cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 3894: A high phosphate environment induces angiogenesis, which is mediated by FOXC2.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC Inorganic phosphate is a common dietary element that is critical to the human body on many levels however the effects of changes in serum phosphate on cell and tissue behavior are not well understood. Due, in part, to the increased consumption of processed foods, the amount of inorganic phosphate in the American diet continues to rise above levels already considered high by the FDA. There is a growing appreciation that changes in serum phosphate levels influence pathological states associated with aging such as cancer, bone metabolism, and cardiovascular function, even in individuals with normal renal function. The causes are only beginning to be elucidated but are likely a combination of endocrine, paracrine, autocrine, and cell autonomous effects. Recent studies in mice have demonstrated that a diet high in phosphate, relative to a reduced phosphate diet, increases tumorigenesis in the two-stage skin carcinogenesis model as well as the Kras lung cancer model. Using cell cultures models we have determined that high phosphate results in increased proliferation and transformation as measured by XTT, cell counts, soft agar and focus formation assays. Our in vitro studies have also identified specific signaling cascades induced by elevated extracellular phosphate which result in the temporal and dynamic regulation of hundreds of phosphate responsive genes. A subset of the Pi-responsive genes including the Forkhead box protein C2 (FOXC2), osteopontin (spp1), Cyr61, and Vegf among others, has been previously linked to stimulation of angiogenesis leading to the hypothesis that conditioned medium from phosphate treated cells would increase angiogenesis. We confirmed the phosphate-induced expression of these genes in a number of cancer cells including breast, colon, and lung. The increased expression of these genes was determined to be dependent on phosphate transport as well as FGF receptor and ERK1/2 signaling. Using human umbilical cord vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) we determined that, in fact, conditioned medium from these phosphate treated cancer cells increased both migration and tube formation in the HUVEC model. Knockdown of FOXC2 inhibited phosphate induced gene expression in cancer cells as well as eliminating the stimulation of HUVEC migration in response to Pi-treated cancer cell conditioned medium. These results suggest that a cellular environment with elevated phosphate promotes multiple aspects of tumorigenesis including angiogenesis. Citation Format: Yiming Lin, Laura M. Garneys, Kelly E. Bennett, George R. Beck. A high phosphate environment induces angiogenesis, which is mediated by FOXC2. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3894. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-3894
An internal state variable damage model in crystal plasticity

Abstract This paper presents a polycrystalline plasticity theory including damage evolution in FCC materials. The formulation is thermodynamically-based and involves a multiplicative decomposition of the deformation gradient into its elastic, plastic and volumetric components. Plastic deformation at the grain level is assumed to occur by rate-dependent crystallographic slip. As a result of accumulated plastic strain and stress triaxiality, damage evolution leading to volumetric deformation is considered to occur within a single crystal by void nucleation, growth and coalescence. The overall stress–strain response of the polycrystalline material is obtained by Taylor averaging on the stress response of each grain. In the model, damage progression arises naturally from averaging each single crystal’s damage evolution. A parametric study is performed to evaluate the amount of damage and strains at fracture on both single and polycrystals in order to understand crystal orientation effects. For validation purposes, model predictions of uniaxial stress–strain data are compared with experimental results for some aluminum alloys, and the comparison is shown to agree very well.
Effects of concanavalin A on the fertilization of sea urchin eggs.

Abstract Concanavalin A (Con A) affected sperm-egg interactions of Arbacia punctulata and Strongylocentrotus purpuratus by inhibiting insemination at minimally saturating sperm concentrations. However, this inhibition was overcome by increasing the sperm density. Sperm concentrations (10 6 /ml) yielding 100% fertilization of control preparations resulted in only 72% insemination of Con A-treated ova (10 4 /ml). Although a cortical granule reaction occurred in fertilized, Con A-treated eggs, the distance the fertilization membrane separated from the zygote's surface was not as great as observed in controls. These results may be the basis for previous reports of Con A inhibiting fertilization in sea urchins.
Concurrent habits. What would Linus do with his blanket if his thumb-sucking were treated?

• Thumb-sucking and object attachment commonly occur during childhood. Object attachment is usually harmless, but thumb-sucking can lead to complications when chronically practiced by older children. Effective thumb-sucking treatment is available, but to my knowledge, it has not been evaluated on thumb-sucking children who are also attached to objects. This study, using a multiple baseline design, shows treatment eliminated thumb-sucking in eight thumb-sucking children with concurrent attachment and that seven of the children subsequently lost interest in their attachment object. (AJDC. 1990;144:1316-1318)
Raman scattering from phonons in polymorphs of Si and Ge

The vibrational properties of Si III and Ge III have been studied experimentally using Raman spectroscopy, and theoretically using a simple force-constant model. Si III and Ge III are metastable crystalline phases with large unit cells and distorted tetrahedral bonding.
Cloning and characterization of the gene encoding IMP dehydrogenase from Arabidopsis thaliana

Abstract We have cloned and characterized the gene encoding inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) from Arabidopsis thaliana (At) . The transcription unit of the At gene spans approximately 1900 bp and specifies a protein of 503 amino acids with a calculated relative molecular mass ( M r ) of 54 190. The gene is comprised of a minimum of four introns and five exons with all donor and acceptor splice sequences conforming to previously proposed consensus sequences. The deduced IMPDH amino-acid sequence from At shows a remarkable similarity to other eukaryotic IMPDH sequences, with a 48% identity to human Type II enzyme. Allowing for conservative substitutions, the enzyme is 69% similar to human Type II IMPDH. The putative active-site sequence of At IMPDH conforms to the IMP dehydrogenase/guanosine monophosphate reductase motif and contains an essential active-site cysteine residue.
Neuroglobin protects PC12 cells against β-amyloid-induced cell injury

Abstract Excessive accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) has been proposed as a pivotal event in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Possible mechanisms underlying Aβ-induced neuronal cytotoxicity include excess production of reactive oxidative species (ROS) and apoptosis. Neuroglobin (Ngb), a newly discovered globin in vertebrates that exhibits neuroprotective functions, may have a potential role in scavenging ROS. To examine the potential protective role of Ngb in Aβ-induced cytotoxicity, PC12 cells were treated with Aβ (1-42 fragment) for 24 h. Aβ treatments increased ROS production in PC12 cells. Overexpression of Ngb but not Ngb mutant in the PC12 cells significantly attenuated Aβ-induced ROS production and lipids peroxidation. Furthermore, overexpression of Ngb also attenuated Aβ-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis, and promoted cell survival in PC12 cells. Therefore, Ngb may act as an intracellular ROS scavenger, and such antioxidant properties may play a protective role against Aβ-induced cell injury.
Iteration and nonlinear equations of age-dependent population growth with a birth window

Abstract Several iteration schemes are developed for finding the age distribution satisfying a nonlinear McKendrick-Von Foerster equation of population growth. The scheme is based on the concept of matriarchal and temporal generation expansions developed by S.I. Rubinow, and it depends on the assumption that the birth and death rates depend on only a portion of the present population, not the entire population.
Approximation properties of local bases assembled from neural network transfer functions

The adaptive data-driven emulation and control of mechanical systems are popular applications of artificial neural networks in engineering. However, multilayer perceptron training is an ill-posed nonlinear optimization problem. This paper explores a method to constrain network parameters so that conventional computational techniques for function approximation can be used during training. This was accomplished by forming local basis functions which provide accurate approximation and stable evaluation of the network parameters. It is noted that this approach is quite general and does not violate the principles of network architecture. By employing the concept of shift-invariant subspaces, this approach yields a new and more robust error condition for feedforward artificial neural networks and allows one to both characterize and control the accuracy of the local bases formed. The two methods used are: (1) adding bases while altering their shape and keeping their spacing constant, and (2) adding bases while altering their shape and decreasing their spacing in a coupled fashion. Numerical examples demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed approximation of functions and their derivatives.
Ferroelectric oxide thin films for photonic applications

Ferroelectric oxide thin films have been synthesized by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition for potential applications in OEICs. Initial emphasis has been on the BaTiO 3 system because of its excellent electro-optic and non-linear optical properties. Epitaxial thin films have been prepared with excellent ferroelectric properties. Second-order non-linear susceptibilities of the thin films approaching the bulk value have been measured. The doping of the thin films with the rare earth ion Er has been achieved. Strong characteristic 4f shell emission has been observed at 1.5 micron under optical excitation. This suggests that BaTiO 3 thin films may be well-suited as a gain medium for integrated optical amplifiers. Other ferroelectric epitaxial films have been synthesized including SrBaNb 2 O 6 and KNbO 3 and their nonlinear optical properties measured. Prospects and challenges for integration of these ferroelectric thin films in OEICs are discussed.
A New Paradigm for Individuals in the Information Age

Today, individuals provide substantially the same identifying information to each organization with which they have a relationship. In a new paradigm, individuals provide different "pseudonyms" or alternate names to each organization. A critical advantage of systems based on such pseudonyms is that the information associated with each pseudonym can be insufficient to allow data on an individual to be linked and collected together, and thus they can prevent the formation of a dossier society reminiscent of Orwell's "1984".A system is proposed in which an individual's pseudonyms are created and stored in a computer held and trusted only by the individual. New cryptographic techniques allow an organization to securely exchange messages or payments with an individual known under a pseudonym--without the communication or payments systems providers being able to trace messages or payments. Other new techniques allow a digitally signed credential to be transformed by the individual, from the individual's pseudonym with the issuing organization, to the individual's pseudonym with a recipient organization. Credentials can be transformed only between pseudonyms of a single individual, and an individual can obtain at most one pseudonym with a particular organization, but even a conspiracy of all organizations can gain no information from the pseudonyms about their correspondence. The combination of these systems can prevent abuses by individuals, while averting the potential for a dossier society.
Complex wavespeed and hydraulic transients in viscoelastic pipes

The classic formula for waterhammer wavespeed is extended to calculate the complex-valued, frequency-dependent wavespeed in a viscoelastic pipe, which takes into account the effect of viscoelasticity of pipe wall material on wave propagation. With the complex wavespeed, the standard impedance or transfer matrix is directly used to analyze resonating conditions in systems including viscoelastic pipes, and the impulse response method presented previously by the authors is applied to compute nonperiodic transients. Numerical results are compared with experimental data and good agreement is observed.
Kinetic effects on Alfven wave nonlinearity. II - The modified nonlinear wave equation

A previously developed Vlasov theory is used here to study the role of resonant particle and other kinetic effects on Alfven wave nonlinearity. A hybrid fluid-Vlasov equation approach is used to obtain a modified version of the derivative nonlinear Schroedinger equation. The differences between a scalar model for the plasma pressure and a tensor model are discussed. The susceptibilty of the modified nonlinear wave equation to modulational instability is studied. The modulational instability normally associated with the derivative nonlinear Schroedinger equation will, under most circumstances, be restricted to left circularly polarized waves. The nonlocal term in the modified nonlinear wave equation engenders a new modulational instability that is independent of beta and the sense of circular polarization. This new instability may explain the occurrence of wave packet steepening for all values of the plasma beta in the vicinity of the earth's bow shock.
Cyclic Voltammetric Wave-Shapes for Microdisk Electrodes: Coupled Effects of Solution Resistance, Double-Layer Capacitance, and Finite Electrochemical Kinetics

Abstract Cyclic voltammograms at microdisk electrodes that account for the effects of solution resistivity, ϱω, double-layer capacitance, Cdl, and electrochemical kinetics have been simulated by using the explicit Hopscotch algorithm and a conformally mapped space-grid. The latter procedure, in particular, provides an efficient means of simulating voltammograms at slower potential scan rates where radial, rather than linear, diffusion predominates. Simulated voltammetric waveshapes as a function of scan rate are reported for systematic variations in ϱΩ, Cdl, and the standard electrochemical rate constant ks, both separately and together. The waveshape description utilizes both the anodic-cathodic potential peak separation, ΔEp, and the halfwave potential for the forward scan in relation to the formal potential, (E 1 2 - Ef). The latter waveshape parameter is suitable for analyzing voltammograms where the influence of radial diffusion is sufficient to yield largely sigmoidal, rather than peaked, waveshapes. While the use of high scan rates enhances the effect of electrode kinetics upon the voltammetry, the deleterious coupled influence of ϱω andCdl is also maximized under these conditions, especially for larger Cdl values. At slower scan rates, however resistive/capacitance distortions are often attenuated greatly, while substantial kinetic information remains due to the enhanced mass transport associated with radial diffusion. The examination of voltammetric waveshapes over a wide range of scan rates, together with proper consideration of resistance/capacitance effects, therefore constitutes a desirable tactic for evaluating rapid electrode kinetics using microdisk electrodes. Representative simulation results are provided as a guide to such procedures, and as a means of assessing the degree of error involved if resistance/capacitance effects are neglected.
Intervalence Transfer at the Localized-to-Delocalized, Mixed-Valence Transition in Osmium Polypyridyl Complexes

The mixed-valence complexes [(bpy)2(Cl)OsIII(BL)OsII(Cl)(bpy)2]3+ and [(tpy)(bpy)OsIII(BL)OsII(bpy)(tpy)]5+ (bpy is bipyridine; tpy is 2,2‘:6‘,2‘ ‘-terpyridine; BL is a bridging ligand, either 4,4‘-bipyridine (4,4‘-bpy) or pyrazine (pz)) have been prepared and studied by infrared and near-infrared measurements in different solvents. For BL = 4,4‘-bpy, there is clear evidence for localized OsII and OsIII oxidation states in the appearance of the expected two interconfigurational dπ → dπ bands at OsIII and additional, broad absorption features in the near-infrared arising from intervalence transfer (IT) transitions. For [(bpy)2(Cl)Os(pz)Os(Cl)(bpy)2]3+ and [(tpy)(bpy)Os(pz)Os(bpy)(tpy)]5+, unusually intense ν(pz) bands appear in the infrared at 1599 cm-1 (e = 2600 M-1 cm-1) for the former and at 1594 cm-1 (e = 2020 M-1 cm-1) for the latter. They provide an oxidation state marker and evidence for localized oxidation states. A series of bands appear in the near-infrared from 2500 to 8500 cm-1 that can be assi...
Browser workload characterization for an Ajax-based commercial online service

The transition to cloud computing and SaaS is a disruptive trend where users can conveniently access the services through browsers at any clients. In addition, with the prevalence of Web 2.0 and AJAX techniques, a browser-based client can have complex application logic and fancy user interface that are comparable to traditional desktop applications. This paper reports the study of workload construction and characterization for browser-based clients, using the Ajax-based web client of Zimbra (a commercial online messaging and collaboration suite). By comparing the various workload behaviors across different Zimbra server datasets, different browsers and different client platforms, it presents the characteristics of a real-life web application, which has significant differences from existing browser benchmarks in the literature. In addition, the platform-independent and browser-independent design of our workload makes it portable across various clients. Finally, this paper also provides valuable insights to the browser internals by analyzing the workload execution, the browser memory footprint and the breakdown of browser sub-modules.
Nonclinical pharmacologic and toxicologic considerations for evaluating biologic products.

Abstract Prior to a Phase 1 clinical study, products are studied preclinically to establish evidence of pharmacologic activity, gain an understanding of the mechanism of action, evaluate the potential human risk, and establish a clinical study dose range. Although it is possible to follow this generic itinerary for the development of biologic products, it is difficult to develop generic protocols that will suffice for addressing these preclinical concerns for every biological product. Peptide hormones, cytokines, growth factors, vaccines, allergenics, plasma proteins, enzymes, toxins, monoclonal antibodies, and other heterologous antisera are unique in their physiological interactions, and therefore the toxicologic concerns and suggested studies are tailored to the uniqueness of the compound. This paper represents an attempt to share the thought processes that have been used at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to address the nonclinical pharmacology and toxicology study concerns. This presentation of considerations is based on an analysis of what has been done in recent years as a basis for initiating Phase 1 studies (first administration of drugs to humans) and progressing to Phase 2 3 studies (evaluation of optimal dose, effectiveness, and safety in humans), while I was Assistant Director (Pharmacology/Toxicology) of the Office of Biologics and since, as Assistant Director (Pharmacology/Toxicology) of the Office of Drug Evaluation II and a consultant to the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
Residue content of beef feedlot manure after feeding diethylstilbestrol, chlortetracycline and ronnel and the use of stirofos to reduce population of fly larvae in feedlot manure

Two beef cattle feedlot experiments were conducted to determine the amount of certain agricultural chemicals that are likely to be found in both fresh and stored feedlot manure and to investigate fly control in this manure. In experiment 1, diethylstilbestrol (DES), chlortetracycline (CTC), and ronnel were used as feed additives. Fresh manure, stored manure, runoff water, manure weathered on pasture, and soil from pasture fertilized with manure were analyzed for these additives. Stirofos was added to fresh manure as a larvicide for fly control. In experiment 2, the residue aspects of DES and CTC were repeated. In this experiment, stirofos instead of ronnel was fed with DES and CTC. Sixty-eight percent of the DES fed to cattle appeared in fresh manure and 52% in manure stored for 12 weeks. Comparable percentage values were 17 and 11% for CTC and 13 and 3% for ronnel; somewhat less DES and CTC were found when a concentrate diet was fed. Detectable amounts of DES, CTC, and ronnel were not found in runoff water, weathered manure, or soil. Adding an emulsifiable concentrate formulation of stirofos directly to manure at a rate of approximately 45 ppm of wet manure completely controlled the larvae of house fly (Musca domestica L.) whereas feeding stirofos at a rate of 1.5 mg per kg of body weight daily reduced larval counts 82% in manure from forage-fed heifers and 63% in manure from concentrate-fed heifers. Stirofos was not detected in runoff water, weathered waste, or soil
Application of Combustion Synthesis to the Production of Actinide Bearing Nitride Ceramic Nuclear Fuels

Self-propagating high temperature (combustion) synthesis (SHS) is being used to develop several synthesis and processing routes for the next generation of ceramic nuclear fuels. These fuels are based on an actinide nitride within an inert matrix. The application of SHS is particularly important in the synthesis of americium (Am) based ceramics; since the rapid heating and cooling cycles used in this process will help to minimize vaporization loss of Am, which is a major problem in synthesizing Am-based ceramics. Manganese, praseodymium, and dysprosium are being used as physical and chemical surrogates for various actinides. Actinide nitride powders produced using auto-ignition combustion synthesis (AICS) are subsequently reacted with zirconium powder using SHS to produce a final fuel pellet. This paper will discuss the research to date on the synthesis of Am-N powders as well as the production of dense Zr-Am-N pellets as a model ceramic fuel system.
The pathological manifestations of pulmonary toxoplasmosis in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

Abstract Pulmonary toxoplasmosis, once considered a rare complication of human immunodeficiency virus infection, recently has been reported with increasing frequency in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). However, published descriptions of the pathologic changes have been scanty, involve mainly single cases, and appear to conflict. Four cases of pulmonary toxoplasmosis observed at autopsy in patients with AIDS were reviewed. Two of the patients presented with Toxoplasma pneumonia and in one the diagnosis was made antemortem by open lung biopsy. Two patterns of pulmonary lesions associated with Toxoplasma gondii pneumonia were identified and appeared to be related to the stage and intensity of the infection. A pattern of interstitial pneumonitis/diffuse alveolar damage with a fibrinous alveolar exudate appeared to antecede a necrotizing pneumonia characterized by large areas of parenchymal necrosis. In the former pattern T gondii tachyzoites were found in small numbers and were mainly intracellular, whereas in necrotic areas tachyzoites were numerous and were extracellular as well as intracellular. Histopathologic diagnosis of the infection required careful search for the organisms even when they were plentiful. Immunohistochemistry identified far more organisms than could be appreciated with routine stains and confirmed the diagnosis.
Acceleration and loss of relativistic electrons during small geomagnetic storms.

Past studies of radiation belt relativistic electrons have favored active storm time periods, while the effects of small geomagnetic storms (Dst > -50 nT) have not been statistically characterized. In this timely study, given the current weak solar cycle, we identify 342 small storms from 1989 through 2000 and quantify the corresponding change in relativistic electron flux at geosynchronous orbit. Surprisingly, small storms can be equally as effective as large storms at enhancing and depleting fluxes. Slight differences exist, as small storms are 10% less likely to result in flux enhancement and 10% more likely to result in flux depletion than large storms. Nevertheless, it is clear that neither acceleration nor loss mechanisms scale with storm drivers as would be expected. Small geomagnetic storms play a significant role in radiation belt relativistic electron dynamics and provide opportunities to gain new insights into the complex balance of acceleration and loss processes.
Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy Study of the Kinetics of Oxidation of (Mg, Fe)2SiO4

Single crystals of oilivine, (Mg0.9Fe0.1)2SiO4, have been oxidized in air at temperatures between 700° and 1100°C for times from 0.5 to 100 h. Both an internal and an external oxidation layer developed. Transmission and analytical electron microscopy observations reveal that the internal oxidation layer is composed of precipitates of magnetite plus amorphous silica, which nucleated heterogeneously on dislocations and grew in an Fedepleted matrix of olivine. Rutherford backscattering spec-trometry (RBS) demonstrates that the thin external oxidation layer is free of Si; that is, it is made up of Mg-Fe oxide phases. Thus, the oxidation process is primarily controlled by diffusion of Fe2+ and Mg2+ ions toward the surface with Si4+ and O2- remaining largely immobile. The kinetics of oxidation, as determined from RBS analyses of the external oxidation layer, are parabolic with an activation energy of 140 kJ/mol. Although this activation energy is lower than that reported for self-diffusion of Mg in Mg2SiO4, the diffusivity calculated from the reaction rate constant is in good agreement with published values for lattice diffusion of Mg in the limited temperature range in which data overlap. However, the rate of accumulation of Fe in the external layer is more rapid than expected for lattice diffusion, indicating that the transport of Fe is dominated by short-circuit diffusion along the precipitate complexes which decorate dislocations.
A SIMNET simulation model for estimating system reliability

Abstract A general SIMNET simulation model is developed for estimating system reliability. The input data to the model is comprised of the minimal cut sets of the block diagram representing the system. The time-to-failure of the (parallel-series) components may be descriebd by different distributions. The model can be readily extended to include repair and maintenance of the components.
PSYCHOSIS IN LATE LIFE: SPOTTING NEW-ONSET DISORDERS IN YOUR ELDERLY PATIENTS

Psychotic disorders usually develop by middle age, but initial onset can be later in life. Delusions, hallucinations, and other psychotic symptoms may accompany medical conditions, mood disorders, and Alzheimer's disease, thereby confusing the diagnosis. In this review, Dr Harris describes some of the more common psychotic disorders in elderly patients and briefly discusses the newest options in drug therapy.
On decision tree verification and consolidation

Abstract Decision trees are widely used to specify the conditional logic of software systems. Desirable properties of decision trees, such as syntactic consistency, semantic consistency, completeness, and non-redundancy, are discussed. Tree traversal algorithms and associated data structures for obtaining these properties are described and their practical usefulness is briefly justified. The algorithms can be easily incorporated into existing CASE tools.
Disaster preparedness of home health care agencies in San Diego county

Abstract A questionnaire was sent to 53 home health care agencies in San Diego to assess their state of disaster readiness. Thirty agencies returned completed questionnaires. Of these, 90% have written disaster plans, but only 33% conduct regular drills to practice' their written plans. A 24-h telephone number is available to patients at 96% of the agencies. One-fourth of the agencies serving ventilator-dependent patients do not make utility companies swam of their special needs. Of 11 hospital-sponsored agencies, 18% include backup agreements with other agencies, while 79% of non-hospital-sponsored agencies have planned such backup. The majority (92%) of “private-for-profit” agencies have backup arrangements, but only 38% of the public or nonprofit agencies have such arrangements. Additionally, 31% of the home health care agencies do not feel they would be able to meet the needs of their clients in the event of a disaster. Specific recommendations for such agencies in developing disaster plans, and exercising them, are made.
Magnetic domain patterns as self-organizing critical systems.

In practice, large specimens of ferromagnetic materials settle into one of a large number of metastable states, not necessarily into the energetically lowest state. We suggest that they tend to select marginally stable states, in a manner similar to the process recently proposed by Bak, Tang, and Wiesenfeld. We apply this idea to the formation of the so-called zig-zag walls that separate oppositely magnetized domains in a magnetic recording tape.
Are wetlands the reservoir for avian cholera

Wetlands have long been suspected to be an important reservoir for Pasteurella multocida and therefore the likely source of avian cholera outbreaks. During the fall of 1995-98 we collected sediment and water samples from 44 wetlands where avian cholera epizootics occurred the previous winter or spring. We attempted to isolate P. multocida in sediment and surface water samples from 10 locations distributed throughout each wetland. We were not able to isolate P. multocida from any of the 440 water and 440 sediment samples collected from these wetlands. In contrast, during other investigations of avian cholera we isolated P. multocida from 20 of 44 wetlands, including 7% of the water and 4.5% of the sediment samples collected during or shortly following epizootic events. Our results indicate that wetlands are an unlikely reservoir for the bacteria that causes avian cholera.
Automated Grammatical Tagging of Child Language Samples

Recent studies of the automated grammatical categorization ("tagging") of words using probabilistic methods have reported substantial levels of accuracy—over 95% agreement with manual tagging for w...
Advances in the understanding of acute respiratory distress syndrome: summarizing a decade of progress.

Introduction Over the past decade, unprecedented progress has occurred in the understanding and management of the clinical problem set that we label as acute lung injury (ALI) and its more severe variant, the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The scale of improved understanding extends from the microcellular level to the epidemiologic sciences that underpin the study of our field. So extensive has the body of recent data become that adequate treatment would require a thick monograph to detail. Consequently, in this brief and selective overview, I can only attempt to present the core concepts of these advances, interpreted within the limited context of my own perspective.
A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Variation in Charges and Prices across California for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Author(s): Hsia, Renee Y; Akosa Antwi, Yaa; Weber, Ellerie; Brownell Nath, Julia | Abstract: BackgroundThough past studies have shown wide variation in aggregate hospital price indices and specific procedures, few have documented or explained such variation for distinct and common episodes of care.ObjectivesWe sought to examine the variability in charges for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with a drug-eluting stent and without major complications (MS-DRG-247), and determine whether hospital and market characteristics influenced these charges.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional analysis of adults admitted to California hospitals in 2011 for MS-DRG-247 using patient discharge data from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. We used a two-part linear regression model to first estimate hospital-specific charges adjusted for patient characteristics, and then examine whether the between-hospital variation in those estimated charges was explained by hospital and market characteristics.ResultsAdjusted charges for the average California patient admitted for uncomplicated PCI ranged from $22,047 to $165,386 (median: $88,350) depending on which hospital the patient visited. Hospitals in areas with the highest cost of living, those in rural areas, and those with more Medicare patients had higher charges, while government-owned hospitals charged less. Overall, our model explained 43% of the variation in adjusted charges. Estimated discounted prices paid by private insurers ranged from $3,421 to $80,903 (median: $28,571).ConclusionsCharges and estimated discounted prices vary widely between hospitals for the average California patient undergoing PCI without major complications, a common and relatively homogeneous episode of care. Though observable hospital characteristics account for some of this variation, the majority remains unexplained.
Kinetic Modeling of N-[11C]Methylpiperidin-4-yl Propionate: Alternatives for Analysis of an Irreversible Positron Emission Tomography Tracer for Measurement of Acetylcholinesterase Activity in Human Brain:

N-[11C]Methylpiperidin-4-yl propionate ([11C]PMP) is a substrate for hydrolysis by acetylcholinesterase (AChE). This work evaluates kinetic analysis alternatives for estimation of relative AChE activity using dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) studies of [11C]PMP. The PET studies were performed on three groups of subjects: (1) 12 normal volunteer subjects, aged 20 to 45 years, who received a single intravenous injection of 16 to 32 mCi of [11C]PMP; (2) six subjects, aged 21 to 44 years, who received two 16-mCi injections of [11C]PMP (baseline and visual stimulation, respectively); and (3) five subjects, aged 24 to 40 years, who received two 16-mCi injections separated by 200 minutes (baseline and after a 1-hour constant infusion of 1.5 mg of physostigmine, respectively). Dynamic acquisition consisted of a 17-frame sequence over 80 minutes. All analysis methods were based on a first-order kinetic model consisting of two tissue compartments with the parameter k3, representing PMP hydrolysis, being the index of AChE activity. Four different schemes were used to estimate k3: (1) an unconstrained non-linear least-squares fit estimating blood-brain barrier transport parameters, K1 and k2, in addition to the hydrolysis rate constant k3; (2) and (3), two methods of constraining the fit by fixing the volume of distribution of free tracer (DVfree); and (4), a direct estimation of k3 without use of an arterial input function based on the shape of the tissue time-activity curve alone. Results showed that k3 values from the unconstrained fitting and no input methods were estimated with similar accuracy, whereas the two methods using DVfree constraints yielded similar results. The authors conclude that the optimal analysis method for [11C]PMP differs as a function of AChE activity. All four methods gave precise measures of k3 in regions with low AChE activity (approximately 10% coefficient of variation in cortex), but surprisingly, with unconstrained methods yielding estimates with lower variability than constrained methods. In regions with moderate to high AChE activity, constrained methods were required to yield meaningful estimates and were superior to the unconstrained methods.
Hybrid metal–polymer composites from functional block copolymers

The combination of metals and polymers in hybrid materials is a research area of great current interest. A number of methods for controlling the positioning of metallic species within polymer matrices on the nanometer scale have been developed. This highlight focuses on the use of functional block copolymers for the localization of metal species, especially nanoparticles, on the nanometer scale through block copolymer phase segregation. Research from the author's group on the use of alkyne-functional block copolymers for the preparation of cobalt-containing materials is discussed in this context.
Extensive bladder and urethral calculi detected with computerized tomography: diagnosis and management.

E. P., a 48-year-old man, presented with a 2-year history of perineal pain and mild obstructive voiding symptoms. Physical examination and routine serum laboratory values were unremarkable. Urinalysis demonstrated microhematuria. Ultrasonography showed no evidence of hydronephrosis but identified several large bladder stones and a bladder diverticulum. Computerized tomography (CT) confirmed the presence of several bladder stones and a posterior diverticulum, along with large urethral calculi occupying the entire lumen extending from the bladder neck to the glans (see figure). Combined endoscopic electrohydraulic lithotripsy of the urethral stones and open cystolithotomy with bladder diverticulectomy were performed with the patient in the lithotomy position. He tolerated the procedure well without complications, and is currently stone-free and voiding without difficulty.
Ab Initio Calculations of the Geometries and Bonding Energies of Alkane and Fluoroalkane Complexes with Tungsten Pentacarbonyl

Ab initio calculations of the bonding energies of alkanes and fluoromethanes to W(CO)5 have been performed in several basis sets and at a variety of different levels of electron correlation. The Moller−Plesset second-order perturbation (MP2) optimized geometries of the complexes show that a variety of coordination modes are available to alkanes and that the fluoromethanes are coordinated through fluorine. The lowest energy geometry has an η2 agostic bond but two transition states, a second η2 structure and an η3 structure, are close in energy. Although the barriers for exchange of H's at one C are low, the barrier for the exchange of C sites is significantly higher. The MP2 bonding energies have been recalculated with diffuse functions on the metal and with polarization functions on the ligands. Basis set superposition errors (BSSE) have been calculated with every basis set. Even before the BSSE corrections, the MP2 bonding energies are in agreement with the experimental trend within each class of complex...
A rare decay of the D

The D/sup asterisk0/ is perhaps the narrowest known strongly decaying system. The decay mode D/sup asterisk0/..-->..D/sup +/..pi../sup -/ is kinematically ''forbidden.'' However, the small width leads to a line shape extending to many times the full width and hence, the above decay takes place with a small branching fraction and may be measurable in detectors like MARK III or CLEO II. We present estimates for the branching fraction and discuss the implications of measuring it.
The mass spectrum in the SU(3) × U(1) compactifications of d = 11 supergravity☆

Abstract We derive the spectrum of the fermionic oscillations around the (anti-de Sitter) × Npqr solutions of d = 11 supergravity, where Npqr are the compact homogeneous spaces SU(3) × U(1)/U(1) × U(1). Since all the Npqr backgrounds are supersymmetric, their bosonic spectrum is obtained by using the Bose-Fermi mass relations recently derived by d'Auria and Fre. We find all the massless modes predicted by the N = 1 (N = 3) supersymmetry of the Npqr (N010) solutions, i.e. the gravitational and the Killing vector multiplets. On the N010 backgrounds, the existence of a harmonic 2-form gives rise to an additional massless vector multiplet. Also, extra scalar zero-modes are found on all the N010 spaces, in the 8, 10, 10 representations of SU(3).
Cavitating pulmonary infiltrate in an adolescent with pyoderma gangrenosum: A rarely recognized extracutaneous manifestation of a neutrophilic dermatosis

Neutrophilic dermatoses such as pyoderma gangrenosum are characterized by sterile, neutrophilic cutaneous infiltrates. Extracutaneous neutrophilic infiltrates can occur, primarily in the joints, lungs, heart, central nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, and eyes. Pulmonary disease is the most frequently reported extracutaneous manifestation of pyoderma gangrenosum and is characterized by patchy infiltrates or interstitial pneumonitis. We describe an adolescent with typical pyoderma gangrenosum who presented with cavitary pneumonia and responded completely to oral corticosteroids. In patients with inflammatory ulcers, extracutaneous neutrophilic disease should be considered, once an infectious process has been excluded.
A conditioning interval based on superconditionals and superpower sets

A natural measure of probabilistic equality between sets leads to two measures of probabilistic conditioning that form the endpoints of a conditioning interval (P, Q). The interval's lower bound is the standard conditional probability or what we call the "subconditional" P that describes the probability of a subset relation. The upper bound is a new "superconditional" Q that describes the probability of the corresponding superset relation. These dual conditioning operators correspond to dual set collections and enjoy optimality relations with respect to these set collections. The subconditional operator corresponds to the usual "power set" of a given set. The dual superconditional operator corresponds to what we call the "superpower set" or the set of all supersets of the given set. The two dual conditioning operators obey dual Bayes theorems but differ in how they respond to statistical independence.
Large deformation diffeomorphic metric mapping of fiber orientations

This paper proposes a method to match diffusion tensor magnetic resonance images (DT-MRI) through the large deformation diffeomorphic metric mapping of vector fields, focusing on the fiber orientations, considered as unit vector fields on the image volume. We study a suitable action of diffeomorphisms on such vector fields, and provide an extension of the large deformation diffeomorphic metric-mapping framework to this type of dataset, resulting in optimizing for geodesies on the space of diffeomorphisms connecting two images. Two different distance function of vector fields are considered. Existence of the minimizers under smoothness assumptions on the compared vector fields is proved, and coarse to fine hierarchical strategies are detailed, to reduce both ambiguities and computation load. This is illustrated by numerical experiments on DT-MRI heart and brain images
Brief Report: Preliminary Findings from a Pilot Health Care Transition Education Intervention for Adolescents and Young Adults with Special Health Care Needs

All correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Janet Hess, MPH, CHES, Universityof South Florida, Department of Pediatrics, 2 Tampa General Circle, 5th Floor, Tampa, FL, 33606, USA.E-mail: jhess@health.usf.eduReceived January 12, 2009; revisions received September 8, 2010; accepted September 9, 2010Objective To assess acceptability and feasibility of a school-based health care transition educationintervention designed to equip adolescents and young adults (A/YA) who have special health care needs withimportant health literacy, self-advocacy, and self-determination skills. Methods A qualitative researchapproach was used to assess a 40-hr curriculum implemented with 137 A/YA in 13 high school specialeducation classes. Three focus groups were conducted with 15 students and 7 educators. Participants werequestioned about perceived relevance, readability, interest, ease of implementation and completeness of thecurriculum. Results All focus group participants said the curriculum was highly relevant and valuable.Teachers reported little difficulty with ease of implementation, though the reading level appeared high forsome students. Conclusions This intervention model shows promise for empowering A/YA with specialhealth care needs to become more independent in managing their health care, and warrants furtherdevelopment and evaluation. The curriculum is available at http://health.usf.edu/medicine/pediatrics/ad_med/resources.htm.Key words adolescents; chronic illness; developmental disabilities; educational interventions; health beha-viour; health education.
Reviewing for Newbies: A Brief Guide for the Rookie Peer Reviewer

Reviewing manuscripts is a desirable component of academic career development. Scientists should be encouraged to get involved at the earliest opportunity. For those early in their scientific careers, however, reviewing can be a challenging prospect. There is a lack of clear guidance in approaching the reviewing process practically, and young scientists may find it difficult to deliver a concise, balanced review within an acceptable time frame. This article, which is based on a recent report in Nature (1) , provides a summary for the novice referee in navigating the reviewing process. Reviewing presents an opportunity to begin building a scientific publishing career. A large number of journals have a dearth of reviewers available. Young contributors are particularly sought after, because this group tends to be well versed in the current literature. A common pathway for researchers to become reviewers is …
Alcoholics Anonymous and Other Twelve-Step Programs in Recovery

Recovery is a new way of life for many patients; a life without substances to alter their moods but with a major change improving the physical, psychological, and emotional stability with improved overall health outcomes. The Twelve Steps of the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) are the foundation of the AA, describing both the necessary actions and the spiritual basis for the recovery program of the AA. The Twelve Steps of the AA provide a structure for which a patient with alcoholism may turn for an answer to their problem of alcohol use, abuse, or dependence.
The Impact of Brand Experience on Downtown Success

Many cities have begun to use experiential marketing in order to create cohesive place branding messages that appeal to different potential visitors, both tourists and locals. By identifying the brand experiences that influence place dependence and positive outcomes such as word-of-mouth and revisit intention, the success of a city downtown can be measured. This study surveyed visitors (locals and tourists) in three city downtowns (Asheville, North Carolina, Nashville, Tennessee, and Chattanooga, Tennessee). After testing the structural equation model for each visitor group, potential strategies for improving downtown success are discussed.