cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Two new species of Hansonoperla (Plecoptera: Perlidae) from eastern North America

Two new species are added to the eastern Nearctic genus Hansonoperla , which included only H. appalachia Nelson. Hansonoperla hokolesqua n. sp. is described from northeastern Kentucky and southwestern West Virginia, and H. cheaha n. sp. from northeastern Alabama. All 3 species are described from the adult male, adult female, and the egg. Diagnostic features and a key for separating the 3 species are presented, supported by illustrations and scanning electron microscopy photomicrographs.
Regulatory T cells in primary immunodeficiency diseases.

Purpose of review Several primary immune deficiency disorders are associated with autoimmunity and malignancy, suggesting a state of immune dysregulation. Here, we review the role of regulatory T-cell deficits in mediating the immune dysregulation associated with certain primary immune deficiency disorder syndromes. Recent findings Systematic studies in primary immune deficiency disorders and their associated animal models have led to an increased understanding of both central and peripheral tolerance mechanisms, and in particular have yielded new insights into regulatory T-cell function, development and maintenance. Summary Single-gene defects identified in patients with multiple autoimmune phenomena have defined new primary immune deficiency disorder syndromes in which the primary deficit is in the establishment or maintenance of immune tolerance. The disorder that has been most informative with regard to understanding the function and development of regulatory T cells is forkhead box P3 deficiency, known as immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy and X-linked syndrome in humans and Scurfy in the mouse. Recent studies in patients with other primary immune deficiency disorders, including autoimmune polyendocrinopathy, candidiasis and ectodermal dystrophy syndrome, CD25 deficiency, STAT5b deficiency, and Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, have added to our understanding of regulatory T-cell biology. The study of patients with rare primary immune deficiency disorder syndromes provides an unparalleled opportunity to understand mechanisms of autoimmunity and immune tolerance in humans.
Effect of Several Oxygenates on Regulated Emissions from Heavy-Duty Diesel Engines

Oxygenates produce a significant reduction in emissions of particulate matter (PM-10) from diesel engines but in most cases also cause the nitrogen oxide emissions to increase. In this work, several oxygenates having a wide range of properties were blended with no. 2 diesel at the 1 and 2 wt % oxygen level. Emissions were measured using the hot start portion of the U.S. Heavy-Duty Transient Test (40 CFR, Part 86, Subpart N) in both a 2-stroke and a 4-stroke engine. It was found that at this oxygen level PM reductions on the order of 10−15% were obtained regardless of oxygenate chemical structure. The oxygenates affected the integrated NOx emissions differently. Methyl esters of soybean oil increased NOx 2−3%, decanoic acid had no effect, and octanol may have slightly decreased NOx. Examination of real time NOx concentration data for octanol and soy esters indicates that both oxygenates increase NOx during portions of the cycle where the engine is generating high torque at low speed with little or no turbo...
The ‘Unnatural and Retrograde Order’: Adam Smith’s Theories of Trade and Development Reconsidered

This paper extends some new interpretations of Adam Smith’s theory of trade by reconciling what have previously been regarded as his three separate theories of absolute advantage, market-widening and vent-for-surplus. However, this reconstruction of Smith’s trade theory is shown to be inconsistent with his theory of the natural stages of economic development in Book III of the Wealth of Nations. Rather, the interpretation of Smith’s trade theory proposed here is more consistent with Smith’s analysis of the ‘unnatural and retrograde order’, which was the actual development path of western Europe.
Katrina Cataclysm: Does Duration of Residency and Prior Experience Affect Impacts, Evacuation, and Adaptation Behavior Among Survivors?

This study explores the extent to which people's prior experience of a natural disaster influenced subsequent behavior concerning the threats of a hydrometeorological disaster and if duration of residency in a disaster-prone landscape affects the extent of preparedness for an impending disaster. Mixed methods research strategies involving survey, field observation, and participant observations at several locations including rescue and evacuation centers in New Orleans, Louisiana, Austin, Texas, and Lawrenceville, Georgia, were used, during the immediate impact phase, emergency shelter phase, and postimpact and recovery phase of Katrina catastrophe. For the survey, a sample of 598 subjects completed a 15-page, 54-item questionnaire addressing various aspects of the Katrina flood in the New Orleans Metropolitan Area. The qualitative aspect consists of field observations of the event, interviews, and direct comments by the victims dispersed across the South. In the regression analysis performed, prior experi...
Salivary gland heterotopia in the rectum

Heterotopic tissues in the submucosal region of the gastrointestinal tract are a well-described occurrence. In the rectal region, these most commonly involve gastric-type mucosa. Only rare reports of salivary gland-type tissue presenting as a submucosal rectal heterotopia have been previously reported. This case report reviews the literature and details an occurrence of heterotopic salivary gland-type tissue in the rectal submucosa of a 31-year-old man who presented with intermittent bleeding and a rectal polypoid mass.
The National Cancer Data Base report on endometrial carcinoma in African-American women.

BACKGROUND Although the incidence of uterine carcinoma is lower among African-American women compared with white women, the mortality rates are higher for African-American patients. This report is part of an ongoing series on gynecologic malignancies in African-American women. METHODS Hospital registry reports collected by the National Cancer Data Base were used to describe some of the differences in case presentation and management characteristics of endometrial carcinoma in these two groups. The cases represented 52,307 Non-Hispanic white and 3226 African-American women diagnosed with primary carcinoma of the endometrium between 1988-1994. RESULTS More African-American patients were diagnosed with less favorable histologies than white patients, at more advanced stages of disease, and with less tumor differentiation. Income had no effect on stage or grade. African-American patients were treated less often for their tumor at every stage of diagnosis compared with white women. Income generally had no effect on whether treatment was provided, but limited income was associated with a lack of treatment in African-American patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer Stage IV tumors. African-American women were less frequently treated surgically and, among surgically treated patients at advanced stages of disease, they received adjuvant radiotherapy less often and chemotherapy more often than white patients. Five-year survival was poorer for African-American women, even for patients with the more favorable Stage I adenocarcinoma who were treated surgically. CONCLUSIONS All patients, regardless of race, should be treated appropriately as dictated by medical and prognostic factors and not by race. Although no screening methods currently exist for endometrial carcinoma, the development of procedures for identifying patients at risk for the prognostic factors that lead to a poor outcome should be a primary focus. Cancer 1998;83:2629-2637. © 1998 American Cancer Society.
Frequency dependence of cytochrome oxidase activity in magnetic fields

Abstract Magnetic fields increase the activity of cytochrome oxidase, apparently accelerating electron movements during the oxidation of cytochrome C . The increase due to magnetic fields varies inversely with the basal enzyme reaction rate. In this paper, we show that increases in the reaction rate constant in magnetic fields vary with frequency, in the range 10–2500 Hz, with a maximum in the range 500–1000 Hz. The frequency dependence of the cytochrome oxidase is similar to earlier described effects of electric and magnetic fields on the membrane enzymes, Na,K-ATPase and F 0 F 1 -ATPase, where optimal frequencies are in ranges of the turnover numbers of the enzyme reactions.
Afterward 1: New Relations of Substance

'Relations of substance,' so I thought, was a catchy subtitle with a suggestive double meaning for a collection on drugs in the Pacific that was published in 1987 (Lindstrom 1987b). This book appeared just as marijuana was spreading deeply in the hinterlands of Papua New Guinea (Marshall 2004:215). Aside from brief accounts in regional newspapers, however, this 'Pacification' of marijuana had not yet much been noticed. Only one chapter in the 1987 collection dealt with marijuana use, on Chuuk (Larson 1987), reflecting marijuana's earlier and greater presence within Micronesia. The drug has now spread rapidly into both urban and rural Pacific communities, the latest in a line of global 'drug-foods' (Jankowiak and Bradburd 2003). These substances were also among the earliest global commodities: tobacco, caffeine in coffee, tea, cola, and cacao, alcohol, opium, cocaine, and one might as well count in sugar here too (Mintz 1985). All of these drug-foods have now spread into the Pacific to augment the two traditional Pacific drug substances, betel and kava, both of which are used in Papua New Guinea. A second titular offering, 'relating with drugs,' introduced the 1987 volume's themes by previewing the relational aspects of Pacific drug production, exchange, and consumption. I argued that 'drug substances are special exchange tokens' and 'a focus on Pacific drug production, exchange and consumption helps to reveal the structures and meanings of interpersonal relations in a variety of social contexts' (Lindstrom 1987b:ix). Marilyn Strathern generously provided a provocative conclusion to the collection. Strathern riffed on the notion of 'substance' to argue that drugs are unlike food, sexual fluids, or sweat. They, in fact, lack true substance. They differ from other, more substantial substances, mediated through social relationships, which can both effect and affect bodies. The work, the fluids, and the food produced and shared by mothers and fathers, for example, create their children.
Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty: newly qualified teachers' perceptions of their progress at the midpoint of their induction year

In the USA, the attrition rates of teachers in the first 3-5 years of teaching are around 30%, and in Texas, 73% of teachers who did not experience a formal induction programme left the profession within 2 years. These statistics are a cause for concern and suggest that the first few years in teaching are crucial in teachers deciding whether to continue in the profession or not. In recognising the multiple challenges that teachers face in their first year of teaching, this study attempts to analyse the needs of new teachers by addressing the following issues, as identified by the selected cohort of teachers themselves at the outset of their careers: (1) perceived strengths; (2) perceived areas for development and concerns as to how these will be addressed; (3) career aspirations and how these will be pursued; and (4) development of professional relationships with colleagues and pupils. This study further explores the issue of newly qualified teachers' experiences in the light of their needs in these areas during the first half of their induction year and examines these experiences during this period of professional practice. The findings in this paper are reported in line with other studies (Bubb, 2000; Jones et al, 2002; Totterdell et al, 2002; Kyriacou & O'Connor, 2003; Roden, 2003) in that it highlights the necessity of effective induction provision. The findings suggest that becoming a competent teacher entails more than acquiring technical skills.
Excessive drinking in college: Behavioral outcome, not binge, as a basis for prevention

The dichotomous variable "binge drinking" and its associated outcomes may be insufficient for understanding the drinking phenomenon on college campuses. The current study examined the behavioral outcomes associated with different drinking nights (light, typical, and heavy) in an effort to more closely examine collegiate drinking behavior. Data were collected from 236 university students, including hourly drinking rate, estimated blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was computed, and outcomes for each drinking night. Students reported drinking behavior that ranged from weekly "light night" drinking (average: 2.85 drinks, 3.34 h, end of night BAC = 0.04%) to biweekly "heavy nights" (average: 9.91 drinks, 4.93 h, end of night BAC = 0.25%). Students report encountering the greatest number of negative outcomes during heavy drinking nights, while light nights were found to have the fewest associated negative outcomes. Positive outcomes were highest on "typical" nights, although effect sizes were small. These data suggest that prevention efforts may be more successful if types of drinking night and positive outcomes become a stronger focus. Limitations and directions for future programming and research are discussed.
Thy-1+ dendritic epidermal cells undergo mitosis in vivo

Recently, morphologic evidence that epidermal Langerhans cells (ELC) undergo a mitotic cycle in normal mouse ear skin has been presented. In the present study, using immunohistochemical staining, we examined the mitotic activity of Thy-1-positive dendritic epidermal cells (Thy-1+DEC) in the normal murine epidermis. A small number of Thy-1+DEC showed round, cleaved, paired, and paired dendritic morphologies, which are identical to those occurring during ELC mitosis. We conclude that normal Thy-1+DEC undergo mitosis within the epidermis to maintain their population in the murine epidermis.
Treatment of Wilson's disease with zinc. XVIII. Initial treatment of the hepatic decompensation presentation with trientine and zinc

We have treated 9 patients who presented with hepatic decompensation resulting from Wilson's disease with a combination of trientine and zinc, generally for at least 4 months, followed by transition to zinc maintenance therapy. All of these patients had hypoalbuminemia, all but 1 had hyperbilirubinemia, and 7 had ascites. All of these patients would have been candidates for liver transplantation on the basis of their initial Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) scores. The minimal listing criteria for transplant candidates is a score greater than 7. Eight of the 9 patients had demonstrated a CTP score of 10 or higher. The other scoring system that has been used in Wilson's disease to determine need for transplantation is the prognostic index of Nazer, in which a score over 6 indicates that the patient is unlikely to survive without a transplant if treated with penicillamine. Two of our patients had Nazer scores higher than 6. With our medical therapy, all 9 of these patients have recovered normal liver function as reflected by normalization of their CTP scores to 5. Because of coexisting neurologic disease, 1 of our 9 patients was initiated on a neurologic protocol and by chance randomized to receive tetrathiomolybdate (TM) and zinc after 2 weeks of trientine/zinc treatment. This patient's liver function recovered much more rapidly than did that of the other 8 patients, all of whom were treated with trientine/zinc, suggesting that TM therapy offers a further advantage. In summary, we were able to take 9 patients who presented with liver failure -8 of whom had CTP scores indicating a potential need for liver transplantation and 2 of whom had Nazer prognostic scores indicating that they were not likely to survive if treated only with penicillamine - and treat them medically, with recovery in all 9. We believe the trientine/zinc combination therapy should be the standard for initial treatment of liver failure in Wilson's disease because its efficacy is equal or slightly superior to that of penicillamine and because it has a much lower incidence of side effects. Moreover, TM warrants study to determine whether therapy for hepatic Wilson's disease can be further improved.
CORR Insights®: Coronal Limb Alignment and Indications for High Tibial Osteotomy in Patients Undergoing Revision ACL Reconstruction

Where Are We Now?The current study by Won and colleagues concluded thatpatients undergoing revision ACL surgery have a greaterincidence of signiﬁcant varus alignment compared withpatients undergoing primary ACL reconstruction. Theauthors also observed that this varus alignment was asso-ciated with meniscal pathology and degenerative changesof the knee. The report of varus alignment provides aninteresting observation that goes a step beyond the ﬁndingsof the Multi-center Anterior (C)ruciate Revision Study(MARS) [1], but leads to more questions than answers. Thearticle does not tell us about the results of performing ahigh tibial osteotomy at the time of the revision ACL. Itmerely points out that these patients are potential candi-dates for such a procedure.The strength of the manuscript is that it reminds us thatvarus malalignment is a potential variable to be mindful of.It also serves to warn surgeons they should be aware ofpossible failure of the graft, and continuing pain related tomedial compartment degeneration. Won and colleagues’attention to detail in establishing an effective protocol forthe long-leg ﬁlms is important because standing long-legradiographs are ﬁckle in terms of being able to demonstrateconsistently the true amount of coronal plane alignment.Where Do We Need to Go?Kimandcolleagues[3]reportedthatasidefromextremecaseswith varus thrust (without medial compartment arthritis) thestability and functional scores were not adversely affected byprimary varus alignment. Kim and colleagues [3]alsoreported that aside from extreme cases where varus thrust isnoted, (in addition to the post meniscectomy changes) theradiographic features of unicompartmental osteoarthritis areinsufﬁcient to be associated with graft failure.Another MARS study [2] indicated that a signiﬁcantnumber of revision surgeries were related to technicaldifﬁculties in graft tunnel placement in the primary pro-cedure. This raises a number of questions. Was thedegenerative process and progressive varus at fault incausing the ligament failure in the other revision surgeriesnot related to graft tunnel placement? Which patients needproximal tibial osteotomies at the time of revision ACLsurgery? Should a high tibial osteotomy be performed toavoid postsurgical medial joint line pain? Will concomitantrealignment increase the chance of establishing stability orwould staging the two procedures not only eliminate the
Albuminuria in type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance in Pima Indians.

The prevalence of abnormal urinary albumin excretion, defined by a urine albumin to creatinine ratio>-30 mg/g (approximately equivalent to an albumin excretion rate of >-30 mg/24 h), was determined in 2728 Pima Indians aged >-15 years from the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona, a population with a high prevalence of Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus. Excessive albumin excretion was present in 8% of subjects with normal glucose tolerance, 15% of those with impaired glucose tolerance, and 47% of subjects with diabetes. The intermediate prevalence of abnormal albuminuria in those with impaired glucose tolerance suggests that hyperglycaemia even at levels below those diagnostic of diabetes is associated with renal abnormalities in some subjects and that these abnormalities may precede the onset of diabetes. Abnormal albuminuria at levels not reliably detected by the usual dipstick methods was commonly observed in Pima Indians with diabetes, even those with diabetes of recent onset. Associations were found with age, duration of diabetes, level of glycaemia, blood pressure, and treatment with insulin.
Influence of dynamic fracture toughness on dynamic crack propagation

Abstract A dynamic finite element code was used in its “propagation mode” to assess the differences in dynamic crack propagation in a wedge-loaded (WL) single-edged notch (SEN) specimen, a tapered double cantilever beam (TDCB) specimen and a rectangular double cantilever beam (RDCB) specimen. The dynamic fracture toughness, KID, vs the crack velocity, a, relations determined experimentally for WL-SEN, WL-TDCB and WL-RDCB specimens machined from Araldite B were used as dynamic fracture criteria and the resultant kid variations with crack propagations in the three specimens were compared with the corresponding experimental results. While the specific KID vs /.a relations established for each specimen obviously yielded calculated kID which were in best agreement with the experimental KID for the respective specimen, the KID vs /.a relation for the large WL-SEN specimen provided the best overall fit between the calculated and measured KID variations with crack propagation in all three specimens.
Observations by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography combined with simultaneous scanning laser ophthalmoscopy: imaging of the vitreous

Purpose To determine the ability to detect normal vitreous structure, evolving posterior vitreous detachment (PVD), and related vitreoretinal changes with combined spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO). Design Observational cross-sectional study. Methods Simultaneous SD-OCT and SLO imaging instruments (SD-OCT/SLO) were used to image both eyes of patients with symptoms of PVD. The vitreous cortex, preretinal lacunae, hyaloid, and its relations to the retinal surface were analyzed. In addition, ultrasound was performed in a subset of patients to determine the stage of PVD. Results Two-hundred two eyes of 113 subjects were scanned. There was a high correlation between diagnosis of complete PVD by clinical examination and OCT (95 vs 93 eyes, respectively; κ, 0.82). A partial PVD was detected more frequently by SD-OCT/SLO than by biomicroscopy examination (45 vs 7 eyes; P Conclusions SD-OCT/SLO provides unprecedented in vivo information about the physiologic and pathologic vitreous structure; it allows an extremely detailed analysis of the vitreoretinal interface, and it is particularly useful for defining focal changes and PVD.
Resolution of depressive symptoms in medical inpatients after discharge.

OBJECTIVE Most studies to date demonstrate a high prevalence of depressive symptoms and depressive disorders in general medical inpatients. In order to determine whether these symptoms represent a self limited epiphenomenon of medical illness or evidence of psychiatric comorbidity, assessment of the natural history of such symptoms in this population is necessary. In this study we focused on resolution versus persistence of depressive symptoms in hospitalized medical patients following medical, but not psychiatric, treatment. METHOD Every second admission to the acute care medical ward of a VA teaching hospital was assessed for inclusion in the study. Fifty-seven were screened, fifty participated initially, forty-two remained in the study for the one-week post-discharge follow-up, and thirty-three remained at the one-month follow-up. Depressive symptomatology was measured with the Beck Depression Inventory at each time point. Subjects whose scores at follow-ups were above threshold were considered to have persistent symptoms and those whose scores fell below threshold were considered to have resolved. No patients were treated with antidepressants prior to or during the study. RESULTS With a conventionally accepted threshold score (14) on the BDI as representing clinically significant depression, roughly half of those patients identified as depressed at the time of admission were nondepressed at both follow-ups. The BDI predicted persistence of depression with a sensitivity of .64 and specificity of .74 at one week and .71 and .73 at one month. Raising the threshold score to 20 raised the sensitivity to 1.00 and the specificity to .95 at one week and 1.00 and .93 at one month. CONCLUSIONS Depressive symptoms seen in acutely-ill medical patients can be expected to resolve without potentially-hazardous antidepressant treatment in a significant number of patients. Persistence of depressive symptoms may be better predicted by raising the threshold on commonly used self-report scales.
Sterol regulation of human fatty acid synthase promoter I requires nuclear factor-Y- and Sp-1-binding sites

To understand cholesterol-mediated regulation of human fatty acid synthase promoter I, we tested various 5′-deletion constructs of promoter I-luciferase reporter gene constructs in HepG2 cells. The reporter gene constructs that contained only the Sp-1-binding site (nucleotides −82 to −74) and the two tandem sterol regulatory elements (SREs; nucleotides −63 to −46) did not respond to cholesterol. Only the reporter gene constructs containing a nuclear factor-Y (NF-Y) sequence, the CCAAT sequence (nucleotides −90 to −86), an Sp-1 sequence, and the two tandem SREs responded to cholesterol. The NF-Y-binding site, therefore, is essential for cholesterol response. Mutating the SREs or the NF-Y site and inserting 4 bp between the Sp-1- and NF-Y-binding sites both resulted in a minimal cholesterol response of the reporter genes. Electrophoretic mobility-shift assays using anti-SRE-binding protein (SREBP) and anti-NF-Ya antibodies confirmed that these SREs and the NF-Y site bind the respective factors. We also identified a second Sp-1 site located between nucleotides −40 and −30 that can substitute for the mutated Sp-1 site located between nucleotides −82 and −74. The reporter gene expression of the wild-type promoter and the Sp-1 site (nucleotides −82 to −74) mutant promoter was similar when SREBP1a [the N-terminal domain of SREBP (amino acids 1–520)] was constitutively overexpressed, suggesting that Sp-1 recruits SREBP to the SREs. Under the same conditions, an NF-Y site mutation resulted in significant loss of reporter gene expression, suggesting that NF-Y is required to activate the cholesterol response.
Modeling of Spray-Formed Materials: Geometrical Considerations

In this article, a mathematical model is formulated to predict the evolution and final geometry of an axisymmetric billet (i.e., round) obtained using an off-axis spray arrangement. The model is formulated by calculating the shape change of a profile curve of a billet surface, based on an axisymmetric surface. On the basis of this model, a methodology to determine the “shadowing effect” coefficient is presented. The modeling results suggest that there are three distinct regions in a spray-formed billet: a base transition region, a uniform diameter region, and an upper transition region. The effects of several important processing parameters, such as the withdrawal velocity of substrate, maximum deposition rate, spray distribution coefficient, initial eccentric distance, and rotational velocity of substrate, on the shape factors (e.g., the diameter size of the uniform region and the geometry of the transition regions) are investigated. The mechanisms responsible for the formation of the three distinct regions are discussed. Finally, the model is then implemented and a methodology is formulated to establish optimal processing parameters during spray forming, paying particular attention to deposition efficiency.
Tunneling forced by a temperature gradient near the semiconductor-electrode boundaries

Abstract It is shown that the field in a semiconducting sandwich close to the cooling electrodes can rise sufficiently to cause a marked Schottky lowering of the barrier or a self-stabilized forced tunneling through blocking contacts if the temperature in the bulk is markedly increased by Joule's heating. The increased field close to the electrodes is caused by an inhomogeneous temperature distribution within the semiconductor due to the balance between Joule's heating of the semiconductor and cooling from the electrodes.
Search for the Direct Production of Positrons by 256- and 800-MeV Protons

The invariant cross sections for direct positron production in p-p collisions have been measured to be Ed/sup 3/sigma/dp/sup 3/= (-3 +- 2) x 10/sup -32/ and (-14 +- 12) x 10/sup -32/ cm/sup 2//sr (GeV/c)/sup 2/ at 256 and 800 MeV, respectively. These results are consistent with zero (e/sup +//..pi../sup +/approximately-less-than3 x 10/sup -6/ at 800 MeV) and are in marked contrast to results at higher energies. (AIP)
Integrated experiments for heavy ion fusion

Author(s): Barnard, J.J.; Ahle, L.E.; Bieniosek, F.M.; Celata, C.M.; Davidson, R.C.; Henestroza, E.; Friedman, A.; Kwan, J.W.; Logan, B.G.; Lee, E.P.; Lund, S.M.; Meier, W.R.; Sabbi, G.-L.; Seidl, P.A.; Sharp, W.M.; Shuman, D.B.; Waldron, W.L.; Qin, H.; Yu, S.S.
Minimizing data movement through query transformation

Reducing data movement between desktop analytic systems and server-based data management systems is an important resource-management challenge. The system presented in this paper automatically minimizes data movement in these “hybrid” analytic systems through rewrite-based query-transformation techniques pioneered in relational database query optimization. We evaluate different classes of transformations both in terms of query improvement and optimization time.
Using the analytic hierarchy process for bank management: Analysis of consumer bank selection decisions

Abstract Bank decision makers depend on being able to identify and understand customer preferences in order to decide what programs and services the bank should offer. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) provides bank managers with the ability to integrate the multiattribute preferences of consumers using a hierarchical model to determine the bank's relative position in the marketplace. The suitability of AHP in examining bank selection by consumers for managerial decision making is demonstrated using an empirical analysis in a major metropolitan area. Implications of the findings of this analysis for strategic planning in the areas of marketing mix and organizational characteristics of a bank are explored. Suggestions for application of AHP to other areas of financial services management are included.
Simultaneous Planning for New Product Development and Batch Manufacturing Facilities

One of the greatest challenges in highly regulated industries, such as pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals, is the process of selecting, developing, and efficiently manufacturing new products that emerge from the discovery phase. This process involves the performance of regulatory tests, such as environmental and safety tests, for the new products and the plant design for manufacturing the products that pass all tests. To systematically address this problem, we consider the simultaneous optimization of resource-constrained scheduling of testing tasks in new product development and design/planning of batch manufacturing facilities. A multiperiod mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model that maximizes the expected net present value of multiple projects is proposed. The model takes into account multiple tradeoffs and predicts which products should be tested, the detailed test schedules that satisfy resource constraints, design decisions for the process network, and production profiles for the different sc...
Protein kinase C.

Phosphorylation is a universal language used by cells to relay information between and within cells. One family of kinases that plays a key role in transducing information is the protein kinase C family. Members of this family interpret information from signals that result in phospholipid hydrolysis; they communicate to substrates throughout the cell, causing both short-term and long-term changes in cell function. This chapter focuses on the molecular mechanisms of protein kinase C, from the protein to the cell biological level.
Personal information management (PIM) 2008

This paper reports on the Personal Information Management (PIM) 2008 workshop held at the CHI 2008 conference. The workshop addressed many challenges that must be overcome for personal information management to become a natural and effortless part of people's everyday information experience. The topics explored included how to build good PIM tools, how to develop sound methodologies so that PIM can be studied and understood, how to account for the influence of other people on an individual's PIM practices, and how to understand the affect of widespread mobile information access on PIM.
Towards a bayesian network game framework for evaluating DDoS attacks and defense

With a long history of compromising Internet security, Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks have been intensively investigated and numerous countermeasures have been proposed to defend against them. In this work, we propose a non-standard game-theoretic framework that facilitates evaluation of DDoS attacks and defense. Our framework can be used to study diverse DDoS attack scenarios where multiple layers of protection are deployed and a number of uncertain factors affect the decision making of the players, and it also allows us to model different sophistication levels of reasoning by both the attacker and the defender. We conduct a variety of experiments to evaluate DDoS attack and defense scenarios where one or more layers of defense mechanisms are deployed, and demonstrate that our framework sheds light on the interplay between decision makings of both the attacker and the defender, as well as how they affect the outcomes of DDoS attack and defense games.
Lu-ECAM-1-mediated adhesion of melanoma cells to endothelium under conditions of flow.

Lu-ECAM-1 is a lung-derived, venular endothelial cell adhesion molecule. It promotes the selective adhesion of lung-metastatic B16-F10 melanoma cells to endothelium under static conditions and mediates colonization of the lungs by the same tumor cells. To test whether Lu-ECAM-1 by itself is sufficient to cause vascular arrest of B16-F10 cells, we measured here under conditions of flow tumor cell adhesion to endothelia that express different amounts of Lu-ECAM-1 on their surfaces. At physiological shear stresses, adhesion of B16-F10 melanoma cells to endothelia correlates positively with the amount of Lu-ECAM-1 expression on the endothelial cell surface and inversely with the level of the applied shear stress. Tumor cell trajectories are biphasic; i.e., B16-F10 melanoma cells initially move along the endothelial surface with a velocity similar to the theoretical velocity, then arrest within a fraction of a second. Arrest is permanent for most B16-F10 melanoma cells at all shear stresses tested. Tumor cells never engaged in a rolling motion prior to arrest. Masking of the Lu-ECAM-1 ligand on the surface of B16-F10 melanoma cells with soluble Lu-ECAM-1 impedes arrest of tumor cells on the surface of the test endothelium. Purified Lu-ECAM-1 also mediates B16-F10 arrest, but arrest is mostly transient at shear stresses of 0.59 dynes/cm2 and higher, implying adhesion by single receptor/ligand bonds. Our data suggest that Lu-ECAM-1 plays a critical role in the recognition and initial arrest of murine melanoma cells in lung venules.
Stress Hormone Epinephrine Increases IgA Transport across Respiratory Epithelial Surfaces

Background Secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) is the principle antibody produced at the respiratory surface. Respiratory sIgA levels are increased early after injury in both human and laboratory animals; the mechanisms are uncertain. Stress hormones, including epinephrine (Epi) and norepinephrine (NE), increase early after injury. In addition, respiratory epithelial cells are known to be responsive to β 2 -agonists. We therefore studied the effect of Epi, NE, and albuterol on IgA transport in vitro. Study Design Calu-3 respiratory epithelial cell monolayers grown in a 2-chamber cell culture system were treated for 24 hours with Epi, NE, or albuterol (10 −6 M). Dimeric IgA was added to the basal chamber of Calu-3 cells and IgA transcellular transport was indexed by recovery of SIgA in the apical chamber by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In separate experiments, Klebsiella pneumoniae (10 5 colony-forming units/mL) was added to the apical chamber of treated Calu-3 cell monolayers and bacterial passage across Calu-3 cells was determined by bacterial recovery from basal chamber media. Calu-3 cells not treated with Epi, NE, or albuterol served as control. Cell monolayer integrity was confirmed by transepithelial electrical resistance. Results Calu-3 cells treated with Epi led to a significant increase in sIgA transport, this was associated with an increase in polyimmunoglobulin receptor expression. Calu-3 cells treated with NE or albuterol showed no statistical difference compared with control. Only cells treated with Epi led to a significant increase in pro-inflammatory cytokine expression and decrease in bacterial passage. Conclusions Epinephrine is likely an early upstream signal in the enhanced IgA response at respiratory surfaces after injury.
On a class of restricted phase problems in the plane

Abstract Certain geometrical necessary and sufficient conditions are developed for the optimal control of a class of second order systems with restrictions on the phase coordinates. The phase constraint set in the plane is assumed to be convex, and under additional hypotheses, it is shown that an optimal trajectory is the one that encloses the least possible area with the optimal trajectory in the unrestricted case.
A global monthly land surface air temperature analysis for 1948-present

[1] A station observation-based global land monthly mean surface air temperature dataset at 0.5 × 0.5 latitude-longitude resolution for the period from 1948 to the present was developed recently at the Climate Prediction Center, National Centers for Environmental Prediction. This data set is different from some existing surface air temperature data sets in: (1) using a combination of two large individual data sets of station observations collected from the Global Historical Climatology Network version 2 and the Climate Anomaly Monitoring System (GHCN + CAMS), so it can be regularly updated in near real time with plenty of stations and (2) some unique interpolation methods, such as the anomaly interpolation approach with spatially-temporally varying temperature lapse rates derived from the observation-based Reanalysis for topographic adjustment. When compared with several existing observation-based land surface air temperature data sets, the preliminary results show that the quality of this new GHCN + CAMS land surface air temperature analysis is reasonably good and the new data set can capture most common temporal-spatial features in the observed climatology and anomaly fields over both regional and global domains. The study also reveals that there are clear biases between the observed surface air temperature and the existing Reanalysis data sets, and they vary in space and seasons. Therefore the Reanalysis 2 m temperature data sets may not be suitable for model forcing and validation. The GHCN + CAMS data set will be mainly used as one of land surface meteorological forcing inputs to derive other land surface variables, such as soil moisture, evaporation, surface runoff, snow accumulation and snow melt, etc. As a byproduct, this monthly mean surface air temperature data set can also be applied to monitor surface air temperature variations over global land routinely or to verify the performance of model simulation and prediction.
Universal Screening in Middle School: Examining the Behavioral and Emotional Screening System.

Universal screening is a promising approach for identifying students at risk for behavioral and emotional problems. Due to the frequent adolescent onset of behavioral and emotional problems, middle...
Statistical Associating Fluid Theory Coupled with Restricted Primitive Model to Represent Aqueous Strong Electrolytes: Multiple-Salt Solutions

Statistical associating fluid theory coupled with the restricted primitive model (SAFT1-RPM), previously proposed for representing single-salt solutions in water, is extended to multiple-salt solutions using a mixing rule for the hydrated diameter. A binary adjustable parameter in this mixing rule, for a pair of salts, is obtained from experimental osmotic coefficients of the corresponding ternary system. The ternary systems considered contain water and all pairs of NaCl, KCl, NaBr, and KBr. LiCl + NaCl and LiCl + KCl pairs are also correlated. The adjustable parameters are used to predict the density of the ternary systems with or without common ions, the solubility of two ternary systems, and the osmotic coefficient of a quaternary NaCl−KCl−LiCl−H2O solution.
Fresh osteochondral allografting

Abstract The treatment of articular cartilage defects in the knee is a difficult challenge. Fresh, small-fragment osteochondralallografting is a technique involving the transplantation of articular (hyaline) cartilage into the defective joint surface. The graft, a composite of living cartilage and a thin layer of underlying subchondral bone, provides a mature matrix with viable chondrocytes along with an osseous component that provides a surface for fixation and integration with the host. Fresh allografting is particularly useful in larger lesions (greater than 2 cms) or when associated osseous defects are present. Clinical experience with fresh osteochondral allografts now extends over 2 decades. Up to 90% of individuals treated for femoral condyle lesions are improved. The allograft tissue appears well tolerated by the host, with documented long-termsurvival of chondrocytes and intact matrix. Successful clinical outcomes have established fresh osteochondrall allografting as an appropriate alternative in the treatment of chondral and osteochondral lesions of the knee.
Ophthalmic solution buffer systems I. The effect of buffer concentration on the ocular absorption of pilocarpine

Abstract Miosis-time profiles were obtained using rabbits following the instillation of 25.0 μl of 1.0% pilocarpine nitrate solutions, which were buffered at a pH of 4.75 with different concentrations of citrate buffer. Relative pharmacological response, as measured by the areas under the miosis-time profiles and the maximum observed pupillary diameter changes, decreased as the citrate buffer concentration was increased. A reduction in the miosis-time profile area of greater than 5-fold was observed at the highest buffer concentration studied. The study demonstrates that a non-drug formulation component, such as a buffer system, can dramatically affect the relative pharmacological response from a simple ophthalmic solution dosage form. These results are of importance both in basic ophthalmic research studies and in ophthalmic product research and development.
An evaluation of color spaces fordetecting defects in Douglas-fir veneer

Abstract Color information can be valuable for detecting and classifying surface defects inwood, but its usefulness depends on the color data's format and the analysis technique used. This study investigates five color transforms that convert the National Television Standards Committee red, green, and blue (RGB) primary color space into other potentially more useful spaces. A quadratic classifier was used to evaluate the relative utility of the different color spaces in separating defects from clear wood. Images of Douglas-fir veneer with encased knots, intergrown knots, and pitch streaks were converted to the various color spaces and then analyzed. The results show, for the conditions in this study, that a two-dimensional feature space is sufficient for classification and that there are no practically important differences in performance among the different color spaces. Thus, for images of Douglas-fir veneer, it appears that there is no advantage in mathematically transforming the original RGB data into another color space.
"Hot" KTP-laser treatment of facial angiofibromata.

Background and Objective Treatment of facial angiofibromata (AF) relied largely upon cutaneous resurfacing. While effective, resurfacing affects large areas with attendant risks of dyspigmentation, infection, and scarring. We investigated the pulsed KTP (532 nm) laser energy for its high absorption by melanin and hemoglobin as a photothermal destructive method for treating AF. Study Design/Materials and Methods In five patients (Fitzpatrick phototypes II–;VI), AF were treated with the KTP laser (10 ms, 20 J/cm2, 2 mm beam) using stacked pulses (2–3.3 Hz) or passes. No cooling device was employed. Each pulse evoked puffs of steam and caused progressive flattening of AF. Normal intervening skin was strictly avoided. Patients underwent one to five sessions in which as many as 100 lesions were treated. Results Individual lesions responded with complete flattening in one or two treatments. While this effect has persisted for 18–;24 months, slow recrudescence is expected. Transient hypopigmentation and hyperpigmentation were localized to treated skin. No scarring, infection, or other adverse events were observed. Patient satisfaction with this method was high due to rapid healing time ( < 10 days), minimal pain, ease of wound care, and efficacy. Conclusions “Hot” KTP laser is an effective and safe method of treatment for facial AF. Limiting treatment only to lesional skin allowed rapid healing and very limited adverse effects despite the increased non-specific thermal damage caused by high fluence, long pulse duration, and an absence of superficial tissue cooling. Lasers Surg. Med. 29:78–81, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa blockade and thrombolytics: Early lessons from the SPEED and GUSTO IV trials

Reperfusion with a regimen of thrombolytic therapy, aspirin, and unfractionated heparin is limited by a number of factors. Only 50% to 60% of patients achieve early thrombolysis in myocardial infarction grade-3 flow within 90 minutes with the most effective thrombolytic regimens. Even after initial reperfusion is achieved, transient and permanent reocclusion occurs too often and is associated with high mortality rates. As more older patients are treated, intracranial hemorrhage is becoming more common. Finally, the risk of bleeding and procedural failure has been high in patients who received an acute percutaneous interventional procedure shortly after treatment with thrombolytic therapy. Given the important role of platelets in the thrombotic process and the relatively weak inhibitory effect of aspirin, it is reasonable to seek agents that will provide more profound platelet inhibition. Early studies with full-dose fibrinolytic and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors have been promising, but concern about bleeding has hindered this strategy. Several recent trials have evaluated full-dose abciximab with reduced-dose fibrinolytic therapy and have yielded promising results.
Hand and forearm reconstruction after skin cancer ablation

Skin cancer is common on the dorsum of the hand and forearm. The reconstructive challenges in this area are significant, and the options are myriad. Thus, the surgeon who takes on this challenge must know the various options. These options include the entire reconstructive ladder from direct closure all the way through to composite-free tissue transfer. Nail bed reconstruction should be mastered. In addition, the surgeon should be comfortable with all the reliable flaps, including the kite flap, the cross-finger flap, the reverse cross-finger flap, the rotation-advancement flaps, transposition flaps, and the radial forearm flap.