cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Long-term follow up and prognostic factors for cryotherapy of malignant liver tumors.

Background The aims of this study were to determine the long-term outcomes of cryotherapy in patients with hepatic malignancies and to describe prognostic factors that may affect survival. Methods Ninety-eight patients (56 colorectal metastases, 28 noncolorectal metastases, 14 hepatocellular carcinomas) undergoing hepatic cryosurgery were identified in a retrospective review from January 1994 to December 2002. Results Overall survival rates at 1-, 2-, 3-, and 5- years were 81%, 62%, 48%, and 28%, respectively(median survival, 33 months) compared to a hepatic recurrence–free survival of 76%, 42%, 24%, and 16%, respectively (median hepatic recurrence–free survival, 20 months). Median follow-up was 54 months. Three hundred lesions were cryoablated; the recurrence per cryolesion was 5%. Major complications were the lone factor that significantly reduced overall (P = .0005) and hepatic recurrence–free survival (P = .0005). The number of lesions (TNL) and total estimated area (TEA) cryoablated did not significantly affect overall or hepatic recurrence–free survival. Additionally, outcomes depending on tumor type were not significantly different. Conclusions Cryotherapy is an important option for a wide range of unresectable malignant hepatic tumors and provides the potential for long-term survival. Patients with major complications at the time of cryotherapy suffer a decreased overall and hepatic recurrence–free survival.
IAAT, catecholamines, and parity in African-American and European-American women.

Objective: We have recently reported that parous European-American (EA) women have disproportionately more intra-abdominal adipose tissue (IAAT) than their nulliparous counterparts. Mediating mechanisms for IAAT accumulation remain unknown; however, some evidence suggests a possible catecholamine link. The objective of this study was to determine whether the IAAT-parity relationship found in EA women exists in African-American (AA) women and to determine whether catecholamines play a mediating role. Methods and Procedures: Subjects included 44 EA and 47 AA premenopausal women. Free-living physical activity by doubly labeled water (activity-related time equivalent (ARTE)), body composition (air plethysmography, computed tomography), and 24-h fractionated urinary catecholamines were measured. Results: Repeated measures ANOVA revealed parous EA and AA women had significantly higher IAAT than their nulliparous counterparts (100.1 ± 28.5 and 76.2 ± 34.8 cm2 vs. 75.9 ± 29.1 and 59.6 ± 15.0 cm2). In AA women and nulliparous women, 24-h urinary dopamine was significantly higher (AA parous 260.8 ± 88; EA parous 197.2 ± 78.8; AA nulliparous 376.5 ± 81; EA nulliparous 289.6 ± 62). Multiple regression analysis for modeling IAAT indicated that race, parity, dopamine, ARTE, and VO2max were all significant and independent contributors to the model (Unstandardized βs: race −32.6 ± 7.4; parity (number of births) 10.0 ± 3.4; 24-h urinary dopamine 0.08 ± 0.04; ARTE (min/day) −0.09 ± 0.04; VO2max (ml/kg/min) −2.8 ± 1.0). Discussion: Independent of the potential confounders: age, race, percent body fat, IAAT, 24-h fractionated urinary catecholamines, physical activity, and VO2max, parous EA and AA women had more IAAT than their nulliparous counterparts. Of the catecholamines, dopamine was found to be significantly lower in parous women and higher in AA's. Dopamine, however, did not explain racial or parity differences in IAAT.
Effect of Urea on Biomimetic Systems: Neither Water 3-D Structure Rupture nor Direct Mechanism, Simply a More “Polar Water”

Analysis of a variety of properties of supramolecular aggregates in aqueous urea supports an explanation for the urea effect that differs from traditional explanations based on the direct mechanism of urea−water solvation or the indirect mechanism via rupture of the three-dimensional (3-D) structure of water. The urea-induced effects investigated are increases in amphiphile critical micelle concentrations, ionization degrees (α), and aggregation numbers; decreases in percolation thresholds of reversed micelles; expansion of minimum areas of monolayers; increases in the radii of gyration of polyelectrolytes; changes in morphologies of sodium bis-2-ethylhexylsulfosuccinate thin films on glass substrates; and direct evidence for urea-induced reduction in ion pairing. All of these effects are attributed to an urea-induced enhancement of the hydrophilic properties of water that results in more strongly solvated polar groups and ions and a reduction in ion pair formation. The implications of this analysis for u...
Toward a social ecology of the minister's family

The family life of the clergy has received scant attention in the published literature. Existing studies which may be relevant generally do not address the family directly from within an organized conceptual framework. This article proposes to set forth the broad outlines of an ecological systems model, in which the minister's family is to be understood as a social system embedded within a more complex web of interlocking socioemotional systems. The discussion will be organized according to Urie Bronfenbrenner's four levels of the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem. In addition, the phenomenon of boundary ambiguity between the clergy family and the congregational family will be cited as an example of the utility of an ecosystem approach.
Scaling of biological community structure: A systems approach to community complexity

Local community dynamics are determined by the interaction of environmental variation and the biotic properties of communities. This interaction occurs on many spatial and temporal scales, hence the expectation is that community dynamics will be complex. Previous theoretical approaches to communities have assumed linear, near equilibrium dynamics. An alternative approach suggests that community dynamics are the result of the balance between energy use by the community and its tendency to move towards thermodynamic equilibrium, in this case extinction of all species in the community. Because this balance will be imprecise, community dynamics should be oscillatory. Furthermore, because energy use by a community can be broken down into a hierarchical set of processes occurring on different time scales, community dynamics should reflect multiple periodicities. The above theoretical treatment suggests that since community dynamics are scaled, a hierarchical observational approach should help resolve important aspects of community structure. This approach of scaling community observations provides a technique for evaluation of community responses to environmental change, including human induced perturbations. A thermodynamic approach to community dynamics can also provide the basis for new theoretical and empirical discoveries about biological communities.
Rhythmic contractile activity of the in vivo rabbit aorta.

The cellular element of the aorta is largely smooth muscle; yet this organ has long been regarded as a passive elastic tube1–4, without regard for the possible function of its smooth muscle cells. The isolated rabbit aorta became popular as a convenient smooth muscle preparation5, and much has been learned about its cellular physiology, but unfortunately the functional role of this tissue was lost on its excision. Like many mammalian arterial preparations, the isolated aorta either fails to show spontaneous electrical or mechanical activity, or shows activity of a much slower frequency than the rhythmic activity of the heart6,7, thus obscuring any possible relationship with the pulsatile activity of the heart. However, contractions are elicited from the isolated aorta on stimulation with various neural and hormonal agents5–10. In effect, the aortic smooth muscle has been classified as multiunit, which suggests that physiological activation may be neurogenic11. Thus, removal of the muscle from the body may result in disruption of the neural connections which function in normal activation of contraction. We show here that when recordings of aortic tension are made in vivo, rhythmic contractions are observed. Evidence is presented which indicates that the contractions are neurogenic in origin and exhibit a precise phasing pattern with the pulse wave.
Intra- and Intermolecular Hydrogen Bonding in 2-Phosphinylphenol: A Quantum Chemical Study

A computational study of 2-phosphinylphenol has been carried out to investigate intramolecular hydrogen bond formation and its consequences in the rest of the molecule. This is an extension of both our synthetic work on organophosphorus derivatives of diphenyl ether and our experimental and computational structure analyses of salicylaldehyde, 2-nitrophenol, and related molecules. Full optimization of the 2-phosphinylphenol geometries was carried out both at the HF/6-31+G** level and, to include electron correlation, at the MP2/6-31G* level. The stabilization energy of the intramolecular hydrogen bonding in 2-phosphinylphenol (28.4 kJ/mol by isodesmic calculation) is smaller than that of the intermolecular hydrogen bonding in the dimer of 2-phosphinylphenol, also computed in this work to be 59.1 kJ/mol per hydrogen bond from the counterpoise interaction energy or 57.4 kJ/mol by BSSE-corrected isodesmic calculation. The closure of the six-membered ring with the intramolecular hydrogen bond apparently introd...
An 1O2 Route to γ-Hydroxyalkenal Phospholipids by Vitamin E Induced Fragmentation of Hydroperoxydiene-derived Endoperoxides

Biologically active phospholipids that incorporate an oxidatively truncated acyl chain terminated by a γ-hydroxyalkenal are generated in vivo. The γ-hydroxyalkenal moiety protrudes from lipid bilayers like whiskers that serve as ligands for the scavenger receptor CD36, fostering endocytosis, e.g., of oxidatively damaged photoreceptor cell outer segments by retinal pigmented endothelial cells. They also covalently modify proteins generating carboxyalkyl pyrroles incorporating the e-amino group of protein lysyl residues. We postulated that γ-hydroxyalkenals could be generated, e.g., in the eye, through fragmentation of hydroperoxy endoperoxides produced in the retina through reactions of singlet molecular oxygen with polyunsaturated phospholipids. Since phospholipid esters are far more abundant in the retina than free fatty acids, we examined the influence of a membrane environment on the fate of hydroperoxy endoperoxides. We now report that linoleate hydroperoxy endoperoxides in thin films and their phospholipid esters in bio-mimetic membranes fragment to γ-hydroxyalkenals, and fragmentation is stoichiometrically induced by vitamin E. The product distribution from fragmentation of the free acid in the homogeneous environment of a thin film is remarkably different than that from the corresponding phospholipid in a membrane. In the membrane, further oxidation of the initially formed γ-hydroxyalkenal to a butenolide is disfavored. A conformational preference for the γ-hydroxyalkenal, to protrude from the membrane into the aqueous phase, may protect it from oxidation induced by lipid hydroperoxides that remain buried in the lipophilic membrane core.
Review of Percutaneous Tracheostomy

The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and efficacy of the four known methods of percutaneous tracheostomy. Perioperative, postoperative, and late complication rates were generated for each method after a complete literature review identified 1684 percutaneous tracheostomy patients reported in 40 series. Two methods, the Toye and the guide wire dilator forceps (GWDF) methods, have been the subject of few investigations. Two other methods have been extensively studied. A high perioperative complication rate was calculated for the Rapitrac method, whereas percutaneous dilational tracheostomy (PDT) has complication rates similar to those reported for standard operative tracheostomy. A retrospective review of 22 patients who underwent PDT at a local community hospital confirmed a "learning curve" for this technique that had been previously suggested. Review of the literature suggests that PDT can be safe and cost-effective for selected patients, but a learning curve for this technique exists that dictates caution, experience, and preparation on the part of any surgeon who wishes to add percutaneous tracheostomy to his or her repertoire.
CMOS LC voltage controlled oscillator design using multiwalled and single-walled carbon nanotube wire inductors

We have utilized our Multiwalled Carbon NanoTube (MWCNT) and Single-Walled Carbon NanoTube (SWCNT) bundle interconnects model in a widely used π model to study the performances of MWCNT and SWCNT bundle wire inductors and compared these with copper (Cu) inductors. The calculation results show that the Q-factors of Carbon NanoTube (CNT) wire (SWCNT bundle and MWCNT) inductors are higher than that of the Cu wire inductor. This is mainly due to much lower resistance of CNT and negligible skin effect in carbon nanotubes at higher frequencies. The application of CNT wire inductor in LC VCO is also studied and the Cadence/Spectre simulations show that VCOs with CNT bundle wire inductors have significantly improved performance such as the higher oscillation frequency and lower phase noise due to their smaller resistances and higher Q-factors. It is also noticed that CMOS LC VCO using a SWCNT bundle wire inductor has better performance when compared with the performance of LC VCO using the MWCNT wire inductor due to its lower resistance and higher Q-factor.
Proline Editing: A General and Practical Approach to the Synthesis of Functionally and Structurally Diverse Peptides. Analysis of Steric versus Stereoelectronic Effects of 4-Substituted Prolines on Conformation within Peptides

Functionalized proline residues have diverse applications. Herein we describe a practical approach, proline editing, for the synthesis of peptides with stereospecifically modified proline residues. Peptides are synthesized by standard solid-phase peptide synthesis to incorporate Fmoc-hydroxyproline (4R-Hyp). In an automated manner, the Hyp hydroxyl is protected and the remainder of the peptide synthesized. After peptide synthesis, the Hyp protecting group is orthogonally removed and Hyp selectively modified to generate substituted proline amino acids, with the peptide main chain functioning to “protect” the proline amino and carboxyl groups. In a model tetrapeptide (Ac-TYPN-NH2), 4R-Hyp was stereospecifically converted to 122 different 4-substituted prolyl amino acids, with 4R or 4S stereochemistry, via Mitsunobu, oxidation, reduction, acylation, and substitution reactions. 4-Substituted prolines synthesized via proline editing include incorporated structured amino acid mimetics (Cys, Asp/Glu, Phe, Lys, A...
Large-scale fluid simulation using velocity-vorticity domain decomposition

Simulating fluids in large-scale scenes with appreciable quality using state-of-the-art methods can lead to high memory and compute requirements. Since memory requirements are proportional to the product of domain dimensions, simulation performance is limited by memory access, as solvers for elliptic problems are not compute-bound on modern systems. This is a significant concern for large-scale scenes. To reduce the memory footprint and memory/compute ratio, vortex singularity bases can be used. Though they form a compact bases for incompressible vector fields, robust and efficient modeling of nonrigid obstacles and free-surfaces can be challenging with these methods.We propose a hybrid domain decomposition approach that couples Eulerian velocity-based simulations with vortex singularity simulations. Our formulation reduces memory footprint by using smaller Eulerian domains with compact vortex bases, thereby improving the memory/compute ratio, and simulation performance by more than 1000x for single phase flows as well as significant improvements for free-surface scenes. Coupling these two heterogeneous methods also affords flexibility in using the most appropriate method for modeling different scene features, as well as allowing robust interaction of vortex methods with free-surfaces and nonrigid obstacles.
Language Learner Strategies with Technology

This study examines use of learning strategies by experienced adult learners of foreign languages. The goal was to determine how these exemplary language learners engage a multimedia environment, what strategies they employ, and how insights on strategy use can be useful for learners and teachers.
The colloquial approach: An active learning technique

This paper addresses the very important problem of the effectiveness of teaching methodologies in fundamental engineering courses such as transport phenomena. An active learning strategy, termed the colloquial approach, is proposed in order to increase student involvement in the learning process. This methodology is a considerable departure from traditional methods that use solo lecturing. It is based on guided discussions, and it promotes student understanding of new concepts by directing the student to construct new ideas by building upon the current knowledge and by focusing on key cases that capture the essential aspects of new concepts. The colloquial approach motivates the student to participate in discussions, to develop detailed notes, and to design (or construct) his or her own explanation for a given problem. This paper discusses the main features of the colloquial approach within the framework of other current and previous techniques. Problem-solving strategies and the need for new textbooks and for future investigations based on the colloquial approach are also outlined.
ESSAY ON PAEDIATRIC PRE-ANAESTHETIC MEDICATION

Each anaesthetist is different and desires different results from his premedicating drugs. No patient, physician, hospital environment, or drug is perfect. The four—two human, one physical and one chemical—must be blended together with art and sympathy for salubrious results. An attempt must be made to evaluate results obtained in an objective manner.
Determination of thorium isotopes in seawater by nondestructive and radiochemical procedures

Abstract Procedures have been developed for the analyses of dissolved and particulate 234Th, 228Th, 230Th and 232Th in seawater. Large volume samples (>1000 1) are collected using in situ pumps. Seawater is pumped sequentially through a filter cartridge and two MnO2 adsorbers for the collection of particulate and dissolved Th, respectively. Both filters adsorbers are analysed for 234Th using a simple gamma counting technique. This newly developed 234Th procedure can be conducted at sea, and thus provides an easy and efficient method for 234Th analyses on large volume samples. Subsequent radiochemical purification procedures and low-level alpha counting techniques are used in the laboratory for the analyses of 228Th, 230Th and 232Th on these same samples.
Assessment of cisplatin reactivity with peptides and proteins using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and flameless atomic absorption spectroscopy.

Abstract Methodology based on gradient elution reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography has been developed to permit monitoring of reactions of cisplatin, a noble metal-containing antineoplastic agent, with peptides, polypeptides, and proteins. Such reactions have been implicated in biotransformation of eisplatin. Specificity is provided by both the chromatographic column and the use of on-line uv and off-line atomic absorption spectroscopic detectors placed in series postcolumn. chromatographic conditions were optimized to maximize resolution of nitrogenous components. In some cases, however, resolution of platinum-containing components and those devoid of metal was not possible. This chromatographic overlap could be deconvoluted by sequentially monitoring the eluant with a uv detector (responsive to all proteinaceous material) and on atomic absorption spectrophotometer (specific for platinum detection). This technique has been applied to a kinetic investigation of cisplatin reactivity toward Met-enkephalin.
A New Generalization of the Class of NBU Distributions

It is well-known that the increasing-failure-rate-average (IFRA), new-better-than-used (NBU), and new-better-than-used-in-expectation (NBUE) classes of life distributions are successive generalizations of the class of increasing-failure-rate (IFR) distributions. Further, each of the IFR, IFRA and NBU classes can be characterized in terms of the exponential distribution and certain partial orderings on the family of all distributions. It is not known, however, if the same holds for the NBUE class. This paper introduces a new generalization (called NBAFR) of the NBU class that allows a characterization in terms of the exponential distribution and a (new) partial ordering. The NBAFR class neither contains nor is contained in the NBUE class. Like the latter, the NBAFR class is preserved under the reliability operation of addition of life lengths. But unlike the NBUE, the NBAFR class is also preserved under formation of s-coherent systems - just like the IFR, IFRA, and NBU classes.
Mechanism for the exchange of the calcium in bone mineral.

THE exchange of the calcium in bone mineral with radio active calcium and other bivalent metals has been studied in living animals1 and in vitro2, and various physical processes which lead to exchange have been suggested3. Little attention has, however, been paid to the process of exchange itself—that is, the chemical reaction by which the calcium on the surface of bone mineral is replaced by radioactive calcium or other metals.
Assessment of tumor growth in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors in von Hippel Lindau syndrome.

Background The incidence of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) is increasing, but only a subset of these heterogeneous tumors will progress to malignant disease, which is associated with a poor prognosis. Currently, there are limited data on the natural history of these tumors and it is difficult to determine which patients require surgical intervention because the risk of metastatic disease cannot be accurately determined. Study Design We conducted a prospective study of 87 patients with von Hippel Lindau syndrome-associated solid pancreatic lesions to determine the natural history of these tumors with biochemical testing, follow-up anatomic and functional imaging, and advanced imaging analysis, with a median follow-up of 4 years. Results Approximately 20% of consecutive tumor measurements during follow-up were decreased in size and 20% showed no change. This included 2 of 4 surgically proven malignant tumors, which had a net decrease in tumor size over time. Tumor volume, as derived from greatest diameter and volumetric measurements, showed good correlation to pathology tumor measurement of surgically resected tumors (Spearman rank correlation ρ = 0.72, p = 0.0011, and ρ = 0.83, p Conclusions Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors demonstrate a nonlinear growth pattern, which includes periods of no growth and apparent decrease in size by imaging. These growth patterns are variable and are not associated with tumor grade and malignancy. Tumor density, as measured in this cohort, may offer a specific diagnostic tool for malignant disease.
Reducing agitated—Disruptive behavior of mentally retarded residents of community group homes: The role of self-recording and peer-prompted self-recording

Abstract Agitated—disruptive behavior such as cursing, hitting, kicking, throwing objects, and verbal threats from three mentally retarded residents From community group homes was reduced using procedures that included a self-recorded DRO, point fines for agitated—disruptive behavior, social skills training, and relaxation training. The agitated-disruptive behavior of all three subjects was markedly reduced as a result of the use of these procedures in combination. Further, with all subjects, the self-recorded DRO appeared to be critical to the effectiveness of the treatment program. Although subjects did not self-record accurately when they displayed agitated—disruptive behavior, the self-recording appeared to be effective in recruiting social approval from others in the environment when a specified period of time had passed without the occurence of agitated—disruptive behavior.
Lassomycin, a Ribosomally Synthesized Cyclic Peptide, Kills Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Targeting the ATP-Dependent Protease ClpC1P1P2

Languishing antibiotic discovery and flourishing antibiotic resistance have prompted the development of alternative untapped sources for antibiotic discovery, including previously uncultured bacteria. Here, we screen extracts from uncultured species against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and identify lassomycin, an antibiotic that exhibits potent bactericidal activity against both growing and dormant mycobacteria, including drug-resistant forms of M. tuberculosis, but little activity against other bacteria or mammalian cells. Lassomycin is a highly basic, ribosomally encoded cyclic peptide with an unusual structural fold that only partially resembles that of other lasso peptides. We show that lassomycin binds to a highly acidic region of the ClpC1 ATPase complex and markedly stimulates its ATPase activity without stimulating ClpP1P2-catalyzed protein breakdown, which is essential for viability of mycobacteria. This mechanism, uncoupling ATPase from proteolytic activity, accounts for the bactericidal activity of lassomycin.
Electronic structure and properties of silicon-transition metal interfaces

Abstract We present a theoretical investigation of the reaction occurring at the interfaces between silicon and transition metals. Using the same approach successfully applied to the study of bulk suicides, the electronic properties of different models of silicon-nickel and silicon-palladium interfaces have been studied. The models investigated include: (a) epitaxial silicon-silicide interfaces; (b) isolated transition metal interstitials near the silicon surfaces; (c) adamantane geometry structures as metastable diffusion layer compounds. The theoretical results are used as a guide in order to interpret the available experimental photoemission data of these complex interfaces.
Interference Channel with Constrained Partial Group Decoding

We propose novel coding and decoding methods for a fully connected K-user Gaussian interference channel. Each transmitter encodes its information into multiple layers and transmits the superposition of those layers. Each receiver employs a constrained partial group decoder (CPGD) that decodes its designated message along with a part of the interference. In particular, each receiver performs a twofold task by first identifying which interferers it should decode and then determining which layers of them should be decoded. Determining the layers to be decoded and decoding them are carried out in a successive manner, where in each step a group of layers with a constraint on its group size is identified and jointly decoded while the remaining layers are treated as Gaussian noise. The decoded layers are then subtracted from the received signal and the same procedure is repeated for the remaining layers. We provide a distributed algorithm, tailored to the nature of the interference channels, that determines the transmission rate at each transmitter based on some optimality measure and also finds the order of the layers to be successively decoded at each receiver. We also consider practical design of a system that employs the quadrature amplitude modulations (QAM) and rateless codes. Numerical results are provided on the achievable sum-rate under the ideal case of Gaussian signaling with random codes as well as on the system throughput under practical modulations and channel codes. The results show that the proposed multi-layer coding scheme with CPGD offers significant performance gain over the traditional un-layered transmission with single-user decoding.
Babesia divergens infection of the Mongolian gerbil: titration of infective dose and preliminary observations on the disease produced.

Abstract A tritration of Babesia divergens piroplasms in the Mongolian gerbil was carried out in which 10 8 , 10 7 , 10 6 , 10 5 and 10 4 , B. divergens -infected erythrocytes were inoculated intraperitoneally into groups of 5 gerbils. Generally, the inoculation of decreasing numbers of parasites resulted in proportionately increased prepatent periods and severe, usually fatal disease, but gerbils which received 10 4 , B. divergens -infected erythrocytes had minimal disease reactions and a subsequent sterile immunity to challenge. Preliminary observations on the pathogenesis of the disease in the gerbil showed a significant fall in PCV and rectal temperature prior to death, an increase in the weight of the spleens of infected animals and the presence of B. divergens -infected erythrocytes in the spleen, liver, brain and bone marrow on post-mortem examination.
Biofilms in chronic rhinosinusitis: a review.

BackgroundBacterial biofilms consist of a complex, organized community of bacteria that anchor to both biotic and abiotic surfaces. They are composed of layers of embedded, live bacteria within ext...
The Attitudes of Black and White College Students Toward Gays and Lesbians

Despite greater acceptance of gay rights and relationships in recent decades, significant homophobia still exists in the U.S. population. There are consistent demographic differences in levels of h...
Depth of Meaning in Life: Explicit Rating Criteria

The present study is a development of a method of measuring meaning in life depth using outside judges' rating of the participants' in-depth statements describing their meaning. Adequate interrater agreement was obtained when five explicit depth of meaning criteria were utilized. The potential problem of rater bias because of the judges' preference for their own life meanings was discussed. In addition, three other issues previously investigated to some degree were again approached: whether a significant proportion of participants reported a feeling of meaninglessness (they did not), how many different types of meaning in life would be reported (an average of 4.26 were, implying that people do not prefer just one meaning in life), and what percentage of life meanings fell into each of the eight categories previously developed by DeVogler and Ebersole.
San Diego field operational test of smart call boxes: institutional issues

Important institutional lessons learned in the course of the San Diego smart call box field operational test are presented. These lessons relate both to the conduct of the field test itself and to requirements for deployment of intelligent transportation systems similar to smart call boxes. The institutional issues were identified through review of project documents, interviews with participants, and the experience of the evaluator as a participant in the project. Issues were analyzed by preparing summaries that included a description and discussion of each issue, an assessment of its seriousness, identification of the organizational participants who raised it, a discussion of ways to avoid or mitigate any problems identified, and a list of actions to resolve the issue in the event of system deployment. Major institutional lessons include the potential impact of institutional arrangements on basic system concepts, the importance of involving potential users in the definition of system concepts and detailed design specifications, the need for quantitative market research to establish the potential profitability of intelligent transportation systems, the need for an adequate institutional infrastructure for deployment, and the importance of project organization schemes that minimize the number and complexity of formal agreements among participants.
c-Cbl-Mediated Selective Virus-Receptor Translocations into Lipid Rafts Regulate Productive Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Infection in Endothelial Cells

During target cell entry and infection, many enveloped and nonenveloped viruses utilize cell surface receptors that translocate into lipid rafts (LRs). However, the mechanism behind this translocation is not known. Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) interacts with the human microvascular dermal endothelial (HMVEC-d) cell surface heparan sulfate (HS), integrins α3β1, αVβ3, and αVβ5, and the amino acid transporter x-CT protein and enters via c-Cbl-bleb-mediated macropinocytosis (Veettil et al., J. Virol. 82:12126-12144, 2008; Veettil et al., PLoS Pathog. 6:e1001238, 2010). Here we have demonstrated that very early during infection (1 min postinfection), c-Cbl induced the selective translocation of KSHV into the LR along with the α3β1, αVβ3, and x-CT receptors but not αVβ5. Activated c-Cbl localized with LRs at the junctional base of macropinocytic blebs. LR-translocated α3β1 and αVβ3 were monoubiquitinated, leading to productive macropinocytic entry, whereas non-LR-associated αVβ5 was polyubiquitinated, leading to clathrin entry that was targeted to lysosomes. c-Cbl knockdown blocked the macropinocytosis and receptor translocation and diverted KSHV to a clathrin-lysosomal noninfectious pathway. Similar results were also seen by LR disruption with MβCD. These studies provide the first evidence that c-Cbl regulates selective KSHV-α3β1, -αVβ3, and -x-CT receptor translocations into the LRs and differential ubiquitination of receptors which are critical determinants of the macropinocytic entry route and productive infection of KSHV. Our studies suggest that interventions targeting c-Cbl and LRs are potential avenues to block KSHV infection of endothelial cells.
Groud-state properties of nuclear matter☆

Abstract This paper is concerned with the development of an approximate method for treating the properties of large bound systems in their ground state and with the application of this method to idealized nuclear matter. The difficulties encountered in alternative perturbative approaches are considered in the introduction. These difficulties are shown to demand a more general approach. Such an approach, based on the formulation of the many-particle problem developed by Martin and Schwinger, is discussed in the second section. We review here the aspects of this formalism necessary for generating a sequence of correlative approximations with the aid of expectation values of field operator products or Green's functions. A second approximation in the sequence, which neglects correlations between a given particle and a highly correlated pair, is then treated in detail. Approximate equations are derived for the energy, density, and momentum distribution. Explicit recognition of the bound nature of the ground state is seen to simplify the solution considerably, and the simplification leads to a well-defined single-particle energy-momentum relation for the bound particles. On the other hand, the momentum distribution ϱ(k) differs from that of the noninteracting Fermi gas, since momenta larger than k f p = ( 3 2 π 2 ϱ) 1 3 contribute significantly. Our approximation exhibits a cut-off about ten percent higher than kfp, and the calculated energy per particle and inter-particle distance are −14.4 Mev and 0.87 fermi, respectively. The condition that the pressure vanish at equilibrium here requires that the energy of the highest filled single particle state equal the average energy per particle. Since Kfp is no longer the highest filled mode, it has no particular significance in our treatment. Integral expressions containing complicated geometrical factors in their integrands, which usually result from a perturbative treatment of the Pauli principle, do not appear in our second correlation approximation. In fact, the direct part of the function TK(ω), which is somewhat analogous to the “reaction matrix” of the perturbative approach, is found to be an ordinary two-body scattering matrix in which the energy of the particle pair is equal to its actual value in the medium. This simplifying feature is related to the bound nature of the ground state. Finally, we discuss the correction terms to the energy and density which arise from our neglecting higher order correlations. These terms are shown to be small. In addition, we show that the distance beyond which two particles in nuclear matter are essentially uncorrelated is of the same order of magnitude as the interparticle distance.
Two measures of progress in adapting to climate change

Abstract Adaptation will play a key role in determining the economic and social costs of climate change. One important measure of adaptation is reductions in deaths caused by climate events. This paper uses two new data sets to test the hypothesis that, in recent years, climate events cause less deaths than in the past. Using data on deaths caused by natural disasters and data on skin cancer death rates in warmer and cooler US states, this paper reports evidence in favor of the adaptation progress hypothesis.
Continuous Holocene Record of Diatom Stratigraphy, Paleohydrology, and Anthropogenic Activity in a Spring-Mound in Southwestern United States

This study presents the first continuous record of fossil diatoms taken from an open spring-mound in southwestern United States. Diatoms were analyzed from a radiocarbon-dated core taken from Montezuma Well, a near thermally constant spring in northcentral Arizona. Fluctuations in total diatom density, oscillations in the relative abundance of Anomoeoneis sphaerophora, and intermittent deposition of calcite suggest that water levels in Montezuma Well underwent dramatic fluctuations to the degree of being intermittently dry, or at least very shallow, during the middle Holocene (∼8000-5000 yr B.P.). The fluctuations in water level probably correspond to oscillations in regional temperature and precipitation, which regulate hydrologic input and evaporation rates. The dramatic fluctuations in water level during the middle Holocene suggest that the endemic biota of Montezuma Well underwent relatively rapid speciation within the past ∼5000 yr. The appearance of endemic species (Gomphonema montezumense and Cyclotella pseudostelligera f. parva ) at ∼5000-3000 yr B.P. supports this hypothesis. Diatom indicators for organic enrichment (Aulacoseira granulata and A. islandica) closely coincide with the prehistoric native occupation of Montezuma Well.
Attitudes Towards Race, Hierarchy and Transformation in the 19th Century

Using the debates between Classical political economists and their critics as our lens, this paper examines the question of whether we’re the same or different. Starting with Adam Smith,Classical economics presumed that humans are the same in their capacity for language and trade;observed differences were then explained by incentives, luck and history,and it is the“vanity of the philosopher”incorrectly to conclude otherwise.Such “analytical egalitarianism”was overthrown sometime after1850,when notions of race and hierarchy came to infect social analysis as a result of attacks on homogeneity by the Victorian Sages (including Thomas Carlyle and John Ruskin), in anthropology and biology(James Hunt and Charles Darwin), and among political economists themselves (W.R.Greg).Two questions were at issue.Do everyone’s preferences count equally,and is everyone equally capable of making economic decisions?In Smith’s account,philosophers and subjects alike are capable of making decisions.The oppositional view held that some are different from others.Since“difference”implied“superiority”in the period we study, we call this doctrine“analytical hierarchicalism.” JEL classification numbers:B12,Z1.
Under the Weather: Health, Schooling, and Socioeconomic Consequences of Early-Life Rainfall

How sensitive is long-run individual well-being to environmental conditions early in life? This paper examines the effect of weather conditions around the time of birth on the health, education, and socioeconomic outcomes of Indonesian adults born between 1953 and 1974. We link historical rainfall for each individual's birth year and birth location with current adult outcomes from the 2000 wave of the Indonesia Family Life Survey. Higher early-life rainfall has large positive effects on the adult outcomes of women, but not of men. Women with 20% higher rainfall in their year and location of birth attain 0.14 centimeters greater height, finish 0.15 more years of schooling, live in households with 5.2% higher expenditures per capita, and have spouses with 5.1% higher earnings. These patterns most plausibly reflect a positive impact of rainfall on agricultural output, leading to higher household incomes and better health for infant girls. We present suggestive evidence that eventual benefits for adult women's socioeconomic status are mediated by improved schooling attainment, which leads to higher spousal quality, which in turn improves socioeconomic status. Adult women's education and health do not appear to have direct effects on their socioeconomic status apart from indirect effects via spousal quality.
Comparison of late clinical status between patients with different hemodynamic findings after repair of tetralogy of fallot

Abstract Long-term results and postoperative hemodynamic findings were reviewed in 144 cases of tetralogy of Fallot. A correlation was found between the late clinical status of patients and the postoperative hemodynamic findings. The mortality in our series of patients followed for 10 years was 6.25%. Each of the deaths occurred in the group with unsatisfactory postoperative hemodynamic findings. An ideal late clinical result can be anticipated in most patients with excellent or satisfactory postoperative hemodynamic findings. The greater the deviation from normal hemodynamic findings, the worse the prognosis. From the excellent group to the unsatisfactory group, the incidence of late ideal result decreased from 95% to 61.1%, while the incidence of poor result increased from 0% to 27.8%. Among various factors in patients in the unsatisfactory hemodynamic group, right ventricular outflow tract obstruction seems to have the worst late result. A large right ventricular-pulmonary artery pressure gradient was noted in three of four who died suddenly. The late result of patients with a small shunt (pulmonary blood flow/systemic blood flow
Contact laser transurethral surgery using a sapphire chisel probe firing Nd:YAG

This is a report on a modified technique for use of a contact laser for transurethral surgery to improve voiding in spinal core injury patients. To produce a channel for voiding, chisel sapphire tips are used to deliver adequate Nd:YAG laser energy to vaporize tissue blocking the urethral passage. We present data on 51 spinal cord injury patients (range 29 - 76 years) who had contact laser surgery in the past 22 months. Urodynamic studies showed detrusor sphincter dyssynergia in 82% of patients. On cystoscopic examination prior to surgery, 39% had associated enlargement of the prostate and/or bladder-neck stenosis. Thirty-one percent also had associated strictures in the bulbous urethra. For transurethral resection of the sphincter, a 12 o'clock incision was made by passing the contact probe repeatedly and/or buttonholing and then cutting the overlying tissue. For vaporization of the prostate and eradication of urethral strictures, the contact chisel probe was passed repeatedly over the surface and also buttonholes were drilled. The overlying tissue was incised with the laser chisel. The buttonhole technique expedited the procedure for creation of an adequate urethral channel for voiding. During surgery, there was minimal blood loss of about 25 - 50 ml per procedure except in 2 patients who lost 100 to 150 ml. All except 4 patients voided satisfactorily within 1 to 8 days (mean 2.7 days) when the catheter was removed following surgery. The initial 4 patients who did not void well are also voiding satisfactorily following repeat surgery.
Capacity analysis of CDMA multibeam mobile satellite systems with imperfect power control

The capacity of a multibeam satellite mobile communications system employing code division multiple access (CDMA) communications is presented. An important problem in applying the CDMA scheme is unequal received power levels at the receiver. In a CDMA system, capacity is maximized when all transmitted user signals are received at the minimum power necessary to attain the specified signal power to interference and noise power ratio (SINR). Due to inherent long propagation delay, power control techniques cannot perfectly compensate the power fluctuations in mobile satellite channels. Consequently, the capacity of the system is reduced relative to system with perfect power control (PPC). This paper examines the performance of a multibeam satellite CDMA system using imperfect power control. Statistical characteristics (e.g. probability distribution function and cumulative distribution function) of mobile user bit energy to total interference ratios are obtained as a function of power control error and used for capacity calculations. The system capacity is calculated with a given outage probability and power control error (PCE).
Inferring Program Effects for Special Populations: Does Special Education Raise Achievement for Students with Disabilities?

Most discussion of special education has centered on the costs of providing mandated programs for children with disabilities and not on their effectiveness. As in many other policy areas, inferring program effectiveness is difficult because students not in special education do not provide a good comparison group. By following students who move in and out of targeted programs, however, we are able to identify program effectiveness from changes over time in individual performance. We find that the average special education program significantly boosts mathematics achievement of special-education students, particularly those classified as learning-disabled or emotionally disturbed, while not detracting from regular-education students. These results are estimated quite precisely from models of students and school-by-grade-by-year fixed effects in achievement gains, and they are robust to a series of specification tests.
Comparison of fecal DNA extraction kits for the detection of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis by polymerase chain reaction

Culture of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) from feces has been considered the gold standard for the diagnosis of paratuberculosis for many years. However, direct fecal polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is becoming more widely used, demonstrating similar sensitivity and specificity to culture. To ensure efficient and reproducible PCR results from a difficult sample matrix such as feces, there are many obstacles that a DNA extraction method must overcome, including the presence of inhibitors and the thick waxy cell wall of MAP. In the current study, 6 commercial DNA extraction kits were evaluated using fecal samples from naturally infected cattle shedding various amounts of MAP. Upon extraction, DNA purity and yield were measured, and real-time PCR was performed for detection of the insertion sequence (IS)900 and ISMAP02 targets. The kits evaluated showed significant differences in the purity and yield of DNA obtained. The best results were observed with kits E and A, having identified 94% (...
Image Intensifier Fluorography in Pediatric Radiology Seventy-mm. Fluorography as a Diagnostic Aid

Roentgen examination of children is facilitated by video-fluoroscopy and 70-mm. fluorography. Examination time is shortened; radiation dose to patient is reduced; motion blurring can be eliminated; with serial filming, functional studies can be performed 70.mm. films are of good image quality. The diagnostic capability of the method has proven adequate.