cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Panel Purchasing Power Parity Puzzle

Does long-run purchasing power parity (PPP) hold over the post-1973 floating exchange rate period? Panel unit root tests provide evidence of PPP that increases with the number of observations. The strengthening of the evidence, however, is highly cyclical. When the dollar appreciates at the end of the sample, the evidence of PPP strengthens and, when it depreciates, the evidence weakens. While these patterns cannot be explained by the specifications that are normally used to model real exchange rates, the strengthening, but not the cyclical pattern, can be explained by a specifi- cation that incorporates PPP restricted structural change.
GEOMETRICAL IDENTIFICATION OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL ROCK BLOCK SYSTEMS USING TOPOLOGICAL TECHNIQUES

Abstract This paper describes a new approach to the problem of defining geometrically polyhedral rock blocks created by the intersection of planar discontinuous in a rock mass. The approach represents an extension of the combinatorial topology concepts to solid geometry, which, when implemented computationally, results in a procedure for the systematic identification of the spatial arrangement of rock blocks. The principle of simplicial homology is reviewed and a specific application of block geometry analysis is presented. Various formulae are shown to be necessary in the derivation of the block identification algorithm. The simplicity of the procedure makes it very attractive.
Working for patients: further implications for nurse education

The National Health Service and Community Care Act (1990) has focused attention on all aspects of health care. This paper explores the wider implications of the White Paper on nurse education. It examines the issues of student numbers; rationalisation of courses; the impact of contracts; quality control and clinical placements. It further considers the issues of capital assets; educational premises; funding and income generation. The response of schools and colleges of nursing to these challenges has yet to be evaluated. Nurse education is steering an uncertain course in turbulent and uncharted waters. If colleges of nursing are to capitalise on the changes demanded by the White Paper, the prime concern must be the establishment of an advantageous position from which to market viable courses. To this end there must be adequate resources, and control over high quality learning environments. The courses must be educationally led and respond to the learning needs of all students.
Some Notes on Vacuum Tubes

The value of the exponent connecting plate current and plate and grid potentials is experimentally investigated for a number of tubes. It is found to be markedly different for different tubes, and for the same tube at different plate voltages. Particularly is this the case for low plate voltage tubes. After discussing briefly distortion in amplifying tubes, the capacity and conductance within tubes is considered. Experimentally determined data governing these quantities are given, these being obtained on a carefully designed radio frequency Wheatstone bridge. An experiment on the detecting action of a tube without grid condenser seems to prove that grid-to-filament circuit asymmetry of characteristic is not responsible for the detecting action.
Sensitivity of surveillance studies for detecting asymptomatic and unsuspected relapse of high-risk neuroblastoma.

Purpose Relapse-free survival (RFS) is a powerful measure of treatment efficacy. We describe the sensitivity of standard surveillance studies for detecting relapse of neuroblastoma (NB). Patients and Methods The patients were in complete/very good partial remission of high-risk NB; routine monitoring revealed asymptomatic and, therefore, unsuspected relapses in 113 patients, whereas 41 patients had symptoms prompting urgent evaluations. Assessments every 2 to 4 months included computed tomography, iodine-131–metaiodobenzylguanidine 131I-MIBG; through November 1999) or iodine-123–metaiodobenzylguanidine (123I-MIBG) scan, urine catecholamines, and bone marrow (BM) histology. Bone scan was routine through 2002. Results 123I-MIBG scan was the most reliable study for revealing unsuspected relapse; it had an 82% detection rate, which was superior to the rates with 131I-MIBG scan (64%; P = .1), bone scan (36%; P < .001), and BM histology (34%; P < .001). Among asymptomatic patients, 123I-MIBG scan was the sole p...
Does a Nonclassical Signaling Mechanism Underlie an Increase of Estradiol-Mediated Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Receptor Binding in Ovine Pituitary Cells?

Estradiol-17beta (E2) is the major regulator of GnRH receptor (GnRHR) gene expression and number during the periovulatory period; however, the mechanisms underlying E2 regulation of the GNRHR gene remain undefined. Herein, we find that E2 conjugated to BSA (E2-BSA) mimics the stimulatory effect of E2 on GnRH binding in primary cultures of ovine pituitary cells. The time course for maximal GnRH analog binding was similar for both E2 and E2-BSA. The ability of E2 and E2-BSA to increase GnRH analog binding was blocked by the estrogen receptor (ER) antagonist ICI 182,780. Also, increased GnRH analog binding in response to E2 and the selective ESR1 agonist propylpyrazole triol was blocked by expression of a dominant-negative form of ESR1 (L540Q). Thus, membrane-associated ESR1 is the likely candidate for mediating E2 activation of the GNRHR gene. As cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) is an established target for E2 activation in gonadotrophs, we next explored a potential role for this protein as an intracellular mediator of the E2 signal. Consistent with this possibility, adenoviral-mediated expression of a dominant-negative form of CREB (A-CREB) completely abolished the ability of E2 to increase GnRH analog binding in primary cultures of ovine pituitary cells. Finally, the presence of membrane-associated E2 binding sites on ovine pituitary cells was demonstrated using a fluorescein isothiocyanate conjugate of E2-BSA. We suggest that E2 regulation of GnRHR number during the preovulatory period reflects a membrane site of action and may proceed through a nonclassical signaling mechanism, specifically a CREB-dependent pathway.
The National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT) Part II: Lessons learned about lung volume reduction surgery.

Substantial information regarding the role of lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) in severe emphysema emanates from the National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT). The NETT was not a crossover trial and therefore was able to examine the effects of optimal medical management and LVRS on short- and long-term survival, as well as lung function, exercise performance, and quality of life. The NETT generated multiple insights into the preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative management of patients undergoing thoracotomy; described pain control techniques that were safe and effective; and emphasized the need to address nonpulmonary issues to optimize surgical outcomes. After the NETT, newer investigation has focused on bronchoscopic endobronchial interventions and other techniques less invasive than LVRS to achieve lung reduction. In this review, we summarize what we currently know about the role of LVRS in the treatment of severe emphysema as a result of insights gained from the NETT and provide a brief r...
The integration host factor stimulates interaction of RNA polymerase with NIFA, the transcriptional activator for nitrogen fixation operons

Abstract The regulatory protein NIFA activates transcription of nitrogen fixation ( nif ) operons by the σ 54 holoenzyme form of RNA polymerase. NIFA from Klebsiella pneumoniae activates transcription from the nifH promoter in vitro; in addition, the integration host factor, IHF, binds between the nifH promoter and an upstream binding site for NIFA. We demonstrate here that IHF greatly stimulates NIFA-mediated activation of nifH transcription in vitro and thus that the two factors are functionally synergistic. Electron micrographs indicate that IHF bends the DNA in the nifH promoter regulatory region. Although IHF binds close to the nifH promoter, it does not directly stlmulate binding of σ 54 holoenzyme. Rather, the IHF-induced bend may facilitate productive contacts between NIFA and σ 54 holoenzyme that lead to the formation of open complexes. IHF binds to nif promoter regulatory regions from a variety of organisms within the phylum "purple bacteria," suggesting a general ability to stimulate NIFA-mediated activation of nif transcription.
Ethical Issues in the Care of Handicapped, Chronically III, and Dying Children

There is presently broad consensus that involuntary sterilization of an incompetent patient should be done only in the following unusual circumstances, and then only after approval by a court: 1. If the progeny would be so severely damaged that their lives would be arguably worse than nonexistence (eg, a disorder such as Lesch-Nyhan syndrome), OR a retarded female9s physical or psychologic health would be seriously jeopardized by a pregnancy and/or abortion (eg, severe heart or lung disease), AND 2. There are no alternative, less restrictive ways of avoiding pregnancy (such as segregation, supervision, behavior control, or reversible forms of contraception), AND 3. There has been a court order, following a process designed to ensure that the procedure is necessary to protect the interests of the patient.
Chromosomal breakpoint positions suggest a direct role for radiation in inducing illegitimate recombination between the ELE1 and RET genes in radiation-induced thyroid carcinomas

The RET/PTC3 rearrangement is formed by fusion of the ELE1 and RET genes, and is highly prevalent in radiation-induced post-Chernobyl papillary thyroid carcinomas. We characterized the breakpoints in the ELE1 and RET genes in 12 post-Chernobyl pediatric papillary carcinomas with known RET/PTC3 rearrangement. We found that the breakpoints within each intron were distributed in a relatively random fashion, except for clustering in the Alu regions of ELE1. None of the breakpoints occurred at the same base or within a similar sequence. There was also no evidence of preferential cleavage in AT-rich regions or other target DNA sites implicated in illegitimate recombination in mammalian cells. Modification of sequences at the cleavage sites was minimal, typically involving a 1 – 3 nucleotide deletion and/or duplication. Surprisingly, the alignment of ELE1 and RET introns in opposite orientation revealed that in each tumor the position of the break in one gene corresponded to the position of the break in the other gene. This tendency suggests that the two genes may lie next to each other but point in opposite directions in the nucleus. Such a structure would facilitate formation of RET/PTC3 rearrangements because a single radiation track could produce concerted breaks in both genes, leading to inversion due to reciprocal exchange via end-joining.
Terminal ion pairs stabilize the second β‐hairpin of the B1 domain of protein G

The effects of terminal ion pairs on the stability of a beta-hairpin peptide corresponding to the C-terminal residues of the B1 domain of protein G were determined using thermal unfolding as monitored by nuclear magnetic resonance and circular dichroism spectroscopy. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were also performed to examine the effect of ion pairs on the structures. Eight peptides were studied including the wild type (G41) and the N-terminal modified sequences that had the first residue deleted (E42), replaced with a Lys (K41), or extended by an additional Gly (G40). Acetylated variants were made to examine the effect of removing the positive N-terminal charge on beta-hairpin stability. The rank in stability determined experimentally is K41 > E42 approximately G41 approximately G40 > Ac-K41 > Ac-E42 approximately Ac-G41 > Ac-G40. The Tm of the K41 peptide is 12 degrees C higher than G41, while the Tm values for the acetylated peptides are less than their unacetylated forms by more than 15 degrees C. NOE cross-peaks between side-chain methylene groups at the N- and C-termini and larger CalphaH shifts compared to random values are seen for K41. The addition of 20% methanol increases the stability in K41 and G41. The MD studies complement these results by showing that the charged N-terminus is important to stability. The type of ion pair observed varies with peptide, and when formed the simulations show that the ion pair can prevent fraying of the beta-strands through electrostatic and hydrophobic contacts. Therefore, introducing favorable electrostatic interactions at the N- and C-termini can substantially enhance beta-hairpin stability and help define the structure.
Influence of elastic variations on crack initiation in functionally graded glass-filled epoxy

Crack tip deformations and fracture parameters in functionally graded glass-filled epoxy beams are experimentally evaluated under static and dynamic loading conditions. Beams with unidirectional, monotonic elastic gradients and cracks along the gradient are examined. SEN samples with increasing or decreasing Young's modulus ahead of the crack tip are studied in symmetric four-point bending and one-point impact loading configurations. Optical method of coherent gradient sensing (CGS) is used to measure crack tip deformations prior to crack initiation. For impact loading experiments, CGS is used in conjunction with high-speed photography for recording instantaneous deformation fields. Stress intensity factors (SIF) or SIF-histories in functionally graded materials (FGM) based on locally homogeneous material descriptions in the immediate crack tip vicinity are evaluated and compared with companion finite element simulations. The influence of elastic gradients in FGM samples with cracks on the compliant and stiff sides of the beam are quantified relative to their homogeneous counterparts and with each other. Under static loading conditions, the crack tip located on the compliant side of the beam is elastically shielded when compared to the situation when the crack is on the stiffer side of the same FGM beam. Under dynamic conditions, however, elastic gradients affect crack initiation differently. Crack initiation in an FGM with a crack on the stiff side of the beam and impact occurring on the compliant edge is delayed when compared to the opposite configuration. Independent finite element simulations of FGMs with idealized elastic gradients with identical crack tip elastic properties suggest that lower crack tip loading rate in the former is responsible for the differences.
Spatial droplet velocity and size profiles in effervescent atomizer-produced sprays

Effervescent atomizer produced sprays were studied for application to rotary kiln incinerators. The sprays were characterized by their number averaged droplet velocity profiles, Sauter mean diameter (SMD) profiles, and size-velocity correlations. Spray mass flow rates ranged from 30 to 120 g/s. Air-liquid-ratios by mass (ALRs) were between 2% and 10%. Data were obtained at seven to ten radial positions across the diameter of the spray at three separate axial locations, all in the far-field (or dilute region) of the spray. The number averaged droplet velocity profiles were bell-shaped across any diameter, irrespective of ALR, liquid mass flow rate, or axial location. Velocity magnitudes were found to increase with an increase in either liquid mass flow rate or ALR, and to decrease with an increase in axial distance from the atomizer exit. SMD was found to be nearly constant across any spray diameter. On the basis of velocity-size-number flux contour plots, it was determined that the droplet size-velocity correlation is minimal. This observation, coupled with the minimal variation in SMD across a diameter, indicates that the spray can be modeled as a variable-density single-phase jet. A model was developed, based on previous gas-phase studies, to explain the development of the drop velocity profiles in the dilute spray region. Agreement between the measured drop velocities and model predictions was within 30% in all cases.
The ability of 2-deoxyglucose to promote the lysis of Streptococcus bovis JB1 via a mechanism involving cell wall stability.

The non-metabolizable glucose analog, 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG), decreased the growth rate and optical density of Streptococcus bovis JB1 20%, but it had an even greater effect on stationary phase cultures. Control cultures receiving only glucose (2 mg/ml) lysed very slowly ( 85% decline in optical density in 48 h). Cultures that were treated with inhibitors that decreased intracellular ATP (sodium fluoride, nigericin, and valinomycin or tetrachlorosalicylanilide) or membrane potential (sodium fluoride, nigericin, and valinomycin, tetrachlorosalicylanilide, or phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride) did not promote lysis. 2-DG had its greatest effect when it was added at inoculation. If 2-DG was added at later times, less lysis was observed, and cells that were given 2-DG just prior to stationary phase were unaffected. Cells that were grown with glucose and 2-DG were more susceptible to cell wall-degrading enzymes (lysozyme and mutanolysin) than cells that had been grown only with glucose, but sublethal doses of penicillin during growth did not promote lysis after the cells had reached stationary phase. The idea that 2-DG might be affecting autolytic activity was supported by the observation that cultures washed and resuspended in fresh medium with or without 2-DG lysed at a slower rate than cultures that were not centrifuged or were resuspended in the culture superntant.
Fabrication and performance of planar Schottky diodes with T-gate-like anodes in 200-GHz subharmonically pumped waveguide mixers

A T-gate-like structure has been developed, fabricated, and tested as the anode for millimeter and submillimeter wave Schottky diodes, The low parasitics of the T-anode diodes yield extremely high cutoff frequencies, making the diodes useable at frequencies well beyond 1 THz. The diodes were tested as an antiparallel-pair, integrated monolithically with microstrip circuitry on a quartz substrate, in a subharmonically pumped waveguide mixer. A double sideband noise temperature of 600 K with a conversion loss of 4.7 dB were measured at 200 GHz. This is believed to be the lowest noise temperature ever reported for a room-temperature subharmonically pumped Schottky diode mixer at this frequency.
The Potential of Selected Brominated Flame Retardants to Affect Neurological Development

Various brominated flame retardants (BFR), including polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners, hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), are commonly used in household items and electronics and have been detected in the environment and/or the bodily fluids of people, including children. Some studies in animals suggest that exposure to PBDE congeners, HBCD, or TBBPA during the perinatal period may affect locomotor activity and/or memory and learning. Epidemiological studies showing similar effects in humans, however, are lacking. To assess whether an association exists between perinatal exposure and development of consistent neurobehavioral alterations, published animal studies investigating perinatal exposure to PBDE congeners, HBCD, or TBBPA with specific neurobehavioral evaluations-particularly, assessments of motor activity-were reviewed for consistency of results. Our analysis shows that although the majority of studies suggest that perinatal exposure affects motor activity, the effects observed were not consistent. This lack of consistency includes the type of motor activity (locomotion, rearing, or total activity) affected, the direction (increase or decrease) and pattern of change associated with exposure, the existence of a dose response, the permanency of findings, and the possibility of gender differences in response. Interestingly, Good Laboratory Practices (GLP)-compliant studies that followed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)/Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) guidelines for developmental neurotoxicity testing found no adverse effects associated with exposure to PBDE209, HBCD, or TBBPA at doses that were orders of magnitude higher and administered over longer durations than those used in the other studies examined herein. The lack of consistency across studies precludes establishment of a causal relationship between perinatal exposure to these substances and alterations in motor activity.
A parallel nonlinear additive Schwarz preconditioned inexact Newton algorithm for incompressible Navier-Stokes equations

A nonlinear additive Schwarz preconditioned inexact Newton method (ASPIN) was introduced recently for solving large sparse highly nonlinear systems of equations obtained from the discretization of nonlinear partial differential equations. In this paper, we discuss some extensions of ASPIN for solving steady-state incompressible Navier-Stokes equations with high Reynolds numbers in the velocity-pressure formulation. The key idea of ASPIN is to find the solution of the original system by solving a nonlinearly preconditioned system that has the same solution as the original system, but with more balanced nonlinearities. Our parallel nonlinear preconditioner is constructed using a nonlinear overlapping additive Schwarz method. To show the robustness and scalability of the algorithm, we present some numerical results obtained on a parallel computer for two benchmark problems: a driven cavity flow problem and a backward-facing step problem with high Reynolds numbers. The sparse nonlinear system is obtained by applying a Q"1-Q"1 Galerkin least squares finite element discretization on two-dimensional unstructured meshes. We compare our approach with an inexact Newton method using different choices of forcing terms. Our numerical results show that ASPIN has good convergence and is more robust than the traditional inexact Newton method with respect to certain parameters such as the Reynolds number, the mesh size, and the number of processors.
A class of comparison theorems for non-linear hyperbolic initial value problems

An exponential form of the Riccati transformation is used to establish zeros of solutions of a class of characteristic initial value problems.
Identification and Characterization of Human β2-Chimaerin: Association with Malignant Transformation in Astrocytoma

Molecular processes resulting in the malignant transformation from low- to high-grade astrocytoma remain poorly understood. Using reverse transcriptase PCR, we identified a gene that is differentially expressed in normal brain and low-grade astrocytoma compared to glioblastoma tissues. This gene is identical to human β2-chimaerin, which encodes a 468-amino acid GTPase-activating protein for p21rac. The gene was localized to human chromosome 7p15.3 by fluorescence in situ hybridization mapping. Human β2-chimaerin is expressed in a variety of human tissues, with the highest expression level detected in human brain and pancreas. RNase protection assays indicated that the expression level of this gene is high in all the normal brain and low-grade astrocytoma samples tested compared to malignant gliomas. The down-regulation of β2-chimaerin expression in the high-grade gliomas suggests that decreased expression of this gene may be a feature of progression in the development of malignant glioma.
Detection of daytime sprites via a unique sprite ELF signature

On August 14, 1998, 3 separate daytime sprite events were detected via a unique extremely low frequency (ELF) sprite signature. The onset of the sprite ELF signatures was delayed by 11.0–13.2 ms from positive cloud-to-ground strokes which had attained exceptionally large charge moment (charge times height) changes of 3900–6100 C·km. It is shown that a charge moment change of 6100 C·km may have been sufficient for conventional breakdown at ≃54 km altitude, assuming an experimentally measured ion conductivity profile of Holzworth et al., [1985]. The daytime sprites themselves contained unusually large charge moment changes of ≃2800 C·km, ≃1200 C·km, and ≃910 C·km.
Gender Affirmation and Body Modification Among Transgender Persons in Bogotá, Colombia

This paper examined structural, social, and personal characteristics that shape the processes of gender affirmation and body modification among transgender persons (assigned male at birth) in Bogota, Colombia. Qualitative data from life-history interviews (N=14) and a focus group (N=11) explored research questions concerning the ways in which the internal psychological and external contextual processes influence individuals' decisions and behaviors concerning hormonal treatment, injections, or surgery. Research questions concerning practices and consequences of treatment performed without medical supervision were addressed through qualitative data, as well as quantitative data from 58 transgender participants. Findings indicated variation in ways participants conceptualized gender (e.g., binary or fluid), but an increased feminine presentation was a strong personal desire expressed by many and often encouraged by romantic partners and transgender friends. Transgender individuals within participants' social networks were frequently instrumental not only in providing information about hormones and contouring injections, but also in carrying out procedures-sometimes with negative consequences. Body modification procedures occurred primarily outside the health care system, due to limited access to or awareness of medical care, societal stigma, social norms within the transgender community, and personal decision-making. Public health approaches to protect the health of transgender persons undergoing body modification were suggested.
Stock return comovement and Korean business groups

This paper explores whether business group affiliations affect the covariance structure of stock returns in Korea. We find that the stock returns of firms belonging to the same business group show positive and significant comovement. The strong comovement between group returns and firm returns is explained by correlated fundamentals. We find strong comovement among business group affiliate earnings. Moreover, variance decomposition of returns shows that cash flow news plays a relatively more important role in explaining group comovement than discount rate news, suggesting a link between stock return comovement and the “tunneling” and “propping” behaviors of business groups. Finally, return comovement increases when a firm joins a business group.
Feasibility of software-based duty cycling of GPS for trajectory-based services

Energy-efficient localization is increasingly important for many types of smartphone apps. The research community has argued that fixed duty cycling of GPS is not a good choice for trajectory-based services concerning route accuracy. In this paper, we describe the design and implementation of a highly accurate map matching and path construction algorithm. Furthermore, with thorough field experiments, we show that fixed duty cycling of a smartphone GPS receiver is a feasible approach for trajectory-based services, and it can achieve considerable energy conservation without sacrificing much route accuracy. When increasing the GPS sampling period beyond 120 seconds, it saves at least 78% energy in comparison to continuous GPS sampling, while the loss of route accuracy tends to be stable around 23%.
Mechanical and in vitro evaluation of an experimental canine patent ductus arteriosus occlusion device

Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a congenital cardiovascular malformation in which a fetal connection between the aorta and pulmonary artery remains patent after birth. This defect commonly results in clinical complications, even death, necessitating closure. Surgical ligation is the most common treatment but requires a thoracotomy and is therefore invasive. A minimally invasive option is preferable. A prototype device for PDA occlusion which utilizes shape memory polymer foams has been developed and evaluated using mechanical and in vitro experiments. Removal force and radial pressure measurements show that the prototype device exhibited a lower removal force and radial pressure than a commercially available device. The in vitro experiments conducted within simplified and physiological PDA models showed that the prototype does not migrate out of position into the pulmonary artery at either physiological or elevated pressures in multiple model configurations. While the radial pressure and removal force were lower than commercial devices, the device performed acceptably in the in vitro benchtop experiments warranting further prototype development.
Working with Families in Crisis: An Exploration in Preventive Intervention

Provision of high quality healthcare services is a priority issue for European citizens. eHealth has enabled a tremendous development of healthcare systems of EU Member States over the last few years. It has already brought many opportunities to raise the quality and accessibility of healthcare services. It facilitates provision of more efficient services which has become one of the most important goals of health care. Lithuania as a Member State has developed a national e-Health strategy for the period of 2007-2015 tailored to respond to its own specific needs. It was approved by an order No. V-811 of the Minister of Health (9th October, 2007). The paper analyses the good practice of the Center outpatient clinic in Vilnius. This Center was the first of health care institutions in Lithuania to introduce information communication technologies for administration of their services. In total, 372 patients and 122 medical employees participated in a virtual survey and 150 patients and 77 employees in a written survey. Majority of respondents positively evaluate the IT solutions implemented at the Centre outpatient clinic. The positive results are particularly prevalent among younger respondents who work as officers and who are presumably computer literate. The survey proved that established and implemented IT system improved accessibility of services, the quality of their provision and the management efficiency at the public Centre outpatient clinic. The main conclusions were: the Centre outpatient clinic will further develop an IT system, will implement new information solutions that will permit an effective activity of the institution as well as simplify and improve accessibility and quality of health care services; an implemented IT system and its accessibility possibilities as well as interoperability in public institution Centre outpatient clinic complies with national e-health strategy. The Centre outpatient clinic will petition the Ministry of Health, asking to reverse the orders of the Minister of Health, regulating the filing of medical paper forms and accelerate IT development both in Centre outpatient clinic and in other medical institutions.
Lawrence Berger and Allied Screens, Inc.

Having acquired Allied Screens two years earlier, Lawrence Berger is now facing a set of challenges: First, he has lost his largest customer; second, recent sales initiatives were showing mixed results; third, he is facing increasing pressure from his lender. On top of all these challenges, he wonders whether it is time to purse alternative career options. The case requires students to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze and develop alternatives for Berger, given his personal objectives and strategic challenges.
The 27.3 meter neutron time-of-flight system for the National Ignition Facility

One of the scientific goals of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore CA, is to obtain thermonuclear ignition by compressing 2.2 mm diameter capsules filed with deuterium and tritium to densities approaching 1000 g/cm3 and temperatures in excess of 4 keV. Thefusion reaction d + t → n + a results in a 14.03 MeV neutron providing a source of diagnostic particles to characterize the implosion. The spectrum of neutrons emanating from the assembly may be used to infer the fusion yield, plasma ion temperature, and fuel areal density, all key diagnostic quantities of implosion quality. The neutron time-of-flight (nToF) system co-located along the Neutron Imaging System line-of-site, (NIToF), is a set of 4 scintillation detectors located approximately 27.3 m from the implosion source. Neutron spectral information is inferred using arrival time at the detector. The NIToF system is described below, including the hardware elements, calibration data, analysis methods, and an example of its basic performance characteristics.
Photoelectron Dynamics in X-Ray Free-Electron-Laser Diffractive Imaging of Biological Samples

X-ray free electron lasers hold the promise of enabling atomic-resolution diffractive imaging of single biological molecules. We develop a hybrid continuum-particle model to describe the x-ray induced damage and find that the photoelectron dynamics and electrostatic confinement strongly affect the time scale of the damage processes. These phenomena are not fully captured in hydrodynamic modeling approaches.
On Turbulent Secondary Flows Inside Rotating Ducts Oriented at Certain Angles With Rotation Axis

In the present study, the fully developed turbulent secondary flows inside rotating square duct oriented at certain angles with axis of rotation are numerically simulated using the nonlinear k – ω models. For rotating duct with θ=0° angle between sidewall plane and axis of rotation, it is noteworthy that the two vortices are generated when Ro=0.05, four vortices are presented when Ro=0.15, and only two vortices are predicted when the rotational speed is increased up to Ro=0.35. For the purpose of comparison, the linear k – ω model is also employed. It is shown that the linear and nonlinear models all produce reasonable results. However, different results are also exhibited with the two models. For example, the nonlinear model predicts less distortion region than the linear model. On the suction side, the nonlinear k – ω model produces greater gradients than the linear model. For rotating ducts with θ=30° and θ=60°, it is noticed that the stronger rotation forces the lower momentum fluid to be confined near the lower left corner, and produces larger range of high mainstream velocities.© 2001 ASME
Naturally occurring human antibodies against two distinct functional domains in the heavy chain of FXI/FXIa

We have isolated and probed the mechanism of action of two naturally occurring antibodies (Baltimore and Winston-Salem) against factor XI (FXI), that developed in patients congenitally deficient in FXI after replacement therapy. Purification on immobilized protein A and neutralization with monospecific antibodies against IgG heavy and light chain subtypes indicated that both antibodies were of restricted heterogeneity. Both Winston-Salem (IgG3 kappa) and Baltimore (IgG1 kappa) completely inhibited FXI coagulant activity at titers of 200 and 8 Bethesda units, respectively. Immunoaffinity columns prepared from each antibody were able to bind the heavy but not the light chain of reduced and alkylated activated FXI (FXIa). The activation of purified FXI by activated bovine factor XII (FXIIa), a reaction independent of high molecular weight kininogen (HK), was not inhibited by either antibody. The active site on the FXIa light chain was unaffected by either patient9s IgG, as measured by its amidolytic activity. In contrast, one antibody (Baltimore) or its Fab9 blocked the surface- mediated proteolytic activation of FXI by human FXIIa in a concentration-dependent fashion by preventing its binding to HK, but had no effect on the rate of activation of FIX by FXIa. In contrast, the other antibody (Winston-Salem) or its Fab9 inhibited the activation of FIX by FXIa in a concentration-dependent fashion but did not inhibit binding of FXI to HK. We conclude that each of these two naturally occurring antibodies is directed against a specific, separate, and distinct epitope located in the heavy chain of FXIa, one near or at the domain essential for the activation of FIX by FXIa and the other close to the domain required for binding to HK.
Tacitus and Cremutius

We do not know much about the posthumous ancient reception of Tacitus' work, beyond that his books did not disappear entirely. One of our few data concerns the emperor Tacitus: Cornelium Tacitum, scriptorem historiae Augustae, quod parentem suum eumdem diceret, in omnibus bibliothecis collocari iussit; ne lectorum incuria deperiret librum per annos singulos decies scribi publicitus in †evicos archis† iussit et in bibliothecis poni. ( HA Tacitus 10.3) He ordered to be placed in every library Cornelius Tacitus, the author of a Historia Augusta , because he said he was his ancestor. Lest for lack of readers' interest he cease to exist, he ordered the book to be copied out ten times annually at public expense … and placed into libraries. As always, the testimony of the Historia Augusta calls for caution, but true or not, the story is interesting. It presents the worst fate that Tacitus' work can imagine for itself, and an end it was designed to avoid. The historian who strove to show that his work owed nothing to the regime's authority and influence, indeed that he had produced it in the face of institutional obstacles presented by the existence of principes , had in the end to be rescued from oblivion by an emperor, whose supposed intervention is far too much like the authorizing signature Josephus sought from Titus ( Vit . 363) as proof that he had been right in his portrayal of the Jewish War.
Social Cohesion and Food Insecurity: Insights from the Geographic Research on Wellbeing (GROW) Study

Objectives Food insecurity in the United States is a stubborn public health issue, affecting more than one in five households with children and disproportionately impacting racial and ethnic minority women and their children. Past research and policy has focused on household predictors of food insecurity, but neglected broader factors, such as perceived neighborhood social cohesion, that might protect those most vulnerable to food insecurity. Methods We use a racially and ethnically diverse data set from the Geographic Research on Wellbeing study (N = 2847) of women and their young children in California to investigate whether social cohesion influences food insecurity and whether it moderates the relationship between race/ethnicity and food insecurity. Results We find that lower levels of perceived residential neighborhood social cohesion associate with higher odds of food insecurity even after considering important household socioeconomic factors. In addition, our results suggest that social cohesion is most relevant for reducing the risk of food insecurity among racial and ethnic minority mothers. For example, the probability of food insecurity for immigrant Latina mothers is nearly 0.40 in neighborhoods where mothers perceive little to no cohesion and less than 0.10 in neighborhoods where mothers perceive high cohesion. Conclusions for Practice Higher levels of neighborhood perceived social cohesion are protective against food insecurity in households with children and especially so for racial and ethnic minority households who are at a heightened risk of food insecurity. Supporting programs that focus on building closer knit communities may be a key to reducing food insecurity overall and for reducing disparities in food insecurity by race and ethnicity.
Recombination and Sexual Reproduction

Since, as we have seen, reproduction can occur without sexuality, you might ask, “Can sex take place without reproduction?” The answer is “Yes,” if you consider sex to be equivalent to recombination. Usually we think of sex as involving two main processes: meiosis in a diplophase, and fusion of haploid gametes. Then, indeed, we can speak of sexual reproduction, and recombination of genes is its principal consequence. But recombination of genes can occur in ways that don’t necessarily result in reproduction. Most such recombination goes on in lowly forms, such as viruses, bacteria, and molds. Complex plants and animals can recombine genes only by means of old-fashioned sex.
An image-driven drop-on-demand system

Abstract This paper introduces a microfluidic system whose purpose is to precisely and quantitatively characterize and control the mass transport between aqueous drops in a continuous oil background. The system consists of an image-based drop-on-demand microfluidic device based on programmable PDMS pneumatic valves. It consists of a closed feedback loop that uses real time image analysis to measure and generate a pre-set number of droplets one at a time with prescribed volume and composition in a specified sequence. Drops generated on-chip are exported off-chip into glass capillaries. In addition, the system allows the control of the spacing distance between adjacent drops, which is a key parameter regulating the rate of material transport between drops. Three studies illustrating the versatility of the device are presented: (1) Synchronization of chemical oscillations in networks of droplets containing the Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction as a function of differences in drop volume. (2) Studies of the nucleation and stability of metastable amorphous calcium carbonate as a function of the spacing and composition of reacting drops. (3) Measurements of the exchange of water between drops immersed in oil as a function of added surfactant to address the question of whether micelles facilitate transport of salt between drops.
HGS-ETR2 (TRAIL-Receptor 2 mAb) promotes expression of TRAIL-Receptor 2 (DR5) and sequestration of c-FLIP(L) leading to tumor death in primary and metastatic renal cell carcinoma in a mouse orthotopic model

744 Objective: TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) mediates apoptosis through two death receptors, TRAIL-R1 (DR4) and TRAIL-R2 (DR5). HGS-ETR2 is an agonistic human monoclonal antibody that binds to the TRAIL-R2 protein. We examine the efficacy of HGS-ETR2 and molecular mechanism of apoptosis in a series of TRAIL-sensitive and TRAIL-resistant RCC cells in-vitro and in an orthotopic primary and metastatic in-vivo model. Methods: Cell viability, Western blot and immunoprecipitation analyses were performed after 1 to 48 hours of HGS-ETR2 treatment. For the orthotopic xenograft experiments, 1 x10 6 cells renal cell carcinomas were injected into the sub-renal capsule of athymic nude mice. Three weeks later, intravenous treatment with HGS-ETR2 began and continued for four weeks when the mice were necropsied. Protein expression in renal tissue sections was detected by immunohistochemical analysis. Results: SN12-PM6 and A-498 cells are sensitive, whereas 786-O and 769-P cells are resistant to TRAIL-induced and HGS-ETR2-induced apoptosis. HGS-ETR2 induced similar apoptotic molecules as TRAIL. After HGS-ETR2 treatment in TRAIL-sensitive cells, the expression of c-FLIP(L) protein, an anti-apoptotic molecule, decreased, while the expression of the TRAIL receptor, DR5, increased. We found that DR5 receptor directly binds and sequesters c-FLIP(L) in the TRAIL-sensitive cells after treatment with HGS-ETR2. This data suggests that DR5 may bind and sequester the c-FLIP(L) protein in TRAIL-sensitive cells. In vivo orthotopic treatments with the TRAIL receptor agonist, HGS-ETR2, significantly inhibited growth of preformed renal tumors as compared to controls. SN12-PM6 orthotopic xenografts that were treated with HGS-ETR2 had smaller tumor weights (340.8±311.7 mg, n=11) and lower metastatic rates (36.4%) as compared to the control group which had a higher tumor weight (712.8±416.9 mg, n=8, p
Efficient Approximate Semi-supervised Support Vector Machines through Submodular Optimization

In this work we present a quadratic programming approximation of the Semi-Supervised Support Vector Machine (S3VM) problem, namely approximate QP-S3VM, that can be efficiently solved using off the shelf optimization packages. We prove that this approximate formulation establishes a relation between the low density separation and the graph-based models of semi-supervised learning (SSL) which is important to develop a unifying framework for semi-supervised learning methods. Furthermore, we propose the novel idea of representing SSL problems as sub modular set functions and use efficient sub-modular optimization algorithms to solve them. Using this new idea we develop a representation of the approximate QP-S3VM as a maximization of a sub modular set function which makes it possible to optimize using efficient greedy algorithms. We demonstrate that the proposed methods are accurate and provide significant improvement in time complexity over the state of the art in the literature.
Identification and Characterization of Novel Rat Polyomavirus 2 in a Colony of X-SCID Rats by P-PIT assay.

ABSTRACT Polyomaviruses (PyVs) are known to infect a wide range of vertebrates and invertebrates and are associated with a broad spectrum of diseases, including cancers, particularly in immune-suppressed hosts. A novel polyomavirus, designated rat polyomavirus 2 (RatPyV2), was identified from a breeding colony of rats having X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency. Using a human panpolyomavirus immunohistochemistry test (P-PIT), RatPyV2 was initially detected in the parotid salivary gland of a colony member. Rolling circle amplification using DNA from harderian and parotid glands identified a novel 5.1-kb polyomavirus genome closely related to human Washington University (WU) and Karolinska Institute (KI) and vole polyomaviruses but notably divergent from Rattus norvegicus PyV1 (RnorPyV1; also designated RatPyV1). Further screening showed RatPyV2 inclusion body infection in the lung epithelium and variably in other respiratory, reproductive, and glandular tissues of 12/12 (100%) rats. IMPORTANCE Although P-PIT was developed to detect diseases associated with known human polyomaviruses, the identification of a new polyomavirus in rats suggests that it may have utility as a broad-based screen for new, as well as known polyomaviruses. Our findings suggest that RatPyV2 may be a commensal infection of laboratory rats that can lead to disseminated disease in T cell immune-deficient rats. Infection of the X-SCID rats with RatPyV2 and Pneumocystis carinii is a potential model for coinfection pathogenesis and treatment options during transplant preclinical studies.
The influence of health concern on travel plans with focus on the Zika virus in 2016.

Abstract Tourists consider many factors, including health, when choosing travel destinations. The potential for exposure to novel or foreign diseases alone can deter travelers from selecting high-risk locations for disease transmission. The 2015–2016 Zika Virus (ZIKV) outbreak in the Americas and Caribbean prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. This study investigated factors that may contribute to travel avoidance to areas experiencing ZIKV transmission while also considering different levels of health concern and awareness among groups with varying demographics. An online survey was administered February 10–12, 2016 to a sample of U.S. residents (n = 964). Demographics, information about travel behaviors, and levels of health concern were collected. Ordered logit models were employed to assess the impacts of the ZIKV outbreak on travel planning. Respondents giving higher levels of attention to general health were more likely to avoid travel to areas experiencing ZIKV transmission. It is anticipated that the findings of this study may be of interest to public health officials, healthcare providers, and government officials attempting to mitigate impacts of ZIKV. Disease outbreaks in regions of the world typically frequented by vacation or leisure travelers are particularly problematic due to the increased amount of exposure to disease in an immunologically naive population that may then contribute to the outbreak through their travel plans. Avoiding travel to destinations experiencing outbreaks of disease due to health concerns may be interpreted positively by the public health community but can have negative economic consequences.