueinander und nehmen bestehenden Unternehmen Marktanteile ab, deren Geschaftsmodelle digitale Kanale bisher nur peripher miteinbezogen haben.
Museums and Display Collections

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the insect collections. It is often loosely used, and these collections usually contain other arthropods, including arachnids (e.g., spiders, mites), myriapods (e.g., centipedes, millipedes), and terrestrial crustaceans (e.g., sowbugs and pillbugs, amphipods). So most entomological collections are actually arthropod collections. Collections of insects and related arthropods constitute an enormous resource for biological information and are an irreplaceable tapestry documenting Earth's entomological natural history. The numbers of specimens in collections are staggering, as is the amount of work yet to be accomplished just describing and cataloging millions of new species. Despite the revolutionary changes energizing these collections, still daunting are the myriads of problems, particularly financial, that continue to debilitate many collections' operations. Modern collections are rooted in Linnaean classification. The century following Linnaeus was devoted to describing and cataloging the massive amount of material gathered, but there were too many species and not enough taxonomists. Other disciplines began studies of arthropods, and many researchers had to develop taxonomic expertise on their own to have names for the organisms they were studying. Around the mid-19th century, large-scale agriculture and expanding horticultural efforts underscored the importance of insects as pests and opened up an entirely new area for collections, namely the role of identifying insect pests and establishing the authenticity of such identification.
Integration on Manifolds

We shall consider integration of p-forms over differentiable singular p-chains in n-dimensional manifolds, and integration of n-forms over regular domains in oriented n-dimensional manifolds. For both of these situations we shall prove a version of Stokes’ theorem. This is a generalization of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus and is undoubtedly the single most important theorem in the subject. We shall also consider integration on Riemannian manifolds and on Lie groups. Finally, we shall introduce the de Rham cohomology groups and shall prove the Poincare lemma, from which we will conclude that the de Rham cohomology groups of Euclidean space are trivial. This lemma will be of central importance for the de Rham theorem, which is stated at the end of this chapter and proved in Chapter 5.
Theory and method in life-span developmental psychology: implications for child development.

Publisher Summary This chapter elucidates implications of life-span developmental psychology for theory and method in the field of child development. Emphasis is given to three theoretical issues: historical-evolutionary versus ontogenetic components of change; the role of chronological age; and continuity versus discontinuity in the description and explanation of behavioral development. Two methodological issues are discussed: the conceptual and methodological distinction between developmental change and developmental differences; and the problem of examining historical-distal relationships among variables. It is argued that none of the theoretical and methodological issues raised is completely novel in developmental psychology. However, life-span research and theory, because of their concern with the extremes of a developmental approach, have led to propositions and arguments that accentuate, clarify, and articulate important developmental issues with a new level of persuasiveness and urgency. The conclusion is that child development researchers need to recognize the issues raised. Such recognition will lead not only to a heightened understanding of the unique aspects of a developmental approach to the study of behavior but also to novel questions, interpretations, conceptualizations, and methods of study.
Parametric analysis of response interruption and redirection as treatment for stereotypy

Response interruption and redirection (RIRD), a procedure in which demands are delivered contingent on stereotypy, has been shown to reduce vocal and motor stereotypy maintained by automatic reinforcement. However, RIRD can be time consuming and can interrupt ongoing activities and access to reinforcement for appropriate behavior. We attempted to address these limitations by comparing the effectiveness of RIRD using the standard 3-demand procedure to RIRD using just 1 demand. Results showed that RIRD with 1 demand was effective in reducing stereotypy for all participants, required fewer demands overall, and resulted in shorter implementation time. In addition, 2 participants showed an increase in appropriate play during RIRD. These results suggest RIRD with 1 demand may be an effective and less intrusive procedure for reducing stereotypy.
Jürgen Habermas. Im Sog der Technokratie. Kleine Politische Schriften XII

Jurgen Habermas. Im Sog der Technokratie. Kleine Politische Schriften XII. Berlin: Edition Suhrkamp, 2013. 193 pp. ISBN 978-3518126714.heodor W. Adorno profilierte sich als public intellectual und ...
Transfusion has no effect on recurrence in hepatitis C after liver transplantation

Background: The literature suggests that blood product transfusions have a negative impact on the survival of liver transplant patients. We investigated the impact of intraoperative blood product usage on the survival of liver transplantation patients being transplanted for hepatitis C-related end-stage liver disease. In addition, we analyzed a potentially more sensitive metric, namely disease recurrence and fibrosis progression, obtained from follow-up liver biopsies. Methods: We retrospectively studied 194 consecutive patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) undergoing liver transplantation. To investigate the effect of red blood cell (RBC) or platelet transfusions on post-transplant HCV recurrence, hepatic biopsy data from 4 months and 1 year after transplantation were studied. In addition, survival data were analyzed. Results: There was no effect of intraoperative RBC or platelet transfusion on either 1- or 5-year patient survival following liver transplantation. There was no difference in HCV disease recurrence or progression of hepatic fibrosis at 4 months or 1 year attributable either to RBC or to platelet transfusion. Conclusion: This study was not able to confirm an effect on the survival of HCV-infected liver transplant patients related to intraoperative transfusion of RBCs or platelets. In addition, these transfusions had no effect on HCV recurrence or fibrosis progression. This is not to condone a liberal transfusion practice, but rather to reassure that when clinically indicated, transfusion does not have a significant impact on patient survival or disease recurrence in HCV-infected liver transplant patients.
On the condensation of electron-hole droplets☆

Abstract The phase diagram at low temperature ( T ⪅ 1 K) of an electron-hole system, is drastically modified by life time effects: the system is made of multiexcitonic clusters of different sizes, the size distribution function having only one peak instead of two.
Spatial Resolution for Processing Seismic Data: Type-2 Methods for Finding the Relevant Granular Structure

One of the main methods of determining the Earth structure is the analysis of the seismic data. Based on the seismic data, we produce a 3-D map describing the density at different locations on different depths. Due to incomplete coverage and measurement uncertainty, this map provides only an approximate description of the actual density distribution. For example, based on the seismic data, it is impossible to distinguish between the densities at two nearby points. In other words, what we actually reconstruct is not a function of 3 variables, but rather values determined on the appropriate spatial granules. Because of this granularity, it is necessary to find the spatial resolution at different locations and at different depths, i.e., in other words, it is necessary to determine the corresponding granules. In this paper, we show how Type-2 methods can help in determining these granules.
Light and Temperature Sensitivity of Feeding-related and Reproductive Processes in Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae) on Cattle

Photoperiod and temperature significantly influenced the proportion of nymphal Amblyomma americanum (L.) that attached, fed, and detached from cattle, whereas photoperiod, temperature, and the interaction of photoperiod and temperature influenced the number of females that fed. The highest proportion of nymphs and females fed in a photoperiod of LD 12:12 (nymphs, 98%; females, 100%), the fewest in a photoperiod of LD 8:16 (nymphs, 62%; females, 51%). The weight of engorged nymphs was influenced by photoperiod and temperature (maximum, 10.2 mg in LD 16:8 at 25°C; minimum, 5.6 mg in LD 8:16 at 30°C), and the weight of engorged females by photoperiod, temperature, and photoperiod–temperature interaction (maximum, 674.6 mg in LD 16:8 at 25°C; minimum, 160.5 mg in LD 8:16 at 30°C). Feeding time (i.e., attachment to detachment) was shortest (5.3 days) in populations of nymphs in LD 16:8 at 25°C and in populations of females in LD 12:12 at 20°C (13.9 days) but longest for nymphs (9.6 days) in LD 12:12 at 20°C and for females in LD 8:16 at 30°C (20.0 days). In nymphs, photoperiod, temperature, and photoperiod–temperature interaction influenced the time required to attain the 10th and 95th percentiles of the detaching population. These factors also influenced the time required to attain the 10th percentile in populations of detaching females, but only photoperiod and temperature affected the time required to attain the 95th percentile. The proportion of populations of fed female A. americanum that oviposited and the subsequent proportion of eggs eclosing were influenced by photoperiod, temperature, and photoperiod–temperature interaction. In an imaginary cohort of 100 females, adjusted for proportion feeding, oviposition, and eclosion of eggs, a 560-fold difference existed in the potential number of offspring produced under LD 16:8, 25°C versus LD 8:16, 30°C. These data and characteristics of seasonal feeding activity by A. americanum on cattle are discussed in light of existing theories concerning diapause in ticks.
Use of Bivalve Metrics to Quantify Influences of Coal-related Activities in the Clinch River Watershed, Virginia

Previously, we reported that survivorship and growth of field-caged Asian clams (Corbicula fluminea [Muller]) were significantly reduced downstream of the wastewater effluent discharge of the Clinch River Plant (CRP), a coal-fired electric power-generating facility in Russell County, VA (USA). These findings warranted the present study, which investigated whether reduced survivorship and growth of transplanted C. fluminea were predictive of adverse effects on resident bivalves – most notably the Clinch River’s (CR’s) federally protected freshwater mussel fauna (Unionoidea). Thus, surveys of unionoid assemblages and C. fluminea population densities and age distributions were conducted to assess ecotoxicological effects on bivalve assemblages naturally occurring in the CR. Results of these surveys suggested that field bioassays with transplanted C. fluminea were predictive of in-stream C. fluminea densities and the presence/absence of indigenous unionoid assemblages. Relative to C. fluminea, additional field bioassays with a juvenile unionoid species (Villosa iris) native to the CR were less predictive of adverse effects on resident bivalves. Concurrence of transplant studies and in-stream surveys was evident at most study sites, particularly within 0.6 km downstream of the CRP effluent where resident bivalves were virtually non-existent relative to other stream sites having similar habitat conditions. Our findings indicate that in situ field bioassays with transplanted C. fluminea are valuable tools for predicting in stream occurrence and distribution of resident freshwater bivalves, and that field studies integrating multiple bivalve metrics may be useful for prioritizing source-reduction efforts in similar watersheds. Discrepancies observed for transplanted C. fluminea and V. iris have important implications to selection of bivalve species used in field bioassays and warrant further study.
Flaunting It for Social Justice

By examining various movements in education in Flaunt It! Queers Organizing for Public Education and Justice, Quinn and Meiners show a systematic and intentional “straightening” of American public schools. Throughout the book, the authors explore how various public and private realms operate to try to silence queer voices, and they discuss ways to counter this silencing. The book itself is divided up by the educational movements the authors have worked against to try to stave off the heteronormativity being perpetuated by the myths of school choice (Chapter 1), the erasure of social justice and queers in particular in a private entity that sets standards for teacher education (Chapter 2), the policies of exclusion of private schools (Chapter 3), the ways in which the teaching profession has been raced and gendered (Chapter 4), and the lack of attention to queer topics in teacher education programs (Chapter 5).
Enzyme levels in rats adapted to 36-hour fasting

Abstract In an attempt to increase the amplitude of the normal daily oscillations in nucleic acid metabolism and enzyme synthesis or activation, male rats were adapted to a feeding program in which food was available for 12 hr in each 48-hr period, with lighting automatically regulated to give alternating 12-hr periods of light and darkness. Thus food was available only during alternate 12-hr periods of darkness. Controls were fed on an ad libitum basis. The “36-hr fasting-adapted” animals showed great physical activity on the nights they were not fed, and when kept in exercise cages traveled an average of 15.3 km per 12-hr period of fasting. The fasting-adapted animals weighed much less than the ad libitum controls, and after 30 days weighed an average of 225 g in contrast to 325 g when both groups began the experiment at 150 g body weight. Glycogen, blood sugar, the activities of glucokinase, hexokinase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, citrate cleavage enzyme, tryptophan pyrrolase, tyrosine transaminase, serine deaminase, and ornithine transaminase, and labeling of RNA and DNA in vivo were measured. Several of the enzymes showed great increases in the amplitude of cyclic fluctuations in activity. Some enzymes showed evidence of a parallel fluctuation, while others showed individualized timing in peak activity. The 36-hr fasting-adapted animal may be useful in studies on mechanisms of regulating enzyme synthesis or activation and may suggest how human subjects might undertake a program of stress-conditioning.
Provenance in sensor data management

In today's information-driven workplaces, data is constantly undergoing transformations and being moved around. The typical business-as-usual approach is to use email attachments, shared network locations, databases, and now, the cloud. More often than not, there are multiple versions of the data sitting in different locations and users of this data are confounded by the lack of metadata describing its provenance, or in other words, its lineage. Our project is aimed to solve this issue in the context of sensor data. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Building Technologies Research and Integration Center has reconfigurable commercial buildings deployed on the Flexible Research Platforms (FRPs). These FRPs are instrumented with a large number of sensors which measure a number of variables such as HVAC efficiency, relative humidity, and temperature gradients across doors, windows, and walls. Sub-minute resolution data from hundreds of channels is acquired. This sensor data, traditionally, was saved to a shared network location which was accessible to a number of scientists for performing complicated simulation and analysis tasks. The sensor data also participates in elaborate quality assurance exercises as a result of inherent faults. Sometimes, faults are induced to observe building behavior. It became apparent that proper scientific controls required notmore » just managing the data acquisition and delivery, but to also manage the metadata associated with temporal subsets of the sensor data. We built a system named ProvDMS, or Provenance Data Management System for the FRPs, which would both allow researchers to retrieve data of interest as well as trace data lineage. This provides researchers a one-stop shop for comprehensive views of various data transformation allowing researchers to effectively trace their data to its source so that experiments, and derivations of experiments, may be reused and reproduced without much overhead of the repeatability of experiments that use it. Using these traces, researchers can determine exactly what happens to data as it moves through its life cycle.« less
TRAFFIC SIGNALS AND DEPTH PERCEPTION

Automobiles approaching red traffic signals at night appear to go beyond them when viewed from some distance to the rear. The phenomenon is doubly illusory because the higher of two objects has been presumed to appear more distant. The illusion is probably limited to small visual angles (about 2 degrees).
PI-03 SCROTAL ULTRASOUND FOR PAIN: LOW FREQUENCY OF ABSOLUTE SURGICAL INDICATIONS

Objective To examine the results of scrotal ultrasounds (US) conducted for scrotal or testicular pain and review the pathologic findings of orchiectomies done for lesions that were suspicious for malignancy on US. Materials and Methods We retrospectively reviewed the indications and findings of all scrotal US completed at our institution from 2002 to 2014. If a patient underwent an orchiectomy for an intratesticular lesion that was concerning for malignancy on US, the pathology report was also reviewed. Results There were 18,593 scrotal US performed, with 7,668 (41.2%) conducted for scrotal pain. Of the US performed for pain, 80.4% revealed benign or normal findings, and only 2.2% demonstrated a finding that is an absolute indication for surgery (intratesticular lesion suspicious for malignancy 0.8%, abscess 0.7%, torsion 0.6%, infiltrative process such as lymphoma 0.1%). For those patients undergoing an orchiectomy, 75% had malignancy on pathologic analysis. Conclusion The majority of the 7668 US performed to evaluate scrotal or testicular pain reveal normal or benign findings. A low percentage demonstrates a finding that necessitates urgent or emergent surgery.
Chromatin transcription: Clearing the gridlock

A factor has been purified that specifically facilitates RNA chain elongation in a chromatin context; the properties of this factor help to define the challenges that lie ahead in understanding how RNA polymerase manages to transcribe DNA that is packaged into chromatin.
Perimenopausal regulation of steroidogenesis in the nonhuman primate

Human aging is characterized by a marked decrease in circulating levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and DHEA-sulfate (DHEAS), hormonal changes associated with cognitive decline. Despite beneficial effects of DHEA supplementation in rodents, studies in elderly humans have generally failed to show cognitive improvement after treatment. In the present study we evaluate the effects of age and estradiol supplementation on expression of genes involved in the de novo synthesis of DHEA and its conversion to estradiol in the rhesus macaque hippocampus. Using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) we demonstrate the expression of genes associated with this synthesis in several areas of the rhesus brain. Furthermore, real-time PCR reveals an age-related attenuation of hippocampal expression level of the genes CYP17A1, STS, and 3BHSD1/2. Additionally, short-term administration of estradiol is associated with decreased expression of CYP17A1, STS, SULT2B1, and AROMATASE, consistent with a downregulation not only of estrogen synthesis from circulating DHEA, but also of de novo DHEA synthesis within the hippocampus. These findings suggest a decline in neurosteroidogenesis may account for the inefficacy of DHEA supplementation in elderly humans, and that central steroidogenesis may be a function of circulating hormones and menopausal status.
New Ru(II) Chromophores with Extended Excited-State Lifetimes

We describe the synthesis, electrochemical, and photophysical properties of two new luminescent Ru(II) diimine complexes covalently attached to one and three 4-piperidinyl-1,8-naphthalimide (PNI) chromophores, [Ru(bpy)2(PNI−phen)](PF6)2 and [Ru(PNI−phen)3](PF6)2, respectively. These compounds represent a new class of visible light-harvesting Ru(II) chromophores that exhibit greatly enhanced room-temperature metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) emission lifetimes as a result of intervening intraligand triplet states (3IL) present on the pendant naphthalimide chromophore(s). In both Ru(II) complexes, the intense singlet fluorescence of the pendant PNI chromophore(s) is nearly quantitatively quenched and was found to sensitize the MLCT-based photoluminescence. Excitation into either the 1IL or 1MLCT absorption bands results in the formation of both 3MLCT and 3IL excited states, conveniently monitored by transient absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. The relative energy ordering of these triplet states...
Microfracture: Basic Science Studies in the Horse.

The therapeutic value of microfracture has been demonstrated in clinical patients. The rationale is that focal penetration of the dense subchondral plate exposes cartilage defects to the benefits of cellular and growth factor influx in addition to improving anchorage of the new tissue to the underlying subchondral bone and, to some extent, the surrounding cartilage. While functional outcomes have been reported, there is a paucity of data on the histological, biochemical, and molecular changes in human patients. This paper reviews 4 basic science studies of microfracture using an equine chondral defect model that gave some insight into possible mechanisms of action and also how the microfracture response could be augmented. In study I, microfracture of full-thickness chondral defects in exercised horses significantly increased the repair tissue volume in the defects at both 4 and 12 months. No adverse effects were seen. In study II, an investigation of the healing of full-thickness chondral defects during the first 8 weeks with or without microfracture demonstrated that microfracture significantly increased type II collagen expression as early as 8 weeks after treatment compared to controls; aggrecan expression was progressively increased during the first 8 weeks but was not significantly enhanced by microfracture. In study III, it was demonstrated that removal of the calcified cartilage layer provided optimal amount and attachment of repair tissue, emphasizing that careful removal of calcified layer is critical during debridement prior to microfracture. Study IV assessed the ability of IL-1ra/IGF-1 combination gene therapy to further modulate repair of microfractured chondral defects. The repair tissue in gene therapy–treated joints demonstrated increased proteoglycan and type II collagen content compared to microfracture alone.
Parametric study of the stability margin of cable-in-conduit superconductors: Theory

Recently, Lue, Miller, and Dresner reported that the stability margin of cable-in-conduit superconductors is multivalued for certain combinations of transport current, ambient helium pressure, and externally imposed helium flow. There is a limiting transport current below which the stability margin is single-valued and equal to the upper stability margin. The theory of ref. 1 is used here to determine the scaling of the limiting transport current with critical temperature, ambient helium temperature, resistivity of copper, length of the heated zone, duration of the heat pulse, hydraulic diameter of the helium-filled part of the cable, volume fraction of copper in the metal, and volume fraction of metal in the cable. Combined with experimental data, the scaling relation provides a sound basis for design.
Political Risk Management in Multinational Firms: An Integrative Approach

Introduction During the last decade, political risk assessment has gained significance as a decision‐making variable in multinational firms as the political under‐currents shaping the global environment have impacted international business strategy. Political discontinuities in Chile and Iran, rising waves of instability in Central America and the Middle East, the crises in Poland and North Africa, and the explosive external debt of developing countries have underscored the impact of political events on international business.
Modeling of TABS-based thermally manageable buildings in Simulink

Abstract Since Willis Carrier’s invention of air conditioning in 1911, we traditionally think about building conditioning in terms of the heating and cooling of a building’s indoor air. A better idea is the heating and cooling of a building’s mass. The latter has been called the radiant method, of which a most attractive strain is the thermally activated building systems (TABS) proposed by Robert Meierhans in 1990s. In this paper, a resistor–capacitor (RC) model is built in Matlab/Simulink for studying the system requirement of a TABS-equipped building-room. Specifically, what is the requirement in the envelope thermal resistance and activated TABS thermal mass of the room so that it is able to keep the room’s indoor operative temperature within the comfort range with its surroundings at neutral mean ambient temperature? Systematic simulations show that at neutral ambient temperature, the room’s manageability requires the correct selection of thermal mass at normal value and thermal resistance within minimum envelope resistance range (MERR). With its surroundings at above neutral ambient temperature, the room with the required mass-envelope combination functions robustly, albeit with a slightly larger operative temperature variation. We introduce the term thermally manageable building, defined as buildings that can be managed with off - peak equipment , either mechanical equipment (e.g., a chiller) or (natural energy gradient driven) low - power equipment (e.g., a cooling tower). Simulation results also show that while the mean operative temperature level is maintained by cooling equipment (mechanical or low-power one), the operative temperature variation is primarily a function of a building’s thermal mass and a building’s envelope thermal resistance and, only to a small extent, a weak function of mean ambient temperature and the diurnal temperature amplitude.
Ethanol influences on the chick embryo spinal cord motor system: Analyses of motoneuron cell death, motility, and target trophic factor activity and in vitro analyses of neurotoxicity and trophic factor neuroprotection

A series of in vivo and in vitro experiments were conducted to determine the influence of prenatally administered ethanol on several aspects of the developing chick embryo spinal cord motor system. Specifically, we examined: (1) the effect of chronic ethanol administration during the natural cell death period on spinal cord motoneuron numbers; (2) the influence of ethanol on ongoing embryonic motility; (3) the effect of ethanol exposure on neurotrophic activity in motoneuron target tissue (limbbud); and (4) the responsiveness of cultured spinal cord neurons to ethanol, and the potential of target-derived neurotrophic factors to ameliorate ethanol neurotoxicity. These studies revealed the following: Chronic prenatal ethanol exposure reduces the number of motoneurons present in the lateral motor column after the cell death period [embryonic day 12 (E12)]. Ethanol tends to inhibit embryonic motility, particularly during the later stages viewed (E9-E11). Chronic ethanol exposure reduces the neurotrophic activity contained in target muscle tissue. Such diminished support could contribute to the observed motoneuron loss. Direct exposure of spinal cord neurons to ethanol decreases neuronal survival and process outgrowth in a dose-dependent manner, but the addition of target muscle extract to ethanol-containing cultures can ameliorate this ethanol neurotoxicity. These studies demonstrate ethanol toxicity in a population not previously viewed in this regard and suggest a mechanism that may be related to this cell loss (i.e., decreased neurotrophic support). © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The Frontal Width Problem.

Abstract Observations of two low-level frontal passages by a hot-wire anemometer placed at 3 m above the ground provide evidence that frontal zones and the postfrontal regions exhibit enhanced kinetic energy dissipation. These observations support a postulated linear relationship between turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate ϵ and a characteristic frontal width L. A rigorous theoretical development is not available to verify the postulate that an equilibrated frontal width is determined by a balance between frontogenetical forcing and turbulent dissipation of kinetic energy. Instead, a simple construct, based on a model of inviscid frontogenesis, is introduced. This model exhibits downscale spectral energy transfer that decreases with horizontal scale during frontogenesis. This model is invalid in the dissipative range of fully turbulent small-scale motions. In those cases, however, when frontal equilibration occurs at scales close to the scales where dissipation just begins to become significant, the...
Genetic Ablation of CD68 Results in Mice with Increased Bone and Dysfunctional Osteoclasts

CD68 is a member of the lysosome associated membrane protein (LAMP) family that is restricted in its expression to cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage. This lineage restriction includes osteoclasts, and, while previous studies of CD68 in macrophages and dendritic cells have proposed roles in lipid metabolism, phagocytosis, and antigen presentation, the expression and function of CD68 in osteoclasts have not been explored. In this study, we investigated the expression and localization of CD68 in macrophages and osteoclasts in response to the monocyte/macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) and the receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL). We found that M-CSF stimulates CD68 expression and RANKL alters the apparent molecular weight of CD68 as measured by Western immunoblotting. In addition, we explored the significance of CD68 expression in osteoclasts by generating mice that lack expression of CD68. These mice have increased trabecular bone, and in vitro assessment of CD68(-/-) osteoclasts revealed that, in the absence of CD68, osteoclasts demonstrate an accumulation of intracellular vesicle-like structures, and do not efficiently resorb bone. These findings demonstrate a role for CD68 in the function of osteoclasts, and future studies will determine the mechanistic nature of the defects seen in CD68(-/-) osteoclasts.
The impact of gender and working life cycle position on the likelihood and accumulation of formal on-the-job training

The literature concerning the influence of race and gender on layoff likelihood suggests that differences persist between whites and blacks as well as males and females even after controlling for factors expected to influence personal productivity. However, it appears that formal on-the-job training has often not been adequately accounted for. This paper uses direct objective measures of formal on-the-job training to examine the influence of gender and working lifecycle stage on the likelihood of participating in formal on-the-job training programs and on the duration of these on-the-job training experiences for program participants.
Childhood Sexual Abuse and Adult Sexual Problems: A New View of Assessment and Treatment:

The New View recognizes that people may be dissatisfied with any emotional, physical or relational aspect of sexual experience and thus invites men and women with abuse histories to discuss sexual issues that are distressing. There are numerous pathways by which child sexual abuse (CSA) can lead to sexual dissatisfaction in adulthood. In addition to those outlined by learning theory and trauma formulations, the New View adds several important and hitherto neglected paths: anxiety about being `normal' or living up to perceived cultural standards, power imbalance in the sexual relationship, stress (because of the consequences of low socioeconomic status), and limited access to both quality health care and sexual information. Assessment of both sexual difficulties and treatment must address these kinds of economic, social and relational factors. How the New View contributes to our ability to understand and treat the sexual concerns of men and women with histories of childhood sexual abuse will be presented i...
A six-year study of fire-related flowering cues and coexistence of two perennial grasses in a wet longleaf pine ( Pinus palustris ) savanna

Integrating population and community ecology can improve our understanding of the impacts of natural disturbances. Fire-stimulated flowering occurs in many long-lived herbaceous species of fire-maintained grasslands and savannas. Coexistence of these long-lived species may be affected in part by interspecific differences in the effect of fire-stimulated flowering on resource conservation, clonal growth, and longevity. This study comprised two parts. The first part investigated the effectiveness of different fire-related cues on fire-stimulated flowering in two cooccurring dominant grass species in a wet longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) savanna in southeastern Mississippi, USA. The second part investigated the immediate effects of the most important of these cues (damage and removal of aboveground vegetation and surface litter in May) along with nutrient addition on several measures of fitness and abundance over 6 years. Despite being a very effective inductive cue, when repeated frequently over 6 years, clipping plus surface litter removal significantly reduced flowering in both species. This negative effect was reduced to some extent by nutrient addition in Muhlenbergia expansa (which exhibited higher reproductive investment following clipping and fire than did Ctenium aromaticum). Frequent clipping resulted in an increasing numerical advantage of C. aromaticum over M. expansa with time. There was evidence of a modest release of C. aromaticum from competition with M. expansa in response to annual clipping. Responses suggest that suppressing flowering until after fire reduces the cost of flowering and maintains shoot densities, at least in M. expansa. Differences in the responses of these two species to repeated clipping and nutrient addition suggest that, despite their both exhibiting fire-stimulated flowering, each species is favored by slightly different fire frequencies. Moderate variation in fire frequency could maintain their coexistence in the long term.
Evolution of Satellite Imagers and Sounders for Low Earth Orbit and Technology Directions at NASA

Imagers and Sounders for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) provide fundamental global daily observations of the Earth System for scientists, researchers, and operational weather agencies. The imager provides the nominal 1-2 km spatial resolution images with global coverage in multiple spectral bands for a wide range of uses including ocean color, vegetation indices, aerosol, snow and cloud properties, and sea surface temperature. The sounder provides vertical profiles of atmospheric temperature, water vapor cloud properties, and trace gases including ozone, carbon monoxide, methane and carbon dioxide. Performance capabilities of these systems has evolved with the optical and sensing technologies of the decade. Individual detectors were incorporated on some of the first imagers and sounders that evolved to linear array technology in the '80's. Signal-to-noise constraints limited these systems to either broad spectral resolution as in the case of the imager, or low spatial resolution as in the case of the sounder. Today's area 2-dimensional large format array technology enables high spatial and high spectral resolution to be incorporated into a single instrument. This places new constraints on the design of these systems and enables new capabilities for scientists to examine the complex processes governing the Earth System.
Combining MODIS- and AMSR-E-based vegetation moisture retrievals for improved fire risk monitoring

Research has shown that remote sensing in both the optical and microwave domain has the capability of estimating vegetation water content (VWC). Though lower in spatial resolution than MODIS optical bands, AMSR-E microwave measurements are typically less affected by clouds, water vapor, aerosol or solar illumination, making them complementary to MODIS real time measurements over regions of clouds and haze. In this study we explored a wavelet based approach for combining vegetation water content observations derived from higher spatial resolution MODIS and lower spatial resolution AMSR-E microwave measurements. Regression analysis between AMSR-E VWC and spatially aggregated MODIS NDII (Normalized Difference Infrared Index) was first used to scale MODIS NDII to MODIS VWC products. Our approach for combining information from the two sensors resorts to multiresolution wavelet decomposition of MODIS VWC into a set of detail images and a single approximation image at AMSR-E resolution. The substitution method of image fusion is then undertaken, in which the approximation image is replaced by AMSR-E VWC image, prior to using inverse wavelet transform to construct a merged VWC product. The merged VWC product thus has information from both MODIS and AMSR-E measurements. The technique is applied over low vegetation regions in Texas grasslands to obtain merged VWC products at intermediate resolutions of ~1.5km. Apart from offering a way to calibrate MODIS VWC content products to AMSR-E observations, the technique has the potential for downscaling AMSR-E VWC to higher spatial resolution over moderately cloudy or hazy regions where MODIS reflective bands become contaminated by the atmosphere. During such situations when contaminated MODIS signals cannot be used to obtain the wavelet detail images, MODIS detail images from a preceding time step is used to downscale the current AMSR-E VWC to higher resolutions. This approach of using detail images from the recent past would be justified if the detail images containing the high frequency components of the image change slowly. Correlation analysis of detail images from consecutive time steps shows that this is approximately true, at-least for the low spatial resolution detail images. Our approach yields accuracy of around 77% on the average over the selected study region and temporal period. This technique thus has the potential for ensuring the data continuity of high spatial resolution VWC products, a requirement essential for fire risk monitoring.
Self-Adaptive Cloud Capacity Planning

The popularity of cloud service spurs the increasing demands of cloud resources to the cloud service providers. Along with the new business opportunities, the pay-as-you-go model drastically changes the usage pattern and brings technology challenges to effective capacity planning. In this paper, we propose a new method for cloud capacity planning with the goal of fully utilizing the physical resources, as we believe this is one of the emerging problems for cloud providers. To solve this problem, we present an integrated system with intelligent cloud capacity prediction. Considering the unique characteristics of the cloud service that virtual machines are provisioned and de-provisioned frequently to meet the business needs, we propose an asymmetric and heterogeneous measure for modeling the over-estimation, and under-estimation of the capacity. To accurately forecast the capacity, we first divide the change of cloud capacity demand into provisioning and de-provisioning components, and then estimate the individual components respectively. The future provisioning demand is predicted by an ensemble time-series prediction method, while the future de-provisioning is inferred based on the life span distribution and the number of active virtual machines. Our proposed solution is simple and computational efficient, which make it practical for development and deployment. Our solution also has the advantages for generating interpretable predictions. The experimental results on the IBM Smart Cloud Enterprise trace data demonstrate the effectiveness, accuracy and efficiency of our solution.
The adaptive multilevel finite element solution of the Poisson-Boltzmann equation on massively parallel computers

By using new methods for the parallel solution of elliptic partial differential equations, the teraflops computing power of massively parallel computers can be leveraged to perform electrostatic calculations on large biological systems. This paper describes the adaptive multilevel finite element solution of the Poisson-Boltzmann equation for a microtubule on the NPACI Blue Horizon--a massively parallel IBM RS/6000® SP with eight POWER3 SMP nodes. The microtubule system is 40 nm in length and 24 nm in diameter, consists of roughly 600000 atoms, and has a net charge of -1800 e. Poisson-Boltzmann calculations are performed for several processor configurations, and the algorithm used shows excellent parallel scaling.