cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The coarsening kinetics associated with exsolution in an iron-free clinopyroxene

The coarsening kinetics of exsolution lamellae have been determined for an initial composition of 0.541 CaMgSi2O6−0.459 Mg2Si2O6 (Di54.1) at 1300 °, 1200 ° and 1100 ° C. Portions of this material were annealed for varying lengths of time, and the average wavelength (λ) was obtained from measurements made by utilizing transmission electron microscopy (TEM). All experiments were conducted within the (001) coherent spinodal for this system (McCallister and Yund, 1977), and the lamellae are coherent up to and including the largest wavelength observed, 1054 A. At all three temperatures mentioned previously the data are consistent with the following relationship: $$\lambda ({\AA}) = \lambda _o ({\AA}) + \operatorname{kt} ^{1/3} $$ The activation energy for the process, as determined from the respective kinetic constants (k), is 99±2 Kcal/mol. This value is similar to that found for Ca self diffusion in pseudo-wollastonite and wollastonite, and suggests the possibility that the diffusion of Ca may be controlling the rate of coarsening. A comparison of exsolution microstructures in the synthetic samples with those observed in clinopyroxenes found in kimberlites and with similar Ca/Ca + Mg indicates that the latter cooled rapidly to the effective quench temperature.
Flawed Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Medication Comparison: In Reply

In Reply .— Dr Adesman1 suggests that our study2 was “unfair and mostly irrelevant from a clinical perspective” because we compared formulations of methylphenidate, Metadate CD (MCD) and Concerta (CON), that “are not substitutes for each other.” This is an unwarranted criticism of our design. We used a nonequivalence design and large sample size to test a null hypothesis about expected small differences generated from known pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of CON3 and MCD.4 Evaluation of “substitutes” would require a noninferiority …
Thromboelastography detects inadequate response to abciximab therapy during stent-assisted cerebral aneurysm coil embolization complicated by stroke.

Thromboembolic stroke is the most common severe complication following coil embolization of intracerebral aneurysms, with a 5% incidence of permanent deficits. Despite heparin anticoagulation, rescue therapy with the platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor antagonist abciximab may be required. However, we describe a failure of abciximab rescue therapy and discuss the importance of monitoring the variable individual response to abciximab. Two patients underwent stent-assisted cerebral aneurysm coil embolization complicated by thromboembolic stroke. In one patient, abciximab rescue therapy failed and was associated with a poor neurological outcome. Thromboelastography (TEG® model 5000; Haemoscope, Skokie, IL) and platelet aggregometry suggested inadequate platelet inhibition, although other tests of platelet function suggested adequate inhibition. We describe a failure of regular-dose abciximab rescue therapy for thromboembolic stroke-complicating stent-assisted cerebral aneurysm coil embolization. The use of TEG to individualize abciximab dosing in this setting may improve patient outcome, as it tracks a pattern of coagulation consistent with the clinical picture.
Teachers’ Perceptions of School Organizational Climate as Predictors of Dosage and Quality of Implementation of a Social-Emotional and Character Development Program

Organizational climate has been proposed as a factor that might influence a school's readiness to successfully implement school-wide prevention programs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of teachers' perceptions of three dimensions of school organizational climate on the dosage and quality of teacher implementation of Positive Action, a social-emotional and character development (SECD) program. The dimensions measured were teachers' perceptions of (a) the school's openness to innovation, (b) the extent to which schools utilize participatory decision-making practices, and (c) the existence of supportive relationships among teachers (teacher-teacher affiliation). Data from 46 teachers in seven schools enrolled in the treatment arm of a longitudinal, cluster-randomized, controlled trial were analyzed. Teacher perceptions of a school's tendency to be innovative was associated with a greater number of lessons taught and self-reported quality of delivery, and teacher-teacher affiliation was associated with a higher use of supplementary activities. The findings suggest that perceptions of a school's organizational climate impact teachers' implementation of SECD programs and have implications for school administrators and technical assistance providers as they work to implement and sustain prevention programs in schools.
Automated boundary interaction force control of micromanipulators with in situ applications to microsurgery

Most recent works on miniature tasks are concentrated on developing tools to take advantage of the visual servoing feedback to control the ultra-small interaction forces. This paper spans an extensive platform for automatic controlling of boundary interaction forces with high precision in the level of micro/nano-Newton with extensive micro/nanoengineering applications such as the microsurgery. To this end, a comprehensive piezoresistive microcantilever (PMC) model considering the shear deformation and rotary inertia effects treating as the distributed-parameters model along with the Hertzian contact force is presented. The purpose of considering the Hertzian contact force model is to investigate the dynamic response of the interaction force between the microcantilever's tip and the specimen. Afterward, a control platform is introduced to automatically manipulate the PMC to follow an ideal micro/nano-interaction force. By using the integrated PMC with the micromanipulator and a digital signal processor, an intuitive programming code is written to incorporate the micromanipulator and the controller in a real-time framework. To calibrate and verify the induced voltage in the PMC, a self-sensing experiment on the piezoelectric microcantilever is carried out to warrant the calibration procedure. Some experiments are established to affirm the validity of the proposed control for the autonomous real-time tasks on the boundary interaction force control. Unlike the conventional research studies, the measured force here contributes as the feedback source in contrast to the vision feedback while force sensors possess more precision, productivity and small size. This technique has several potential applications listed but not limited to the micro/nanomanipulation, developing artificial biological systems (e.g., fabricating hydrogel for the scaffold), and medicine such as microsurgery. As a result, using the proposed platform, we are able to manipulate and control the boundary interaction forces precisely at the level of few ?N and the presented theoretical and experimental results to study the mechanical responses of the interaction force are in a good agreement.
Dose rates from the induced activity in the ETF neutral beam injector

The dose equivalent rates outside the Engineering Test Facility neutral beam injector shield from the induced radioactivity have been calculated for the reactor operating at 1140 MW for 1, 30, and 365 days. The dose rates at one day after shutdown are large even after one day of operation. Depending on the location and operating time, cooling times from 30 days to ∼ 5 years are required before the dose rates are sufficiently low to allow routine maintenance work in the vicinity of the NBI shield.
Cryopump vibration isolation system for an SEM

A standard commercially available cryopump system has been installed on a scanning electron microscope (SEM) using specially optimized vacuum vibration isolation bellows. This installation was successful in reducing the cryopump-induced vibration to a level that did not degrade the standard performance or resolution of the SEM in the pump-on mode and, in the pump-off (or coasting) mode, eliminated all measurable instrument-induced vibration (i.e., from the vacuum system). This article outlines the manner in which this performance has been accomplished and presents the results of an experiment demonstrating the reduction of specimen contamination provided by this type of vacuum system.
Electrocardiographic evidence of collateral supply to myocardium through pericardial splenosis

Abstract Electrocardiographic changes occurred during angiographic injection of the internal mammary arteries in dogs with pericardial splenosis and previously ligated coronary arteries. These electrocardiographic changes appear to be the result of the radiopaque material reaching the myocardium directly from the internal mammary arteries through the pericardial splenosis, as demonstrated by the short interval of time between the start of the injection and the onset of the electrocardiographic changes. The dramatic electrocardiographic changes, with timing measurements correlated with the simultaneous angiograms, support the validity of such conclusions in 2 of 6 test animals. No such electrocardiographic changes occurred with angiographic injection in 3 control dogs and in 4 other test dogs similarly injected. The India ink injections indicate anatomic pathways from the internal mammary arteries through the pericardial splenosis into the coronary arterial system within the myocardium. The electrocardiographic changes indicate an unmeasured but apparently significant quantity of collateral flow. If such pathways can develop, the problem then appears to be one of producing profuse splenotic growth more regularly.
The cleavage recognition signal is contained within sequences surrounding an a-a junction in herpes simplex virus DNA

Herpesvirus genome maturation involves site-specific cleavage of viral DNA concatemers and encapsidation of unit-length molecules, processes that are apparently coupled. Here, applying a transfection-infection approach, we have investigated the arrangement of the DNA sequence elements involved in cleavage and shown that specific cleavage occurs independently of DNA replication. We show that the cis-acting signal for cleavage is located within a 179-bp fragment from across an a-a junction formed as part of the genome maturation process of herpes simplex virus 1. Plasmids carrying the 179-bp fragment are cleaved at the appropriate site even though they are unable to replicate in HSV-infected cells. When linked to an origin, the same 179-bp a-a fragment will replicate and package into progeny virus as a defective genome. Two highly conserved homologies, pac1 and pac2, that have been observed in all herpesviruses examined, including cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, varicella-zoster virus, and herpes simplex virus 2 as well as the herpes simplex virus 1 genome, are contained within the 179-bp fragment. This suggests that a common mechanism is utilized for genome maturation in the herpesvirus group.
Sequential development of the Appalachian orogen above a master decollement — A hypothesis

Surface geology and seismic-reflection data suggest that rather than having a massive rooted central core the southern part of the Appalachian orogen from the Appalachian Plateau to the Atlantic continental shelf is underlain by an eastward-dipping decollement zone. We infer that this decollement zone was a long-lived structural element, intermittently growing from east to west during late Proterozoic to late Paleozoic time. Onshore displacement along the detachment surface was episodic through this long period of time, so that reliable estimates of total shortening for the entire orogen are not possible. Palinspastic restoration of only the western margin of the orogen, the area west of the Brevard zone, suggests a minimum of 280 km (175 mi) of Alleghenian displacement. Total accumulated shortening through time within the entire orogen must be considerably greater, probably exceeding hundreds of additional kilometres.
Effects of acute and chronic dieldrin administration on liver and plasma esterases of the rat.

The administration of a single oral dose of dieldrin, 40 mg/kg, or the feeding of a diet containing 50 ppm of dieldrin for up to 8 weeks to male and female rats produced changes in plasma and liver esterases that were dependent on the type of esterase, the duration of exposure, and the sex of the animal. Two hours after oral administration of dieldrin, plasma carboxylesterase activity declined in males but not in females; hepatic microsomal carboxylesterase activity was also slightly lower in dieldrin-treated males, but not females. Forty-eight and 120 hr after dieldrin administration, hepatic microsomal carboxylesterase activity was elevated in rats of both sexes. After 8 weeks of dieldrin feeding (50 ppm), both plasma and microsomal carboxylesterase activities were significantly elevated in males and females. In most instances, elevations in the activities of hepatic microsomal esterases were due to dieldrin-induced increases in microsomal protein content and not to increased esterase specific activity. Electrophoresis of solubilized microsomal membranes from control and dieldrin-treated animals revealed no sex differences or major dieldrin-induced alterations on esterase isozyme patterns. Plasma cholinesterase activity was significantly reduced in females fed 50 ppm of dieldrin in the diet for 8 weeks. Since the level of activity of this enzyme is regulated in part by estrogen, depression of cholinesterase activity may result from an increased rate of steroid metabolism in dieldrin-treated female rats. Plasma cholinesterase activity of male rats was unaffected by either acute or chronic dieldrin administration.
Treatment and outcomes of epithelioid sarcoma of the spine

Epithelioid sarcoma (ES) is a rare soft-tissue neoplasm which is most commonly found in the extremities of young adult males. ES has a poor prognosis due to its aggressiveness as it frequently recurs locally and can undergo lymphatic metastasis to soft tissue, fascia, bone, lymph nodes, lung, and brain. The most common form is the classic-type (granuloma-like), though a more aggressive subtype known as the proximal- or axial-type has also been described. As ES of the spine is exceedingly rare, with only seven patients being reported in the literature, the outcomes of these patients is unclear. We have reviewed the literature of all existing spinal ES cases to recommend treatment strategies and report the first case of proximal-type ES in the cervical spine. Patients with spinal ES had an average age of 20.7 years, with 71.4% of cases being in males. Metastasis was common and was found in 83.3% of patients, with lung metastasis being found in 60% of these patients. Due to the high rates of local recurrence and distant metastasis, the goal of surgery remains gross total resection of all tumor and involved bony elements if feasible without significant neurological deficits. Ligation of involved nerve roots may be necessary to achieve adequate resection of the tumor mass as nerve sheaths can serve as a pathway for extension. In the cervical spine, resection of these lesions is difficult due to involvement of the vertebral arteries in addition to nerve roots, increasing the surgical risk.
Application Development Framework for the Rapid Integration of High Performance Image Processing Algorithms

The application development framework (ADF) provided developers with a unique environment that supported the rapid integration and testing of image processing algorithms on high performance computers (HPCs). Using object-oriented middleware for the base of the system, along with Web technologies, allowed considerable flexibility in extending the system to a broad range of system development tools and components. The pub/sub system at the core of the ADF was the foundation that provided rapid system integration.
The nature of the crust under Cayman Trough from gravity

Abstract Considerable crustal thickness variations are inferred along Cayman Trough, a slow-spreading ocean basin in the Caribbean Sea, from modeling of the gravity field. The crust to a distance of 50 km from the spreading center is only 2–3 km thick in agreement with dredge and dive results. Crustal thickness increases to ∼5.5 km at distances between 100 and 430 km west of the spreading center and to 3.5–6 km at distances between 60 and 370 km east of the spreading center. The increase in thickness is interpreted to represent serpentinization of the uppermost mantle lithosphere, rather than a true increase in the volume of accreted ocean crust. Serpentinized peridotite rocks have indeed been dredged from the base of escarpments of oceanic crust rocks in Cayman Trough. Laboratory-measured density and P-wave speed of peridotite with 40–50% serpentine are similar to the observed speed in published refraction results and to the inferred density from the model. Crustal thickness gradually increases to 7–8 km at the far ends of the trough partially in areas where sea floor magnetic anomalies were identified. Basement depth becomes gradually shallower starting 250 km west of the rise and 340 km east of the rise, in contrast to the predicted trend of increasing depth to basement from cooling models of the oceanic lithosphere. The gradual increase in apparent crustal thickness and the shallowing trend of basement depth are interpreted to indicate that the deep distal parts of Cayman Trough are underlain by highly attenuated crust, not by a continuously accreted oceanic crust.
The Form and Formlessness of Śiva: The Linga in Indian Art, Mythology, and Pilgrimage1

The liðga is well-known as the dominant emblem of the Hindu god Œiva. This article seeks to provide an accessible survey of the mythology and iconography of the liðga, and the scholarly discussion about them. It considers some of the ancient objects that scholars have identified as liðgas, reflecting on the methodological challenges involved in their interpretation. It also considers major narrative, theological, and pilgrimage traditions surrounding liðgas, as preserved in the PurA{as, and some of the prescriptions for their construction and installation, as outlined in ·gamas and reflected in current practice. The author suggests, moreover, that liðga worship may have played an important role in the trans-regional spread and consolidation of Œaivism as we know it.
On-Line Scheduling for Checkpointing Imprecise Computation

When a failure occurs in a real-time system, the temporary loss of service and the recovery can cause a transient overload with an increase in the number of tasks that can not meet their timing constraints. The imprecise-computation technique allows one to trade off computation accuracy with computation time and offers therefore the necessary scheduling flexibility required during the recovery process after a failure. In this paper we investigate how the imprecisecomputation approach can be combined with checkpointing; the result is a technique for fault-tolerance for real-time system. We define optimalaty criteria for the checkpointed imprecise-computation model. In an earlier work we have described algorithms to statically schedule imprecise tasks to meet these criteria. These approaches are conservative for systems with very rare failures. We take advantage of new results in on-line scheduling of imprecise computation to design an algorithm that dynamically adapts to failure occurrences. Simulations are described to evaluate the performance of this algorithm.
Octreotide for Acute Variceal Bleeding

OBJECTIVE:To review the use of octreotide for acute variceal bleeding.DATA SOURCES:Articles were obtained through computerized searches involving MEDLINE (from 1997 to October 2000). Additionally, several textbooks containing information on the diagnosis and management of acute variceal bleeding were reviewed. The bibliographies of retrieved publications and textbooks were reviewed for additional references.STUDY SELECTION:All randomized studies and pharmacoeconomic evaluations that used octreotide therapy for acute variceal bleeding were considered. Randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses involving other therapies for treating variceal bleeding were also reviewed for possible inclusion.DATA EXTRACTION:The primary outcomes extracted from the literature were persistent or recurrent bleeding, need for endoscopic intervention or balloon tamponade, and mortality.DATA SYNTHESIS:Although both endoscopic therapies and medications are used to control bleeding and rebleeding episodes, the endoscopic approac...
Consumer Reports What Students with Behavior Disorders Say About School

The purpose of this study was to describe how one group of consumers of special education services—students with or at risk for behavior disorders—experienced school. We present the perspective of these students within the social constructivist framework represented by the circle of courage, a holistic approach to childrearing and community building based on traditional Native American philosophy. Seventeen students with or at risk for behavior disorders participated in semiformal small-group or individual interviews. Thematic analysis of the interview data yielded the following three categories representative of the students' experiences with respect to the four spirits of the circle of courage: (a) the students' view of themselves with respect to each of the spirits, (b) the students' perspective about school experiences that encourage each of the spirits, and (c) the students' perspective about school experiences that discourage each of the spirits. To reflect the richness and coherence of the students...
Leveraging Data Sampling and Practical Knowledge: Field Instructors' Perceptions about Inter-Rater Reliability Data.

For accreditation and programmatic decision making, education school administrators use inter-rater reliability analyses to judge credibility of student–teacher assessments. Although weak levels of agreement between university-appointed supervisors and cooperating teachers are usually interpreted to indicate that the process is not being implemented with fidelity, it is unclear which part of the process contributes to weak agreements. Quantitative analysis of data (N = 230) from four semesters, and matched-pair sampling (n = 14), countered weaknesses found in usual analysis methods. Using “data-driven decision making,” “personal practical knowledge” and “evidence-based practice” as theoretical frameworks, university-based field instructors’ discussions about what accounted for varying correlations were analyzed. Qualitative data analysis (focus group/questionnaires) found that field instructors (n = 7) assumed divergent scores indicate weakness in evaluation processes and posited conflicting root causes. ...
Synergistic Effects of Ampicillin-Aminoglycoside Combinations on Group B Streptococci

The in vitro activity of gentamicin, tobramycin, kanamycin, and amikacin in combination with ampicillin was determined against aminoglycoside-resistant group B streptococci. Synergy in each combination was determined by quantitative kill curves and demonstrated in all the combinations tested.
Columnar Specificity of Microvascular Oxygenation and Blood Flow Response in Primary Visual Cortex: Evaluation by Local Field Potential and Spiking Activity:

The relation of cortical microcirculation, oxygen metabolism, and underlying neuronal network activity remains poorly understood. Anatomical distribution of cortical microvasculature and its relationship to cortical functional domains suggests that functional organizations may be revealed by mapping cerebral blood flow responses. However, there is little direct experimental evidence and a lack of electrophysiological evaluation. In this study, we mapped ocular-dominance columns in primary visual cortex (V1) of anesthetized macaques with capillary flow-based laser speckle contrast imaging and deoxyhemoglobin-based intrinsic optical imaging. In parallel, the local field potentials (LFPs) and spikes were recorded from a linear array of eight microelectrodes, carefully positioned into left and right eye columns in V1. We found differential activation maps of blood flow, after masking large superficial draining vessels, exhibited a column-like pattern similar as the oximetric maps. Both the activated spikes and γ-band LFP demonstrated corresponding eye preference, consistent with the imaging maps. Our results present direct support in favor of previous proposals that the regulation of microcirculation can be as fine as the submillimeter scale, suggesting that cortical vasculature is functionally organized at the columnar level in a manner appropriate for supplying energy demands of functionally specific neuronal populations.
Analysis of the Impacts of Signal Slew and Skew on the Behavior of Coupled RLC Interconnects for Different Switching Patterns

This paper presents an in-depth analysis of signal slew and skew variations in coupled inductive lines for different switching patterns. It is revealed that variations of rise/fall time and skew alter the behavior of coupled inductive lines under different switching patterns. We observe that crosstalk noise reduces with increasing signal skew, and the impact of skew variation on crosstalk noise is more prominent for lines with strong capacitive coupling. A performance comparison is done between power supply and ground line as inductive shield, and it is found that ground lines work better than power lines in inductive crosstalk minimization. The 100%-delay measurement technique has been proposed as opposed to the conventional 50%-delay method, and we notice that the 50%-delay technique underestimates the propagation delay for an inductive dominant line with varying signal slew times. Closed-form equations for propagation delay in terms of signal slew time have been derived, which are within 9% of HSPICE-simulated results for a set of interconnect structures. These expressions are simple, and accuracy increases with growing number of interconnect lines.
Phenylacetaldehyde Oxidation by Freshly Prepared and Cryopreserved Guinea Pig Liver Slices: The Role of Aldehyde Oxidase

Phenylacetaldehyde is formed when the xenobiotic and biogenic amine 2-phenylethylamine is inactivated by a monoamine oxidase-catalyzed oxidative deamination. Exogenous phenylacetaldehyde is found in certain foodstuffs such as honey, cheese, tomatoes, and wines. 2-Phenylethylamine can trigger migraine attacks in susceptible individuals and can become fairly toxic at high intakes from foods. It may also function as a potentiator that enhances the toxicity of histamine and tyramine. The present investigation examines the metabolism of phenylacetaldehyde to phenylacetic acid in freshly prepared and in cryopreserved guinea pig liver slices. In addition, it compares the relative contribution of aldehyde oxidase, xanthine oxidase, and aldehyde dehydrogenase in the oxidation of phenylacetaldehyde using specific inhibitors for each oxidizing enzyme. The inhibitors used were isovanillin for aldehyde oxidase, allopurinol for xanthine oxidase, and disulfiram for aldehyde dehydrogenase. In freshly prepared liver slices, phenylacetaldehyde was converted mainly to phenylacetic acid, with traces of 2-phenylethanol being present. Disulfiram inhibited phenylacetic acid formation by 80% to 85%, whereas isovanillin inhibited acid formation to a lesser extent (50% to 55%) and allopurinol had little or no effect. In cryopreserved liver slices, phenylacetic acid was also the main metabolite, whereas the 2-phenylethanol production was more pronounced than that in freshly prepared liver slices. Isovanillin inhibited phenylacetic acid formation by 85%, whereas disulfiram inhibited acid formation to a lesser extent (55% to 60%) and allopurinol had no effect. The results in this study have shown that, in freshly prepared and cryopreserved liver slices, phenylacetaldehyde is converted to phenylacetic acid by both aldehyde dehydrogenase and aldehyde oxidase, with no contribution from xanthine oxidase. Therefore, aldehyde dehydrogenase is not the only enzyme responsible in the metabolism of phenylacetaldehyde, but aldehyde oxidase may also be important and thus its role should not be ignored.
A dynamically gain-flattened erbium-doped fiber amplifier

We have investigated a dynamically gain-flattened erbium-doped fiber amplifier with a novel voltage-controlled fiber-based gain tilt controller. The detailed performance characteristics and the comparison results with a variable optical attenuator have been reported.
Mixing subalgebras of finite von Neumann algebras

Jolissaint and Stalder introduced definitions of mixing and weak mixing for von Neumann subalgebras of finite von Neumann algebras. In this note, we study various algebraic and analytical properties of subalgebras with these mixing properties. We prove some basic results about mixing inclusions of von Neumann algebras and establish a connection between mixing properties and normalizers of von Neumann subalgebras. The special case of mixing subalgebras arising from inclusions of countable discrete groups finds applications to ergodic theory, in particular, a new generalization of a classical theorem of Halmos on the automorphisms of a compact abelian group. For a finite von Neumann algebra $M$ and von Neumann subalgebras $A$, $B$ of $M$, we introduce a notion of weak mixing of $B\subseteq M$ relative to $A$. We show that weak mixing of $B\subset M$ relative to $A$ is equivalent to the following property: if $x\in M$ and there exist a finite number of elements $x_1,...,x_n\in M$ such that $Ax\subset \sum_{i=1}^nx_iB$, then $x\in B$. We conclude the paper with an assortment of further examples of mixing subalgebras arising from the amalgamated free product and crossed product constructions.
Relationship Web: Blazing Semantic Trails between Web Resources

Using keywords as inputs to search engines and receiving documents as responses remains the prevalent way to access information on the Web. Although a shift toward entity awareness is a fairly recent trend in information access, such methods remain devoid of semantics, which are increasingly recognized as the lynchpin of search, integration, and analysis. We argue that relationships are at the heart of semantics, and, as such, we envision a Web of relationships to relate content across Web resources. Under this powerful new paradigm, information access over the Web would switch from a mere document-retrieval operation to an information framework that supports insight elicitation and semantic analytics over Web resources. In this column, we outline our vision and discuss how recent Improvements in content extraction and semantic annotation will ultimately help us realize this relationship Web.
GATA3 expression in metastatic urothelial carcinoma in fine needle aspiration cell blocks: A review of 25 cases

GATA binding protein 3 is a zinc finger transcription factor with high affinity for urothelial tissue and is a promising immunohistochemical marker in detection of urothelial carcinomas (UC). We studied its usefulness in metastatic high-grade UC. This study was performed on cell blocks (CB) of fine needle aspirates from 25 cases of metastatic high-grade UC in patients with previously resected high-grade UC. Immunohistochemical staining for GATA3, thrombomodulin, uroplakin, cytokeratin 7, and cytokeratin 20 was performed. Twenty-three of 25 cases of metastatic UC expressed GATA3 (92%); positive staining for cytokeratin 7 was present in 23 of 25 cases (92%), 20 of 25 (80%) stained for thrombomodulin, and 13 of 25 (52%) stained for cytokeratin 20. No case expressed uroplakin. Five hundred forty-seven non-urothelial carcinomas, including breast ductal carcinoma (77), hepatocellular carcinoma (100), colonic adenocarcinoma (81), pancreatic adenocarcinoma (28), gastric adenocarcinoma (31), endometrial carcinoma (27), ovarian serous carcinoma (27), lung adenocarcinoma (27), lung squamous cell carcinoma (26), malignant melanoma (27), renal cell carcinoma (48), and prostatic adenocarcinoma (48) in tissue microarrays were also analyzed and were GATA3 negative except for 35 of 77 (45.5%) of GATA3 positive breast ductal carcinoma. GATA3 has high sensitivity and specificity for detection of metastatic UC and thus may play an important role in diagnosing metastatic UC in CB samples.
A Two-Fiber Anisotropic Constitutive Model of Human Brain With Intravoxel Heterogeneity of Fiber Orientation Using Diffusion Spectrum Imaging (DSI)

Sports-related concussion is a major public health problem in the United States that is estimated to occur in 1.6–3.8 million individuals annually, and is particularly common in football. Despite the significance and growing concerns about the potential long-term consequences of concussion, its biomechanical mechanisms are not fully understood. Since 1970’s computational head modeling has proved to be an efficient tool for establishment of health injury criteria and studies on head injury mitigation. One important step in the computational modeling of the human head is to develop the mathematical material models (constitutive models) for the tissue. There have been many attempts to develop an accurate constitutive model for brain tissue. Recent experimental studies have highlighted the significant influence of axonal fibers on the non-linear and anisotropic behavior of brain tissue. Tractography based on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has been used in various previous studies to develop a constitutive model for human brain by including the anisotropic properties. Though DTI provides a macro scale information about the axonal fibers in the brain, it cannot directly describe multiple fiber orientations within a single voxel. To address this limitation within the DTI tractography, Diffusion Spectrum imaging (DSI), a variant of Diffusion Weighted Imaging, is used. DSI is generally used in deriving connectome sets and is sensitive to intravoxel heterogeneities of fiber orientation in diffusion direction caused by crossing fiber tracts and thus allowing for more accurate mapping of axonal trajectories than other diffusion methods. Thus more accurate constitutive models can be developed from the structural information about the human brain using DSI. This paper extends, the anisotropic constitutive models developed previously, for two family of fibers which will be useful in the computational modeling of the human brain using DSI.
Competing for Coffee Space: Development-Induced Displacement in the Central Highlands of Vietnam*

Vietnam has emerged as the world's second largest producer of coffee. The benefits of this expanding coffee economy are substantial but not universal; their distribution follows ethnic lines despite government commitment to equalize welfare. Focusing on Dak Lak Province in Vietnam's Central Highlands, we investigate this commercial transformation and the ''competition for coffee space'' that it has occasioned. Combined ethno history and household income analyses suggest markedly different benefits between native and non native ethnic groups, despite generally larger landholdings among the former. We interpret these finding through the conceptual lens of in situ development induced displacement. Vietnam's successful entry into highland coffee production has challenged the coffee economies of other countries. In 1987, thirty countries produced greater quantities of coffee than Vietnam (Fortunel 2000:7); today, Vietnam is second only to Brazil in world coffee production. Vietnam held 1.2 percent of the world coffee market in 1989 and 12.4 percent ten years later (Luong and Tauer 2006:49). This surge in production has spawned interest in the fate of producers in such coffee strongholds as Colombia, Indonesia, Mexico, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Cote d'Ivoire and Uganda. Considerably less attention has been directed, however, to the impact of coffee expansion on ethnic minorities within Vietnam. The present analysis seeks to remedy this inattention. Focusing on coffee production in Dak Lak Province in Vietnam's Central Highlands, we investigate whether this commercial transformation has advanced equality among ethnic groups in a socialist society committed to the
Early physiological abnormalities after simian immunodeficiency virus infection

Central nervous system (CNS) damage and dysfunction are devastating consequences of HIV infection. Although the CNS is one of the initial targets for HIV infection, little is known about early viral-induced abnormalities that can affect CNS function. Here we report the detection of early physiological abnormalities in simian immunodeficiency virus-infected monkeys. The acute infection caused a disruption of the circadian rhythm manifested by rises in body temperature, observed in all five individuals between 1 and 2 weeks postinoculation (p.i.), accompanied by a reduction in daily motor activity to 50% of control levels. Animals remained hyperthermic at 1 and 2 months p.i. and returned to preinoculation temperatures at 3 months after viral inoculation. Although motor activity recovered to baseline values at 1 month p.i., activity levels then decreased to approximately 50% of preinoculation values over the next 2 months. Analysis of sensory-evoked responses 1 month p.i. revealed distinct infection-induced changes in auditory-evoked potential peak latencies that persisted at 3 months after viral inoculation. These early physiological abnormalities may precede the development of observable cognitive or motor deficiencies and can provide an assay to evaluate agents to prevent or alleviate neuronal dysfunction.
Multiuser scheduling for MIMO wireless systems

Significant throughput gains can be leveraged in multiuser wireless systems by taking advantage of the spatial diversity provided by multiple antennas at the transmitter and/or receiver and the multiuser diversity inherent in the system. For delay tolerant data applications, this gain in system throughput can be realized through a scheduling scheme where the resources are allocated to the user experiencing the most favorable channel. In this paper, we investigate scheduling algorithms for the downlink of a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) multiuser wireless system. We propose a novel scheduling scheme that exploits spatial and multiuser diversities available in the channel. We provide numerical results demonstrating that by allowing more bits in the feedback channel, the proposed scheme enjoys significant performance gains over the existing schemes with comparable complexity. Furthermore, compared to schemes requiring perfect channel information at the base station, the proposed scheme has less complexity at the expense of a loss in throughput.
SubNet: a Java application for subnetwork extraction

Summary: The extraction of targeted subnetworks is a powerful way to identify functional modules and pathways within complex networks. Here, we present SubNet, a Java-based stand-alone program for extracting subnetworks, given a basal network and a set of selected nodes. Designed with a graphical user-friendly interface, SubNet combines four different extraction methods, which offer the possibility to interrogate a biological network according to the question investigated. Of note, we developed a method based on the highly successful Google PageRank algorithm to extract the subnetwork using the node centrality metric, to which possible node weights of the selected genes can be incorporated. Availability: http://www.zdzlab.org/1/subnet.html Contact: ude.uy.nietsnie@gnahz.gnodgnehz Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Phosphatidylserine-Dependent Catalysis of Stalk and Pore Formation by Synaptobrevin JMR-TMD Peptide.

Although the importance of a SNARE complex in neurotransmitter release is widely accepted, there exist different views on how the complex promotes fusion. One hypothesis is that the SNARE complex’s ability to bring membranes into contact is sufficient for fusion, another points to possible roles of juxtamembrane regions (JMRs) and transmembrane domains (TMDs) in catalyzing lipid rearrangement, and another notes the complex’s presumed ability to bend membranes near the point of contact. Here, we performed experiments with highly curved vesicles brought into contact using low concentrations of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to investigate the influence of the synaptobrevin (SB) TMD with an attached JMR (SB-JMR-TMD) on the rates of stalk and pore formation during vesicle fusion. SB-JMR-TMD enhanced the rates of stalk and fusion pore (FP) formation in a sharply sigmoidal fashion. We observed an optimal influence at an average of three peptides per vesicle, but only with phosphatidylserine (PS)-containing vesicles. Approximately three SB-JMR-TMDs per vesicle optimally ordered the bilayer interior and excluded water in a similar sigmoidal fashion. The catalytic influences of hexadecane and SB-JMR-TMD on fusion kinetics showed little in common, suggesting different mechanisms. Both kinetic and membrane structure measurements support the hypotheses that SB-JMR-TMD 1) catalyzes initial intermediate formation as a result of its basic JMR disrupting ordered interbilayer water and permitting closer interbilayer approach, and 2) catalyzes pore formation by forming a membrane-spanning complex that increases curvature stress at the circumference of the hemifused diaphragm of the prepore intermediate state.
Body mass index association with survival in severe aortic stenosis patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Background Conflicting results have been reported regarding impact of body mass index (BMI) on outcome of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) patients. This study evaluates the impact of BMI on 1 year mortality in patients undergoing TAVR via the transfemoral (TF) access. Methods Aortic stenosis (AS) patients undergoing TAVR via a TF access between May 2007 and December 2014 were categorized to 4 groups by BMI: low ( 30). Baseline parameters were compared, and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models were generated to assess outcome differences. Results Among 491 severe AS TAVR patients, 43 had low BMI, 148 had normal BMI, 162 were overweight, and 138 were obese. Obese patients were younger with lower Society of Thoracic Surgeons scores and higher rates of preserved ejection fraction and diabetes. There was a higher rate of women in the BMI extremes. Aortic valve area was higher among obese patients; however, the indexed area was inversely correlated with BMI. Vascular complications and transfusions were more common in the low-BMI group, while acute kidney injury was more common in obese patients. All-cause mortality at 1 year was higher in the low-BMI group (log-rank p = 0.003) with no significant difference among normal and above-normal BMI patients. In a multivariate model, BMI <20 kg/m2 was an independent predictor of mortality (HR = 2.45, p = 0.01). Conclusions BMI <20 kg/m2 should be considered a frailty marker during the screening process of severe AS TAVR patients as it is associated with higher mortality, while obesity confers similar mortality risk as normal weight. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A study of M1/M2 phase synergy in the MoVTe(Nb,Ta)O catalysts for propane ammoxidation to acrylonitrile

Abstract The bulk mixed MoVTe(Nb,Ta)O catalysts containing nanoscale intergrowths of so-called M1 and M2 phases display uniquely high reactivity in propane ammoxidation to acrylonitrile (ACN) associated with the surface ab planes of the M1 phase. The current controversy surrounding this catalytic system is focused on the role of the M2 phase, which is unable to activate propane but was suggested in some studies to function in synergy with the M1 phase by efficiently converting the propylene intermediate to ACN. The present study systematically examined the catalytic behavior of pure M1 phases prepared by selective dissolution of the M2 phase in MoVTe(Nb,Ta)O catalysts in aqueous hydrogen peroxide. It confirmed that the MoVTe(Nb,Ta)O M1 phases are highly active and selective for propane and propylene ammoxidation, while the MoVTe(Nb,Ta)O M2 phases were active and selective in propylene ammoxidation only. Crucially, the present study of the pure MoVTe(Nb,Ta)O M1 and M2 phases in propylene ammoxidation revealed for the very first time that the M2 phases are significantly less active than the corresponding M1 phases in propylene ammoxidation. The findings of this study do not support the existence of the synergy effect for the MoVTe(Nb,Ta)O M1 and M2 phases. Instead, the trends previously associated with the M1 and M2 phase synergy in propane ammoxidation can be explained by two effects that were unaccounted for previously: (i) the preferential loss of surface active TeOx species from the M1 phase during the H2O2 treatment, and (ii) the generation of fresh ab planes via mechanical crushing of the H2O2-treated M1 phase. These findings confirmed that the M1 phase is the only phase required for the activity and selectivity of the MoVTe(Nb,Ta)O catalysts in propane ammoxidation to ACN.
A Tightly-Coupled, Semi-Implicit CFD Approach for All-Mach Number Flows

In this work, we investigate A simplified implicit marching procedures within a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code with an overall goal of developing simpler, semi-implicit marching procedures relevant to complex CFD analyses. A segregated finite-volume formulation for compressible fluids is implemented within the OpenFOAM 1 framework. A preconditioned, segregated-implicit solution procedure is used to march in a dualtime, providing an apparently stable, time-accurate solution procedure. The method relies on the AUSM + -up scheme for all-Mach numbers 2 to provide accurate discretization for low- and high-Mach numbers. Numerical results for single-phase flows indicate that the method significantly out performs explicit methods, while retaining their simplicity. Thus, the proposed method can potentially provide a more efficient solution method for certain classes of CFD problems.
Picosecond Torsional Dynamics of DNA

Studies of the structure and conformational dynamics of DNA are central to an understanding of its biological function. Although the long-range segmental motions of the DNA helix have been well characterized by a variety of physical techniques [1], very little is known about the more rapid internal motions in DNA [2–4]. Our objective here is to investigate the torsional (twisting) dynamics of DNA using the techniques of picosecond time-dependent fluorescence depolarization, and to compare the results with the predictions of the elastic model presented by BARKLEY and ZIMM [5].
Can Fuzzy Logic Formalism Bring Complex Environmental Issues into Focus

Information on the status and changing trends in environmental quality is necessary to formulate sound public policy and efficient implementation of environmental pollution abatement programs. In this quest, air and water quality indices are computed using US-EPA and US-NSF proposed methods for local and regional air/water quality management in many metro cities of the world, respectively. The procedure in vogue in the computation of these indices, however, does not include expert’s knowledge. We believe that the development of a method to quantify association between the pollutant and air/water borne diseases is an important step before classifying air/water quality. There exists aleatory uncertainty in the pollution parametric data and epistemic uncertainty in describing the pollutants by the domain experts in linguistic terms such as poor, good, very good, etc. Successes of probability theory have high visibility. But what is not widely not recognized is that these successes mask a fundamental limitation-the inability to operate on what may be called perception—based information. Fuzzy logic based formalism presented in this paper can model the two types of uncertainties, thereby straightway describing air/water quality in linguistic terms with a degree of certainty attached to each term.