cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Scaling in polymer tubes used in solar water heating systems

An experimental study of the growth of calcium carbonate (commonly termed scaling) on copper, nylon 6,6, semiaromatic high temperature nylon, polypropylene, polybutylene, and Teflon tubes exposed to hard water is presented. The objective of the study is to gain qualitative information on the scaling of polymer tubes in nonisothermal, flowing conditions expected in heat exchangers and solar absorbers. The 89-cm long tubes were placed in tube-in-shell heat exchangers. Water prepared from 10 °C tap water with a total calcium concentration of 4×10−3 M, and a pH of 9.0 was pumped through the tubes at 4 cm/s. A 50 percent propylene glycol solution at 60 °C was maintained on the shell-side of the heat exchanger. The experiment was carried out for 540 hours with these conditions. Sections of the tubes were removed periodically to determine the extent of scaling. Results include scanning electron microscope images of the tube surfaces before and after exposure to the flowing water, X-ray diffraction to determine the crystalline phase content of the observed deposits, and chemical analysis to determine the mass of calcium carbonate per unit surface area and to estimate the scaling rate. A model of the scaling process is presented to help interpret the data. The data show conclusively that polymer tubes are prone to scaling. With the exception of nylon 6,6, the scaling rate on the polymers is about the same as that on copper. The nylon 6,6 substrate appears to enhance scaling.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Development of a phosphatase-resistant, L-tyrosine derived LPA1/LPA3 dual antagonist

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a bioactive compound that has gained attention due to its role in neoplastic diseases. Our group has developed a potent dual LPA1/LPA3 receptor antagonist, VPC51098 (LPA1 IC50 = 84 nM, LPA1 IC50 = 48 nM) that contained a labile phosphate head group. This lability has impaired our evaluation of our scaffold of LPA receptor antagonistsin vivo. We wished to replace the phosphate with a potentially more stable head group while retaining potency at both LPA1 and LPA3 to facilitate future in vivo studies. We tested in vitro potency of all head groups including α-methylene, α-fluoromethylene, α-hydroxymethylene; vinyl phosphonates; α-fluoro vinyl phosphonates. The most potent compound was found to be a low micromolar inhibitor VPC51299 that contained a vinyl phosphonate and possessed a half-life of approximately 90 min in rats when dosed intravenously. Herein, we describe the synthesis and initial biological evaluation of these compounds.
Aberrant subclavian artery and Kommerell aneurysm: Surgical treatment with a standard approach

Objective We report our experience with a standard surgical technique for treatment of aneurysms associated with Kommerell diverticulum and aberrant subclavian artery. Methods During a 10-year interval, 10 patients with aneurysms of Kommerell diverticulum and aberrant subclavian artery (8 right, 2 left) underwent surgical repair. All 10 patients had aneurysmal degeneration of the adjacent descending thoracic aorta and 7 had aneurysms of the nonaberrant subclavian artery that required treatment. Four of the patients with large Kommerell aneurysms underwent preliminary carotid-to-aberrant subclavian artery bypass and ligation of the subclavian artery proximal to the origin of the vertebral artery. All patients had graft replacement of the subclavian artery and descending thoracic aneurysms through a left thoracotomy using hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass and circulatory arrest. Continuity of the aberrant subclavian artery was preserved in the 6 patients without prior carotid-to-subclavian artery bypass. Results There were no in-hospital deaths. One patient required reoperation for bleeding, 1 patient developed recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, and 1 patient with delirium had evidence for infarction in the caudate nucleus but recovered completely. There were 4 late deaths from 1.5 to 44 months postoperatively. The remaining 6 patients are well from 8 to 131 months after operation. Conclusions Aneurysms of Kommerell diverticulum and coexisting aneurysms of the adjacent descending thoracic aorta and nonaberrant subclavian artery can be repaired safely with the technique we have utilized.
CMOS foundry implementation of Schottky diodes for RF detection

Schottky diodes for RF power measurement were designed and fabricated using a commercial n-well CMOS foundry process through the MOSIS service. The Schottky diodes are implemented by modifying the SCMOS technology file of the public-domain graphics layout editor, MAGIC, or by explicitly implementing the appropriate CIF layers. The modifications allow direct contact of first-layer metal to the low-doped substrate. Current-voltage measurements showed that only the n-type devices had rectifying properties with a barrier height of 0.78 eV. The I-V results were verified by performing capacitance-voltage measurements on diodes of different contact-areas. The diodes were tested in an RF detector circuit. The cut off frequency of the detector was shown to be 600 MHz.
On Uniquely Colorable Planar Graphs

Abstract A labeled graph G with chromatic number n is called uniquely n -colorable or simply uniquely colorable if every two partitions of the point set of G into n color classes are the same. Uniquely colorable planar graphs are investigated. In particular, it is shown that uniquely 3-colorable planar graphs with at least four points contain at least two triangles, uniquely 4-colorable planar graphs are maximal planar, and uniquely 5-colorable planar graphs do not exist.
Defibrillation Aboard a Commercial Aircraft

A 53-year-old executive (6 ft 3 in tall; 327 lb) with a history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and coronary artery disease (coronary artery angioplasty in 1995) was traveling with his wife on vacation and ran to catch a connecting flight. The plane had closed the doors for takeoff when his wife noted that he was unresponsive. A flight attendant brought out the on-board automatic external defibrillator (AED; “ForeRunner,” Heartstream) and was assisted by a passenger with paramedic …
Extensions of a renewal theorem

Let X1, X2, X3,… be a sequence of independent, identically distributed, absolutely continuous random variables whose first moment is μ1. Let Sk = X1 + X2 + … + Xk, and let fk(x) be the frequency function of Sk, defined as the k-fold convolution of f1(x). When f1(x) has been defined for all x, fk(x) is uniquely defined for all k, x. Write
H-bridged A3H3+ (A = Si and Ge): A π-ligand in organometallic chemistry

Organometallic complexes based on H-bridged Si3H3+ and Ge3H3+ ligands were studied at the B3LYP and B3P86 levels. Relativistic effective core potentials (SBKJC-21G and Stuttgart-RSC) and their associated basis sets were used on metals and the 6-31G(d) basis set was used on ligands. All the complexes (A3H3)Co(CO)3 (9, C3v), (A3H3)Rh(CO)3 (10, C3v) and (A3H3)Ir(CO)3 (11, C3v) (A = Si and Ge) are minima and more stable than the complexes based on Si3H3+ and Ge3H3+ ligands with terminal hydrogens (9a–11a). The stability of the bridged systems increases from Si to Ge. Isolobal and isosynaptic analogies connect these complexes with other organometallic complexes (e.g. (μ-H)3Fe3(CO)9(μ3-CMe)) and main group pyramidal systems (e.g. (μ-H)3B3H3(μ3-CH)).
Screening for extreme postdialysis urea rebound using the Smye method: patients with access recirculation identified when a slow flow method is not used to draw the postdialysis blood.

Abstract To look for patients with extreme urea rebound, we drew intradialytic samples one third of the way into dialysis during routine modeling for 3 months. The samples taken postdialysis were obtained after stopping the blood pump, without any slow flow period. Using the Smye equations, the intradialytic urea level was used to predict urea rebound, expressed as Kt/V-equilibrated minus Kt/V-single pool (ΔKt/V). Results were averaged for the 3-month period in 369 patients. Mean estimated ΔKt/V was −0.20 ± 0.13, which was similar to but slightly higher than the predicted value (−0.6 × K/V ± 0.03) of −0.19 ± 0.04. In 27 patients, extreme rebound (mean ΔKt/V P = NS) when based on 15-second slow flow samples. Eight of the 16 had marked (>15%) access recirculation by urea sampling, and ΔKtN based on full flow post samples correlated with access recirculation ( r = −0.91). The results suggest that the Smye method is valuable for identifying patients with aberrantly large postdialysis rebound values. When the postdialysis samples are drawn without an antecedent slow flow period, most patients with extreme rebound values turn out to have marked access recirculation.
Parable of the Bonfire of the Sanities

This fictional account follows a spark loosed in a suburb of Pittsburgh to downtown and the river (probably the Allegheny). Led by a hyperwhite Jesus who joins the fire fanning until the heat is loosed on him, the cast and this performance implore tough questions stand to be asked, like, Why do people tell racist jokes? What are some of the many works of laughter? And what are your options, as listener, for dousing the flame?
RNA-directed DNA synthesis by virions of Rous sarcoma virus: Further characterization of the templates and the extent of their transcription

Abstract Four species of RNA found in Rous sarcoma virus have been tested for their roles as templates for RNA-directed DNA synthesis by detergent-activated virions of RSV: the high molecular-weight subunits of the 70S RNA complex, 4S and 5S RNAs contained in the 70S complex, and 7S RNA extracted from purified virions. All three forms of low molecular-weight RNA are at least partially transcribed, but the principal templates for DNA synthesis are the high molecular-weight subunits of 70S RNA. DNA synthesized by virions of RSV contains nucleotide sequences representative of most or all of the viral genome, but the majority of these sequences are present in very small proportions. These results further substantiate the occurrence of preferential transcription from a limited region of the viral genome as defined previously for double-stranded enzymatic product by measurement of reassociation kinetics. By contrast, single-stranded DNA synthesized by virions of RSV in the presence of actinomycin D is a complete and relatively uniform copy of the entire viral genome. The latter observation facilitates both the study of nucleic acid homologies among RNA tumor virus genomes and the execution of competition hybridizations to determine the portion of a viral genome present in various populations of cellular RNA. An example of each of these procedures is given.
Urinary pH and Urea Concentration Correlate to the Bacterial Colonization rate in Gastric, Colonic, Ileal and Myoperitoneal Bladder Augmentation

AbstractWe investigated how various types of augmentation cystoplasty alter the native bacteriostatic properties of urine, particularly urinary urea and pH, in the Sprague-Dawley rat. The augmentation cystoplasties studied included 1 cm.2 and 2 cm.2 patches of colon, ileum and stomach as well as myoperitoneal bladder flaps. Augmentations in order of decreasing incidence of bacteriuria and urinary pH are 2 cm.2 ileal greater than 1 cm.2 ileal greater than 2 cm.2 colonic greater than 1 cm.2 colonic greater than myoperitoneal greater than cystotomy alone greater than 1 cm. sup 2 gastric greater than 2 cm.2 gastric. Urinary urea concentrations were similar between cystotomy alone, and myoperitoneal and gastric augments. In contrast, all colonic and ileal augments had significantly lower urea concentrations compared to the aforementioned groups. Our findings suggest that the type and size of augmentation directly affect urinary pH and urea nitrogen concentration, and the incidence of bacteriuria.
Role of 3',5'-cyclic AMP in the control of nuclear protein kinase activity.

Abstract The role of cAMP in the regulation of nuclear protein kinase activity was investigated. Acidic nuclear proteins prepared from rat liver nuclei were separated by phosphocellulose chromatography into four peaks of protein kinase activity and two peaks of cAMP-binding activity. A fraction which bound cAMP also inhibited the most active nuclear protein kinase, K IV, and the inhibition was diminished in the presence of 5 μM cAMP. Further support for the regulation of nuclear kinases by cAMP was obtained using a regulatory subunit prepared from rabbit muscle protein kinase. The muscle regulatory subunit markedly inhibited liver nuclear kinase activities. The addition of cAMP partially restored the activities.
Static and Dynamic Modeling of a Solar Active Region

Recent hydrostatic simulations of solar active regions have shown that it is possible to reproduce both the total intensity and the general morphology of the high-temperature emission observed at soft X-ray wavelengths using static heating models. These static models, however, cannot account for the lower temperature emission. In addition, there is ample observational evidence that the solar corona is highly variable, indicating a significant role for dynamical processes in coronal heating. Because they are computationally demanding, full hydrodynamic simulations of solar active regions have not been considered previously. In this paper we make first application of an impulsive heating model to the simulation of an entire active region, AR 8156 observed on 1998 February 16. We model this region by coupling potential field extrapolations to full solutions of the time-dependent hydrodynamic loop equations. To make the problem more tractable we begin with a static heating model that reproduces the emission observed in four different Yohkoh Soft X-Ray Telescope (SXT) filters and consider impulsive heating scenarios that yield time-averaged SXT intensities that are consistent with the static case. We find that it is possible to reproduce the total observed soft X-ray emission in all of the SXT filters with a dynamical heating model, indicating that nanoflare heating is consistent with the observational properties of the high-temperature solar corona. At EUV wavelengths the simulated emission shows more coronal loops, but the agreement between the simulation and the observation is still not acceptable.
Social Public Procurement: Corporate Responsibility Without Regulation

The growing perception in the developed world that multi-national corporations conduct social and environmental exploitation abroad raises numerous questions about corporate social responsibility. That those corporations would not get away with, nor probably even attempt, such exploitation in their home countries complicates the dialogue: to what extent are the home governments responsible for ensuring their native corporations act responsibly abroad? The E.U. answers this question affirmatively and takes an active role in promoting social responsibility. One major mechanism they use is socially responsible public procurement, which incentivizes good social outcomes by awarding contracts based, in part, on social criteria. Because the annual public procurement budget in the E.U. hovers around €1 trillion, this offers an incredibly powerful tool for positive change. This Essay explores the E.U.’s framework for achieving these social goals and suggests that the U.S. should undertake many of the same policies. In the U.S., public procurement accounts for over 10% of GDP. Therefore, using the marketplace rather than regulation to achieve positive change offers a powerful tool: the upside of social good without the downside of increased regulatory burden.
Lox10, a member of the NK-2 homeobox gene class, is expressed in a segmental pattern in the endoderm and in the cephalic nervous system of the leech Helobdella

A novel leech homeobox gene, Lox10, is shown to encode a homeodomain sequence characteristic of a phyletically widespread NK-2 homeobox gene class. Lox10 expression was examined in leech embryos of various ages by in situ hybridization. In the unsegmented cephalic region, Lox10 RNA is expressed in a subset of the cells descended from the a9 and b9 micromeres, including a small cluster of cells, believed to be postmitotic neurons, within the supraesophageal ganglion of the central nervous system. Hybridization signal was not detected in either the mesoderm or ectoderm of the trunk segments, and the apparent restriction of Lox10 ectodermal expression to the nonsegmented cephalic domain resembles the restricted forebrain expression pattern of its mammalian homologues. Lox10 is also expressed within the endodermal tissues of the leech midgut, which arises by cellularization from a polynucleate syncytium. Endodermal expression is organized into a pattern of transverse stripes and spots which are aligned with the intersegmental septa, and which prefigure the pattern of gut wall constrictions observed at later stages of development. Lox10 is the first molecular marker of segmentally periodic endoderm differentiation reported for any animal species.
Short-Term Memory Stages in Sign vs. Speech: The Source of the Serial Span Discrepancy

Speakers generally outperform signers when asked to recall a list of unrelated verbal items. This phenomenon is well established, but its source has remained unclear. In this study, we evaluate the relative contribution of the three main processing stages of short-term memory – perception, encoding, and recall – in this effect. The present study factorially manipulates whether American Sign Language (ASL) or English is used for perception, memory encoding, and recall in hearing ASL-English bilinguals. Results indicate that using ASL during both perception and encoding contributes to the serial span discrepancy. Interestingly, performing recall in ASL slightly increased span, ruling out the view that signing is in general a poor choice for short-term memory. These results suggest that despite the general equivalence of sign and speech in other memory domains, speech-based representations are better suited for the specific task of perception and memory encoding of a series of unrelated verbal items in serial order through the phonological loop. This work suggests that interpretation of performance on serial recall tasks in English may not translate straightforwardly to serial tasks in sign language.
Evidence of energy transfer from tryptophan to BSA/HSA protected gold nanoclusters

This work reports on the chromophores interactions within protein-protected gold nanoclusters. We conducted spectroscopic studies of fluorescence emissions originated from gold nanoclusters and intrinsic tryptophan (Trp) in BSA or HSA proteins. Both steady state fluorescence and lifetime measurements showed a significant Forster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) from Trp to the gold nanocluster. Tryptophan lifetimes in the case of protein-protected gold nanoclusters are 2.6 ns and 2.3 ns for BSA and HSA Au clusters while 5.8 ns for native BSA and 5.6 for native HSA. The apparent distances from Trp to gold nanocluster emission center, we estimated as 24.75 A for BSA and 23.80 A for HSA. We also studied a potassium iodide (KI) quenching of protein-protected gold nanoclusters and compared with the quenching of BSA and HSA alone. The rates of Trp quenching were smaller in BSA-Au and HSA-Au nanoclusters than in the case of free proteins, which is consistent with shorter lifetime of quenched Trp(s) and lower accessibility for KI. While Trp residues were quenched by KI, the emissions originated from nanoclusters were practically unquenched. In summary, for BSA and HSA Au clusters, we found 55% and 59% energy transfer efficiency respectively from tryoptophan to gold clusters. We believe this interaction can be used to our advantage in terms of developing resonance energy transfer based sensing applications.
Polymers for Forming Drug-Loaded Microspheres: Natural Versus Synthetic

Numerous research groups currently are working to develop microcapsules, microspheres, and nanoparticles able to function as effective drug carriers. Much effort is focused on forming biodegradable particles from iactide-glycolide copolymers (PLGA)1−3. Although microparticles prepared from PLGA copolymers have had many successes, PLGA copolymers are not ideal drug carriers. Many other materials conceptually could be formed into suitable particulate drug carriers: synthetic polymers other than PLGA, natural polymers, chemical derivatives of natural polymers, selected inorganics, and nonpolymeric lipids. The purpose of this paper is not to discuss the advantages and limitations of each of these classes of carrier materials, but to contrast the features of PLGA copolymers with those of potentially competitive natural polymers. PLGA copolymers are used as the reference standard, because they are an approved family of biodegradable drug carrier polymers utilized by many research groups globally.
Long-term prognosis of depression in primary care

This article uses longitudinal data from a primary care sample to examine long-term prognosis of depression. A sample of 225 patients initiating antidepressant treatment in primary care completed assessments of clinical outcome (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and the mood module of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IIIR) 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18 and 24 months after initiating treatment. The proportion of patients continuing to meet criteria for major depression fell rapidly to approximately 10% and remained at approximately that level throughout follow-up. The proportion meeting criteria for remission (Hamilton Depression score of 7 or less) rose gradually to approximately 45%. Long-term prognosis (i.e. probability of remission at 6 months and beyond) was strongly related to remission status at 3 months (odds ratio 3.65; 95% confidence interval, 2.81-4.76) and only modestly related to various clinical characteristics assessed at baseline (e.g. prior history of recurrent depression, medical comorbidity, comorbid anxiety symptoms). The findings indicate that potentially modifiable risk factors influence the long-term prognosis of depression. This suggests that more systematic and effective depression treatment programmes might have an important effect on long-term course and reduce the overall burden of chronic and recurrent depression.
Hypercoagulability in patients with obstructive sleep apnea

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been linked to cardiovascular complications such as stroke and myocardial infarction. Previous studies demonstrate that OSA patients show elevated fibrinogen levels and increased platelet aggregation that are reversed with 1 night of nasal continuous positive airway pressure treatment (NCPAP). Questioning overall coagulability in OSA, we examined whole blood coagulability in 11 chronically NCPAP treated OSA subjects, 22 previously untreated OSA subjects, and in 16 of these after 1 night of NCPAP treatment. Patients and methods: During full polysomnography, subjects from each group had blood drawn prior to bedtime (21:00 h) and upon waking in the morning (07:00 h). Results: Untreated OSA patients had faster P.M. clotting times than chronically treated OSA patients (3.33±0.31 versus 6.12± 0.66 min, P<0.05 by ANOVA). A.M. values showed similar results (4.31± 0.34 min versus 7.08±0.52 min, P<0.05 by ANOVA) for the respective groups. One overnight treatment with nasal CPAP did not produce a significant change in A.M. whole blood coagulability (4.35 ±0.43 to 5.31±0.53 min; n=16; P=0.1) in 16 treated subjects. Conclusions: These data indicate a relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and blood hypercoagulability status that appears to be reversed by chronic NCPAP treatment. These data suggest that NCPAP might protect against the development of cardiovascular complications in OSA patients.
Post-Agricultural Invasion, Establishment, and Growth of Neotropical Trees

I. Abstract Because clearing forest for agriculture is the most common disturbance in the Neotropics, studies of post-agricultural recovery need to be conducted, both to understand rain-forest function and structure and to address important social issues such as deforestation, restoration, and sustainability. To assist that effort, the clearing, planting, cultivation, harvesting, and abandonment practices for common crops in the Neotropics, the post-agricultural environment and disturbance regime, and the recovery mechanisms are reviewed for their influence on the succession that follows abandonment. An important focus is on the four historical effects, or signatures, of crops: crop persistence, crop root exudate persistence, persistence of associated species, and indirect effects of herbicide and fertilization regimes. In addition, the effects of cattle introduced after cropping, such as hummock creation, soil compaction, and dung deposition, are discussed. Further, permanent plot tree data from Puerto R...
A Simple Method of Cold Coronary Perfusion

Hypothermic coronary perfusion lengthens the safe duration of anoxic arrest. Intermittent selective hypothermic coronary perfusion provides extended myocardial protection. We describe a method of achieving profound myocardial hypothermia by selective deep hypothermic coronary perfusion using a cooling coil without a separate pump head.
A Review of White Light Streamers at the End of Cycle 23

I give a brief review of the quiescent large scale visible corona with an emphasis on the origin, structure and role of streamers in the solar wind. The review is mostly based on results from the last 10 years of the SOHO mission and the goal is to provide a coherent picture of what is known on streamers at the end of the current cycle. This presentation is given on the occasion of a solar eclipse, one of the most spectacular natural phenomena on Earth. For ages, natural eclpses were the only way to observe with our own eyes the corona, the faint outer atmosphere of the sun. The aesthetic pleasure of the phenomenon aside, visible observations of the extended corona carry significant scientific value. In the last 200 years, numerous expeditions over the last 200 years have trekked into remote locations, fought against limited resourses, unpredictable weather and capricious instrumentation to obtain a limited set of images over the few minutes that a total eclipse may last Zirker (1995). But real progress in coronal physics requires long-term observations of the corona. Such observations have been made possible by specialized telescopes, called coronagraphs, that block the light from the solar disk creating an artificial eclipse. The LASCO coronagraphs Brueckner et al. 1995 aboard the SOHO mission have contributed significantly in our understanding of the corona over the last 10 years. We now know a great deal about the physics, morphology and evolution of the corona. It is impractical to summarize such extensive knowledge in such a short space. Interested readers can find much more information in dedicated textbooks (Golub & Pasachoff 1997; Aschwanden 2004. I will only give a brief overview of some key concepts of the large scale corona and describe what is known about the origins and structure of the building blocks of the corona, the white light streamers, and their role in the solar wind. 1. General Properties of the Large Scale Corona Although the term "large scale corona" sually implies the visible corona, there exist several other "coronae" depending upon the mechanism responsible for their emission. The visible corona or K-corona is created by the reflection of the photospheric light by the coronal electrons through the Thomson scattering process. The same photospheric light is reflected by larger, dust particles to create the F-corona. The F-corona is usually a nuiscance because it dominates the K-corona signal above a few solar radii without providing any information on coronal processes. The removal of the F-corona is an integral part for coronal analysis. Those interplanetary dust particles also radiate themselves in the infrared to form the T-corona. Finally, the coronal electrons can emit radiation at several spectral lines, from X-rays to the infrared, but this so-called E-corona becomes
Solution self-assembly of magnetic light modulators from exfoliated perovskite and magnetite nanoparticles.

Covalent linkage of oleic acid ligated Fe3O4 spheres (9 nm) with sheetlike [H1-xCa2Nb3O10] particles (300 × 300 × 2 nm) yields, depending on conditions, submicro- or microscale stacks, which on the...
Genetic Susceptibility Contributes to Renal and Cardiovascular Complications of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

More than 100 000 Americans were diagnosed with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and initiated renal replacement therapy in 2003. Diabetes mellitus (DM) was the etiology of ESRD in nearly one half (44.2%) of these incident cases. Overall, 324 826 Americans received renal replacement therapy in 2003 at a cost of more than $27.3 billion.1 Diabetic subjects are not at equal risk for developing progressive diabetic nephropathy (DN).2 Diabetic blacks have a 4-fold higher incidence rate of ESRD compared with whites.1 Familial aggregation of albuminuria, DN, and ESRD have long been observed.3,4 The magnitude of familial aggregation of ESRD was demonstrated in a study of 25 883 incident dialysis patients.5 After exclusion of cases with monogenic genetic kidney diseases (ie, autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and hereditary nephritis), almost one quarter (22.8%) of incident dialysis patients (31.6% of black women and 27.5% of black men) reported having a first-degree and/or second-degree relative with ESRD. Multivariate analysis revealed that diabetes-associated ESRD, black ethnicity, and younger age at ESRD were significant and independent predictors of familial aggregation of ESRD. A population-based cohort study6 further demonstrated that the familial clustering of DN was in excess of that which could be explained by an excessive prevalence of diabetes and hypertension in families. Together, these reports suggest the presence of “renal failure susceptibility genes,” independent from genetic factors causing type 2 diabetes per se. Many studies have evaluated the roles of specific “candidate genes” in susceptibility to DM-ESRD and DN. The results of these candidate gene analyses have often been contradictory. Discrepancies between studies are likely because of small sample sizes, significant association caused by population stratification, and/or inadequate evaluation of polymorphisms in candidate genes (ie, interrogation of too few single nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs] for complete coverage of the haplotype …
Invited Commentary---Linking Service and Finance

I am delighted to have an opportunity to comment on Rust and Chung’s (2006) timely and insightful article. This article does an excellent job of summarizing the evolution of marketing models of service and relationships. Rust and Chung (2006) rightly attribute increasing interest in such models to ongoing changes in information technology—an ancient trend with an extremely high likelihood of continuing into the future. Their eloquent and provocative observations on the implications of this trend for future research and practice should dramatically influence both. The purpose of this note is to build on Rust and Chung’s thoughtful and sound foundation by highlighting certain research priorities, elaborating on the types of research questions that warrant attention, and further exploring the implications of their work for marketing science and the marketing field as a whole.
The Global Carbon Metabolism Regulator Crc Is a Component of a Signal Transduction Pathway Required for Biofilm Development by Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The transition from a planktonic (free-swimming) existence to growth attached to a surface in a biofilm occurs in response to environmental factors, including the availability of nutrients. We show that the catabolite repression control (Crc) protein, which plays a role in the regulation of carbon metabolism, is necessary for biofilm formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Using phase-contrast microscopy, we found that a crc mutant only makes a dispersed monolayer of cells on a plastic surface but does not develop the dense monolayer punctuated by microcolonies typical of the wild-type strain. This is a phenotype identical to that observed in mutants defective in type IV pilus biogenesis. Consistent with this observation, crc mutants are defective in type IV pilus-mediated twitching motility. We show that this defect in type IV pilus function is due (at least in part) to a decrease in pilA (pilin) transcription. We propose that nutritional cues are integrated by Crc as part of a signal transduction pathway that regulates biofilm development.
Epithelial apoptosis in mechanistically distinct methods of injury in the murine small intestine

Gut epithelial apoptosis is involved in the pathophysiology of multiple diseases. This study characterized intestinal apoptosis in three mechanistically distinct injuries with different kinetics of cell death. FVB/N mice were subjected to gamma radiation, Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia or injection of monoclonal anti-CD3 antibody and sacrificed 4, 12, or 24 hours post-injury (n=10/time point). Apoptosis was quantified in the jejunum by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), active caspase-3, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP-mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL), in situ oligoligation reaction (ISOL,) cytokeratin 18, and annexin V staining. Reproducible results were obtained only for H&E, active caspase-3, TUNEL and ISOL, which were quantified and compared against each other for each injury at each time point. Kinetics of injury were different with early apoptosis highest following radiation, late apoptosis highest following anti CD3, and more consistent levels following pneumonia. ISOL was the most consistent stain and was always statistically indistinguishable from at least 2 stains. In contrast, active caspase-3 demonstrated lower levels of apoptosis, while the TUNEL assay had higher levels of apoptosis in the most severely injured intestine regardless of mechanism of injury. H&E was a statistical outlier more commonly than any other stain. This suggests that regardless of mechanism or kinetics of injury, ISOL correlates to other quantification methods of detecting gut epithelial apoptosis more than any other method studied and compares favorably to other commonly accepted techniques of quantifying apoptosis in a large intestinal cross sectional by balancing sensitivity and specificity across a range of times and levels of death.
Efficiency of Governing Structures in Agriculture

This paper, presented in Russian, incorporates the New Institutional and Transaction Costs Economics into analysis of efficiency of agrarian organizations. Main kinds of transactions of the managers of agrarian transactions (farms entrepreneurs) are clarified as land, labor, service, inputs, and finance supply; marketing; and collective actions. The alternative market, non-market, and mixed modes for organization of different types of agrarian transitions are identified. Various types of costs associated with each form of transacting are determined and the comparative efficiency of different governance structures estimated. Firstly, critical factors of transactions in particular institutional environment are identified. These factors affect transaction costs variation, and they are associated: with behavioral characteristic of agrarian agents (bounded rationality, tendency for opportunism, building of reputation, risk aversion, level of trusts); and with economic dimensions of individual transactions (frequency, uncertainty, assets specificity and appropriability). Secondly, assessment is made on effective potential of alternative organizational modes to: minimize bounded rationality of agrarian agents and uncertainty associated with transacting; to appropriate and protect private investments from possible opportunism; to recover long-term investments for organizational development through high recurrence of transactions between same agents; to exploit economy of size and scale on specific for relationship with a particular partner capital etc. Third, principal matrix of generic organizational modes is build for effective governance of transactions with different combination of critical dimensions: free market mode if effective to carry out transactions with high appropriability and low assets specificity; the special contract form is appropriate for transactions with high frequency, and increased uncertainty and assets specificity; the internal integration can manage effectively repeated transactions with high capital dependency and big uncertainty; the hybrid and public modes are the most effective forms for occasional transactions with low appropriability and high assets specificity. Finally, effective horizontal and vertical boundaries of every specific form within each generic modes could be determined through comparison of their potential to explore economy of size (scale) on specific or (and) specialized assets, and their comparative efficiency to minimize bounded rationality and to control opportunism of counterparts.
Geologic Model, Probabilistic Methodology and Computer Programs for Petroleum Resource Assessment

The objective of this study was to develop a geostochastic system for estimation of undiscovered petroleum resources by play analysis of the Bekes basin. A resource appraisal system was designed for play analysis using a reservoir-engineering geologic model and an analytic probabilistic methodology. The system resulted in a package of computer programs, called FASPUM, for play analysis and play aggregation. Resource estimates of crude oil, nonassociated gas, associated-dissolved gas, and total gas were calculated in terms of probability distributions. The FASPUM computer package is a complex system that is very flexible and efficient, and runs on IBM PC/XT/AT and compatible microcomputers.
Clinical outcomes after ventriculoatrial shunting for idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus

Abstract Introduction Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a neurological disorder that classically presents with a triad of progressive gait impairment, urinary incontinence, and cognitive deterioration. Treatment predominantly involves ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunting, but one alternative is ventriculoatrial (VA) shunting. This study sought to describe and evaluate the clinical outcomes of patients with iNPH primarily treated with VA shunting. Materials and Methods A retrospective review of patients with iNPH who were treated with VA shunting at a single institution, from 2003 to 2013, was performed. Results 58 patients with iNPH underwent primary VA shunting at a median age of 74 (IQR: 70–80) years. The most common comorbidities included hypertension ( n =39, 67%) and diabetes mellitus ( n =11, 19%). Median duration of symptoms prior to VA shunting was 24 (IQR: 12–36) months. All patients had gait impairment, 52 (90%) had cognitive decline, and 43 (74%) had urinary incontinence. Forty-three (74%) patients had all three symptoms. At a median last follow-up of 16 (IQR: 7–26) months, median iNPH score improved from 6 to 3 ( p p =0.082), timed up-and-go (TUG) improved from 18 to 13s ( p p Conclusions There were significant improvements in functional outcomes as evaluated via the iNPH score, TUG, and Tinetti score, while improvement in MMSE trended toward significance. Patients also had improvement of clinical symptoms related to gait, urinary function and cognition. These results suggest that VA shunting can be an effective primary treatment alternative to VP shunting for iNPH.
Continuous time scheduling for sugarcane harvest logistics in Louisiana

Despite a growing global appetite for sugar as both a foodstuff and a fuel source, there exists limited literature that explores sugarcane operations. In this paper, we look at the scheduling harvest and logistics operations in the state of Louisiana in the United States. These operations account for significant portions of the total sugarcane production costs. We develop an integer programming model for coordinating harvest and transport of sugarcane. The model seeks to reduce vehicle waiting time at the mill by maximising the minimum gap between two successive arrivals at the mill. To help improve tractability, we introduce valid inequalities and optimality cuts. We also demonstrate how to adapt solutions from a previous discrete-time model. Our results show that arrivals can easily be coordinated to reduce truck waiting time at the mill.
Thrombin activation of maternal platelets causes placental developmental failure through a mechanism independent of thrombosis in a murine high-risk pregnancy model

s / Placenta 34 (2013) A1–A99 A83 P2.79. THROMBIN ACTIVATION OF MATERNAL PLATELETS CAUSES PLACENTAL DEVELOPMENTAL FAILURE THROUGH A MECHANISM INDEPENDENT OF THROMBOSIS IN A MURINE HIGH-RISK PREGNANCY MODEL Vidhyalakshmi Arumugam, Jianzhong An, Michelle Bordas, Rashmi Sood Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA Objectives: Maternal thrombophilia is a risk factor for placenta-mediated pregnancycomplications. Themechanism is suspected to involve thrombotic occlusion of the uteroplacental circulation.We examined the role of platelet aggregation in the mechanism of placental failure in a thrombophilia-associatedmurine high-risk pregnancy model (J. Exp. Med., PMID 17438064).We have shown that treatment with heparin prevents placental failure independent of anticoagulation in this model (Blood, PMID 23325830). Yet, thrombin receptor on maternal platelets mediates placental failure. Methods: Integrin aIIbb3 is essential for stable platelet aggregation following activation by thrombin. Experimental FVQ/QThbdPro/+ females were made deficient in aIIb using breeding strategies. Collagen receptor GPVI was depleted using pharmacological tools. Timed pregnancies with ThbdPro/Pro males were evaluated; 50% ThbdPro/Pro embryos are expected from this cross. P-values were computed using c2 GOF and Fisher's exact test of independence. Results: (Tabulated) Embryos homozygous for a prothromboticmutation in thrombomodulin (ThbdPro/Pro) die in utero from placental developmental failure in pregnancies of mothers homozygous for factor V Leiden polymorphism (FVQ/Q) (row 1, P1⁄40.000003), but survive if the mother lacks thrombin receptor, Par4 (row 2; P1⁄40.003 versus row 1). Absence of aIIbb3 from maternal platelets did not improve survival of ThbdPro/Pro embryos (row 3; P[0.52 versus row 1). Depletion of GPVI slightly improved survival but did not reach statistical significance (row 4, P1⁄40.09 versus row 1). Treatment # live embryos # (%age) aborted
Ti resetting in quartz during dynamic recrystallization: Mechanisms and significance

The ubiquity of quartz in continental crust, and the involvement of SiO 2 in multiple metamorphic processes such as reactions, fluid flux, and solution-transfer processes, makes quartz an obvious choice for reconstructing prograde metamorphic conditions in various rock types. Recent studies have shown the usefulness of analyzing Ti distribution in quartz to constrain pressure-temperature-(relative) time-deformation ( P-T-t-D ) in metamorphosed tectonites. New high-precision single-crystal X-ray diffraction volume constraints on Ti-doped and chemically pure quartz provide further evidence for substitution of Ti 4+ for Si 4+ in the tetrahedral site in quartz, with resultant lattice strain on the structure. Recent applications of the Ti-in-quartz thermobarometer to dynamically recrystallized quartz have identified recrystallized subgrains that contain lower Ti concentrations ([Ti]) than their host porphyroclasts. In addition, [Ti] are lower than expected for the temperatures of recrystallization. Atomistic simulations that estimate energetic perturbations resulting from Ti incorporation into the quartz lattice indicate that significant increases in strain energy occur only at very high [Ti]; the strain-energy increase is negligible for [Ti] typical of quartz grown under mid-crustal conditions. This suggests that lattice strain rarely provides an appreciable driving force for Ti loss from quartz; instead, it appears that subgrain boundaries and dislocation arrays migrating through recrystallizing quartz crystals can promote localized re-equilibration, thermodynamically regulated by the composition of the intergranular medium (typically undersaturated in Ti). It therefore appears that analyses from dynamically recrystallized quartz cannot be meaningfully interpreted until methods are developed that can account quantitatively for the reduction of Ti resulting from crystal plastic flow.
The Relationship Between Student Body Racial Composition and the Normative Environment Toward Diversity at Community Colleges

While there has been increased scholarship in recent years on diversity in higher education, most of this research has failed to include 2-year institutions in its analyses. This study examined whe...
Adaptive Reliability-Based Splitting Algorithms with Collision Inference for Sequential Detection

We consider the problem of distributed detection in a large, single-hop, wireless sensor network in which the fusion center (FC) is not able to collect observations from all sensor nodes. We propose an ordered sequential detection algorithm that combines a reliability-based splitting algorithm, an ordered transmission strategy, and a sequential probability ratio test (SPRT). In the proposed scheme, the FC uses a random access protocol to collect local observations in descending order of their reliabilities. Unlike many schemes, where packet collisions are treated as errors and ignored, the FC in the proposed scheme can partially retrieve the observations from collisions. As a result, the FC sequentially decides whether to make a global decision or to continue collecting more local observations by using both the successfully received observations and these partially retrieved observations. Numerical results show that the proposed approach significantly outperforms a conventional SPRT scheme.
Optimal Joint Scheduling and Cloud Offloading for Mobile Applications

Cloud offloading is an indispensable solution to supporting computationally demanding applications on resource constrained mobile devices. In this paper, we introduce the concept of wireless aware joint scheduling and computation offloading (JSCO) for multi-component applications, where an optimal decision is made on which components need to be offloaded as well as the scheduling order of these components. The JSCO approach allows for more degrees of freedom in the solution by moving away from a compiler pre-determined scheduling order for the components towards a more wireless aware scheduling order. For some component dependency graph structures, the proposed algorithm can shorten execution times by parallel processing appropriate components in the mobile and cloud. We define a net utility that trades-off the energy saved by the mobile, subject to constraints on the communication delay, overall application execution time, and component precedence ordering. The linear optimization problem is solved using real data measurements obtained from running multi-component applications on an HTC smartphone and the Amazon EC2, using WiFi for cloud offloading. The performance is further analyzed using various component dependency graph topologies and sizes. Results show that the energy saved increases with longer application runtime deadline, higher wireless rates, and smaller offload data sizes.