cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Increased Incidence of Human Papillomavirus-Related Precancer or Second Malignancy Among Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation Patients: A SEER-Medicare Population Study.

ABSTRACT Each year, more than 8000 allogeneic stem cell transplantations (allo-SCT) are performed in the United States, with approximately 30% of these patients age ≥60 years. Allo-SCT recipients are at increased risk for developing human papillomavirus (HPV)-related precancer or second malignancy. It is important to evaluate HPV-related precancer or second malignancy among allo-SCT recipients to develop or enhance screening and preventive practice guidelines to improve patients’ survival and quality of life. In this retrospective matched case-control study, we estimated the cumulative incidence of HPV-related precancer or second malignancy in both male and female Medicare beneficiaries who underwent allo-SCT and compared it with the cumulative incidence in non-SCT controls and noncancer controls. Hematologic cancer patients age ≥18 years who underwent allo-SCT between 2002 and 2011 were matched 1:5 to non-SCT controls and to noncancer controls by age, sex, race/ethnicity, and duration of follow-up. Proportions of HPV-related precancer or second malignancy were estimated and compared between cases and controls using the chi-square test and logistic regression. Kaplan-Meier cumulative incidences were estimated and compared using log-rank tests. We identified 700 allo-SCT cases (median age, 64 years; median follow-up post-transplantation, 4.3 years) matched with 3159 non-SCT controls and 3302 noncancer controls. Approximately 3.7% of allo-SCT cases developed HPV-related precancer or second malignancy post-transplantation, compared with 1.9% of the non-SCT controls and 1.1% of the noncancer controls. The odds ratio of developing HPV-related precancer or second malignancy of allo-SCT cases compared with non-SCT controls and noncancer controls was 2.0 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.25 to 3.18) and 3.5 (95% CI, 2.1 to 5.8), respectively. Both allo-SCT cases and non-SCT controls had significantly higher proportions and odds of developing HPV-related precancer or second malignancy compared with noncancer controls. The 5-year cumulative incidence in allo-SCT cases was 5%, compared with 2.1% in non-SCT controls and 1.2% in noncancer controls. The cumulative incidence of HPV-related precancer or second malignancy was statistically significantly higher in the allo-SCT than in either of the 2 matched control groups, and the non-SCT controls had a higher cumulative incidence of HPV-related precancer or second malignancy than the noncancer controls. The allo-SCT cases were at increased risk of developing HPV-related precancer or second malignancy compared with the non-SCT controls and noncancer controls. Routine screening of HPV-related precancer or second malignancy in allo-SCT recipients is needed to help prevent HPV-related precancer or second malignancy. © 2021 American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Cargo-mediated mechanisms reduce inter-motor mechanical interference, promote load-sharing and enhance processivity in teams of molecular motors

In cells, multiple molecular motors work together as teams to carry cargoes such as vesicles and organelles over long distances to their destinations by stepping along a network of cytoskeletal filaments. How motors that typically mechanically interfere with each other, work as teams is unclear. Here we explored the possibility that purely physical mechanisms may potentially enhance teamwork, both at the single motor and cargo level. To explore these mechanisms, we developed a 3D dynamical simulation of cargo transport along microtubules by teams of canonically non-cooperative kinesin-1 motors. We accounted for cargo membrane fluidity by explicitly simulating the Brownian dynamics of motors on the cargo surface and considered both the load and ATP dependence of single motor functioning. We showed explicitly, for the first time, that surface fluidity leads to the reduction of negative mechanical interference between kinesins, enhancing load sharing thereby decreasing single motor off-rates and increasing processivity. Remarkably, we also showed that, independent of fluidity, increasing numbers of bound motors pull the cargo closer to the microtubule, increasing the on-rates of individual unbound motors, resulting in a cooperative increase in bound motor numbers that depends on 3D cargo geometry. At the cargo level, surface fluidity makes more motors available for binding, though this effect is significant only at low ATP or high motor density. Interestingly, we find that the fluidity induced reduction in mechanical interference dominates over the increased availability of motors for typical physiological and in vitro conditions, this allowing us to reconcile different experimental results in different regimes. Finally, we show that these effects can altogether result in enhanced mechanical efficiency and tunable cargo run-lengths for teams of molecular motors over physiological ranges of fluidity with implications for new experimental validation efforts, transport in vivo, artificial cargo design and multi-motor-driven mechanical processes in general.
Introducing the 2023 Magnet Application Manual

In November, the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) released its revised 2023 Magnet Application Manual®, the 13th manual in the program's 31-year history. This month's "Magnet Perspectives" takes a deep dive into the new edition of the manual, examining the rigorous, multistep review process, the modernized standards, and the coalition of experts that contributed insights to inform the latest edition. Each edition raises the bar to promote the highest levels of nursing excellence, and the 2023 manual is no exception. Learn how this forward-looking edition addresses emerging challenges and changes to reflect what is happening in healthcare today.
Avoiding Amnesty: Bringing Gaddafis to Justice

JURIST Guest Columnist Kevin Govern of Ave Maria School of Law says that members of the Gaddafi regime must be brought to justice in accordance with international law and should not be allowed to go into exile like other dictators in the region. EPILOG: Subsequent to this publication, Muammar Gaddafi, the deposed leader of Libya, died on Oct 20, 2011 during the Battle of Sirte. Gaddafi had eight biological children, seven of them sons. Three of Gaddafi's sons were killed in the uprising, including former National Security Adviser Mutassim Gaddafi, who died at the hands of the rebels on the same day as his father, and his son and former heir-apparent Saif al-Islam was awaiting trial in a Libyan prison as of the Spring of 2013.
Grappling with the Gulf

Science for Lawyers . Eric York Drogin, Ed. . Section of Science and Technology Law, American Bar Association, Chicago, 2008. 364 pp. Paper, $129.95. ISBN 9781590319260. The contributors offer an introductory survey of 13 applied scientific disciplines from the perspective of their uses in legal matters.
Turkey’s possible membership of the European Union from a cultural perspective

Even though Turkey’s odyssey to become an EU member started in 1959, EU membership is still not in sight. The existing literature identifies the barriers to Turkey’s EU membership to be of political, economic, and foreign-policy nature. While cultural dissimilarities of Turkey vis-a-vis the EU have been mentioned on many occasions, they have rarely been a subject of scientific inquiry. This paper focuses on the cultural aspects of the Turkey–EU relations by employing the World Values Survey for Turkey, the EU, and the Muslim world. The empirical results indicate that Turkey’s shared values are between those in the EU countries and in the Muslim world, reflecting the country’s dualistic cultural landscape. Religiosity has been increasing in Turkey, accompanied by an increasing tendency toward traditionalism and a decline of confidence in the EU. Regression results confirm that higher religiosity increases the chance of higher justifiability of traditional values, stronger criticism of democracy, and lower ...
Chapter 4 Rubella Vaccine

Publisher Summary To develop a vaccine of Rubella virus, researchers approached the issue in two different ways: inactivated or killed vaccine or live-attenuated virus vaccine. Using inactivated virus approach two rubella virus DNAs were constructed and evaluated in a mouse model. Equivalent antibody responses in mice infected with natural rubella virus and DNA vaccines were documented with persistence of titers for 7 months. If developed these nonreplicating rubella virus vaccines might be indicated for special circumstances, such as vaccination of pregnant women. RA 27/3 is the vaccine developed by the live-attenuated virus approach. The virus that served as the basis for RA 27/3 vaccine was isolated from the 27th fetus. The virus was cultured from the kidney tissue that was the third fetal explant. The supernatant fluid from the kidney cells was directly planted on WI-38 human diploid cells. Attenuation was accomplished by serial passage at low temperatures (cold adaptation). The vaccine virus was produced between the 25th and 33rd passage in human diploid cells. After the development and licensure of the initial rubella vaccines globally, additional vaccines have been licensed in various geographic locations.
Compositional effects on Si3N4 fracture surfaces

Surface analysis techniques (X-ray, infrared reflection spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy) applied to the same samples reveal that fracture surfaces of Si3N4 with Y2O3 densification aids possess a higher concentration of oxygen than the bulk. The oxide densification aids thus concentrate in the grain boundaries, and even low-temperature fracture is seen as occurring preferentially within the oxygen-enriched grain boundaries. It is found that increasing the concentrations of Y2O3 and Al2O3 increases the oxygen content of the fracture surface. A range of 13-15 percent Y2O3 + 6 percent Al2O3 gives an amorphous grain-boundary phase that is resistant to devitrification. Fracture occurs through the amorphous phase, and heat treatment at 1000 C has little effect on the amorphous phase.
Effects of homeobox genes on the differentiation of photoreceptor and nonphotoreceptor neurons.

PURPOSE. The homeobox genes Pax6 and Cbx10 are diffusely expressed in proliferating, undifferentiated retina neuroepithelial cells. Distinct, topographically specific expression patterns emerge, however, as postmitotic cells become organized into layers. The hypothesis that the product of each gene may be necessary for the differentiation of particular nonphotoreceptor neuron subsets and that their absence may be required for progenitor cells to differentiate as photoreceptors was tested in this study. METHODS. Neural retinas from 5-day-old chick embryos were dissociated, cultured at low density, and cotransfected with a plasmid expressing the green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter gene, and a plasmid expressing Pax6, Cbx10, Optx2, or the control gene lacZ. After further culture, the cells were fixed and processed for the detection of cell-specific markers. RESULTS. Nonphotoreceptor neurons increased threefold with Cbx10 and almost sixfold with Pax6, compared with cells transfected with lacZ. The frequency of GFP(+) cells immunoreactive with the ganglion cell-specific antibody RA4 was unchanged by Cbx10, but was increased twofold by Pax6. Conversely, Cbx10 and Pax6 expression diminished the photoreceptor population to approximately 35% and 15% of control values, as determined by morphologic analysis, visinin immunocytochemistry, and peanut lectin binding. Optx2 had some inhibitory effects on photoreceptor differentiation, which were accompanied by marked increases in the frequency of morphologically undifferentiated cells. CONCLUSIONS. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that Cbx10 and Pax6 promote the differentiation of nonphotoreceptor neurons while inhibiting the differentiation of photoreceptor cells.
Revival of the Old String Model

In this talk I would like to review the recent developments in the theory of strings induced by a novel approach due to Polyakov.1,2 The “old” string model3 of the early seventies had some severe problems that allowed a consistent treatment only when the space time dimensionality is 26. The important observation was that due to coordinate transformations invariance, also called “gauge” invariance, of the Nambu action, there are relations or constraints among the coordinates and momenta. In order to quantize the theory canonically, one can either eliminate redundant degrees of freedom and quantize noncovariantly or quantize covariantly and impose the constraints on the physical states. It turned out that in the first method, Lorentz covariance was recovered only in d=26, and in the second approach “ghost” states could be eliminated only at d = 26. In this space-time dimensionality both methods agree. But of course we are looking for a string theory which can be quantized in four dimensions.* Another problem of the “old” string model was the appearance of “tachyons” with imaginary mass.
Concurrent engineering strategies in electrical component manufacturing

Concurrent engineering is drastically reducing the time from the inception of designs to the production of the final product. It is highly suited for speeding up electrical manufacture design cycle times. One issue that must be addressed with concurrent engineering is where to limit its scope. Concurrent engineering can be extrapolated to include design, manufacturing, purchasing, quality assurance, and many other areas as it is based on total team involvement. For the purposes of this paper, it is limited to the integration of product design and manufacturing engineering.
Atorvastatin: a hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitor

The pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, clinical efficacy, adverse effects, interactions, and formulary considerations of atorvastatin relative to other hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors (statins) are discussed. Atorvastatin calcium, a synthetic stereoisomer of a pentasubstituted pyrrole, prevents the conversion of HMG-CoA by competitive and selective inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase. This limits cholesterol formation. Atorvastatin undergoes extensive first-pass metabolism; the first-pass effect is saturable at higher doses. Time to maximum plasma concentration ranges from one to four hours. The plasma elimination half-life is considerably longer than for other statins. Like other statins, atorvastatin reduces low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and total cholesterol in patients with hypercholesterolemia. However, the reductions achieved with atorvastatin exceed those for other statins. Atorvastatin recipients are more likely to achieve LDL-C goals and to do so more quickly. Atorvastatin also moderately reduces triglyceride levels in patients with hypertriglyceridemia and may play a role in the management of familial hypercholesterolemia. Adequate lipid control with atorvastatin monotherapy may preclude the need for combination drug therapy in some patients. The adverse effects of atorvastatin include mild gastrointestinal disturbances, increased liver enzyme levels, and myalgia. Drug interactions involving atorvastatin can be expected to parallel those of other statins metabolized via CYP3A4. Atorvastatin has become a popular addition to hospital formularies, even though formal pharmacoeconomic analyses are lacking. Atorvastatin effectively reduces blood lipids and may offer some advantages over other statins, but more studies are needed to clarify its optimal role in pharmacotherapy.
Discipline and Indulgence: College Football, Media, and the American Way of Life during the Cold War Jeffrey Montez de Oca. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2013.

Discipline and Indulgence: College Football, Media, and the American Way of Life during the Cold War Jeffrey Montez de Oca. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2013.Though a relatively short book, Discipline and Indulgence: College Football, Media, and the American Way of Life during the Cold War by Jeffrey Montez de Oca packs a hefty punch. It weaves together discussions of a variety of complex issues and draws connections that highlight and explain the importance of college football to the socio-political landscape of the 1950s. Montez de Oca suggests that college football served as a political technology and was aided by notions of consumerism codified by the media instructing Americans, particularly white males, in how to perform "fortified masculinity."Fortified masculinity, according to Montez de Oca, was tied to the unique nature of the Cold War, forcing an intense focus on masculinity and physical fitness into a predominately domestic setting, making the home the frontline of defense. Fortified masculinity allowed men to preserve their virility by participating in the ritual of college football and by exercising to stay physically fit, while also living a suburban, consumer ist life.Montez de Oca joins scholars like Kurt Kemper in exploring the relationship between American culture and the sports role during the Cold War. Throughout his narrative, he uncovers ambiguities and contradictions in the construction of the Cold War way of life. For example, obedience and discipline often seem contrary to consumerism and abundance. The consumption of college football bridges these disparities by serving as a pedagogical exercise. By analyzing television broadcasts and sports magazines, Montez de Oca purports that the media helped Americans understand conflict, proxy wars, and geography through sport (e. g. regional match ups and conference rivalries). Of course, not all of these contradictions were neatly resolved, such as the NCAA's creation of a media cartel.Much of what the book outlines is not new to scholars who are familiar with the history of sports, but Discipline and Indulgence extends these ideas to a new era. His argument builds off of the history of football from the golden age of sports and its rise in popularity during the 1920s, where football stadiums were constructed and games became an integral part of "the college experience," which was linked with the pageantry of bands and participatory rituals. This sports culture expanded and nationalized in the 1930s and during the Second World War. …
The hormone-like effect of earthworm casts on plant growth

The fertilizing effect of earthworm casts depends on microbial metabolites, mainly growth regulators. The hormone-like effect of earthworm casts is discussed with reference to the literature and ad hoc experiments. When used in plant propagation, earthworm casts promote root initiation and root biomass and increase root percentage. When applied as a casing layer, earthworm casts stimulate carpophore formation in Agaricus bisporus, and N assimilation. When used in horticulture, earthworm casts have a hormone-like effect, influencing the development and precociousness of plants or inhibiting them. These effects are dependent on dose, application time and plant species. In addition, results recorded on dwarfing, stem elongation and precociousness of flowering suggest that the biological effect of earthworm casts is linked to microbial metabolites that influence plant metabolism, growth and development.
Evaluating the Safety of COPD Medications : An Evidence-Based Review

The goals of management of COPD include reducing exposure to risk factors; improving lung function, exercise tolerance, and quality of life; and decreasing exacerbations and mortality. Pharmacologic treatments, such as inhaled β2-agonists, anticholinergics, and inhaled corticosteroids, are widely used to help achieve these goals. In addition to efficacy, medication safety is an important consideration in selecting COPD treatments. Clinical trials conducted in support of the regulatory review and approval process establish the general efficacy and tolerability of pharmacologic treatments for COPD, and these data are reflected in product labeling. Following approval, further research continues to provide more data with longer follow-up and in broader settings than feasible in clinical trials. These data add to our knowledge of the efficacy of medications. Understanding medication safety requires assessment of the quality and appropriateness of study design, as well as knowledge of study findings, and is of paramount importance in making sound clinical judgments in the treatment of patients with COPD. In recent years, a wealth of data on COPD medications has been published from different sources, including randomized clinical trials, meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and observational studies. This review discusses important considerations in interpreting data from different types of studies, summarizes the tolerability profile of COPD medications established in preapproval studies, and discusses new findings from more recent postapproval data.
Methadone Maintenance and Narcotic Blocking Drugs

Drugs which specifically antagonize certain of the actions of opioids are reviewed. These antagonists include nalorphine, levallorphan. naloxone, naltrexone, and cyclazocine. Programs involving antagonist treatment are discussed.
Axially Symmetric Superwinds of Proto-Planetary Nebulae with 21 Micron Dust Features

We present narrowband images at selected wavelengths in the 8-13 μm window of four carbon-rich, proto-planetary nebulae that have an unusual 21 μm dust feature: IRAS 04296+3429, IRAS 22272+5435, IRAS 07134+1005, and IRAS 19500-1709. We observe axially symmetric dust emission structures in IRAS 22272+5435 and IRAS 07134+1005, and tentatively in IRAS 19500-1709, while IRAS 04296+3429 is unresolved with our ~1'' angular resolution. The well-resolved morphology of IRAS 07134+1005 shows an elliptical outer shell surrounding two aligned peaks that we interpret as limb-brightened peaks of an optically thin, elliptical shell with an equatorial density enhancement. This mid-IR morphology contrasts with that observed in the better studied carbon-rich proto-planetary nebulae, AFGL 2688, AFGL 915, and AFGL 618, which show bright, unresolved cores, probably created by optically thick inner regions, and bipolar extensions that align with their optical reflection nebulosities. Using an axially symmetric dust code and assuming that the dust is composed of 0.01 μm amorphous carbon grains, we model the dust emission images and the spectral energy distributions of these four proto-planetary nebulae and of the young, carbon-rich planetary nebula IRAS 21282+5050, which also has an axially symmetric dust shell and other similarities with the proto-planetary nebulae that have the 21 μm dust feature. Marginally resolved mid-infrared images constrain the dust shell's inner radius, while well-resolved mid-infrared images additionally constrain other geometric parameters of the model (e.g., inclination angles and pole-to-equator mass-loss rate ratios). The modeling reveals that the observed axial symmetry in the dust shells of these objects coincides with an enhanced mass-loss phase (~3 × 10-5 M☉ yr-1) during which the equatorial mass-loss rate was a factor of 18-90 higher than the polar mass-loss rate, i.e., an axially symmetric superwind. Our dynamical age estimates indicate that these stars left the asymptotic giant branch approximately 300-1400 years ago, just after the superwind phase. For each object, the size and structure of the dust shell is the same for the sampled wavelengths, with the exception of IRAS 22272+5435 for which the 11.8 μm emission is larger than either the 8.2 or the 9.7 μm emission. IRAS 22272+5435's spectrum has a larger dust feature-to-dust continuum ratio than found in the other objects, and hence its 11.8 μm image is probably dominated by the 11.8 μm feature emission that has different optical properties than the underlying continuum.
Differentiation of photoreceptors and horizontal cells in the embryonic mouse retina: An electron microscopic, serial section analysis

Abstract The early differentiation of photoreceptors and horizontal cells in the mouse retina has been studied with serial thin sections and reconstructions in embryos on the fifteenth and seventeenth days of gestation (E15 and E17). The following developmental sequences have been inferred. At E15 photoreceptors develop from ventricular cells when a long vitreal process fails to develop following mitosis, and the end of the ventricular process forms a bulbous enlargement (the future inner segment) which contains a pair of centrioles and a cilium and extends into the optic ventricle. This future inner segment is considerably larger at E17, but otherwise the photoreceptors resemble those seen at E15. At E15 horizontal cells develop from ventricular cells when a long vitreal process fails to develop following mitosis, and the end of the ventricular process detaches from the junctional complex at the ventricular surface. By E17 future horizontal cells are located in the middle of the ventricular layer (neuroblastic layer) and have developed from bipolar shaped cells into cells with multiple branching processes, predominantly radially arranged but rarely with a more tangential orientation. These relatively advanced cells at E17 resemble closely the earliest stage of horizontal cell formation described previously in silver studies by Cajal. A scheme is proposed which explains the initial differentiation of several of the major cell types in the retina in terms of two key features: whether or not the call remains attached to the junctional complex and whether or not a vitreal process grows into the ganglion cell layer. By independent variations in these two features, four classes of cells are produced that, by virtue of their differing environments, differentiate into four cell types: ganglion (and amacrine) cells, horizontal cells, photoreceptors, and Muller cells.
HANDLING ILL-FORMED INPUT: SESSION INTRODUCTION

In natural language access (e.g. English access) to information systems, the magnitude of the problem of absolute ill-formedness can be seen in several case studies. If one includes telegraphic and elliptical constructions in the class of absolute ill-formedness, then case s~udies reported in Thompson (1980) and Eastman and McLean (1981) indicate that as much as 25% of queries to questionanswering systems are absolutely illformed. On the other hand, no matter how large the dictionary, grammar, and underlying system, there will always be unknown words and phrases (e.g. proper names) and impossible requests (due to user misconceptions of the capabilities of the underlying system).
3D optoelectronic stacked processors: design and analysis

We present the design and analysis of a 3D OptoElectronic Stacked Processor System. This system is aimed at combining stacked VLSI chips with free-space optoelectronic Inputs and Outputs for optimal power * volume/throughput balance. Challenges in such systems include finding appropriate thermal extraction schemes, packaging and alignment of the multiple stacks, and appropriate micro-optical and optoelectronic component design.
The organization of projections from the mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus to orbital and medial prefrontal cortex in macaque monkeys

The organization of interconnections between the mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus (MD) and the orbital and medial prefrontal cortex and the agranular insular cortex in the monkey was studied by retrograde and anterograde tracing techniques. In addition to the magnocellular and parvicellular divisions of MD, three other subdivisions can be recognized on the basis of myeloarchitecture, cytoarchitecture, and connections. The first two of these represent a parcellation of the magnocellular division into a lateral, fiber-rich MD pars fibrosa and a medial, poorly myelinated MD pars paramediana adjacent to the midline. The third is a small, poorly myelinated area located at the caudomedial and dorsal edges of MD; it is referred to as MD pars caudodorsalis. MD pars fibrosa is reciprocally interconnected primarily with areas 11, 12 and 13 in the central and lateral part of the orbital cortex. There is a general organization within this projection, with the rostrocaudal axis of the cortex represented from dorsal to ventral in the pars fibrosa, and the mediolateral cortical axis represented from medial to lateral. Cells that project to area 12 also extend laterally into the adjacent pars parvicellularis. MD pars paramediana is more heavily interconnected with the caudal and medial portions of the orbital region, particularly the agranular insular areas and the caudal parts of areas 13 and 14. Cells that project to two caudal areas, 13a and Iad, do not fit with the general organization, in that they are located in the dorsomedial parts of the pars fibrosa and pars paramediana, where they overlap with cells that project to area 14. The pars fibrosa and pars paramediana receive inputs from areas of the ventral forebrain such as the amygdala, piriform (olfactory) cortex, and entorhinal cortex, which project directly to the orbital and agranular insular cortex, as well as from the ventral pallidum. MD pars caudodorsalis is reciprocally interconnected with areas 14, 24, and 32 on the medial surface of the prefrontal cortex. In this part of the nucleus the dorsoventral axis of the medial prefrontal cortex is represented from caudal to rostral in the thalamus. The amygdala and other ventral forebrain structures do not send fibers into the pars caudodorsalis, even though some of these structures project directly to the medial prefrontal cortex. Ventral to MD, and separated from it by the internal medullary lamina, a small region was recognized that appears to be comparable to the anteroventral part of the submedial nucleus previously defined in the rat and cat.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Investigating the Effect of Mechanical Stimuli on Omental Mesothelium Differentiation

Cell sourcing for tissue engineered approaches to vascular repair is a serious issue confronting the field of cardiovascular tissue engineering. Omental mesothelium is a promising autologous cell source for vascular repair and has been used for numerous other therapies [1]. Until recently, omental mesothelium was only thought to play a paracrine role in wound healing but there is increasing evidence that omental mesothelium can undergo divergent terminal differentiation to reparative vasculogenic cell types including: endothelial cells, fibroblasts, or vascular smooth muscle cells.© 2013 ASME
Prevalence of hepatitis C infection in New York City, 2004

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the leading cause of chronic liver disease in the United States. Accurate hepatitis C prevalence estimates are important to guide local public health programs but are usually unavailable to local health jurisdictions. National surveys may not reflect local variation, a particular challenge for urban settings with disproportionately large numbers of residents in high-risk population groups. In 2004, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene conducted the NYC Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a population-based household survey of non-institutionalized NYC residents ages 20 and older. Study participants were interviewed and blood specimens were tested for antibody to HCV (anti-HCV); positive participants were re-contacted to ascertain awareness of infection and to provide service referrals. Of 1,786 participants with valid anti-HCV results, 35 were positive for anti-HCV, for a weighted prevalence of 2.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.5% to 3.3%). Anti-HCV prevalence was high among participants with a lifetime history of injection drug use (64.5%, 95% CI 39.2% to 83.7%) or a lifetime history of incarceration as an adult (8.4%, 95% CI 4.3% to 15.7%). There was a strong correlation with age; among participants born between 1945 and 1954, the anti-HCV prevalence was 5.8% (95% CI 3.3% to 10.0%). Of anti-HCV positive participants contacted (51%), 28% (n = 5) first learned of their HCV status from this survey. Continued efforts to prevent new infections in known risk behavior groups are essential, along with expansion of HCV screening and activities to prevent disease progression in people with chronic HCV.
A View From the Federal Statistical System

an empirically oriented economist. I am the only person I know, for example, who thought that the one thing it made sense to do the night before my PhD field examinations was to reread the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Handbook of Methods. My subsequent research also has been heavy on measurement topics. I've written papers, for example, on job vacancy measurement and, more recently, the measurement of real wage trends that explored possible biases in existing data series and the likely importance of those biases.
An epidemiology model suggested by yellow fever

In this work, we construct and analyze a nonlinear reaction–diffusion epidemiology model consisting of two integral-differential equations and an ordinary differential equation, which is suggested by various insect borne diseases, for example, Yellow Fever. We begin by defining a nonlinear auxiliary problem and establishing the existence and uniqueness of its solution via a priori estimates and a fixed point argument, from which we prove the existence and uniqueness of the classical solution to the analytic problem. Next, we develop a finite-difference method to approximate our model and perform some numerical experiments. We conclude with a brief discussion of some subsequent extensions. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Phase behavior of the ethylene—methyl acrylate system

Abstract Pressure—composition isotherms for the ethylene—methyl acrylate system are obtained at 15, 30, 75, and 120°C. The critical—mixture curve is also obtained at temperatures very close to the critical point of pure ethylene. This system has a continuous critical—mixture curve with a maximum in pressure as a function of temperature. The phase behavior of the ethylene—methyl acrylate system is similar to that of the ethylene—vinyl acetate and ethylene—toluene systems. The experimental data obtained in this study are modeled using the Peng—Robinson equation of state with two temperature-independent mixture parameters. Good agreement is obtained between calculated and experimental results.
Open sourcing the digital library: Open source digital library tools & infrastructure. Sponsored by SIG DL, SIG LAN, SIG PUB

Although generalized architectures for digital libraries are still being defined, we now have a good understanding of the components that support the services of a digital library. Many of these components are or are based on open source software - and for good reason. This session details the different areas of a digital library architecture, and demonstrates how open source software is an important component in the digital library. Several open source or community source projects with be detailed in depth, and the panelists will discuss successes and challenges in utilizing open source software in library settings.
Compressive Superplastic Behavior of 6Al-4V Titanium Caused by an Applied DC Current

Recent research has shown that the flow stress necessary to deform certain metallic materials can be decreased when an electrical current is present in the material while undergoing deformation. As part of this testing, it was found that, under higher current densities, the various metals began to exhibit strain weakening and superplastic behavior (i.e., the stress either remained constant or decreased as the strain increased). During typical compression testing, it is expected that the stress will continually increase as the strain increases. This is due to the increase in the cross-sectional area of the test specimen as well as the frictional effects that are present between the specimen and the fixture throughout the test. Since this strain weakening and subsequent superplastic behavior is opposite of what typically occurs during normal low temperature compression tests, it introduces a new electrical current-related phenomenon. This paper contains a detailed investigation of superplastic behavior using experimental results, focusing on 6A1-4V Titanium in particular. To examine this phenomenon, compression tests are run at different current densities. Some tests are conducted with the electricity present the entire time, while other tests are conducted with the electricity turned off at various points within the superplastic region. Still other tests have a pulsed electrical current present. It will be shown that the superplastic behavior allows significant increases in total deformation to be achieved using extremely low forces.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Identification of 58 novel mutations in Niemann-Pick disease type C: correlation with biochemical phenotype and importance of PTC1-like domains in NPC1.

The two known complementation groups of Niemann-Pick Type C disease, NPC1 and NPC2, result from non-allelic protein defects. Both the NPC1 and NPC2 (HE1) gene products are intimately involved in cholesterol and glycolipid trafficking and/or transport. We describe mutation analysis on samples from 143 unrelated affected NPC patients using conformation sensitive gel electrophoresis and DNA sequencing as the primary mutation screening methods for NPC1 and NPC2, respectively. These methods are robust, sensitive, and do not require any specialized laboratory equipment. Analyses identified two NPC1 mutations for 115 (80.4%) patients, one NPC1 mutation for 10 (7.0%) patients, two NPC2 mutations for five (3.5%) patients, one NPC2 mutation for one (0.7%) patient, and no mutations for 12 (8.4%) patients. Thus, mutations were identified on 251 of 286 (88%) disease alleles, including 121 different mutations (114 in NPC1 and seven in NPC2), 58 of which are previously unreported. The most common NPC1 mutation, I1061T, was detected on 18% of NPC alleles. Other NPC1 mutations were mostly private, missense mutations located throughout the gene with clustering in the cysteine-rich luminal domain. Correlation with biochemical data suggests classification of several mutations as severe and others as moderate or variable. The region between amino acids 1038 and 1253, which shares 35% identity with Patched 1, appears to be a hot spot for mutations. Additionally, a high percentage of mutations were located at amino acids identical to the NPC1 homolog, NPC1L1. Biochemical complementation analysis of cases negative for mutations revealed a high percentage of equivocal results where the complementation group appeared to be non-NPC1 and non-NPC2. This raises the possibilities of an additional NPC complementation group(s) or non-specificity of the biochemical testing for NPC. These caveats must be considered when offering mutation testing as a clinical service. Hum Mutat 22:313–325, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Product Layer Diffusion during the Reaction of Calcium Oxide with Carbon Dioxide

The carbonation rate of 15−20 μm, nonporous, calcium oxide crystals has been studied over a temperature range of 550−1100 °C and a CO2 pressure range of 1−11.7 atm. At temperatures greater than 600 °C, the carbonation rate decreases more rapidly with time than would be expected from diffusion through a uniform product layer and the activation energy is initially low but increases with conversion. The product layer consists of crystalline grains, and these product layer grains grow by coalescence from less than one μm diameter to the approximate dimension of the particle. The carbonation rate can be described by a model where CO2 pressure-independent grain boundary diffusion and diffusion through the carbonate crystals act in parallel. The relative importance of bulk diffusion through the product layer crystals increases with time relative to transport through the grain boundaries and has an effective activation energy of 57 kcal/mol. Diffusion through the crystal boundaries has low activation energy and l...
Stabilization of discrete-time nonlinear systems by smooth state feedback

Abstract For a class of nonlinear discrete-time systems of the form Σ: x(k+1)=ƒ(x(k))+g(x(k))u(k) , we investigate conditions under which a nonlinear system can be rendered globally asymptotically stable via smooth state feedback. Our main result is that any nonlinear system with Lyapunov-stable unforced dynamics can always be globally stabilized by smooth state feedback if suitable controllability-like rank conditions are satisfied. Several examples are presented to demonstrate the applications of the stability results developed in this paper.
Malignant Astrocytomas Originate from Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells in a Somatic Tumor Suppressor Mouse Model

Malignant astrocytomas are infiltrative and incurable brain tumors. Despite profound therapeutic implications, the identity of the cell (or cells) of origin has not been rigorously determined. We previously reported mouse models based on conditional inactivation of the human astrocytoma-relevant tumor suppressors p53, Nf1, and Pten, wherein through somatic loss of heterozygosity, mutant mice develop tumors with 100% penetrance. In the present study, we show that tumor suppressor inactivation in neural stem/progenitor cells is both necessary and sufficient to induce astrocytoma formation. We demonstrate in vivo that transformed cells and their progeny undergo infiltration and multilineage differentiation during tumorigenesis. Tumor suppressor heterozygous neural stem/progenitor cultures from presymptomatic mice show aberrant growth advantage and altered differentiation, thus identifying a pretumorigenic cell population.
Evaluation of acute copper toxicity to larval fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) in soft surface waters.

The hardness-based regulatory approach for Cu prescribes an extrapolation of the toxicity-versus-hardness relationship to low hardness (<50 mg/L as CaCO 3 ). Hence, the objective of the present research was to evaluate the influences of water quality on acute Cu toxicity to larval fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) in low-hardness surface waters. Seasonal water sampling was conducted at 24 sites throughout South Carolina, USA, to determine the site-specific influences of soft surface-water conditions on acute Cu toxicity. Concurrent toxicity tests in laboratory water, matched for hardness and alkalinity (modified method), also were conducted to allow calculation of water-effect ratios (WERs). In addition, tests were conducted at recommended hardness levels (recommended method) for comparison of WER methodology in soft water. Surface-water conditions (average ± standard deviation, n = 53) were hardness of 16 ± 8 mg/L as CaCO 3 , alkalinity of 18 ± 11 mg/L as CaCO 3 , and dissolved organic carbon of 6 ± 4 mg/L. Dissolved Cu 48-h median lethal concentration (LC50) values varied nearly 45-fold across the dataset and greater than four-fold at individual sites. Spatial (p < 0.0001) and seasonal (p = 0.026) differences among LC50 values were determined for eight sites that had multiple toxicity results for one year. All modified WERs were greater than 1.0, suggesting that the site waters were more protective of Cu toxicity than the matched laboratory water. Some WERs generated using recommended methods were less than 1.0, suggesting limited site-specific protection. Based on these observations, extrapolation of the hardness-based equation for Cu at 50 mg/L or less as CaCO 3 would adequately protect fathead minnow populations in soft surface waters. The WER results presented here demonstrate the inconsistency between hardness-based criteria and the methodology for deriving site-specific water-quality criteria in low-hardness waters.
Personalizing instruction in business and economics

This paper examines personalized instruction in business and economics at the Long Island Learning Center, Empire State College, State University of New York. In this mode of instruction the course of study is tailored to the individual background, interests, needs, and abilities of the student. Learning activities often incorporate some aspect of the student's academic or professional experience. Most of the students have fairly well-established goals, are highly motivated, have jobs, and have enjoyed considerable success in their fields. Various examples are provided that indicate how the subject matter gains relevance when basic theoretical concepts are applied to real-life situations.
A consideration of a practical implementation for a new convergence division

Abstract This article discusses a new division algorithm for computers which is cost effective and which can be implemented with a table of manageable size. Recent reports of a new convergence division process (Asai (1980), Asai and Cheng (1983)) only describe a mathematical process. The practical advantages of the new convergence division are discussed here and the old and new convergence divisions are compared. The new method promises to reduce the performance time and table size required for convergence division.
Field biology, food web models, and management: challenges of context and scale

Managers are increasingly aware of the need for science to inform the stewardship of natural lands and resources. If ecologists are to address this need, we must increase the scope of our inferences, while maintaining sufficient resolution and realism to predict trajectories of specific populations or ecosystem variables. Food chain and simple food web models, used either as core or component hypotheses, can help us to meet this challenge. The simple mass balance logic of dynamic food chain or food web models can organize our thinking about a range of applied problems, such as evaluating controls over populations of concern, or of biotic assemblages that affect important ecosystem properties. In other applications, a food chain or web may be incorporated as one element in models of regional mass balances affecting resources or environments. Specific predictions of food web models will often fail because of inadequate resolution (e.g., of functionally significant differences among taxa within “trophic levels”) or insufficient scope (e.g., of spatio-temporal variation over scales relevant to management). Increasing use of tracers to delimit spatial scales of food web interactions will reduce, but not eliminate, this limitation. If used with skepticism and vigilance to local natural history, however, food chain or simple food web models can promote the iterative feedback between prediction, falsification by observation, and new prediction central to hypothetico-deductive science and adaptive management. Experience argues that this stepwise path is the fastest towards better understanding and control of our impacts on nature.
Towards an optimal user association in heterogeneous cellular networks

We investigate how a heterogeneous cellular network should self-organize by proposing a load-aware user association scheme. This is an important consideration, in order to move traffic off congested cells and onto more lightly loaded cells. Although the network-wide optimal association problem is NP hard, a closely related utility maximization problem can be made convex by applying relaxations on the association metric. We then address a low-complexity distributed algorithm that converges to a near-optimal solution with theoretical guarantee on its performance, requiring limited information and no coordination. This is directly related to range extension and small-cell biasing, which is how cell associations are likely to work in practice. Our load-aware association scheme provides theoretical guidance on the best “biasing factor” for different tiers of base stations. Numerical results show a 3.5x throughput gain for cell-edge users and a 2x gain for median users relative to the standard max-SINR association where a mobile connects to the strongest base station.