cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Uniform Angular Illumination in Optical Microscopes

Angular illumination asymmetry (ANILAS) at the sample plane depends on illumination wavelength, objective type and the location of aperture stop. To extract consistent and accurate quantitative values, all the three parameters must be aligned.
Nonuniqueness of Solutions for Riemann Problems

Arguments are advanced that physically meaningful nonunique solutions to Riemann problems can occur. The implications of this point of view for both theory and computation are developed, as part of a review of recent progress concerning the interaction of nonlinear waves and the front tracking method for computation.
Specification-enhanced policies for automated management of changes in IT systems

Enterprise and grid computing systems are complex and subject to a broad range of changes such as configuration updates, failures, and performance degradations. These changes affect infrastructure elements such as computation and storage nodes, applications, and system management elements such as monitoring infrastructures. Today's best practices in use by system administrators to manage these changes are manual and ad-hoc. In large complex installations, this would lead to high operational costs, broken closed loop automation, and reduced agility. Providing tools and mechanisms to administrators that automate the reaction to these changes is highly desirable and is an active research area. Policy-based management using Event-Condition-Action (ECA) rules is a well-known approach for such automated change management where management actions are executed when specified event-conditions are observed. In complex systems, the interdependence of components generates multiple events when a single change happens causing multiple rules to be triggered. The order of execution of rule actions determines the system behavior necessitating reasoning about execution order. ECA rules do not contain explicit action specifications needed for reasoning and are therefore unsuited for specifying management rules. In this paper, we propose a specification-enhanced ECA model called Event-Condition-Precondition-Action-Postcondition (ECPAP) for designing adaptation rules. ECPAP rules contain action specifications in first order predicate logic enabling us to develop reasoning algorithms to determine enforcement order of multiple rules. The enforcement order is represented as a Boolean Interpreted Petri Net workflow. We introduce a new notion called enforcement semantics that provides guarantees about rule ordering. We have built an adaptation framework using ECPAP model and have demonstrated it for automated change management of Ganglia and HP OpenView monitoring systems. The evaluation of the framework illustrates the significance of the ECPAP model and demonstrates its applicability for managing complex IT environments.
Kinetics of ingested host immunoglobulin G in hemolymph and whole body homogenates during nymphal development of Dermacentor variabilis and Ixodes scapularis ticks (Acari: Ixodidae).

Patterns in the utilization of host immunoglobulin G (IgG) during nymphal development differed between Dermacentor varibilis (Say) and Ixodes scapularis Say ticks. In unfed nymphs of D. variabilis, host IgG was readily detectable in both hemolymph and whole body homogenates. In unfed nymphs of I. scapularis, host IgG was absent in hemolymph and at very low concentrations in whole body homogenates. Host IgG in unfed nymphs was undoubtedly the remnants of IgG acquired during the larval bloodmeal that persisted through metamorphosis to the nymphal stage. In both tick species, host IgG crossed the midgut into the hemocoel during the latter phases of engorgement. Concentrations of host IgG in I. scapularis declined considerably after replete nymphs molted to the adult stage. In contrast, concentrations of host IgG in D. variabilis remained elevated throughout metamorphosis to the adult stage. When larval D. variabilis were fed on a rat, then 2 months later as nymphs on a rabbit, the rat IgG (“old IgG”) present in unfed nymphs was totally replaced by rabbit IgG (“new IgG”) within 2 d of nymphs attaching to the rabbit. Presumably, the old IgG acquired from a previous bloodmeal was secreted via saliva into the new host.
Epidemiological characteristics and influential factors of hand, foot, and mouth disease reinfection in Wuxi, China, 2008–2016

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a viral disease caused by human enteroviruses. Although HFMD reinfection is common, studies investigating this phenomenon are insufficient. The present study focused on HFMD reinfection in Wuxi from 2008 to 2016 using surveillance system data. Of 107,677 cases included in the study, 6470 cases were classified as reinfections. The overall reinfection rate was 6.01% (6.37% male and 5.48% female patients), which decreased with increasing age (χ2 = 1125.477, p < 0.001). The rate was 6.17 and 5.79% in urban and rural areas, respectively, and 7.83 and 5.98% of the cases were severe and mild, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that male sex, younger age, residence in an urban area, and severe disease were risk factors for HFMD reinfection. The case-severity rate in secondary infection cases was lower than that in non-reinfection cases (odds ratio 0.675, 95% confidence interval 0.526–0.866). Boys younger than 4 years of age living in urban areas were more prone to reinfection. Specific health education and intervention should be developed to protect these susceptible populations.
Wayfair Undermines Nicastro: The Constitutional Connection Between State Tax Authority and Personal Jurisdiction

This Essay exposes connections between two controversial cases that unsettled two ostensibly distinct areas of constitutional law. The Supreme Court’s 2018 decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair held that the Commerce Clause permits enforcement of sales taxes against online retailers with no physical presence in the taxing state. In contrast, the Court’s 2011 decision in J. McIntyre Machinery v. Nicastro held that the Due Process Clause prevents states from exercising personal jurisdiction over nonresident manufacturers who did not target the forum. Wayfair and Nicastro address conceptually similar questions about extraterritorial enforcement of state law yet rely on inconsistent assumptions. A close reading of Wayfair illuminates normative and practical insights that warrant narrowing or overruling Nicastro. More generally, this Essay highlights how situating doctrinal problems in the broader context of horizontal federalism can improve constitutional analysis.
Clinician Diagnoses of Failure to Thrive Before and After Switch to World Health Organization Growth Curves

Abstract Objective To evaluate change in the incidence of failure to thrive (FTT) based on selected growth percentile criteria and diagnostic codes before and after a switch in growth curves. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of children 2 to 24 months of age in a large primary care network that switched its default growth curve from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reference to the World Health Organization (WHO) standards in 2012. We compared the incidence of FTT defined by growth percentile criteria (using the default growth curve at the time of each measurement) and by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, codes in the 3 years before and after the CDC-WHO switch using an interrupted time series analysis. We performed these analyses stratified by age group (≤6 months and >6−24 months). Results We evaluated 83,299 children. Among those ≤6 months, increases in FTT incidence were found in both growth-percentile and clinician-diagnosis criteria at the CDC-WHO switch (P 6 to 24 months, decreases in FTT incidence were found by growth-percentile criteria at the CDC-WHO switch (P Conclusions When switching from the CDC to the WHO growth curves, changes in the incidence of FTT by growth-percentile and clinician-diagnosis criteria differed for younger versus older infants. Factors beyond growth likely influence the decision to diagnose a child as having FTT and may differ in younger compared to older infants.
Using Reflection to Assess Students' Ability to Learn and Develop Leadership Skills

Leadership skill development has been identified as an important element of future leisure service professionals' academic preparation. Thus, the purpose of this paper was to utilize in-depth cours...
Natural human genetic variation determines basal and inducible expression of PM20D1, an obesity-associated gene

PM20D1 is a candidate thermogenic enzyme in mouse fat, with its expression cold-induced and enriched in brown versus white adipocytes. Thiazolidinedione (TZD) antidiabetic drugs, which activate the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) nuclear receptor, are potent stimuli for adipocyte browning yet fail to induce Pm20d1 expression in mouse adipocytes. In contrast, PM20D1 is one of the most strongly TZD-induced transcripts in human adipocytes, although not in cells from all individuals. Two putative PPARγ binding sites exist near the gene’s transcription start site (TSS) in human but not mouse adipocytes. The −4 kb upstream site falls in a segmental duplication of a nearly identical intronic region +2.5 kb downstream of the TSS, and this duplication occurred in the primate lineage and not in other mammals, like mice. PPARγ binding and gene activation occur via this upstream duplicated site, thus explaining the species difference. Furthermore, this functional upstream PPARγ site exhibits genetic variation among people, with 1 SNP allele disrupting a PPAR response element and giving less activation by PPARγ and TZDs. In addition to this upstream variant that determines PPARγ regulation of PM20D1 in adipocytes, distinct variants downstream of the TSS have strong effects on PM20D1 expression in human fat as well as other tissues. A haplotype of 7 tightly linked downstream SNP alleles is associated with very low PMD201 expression and correspondingly high DNA methylation at the TSS. These PM20D1 low-expression variants may account for human genetic associations in this region with obesity as well as neurodegenerative diseases.
A Case Report of B-cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia/Lymphoma Presenting as Isolated Torticollis in a 2-year-old Female

Author(s): Boushra, Marina | Abstract: Introduction: Malignancy is a rare cause of acquired torticollis in children, and spinal cord involvement from hematolymphoid malignancies is similarly unusual. Neurologic abnormalities may not be present on initial evaluation, and delayed diagnosis and treatment is associated with increased risk of permanent paralysis.Case Report: The author describes a case of isolated torticollis in a 2-year-old evaluated multiple times in the emergency department (ED) and outpatient settings. For her first three presentations, the patient had no associated neurologic abnormalities. She was discharged with return precautions and a presumptive diagnosis of viral infection/lymphadenitis. She later developed weakness of her left arm and was diagnosed with a B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma causing spinal cord compression.Conclusion: This case highlights the importance of continued comprehensive and meticulous physical examination in patients with repeat ED visits, as well as the value of detailed discharge instructions in mitigating diagnostic delays in these patients.
Designing Improvement Teams for Success

Underlying the effectiveness of quality improvement in healthcare is the creation of high-performing teams that are focused on a singular aim that aligns with an organization’s strategic plan. From its origins, improvement science’s strength is that it draws from the variety of expertise in many different roles within an organization and creates a stage for collaboration among team members. Integral for the functioning of these teams is leadership and effective managerial skills that facilitate the creation of a burning platform for change and infect team members with a passion to be able to champion improvements – both within the context of individual projects and beyond, to create a culture of staff engagement in continuous change.
From Hierarchy to Ethnicity : The Politics of Caste in Twentieth-Century India

Caste and ethnicity have been crucial in shaping the discourse around identity politics in modern South Asia. This book critically discusses two important trends in twentieth-century Indian politics - the rise in the political salience of caste identities, and a shift in the way caste identity was conceptualized; from a hierarchical system based on the adoption of specific behaviours to a system based on bounded and autonomous groups not dissimilar to ethnic groups as conceived of in other parts of the world. It traces these changes to the evolving incentives of the elites of poorer ethnic groups, which are themselves a product of the gradual rise of literacy in colonial South Asia, and the democratization of the political system. This theory challenges accounts that emphasize the role of the colonial state in the evolution of caste. It presents a wide range of novel historical evidence to support these claims, both qualitative and quantitative, and covering both the colonial and post-independence periods.
The New Faces of Internationalism: How Generational Change Is Reshaping American Foreign Policy Attitudes

Observers of American foreign policy have been worried for years about eroding public support for international engagement, especially in light of increasing public discontent after nearly two decades of military conflict since 9/11. Low support for international engagement and military intervention among younger Americans, in particular, has led some to worry that the age of American internationalism has passed. There is little agreement, however, about how serious the erosion of public support is and what its causes are. Relying on an analysis of seven decades of polling data, we argue that generational effects have slowly reshaped patterns of American foreign policy preferences. Since World War II, Americans have come of age during periods increasingly less conducive to support of military intervention, leading them to adopt worldviews increasingly at odds with those carried by older Americans. As a result, the United States is undergoing a slow-motion changing of the guard, as older and more hawkish Americans die and are replaced by younger, less hawkish ones. These findings have important implications for the debate about the state of public support for American leadership of the liberal international order and the evolution of American foreign policy.
Enhanced access to healthcare utilization data through medical record review: Lessons learned from a community-based, multi-site project

Collecting accurate healthcare utilization (HCU) data on community-based interventions is essential to establishing their clinical effectiveness and cost-related impact. Strategies used to enhance receiving medical records for HCU data extraction in a multi-site longitudinal randomized control trial with urban adolescents are presented. Successful strategies included timely assessment of procedures and practice preferences for access to electronic health records and hardcopy medical charts. Repeated outreach to clinical practice sites to identify and accommodate their preferred procedure for medical record release and flexibility in obtaining chart information helped achieve a 75% success rate in this study. Maintaining participant contact, updating provider information, and continuously evaluating site-specific personnel needs are recommended.
Cost-effectiveness of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy at primary cytoreduction of epithelial ovarian cancer based on residual disease status

Objectives: Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) has been shown to confer an overall survival (OS) benefit in a cost-effective manner when used at interval cytoreductive surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for advanced ovarian cancer. Regarding the use of HIPEC at primary cytoreductive surgery (PCS), a recent multicenter retrospective cohort study demonstrated an OS advantage compared to PCS alone in women with stage III epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of HIPEC in this setting. Methods: A decision analytic cost-effectiveness model of the US health care sector using simulated patients with stage III primary epithelial ovarian cancer was developed for three scenarios: 1) patients with optimal cytoreduction, 2) patients with suboptimal cytoreduction, and 3) all patients regardless of residual disease status. The base case for each model compared two surgical strategies: 1) PCS versus 2) PCS with HIPEC. Model inputs including median survival time, Kaplan-Meier estimates of OS, and costs were obtained from published studies. The time horizon was three years. The primary outcome was incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) in US dollars per life-year saved (LYS). Results: Assuming a willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000 per LYS, PCS with HIPEC could be considered cost-effective in all three scenarios compared with PCS alone. The ICER was $9,789/LYS in optimally cytoreduced patients, $18,164/LYS in suboptimally cytoreduced patients, and $7,854/LYS for all patients regardless of residual disease burden. Conclusions: PCS with HIPEC appears to be a cost-effective strategy for patients with advanced epithelial cancer with all ICERs far below the willingness-to-pay threshold. This warrants further investigation of HIPEC in these clinical settings.
Development of a new parameter for predicting hot metal desulfurization efficiency

Abstract Over the last decades, the capability of a desulfurizing mixture to remove sulfur has been widely studied. The hot metal desulfurization efficiency represents the percentage of sulfur removed from the bath and the development of parameters that predict the process efficiency is fundamental for selecting the best desulfurization mixture without the need for experimental tests. Therefore, this research aims to develop a new parameter to predict the hot metal desulfurization mixture efficiency, which was called the desulfurization factor (FDeS). Desulfurizing mixtures from CaO-Fluorspar and CaO-Sodalite systems were used for this purpose. The phases present in the heating of the mixtures at 1400°C as well as the liquid and solid percentage were determined by ThelmoCalc software. These data were used in the desulfurization factor construction. Experiments were carried out in an electric resistance furnace with mechanical stirring. Different mixtures from these systems were added in molten hot metal at 1400°C. Sampling was made to measure the sulfur content variation with time. It was possible to apply the desulfurization factor to the proposed mixtures and to determine the influence of the solid and liquid phases on the desulfurization efficiency.
On the force-displacement characteristics of finite elements for elasticity and related problems

The displacement based finite element models for hyperelastic materials are considered, and it is shown that-based on the invariance of the discretized strain energy to translations and rigid body rotations of the elements-the magnitude of the nodal forces can be written purely in terms of the strains along the edges composing the elements, while their directions are along the unit vectors corresponding to the edges. In other words, the nodal forces are "truss like" with one major difference: the magnitude of the forces depends upon the extensional strains of neighboring edges. In order to motivate the ideas, we first explicitly demonstrate this result for triangular finite element formulation of plane elasticity problems and then show that the result is valid for any finite element formulation of hyperelasticity. HighlightsEstablished the result that the magnitude of forces at the nodes of a constant strain triangular element depends only upon the extensional strains along the edges of elements connected at the node.Further showed that the result is not specific to constant strain triangles, but is true of all finite element formulations of elasticity problems.A mathematical proof of the result is presented.An illustrative example involving the CST is presented.
Space and Muslim Urban Life: At the Limits of the Labyrinth of Fez

This book develops academic understanding of Muslim urban space by pursuing the structural logic of the premodern Arab-Muslim city, or medina. With particular reference to The Book of Walls, an historical discourse of Islamic law whose primary subject is the wall, the book determines the meaning of a wall and then uses it to analyze the space of Fez. One of a growing number of studies to address space as a category of critical analysis, the book makes the following contributions to scholarship. Methodologically, it breaks with the tradition of viewing Islamic architecture as a well-defined object observed by a specialist at an aesthetically directed distance; rather, it inhabits the logic of this architecture by rethinking it discursively from within the culture that produced it. Hermeneutically, it sheds new light on one of North Africa's oldest medinas, and thereby illuminates a type of environment still common to much of the Arab-Muslim world. Empirically, it brings to the attention of mainstream scholarship a legal discourse and aesthetic that contributed to the form and longevity of this type of environment; and it exposes a preoccupation with walls and other limits in premodern urban Arab-Muslim culture, and a mythical paradigm informing the foundation narratives of a number of historic medinas. Presenting a fresh perspective for the understanding of Muslim urban society and thought, this innovative study will be of interest to students and researchers of Islamic studies, architecture and sociology.
What Should Be Measured? Issues

When trying to evaluate the outcomes of mental treatment it is imperative to understand why exactly was the treatment sought for the individual in the first case. The next step is the evaluation system wherein it is determined whether or not the person receiving the service has really benefitted. The trickiest part in the entire evaluation system is the selection and validation of measurement systems. Another question that arises and is most highly debated is “what to measure.” This question arises as different evaluators assign different set of values to various detriments. This chapter elaborates the various measurement systems and their acceptability and validity in the current scenario. An example of differing variables of measurement can be seen in the case of mental health service providers for an organization where the outcomes are evaluated on the basis of overall work performance and not on the personal wellbeing of the individual. In this context, it can be said that consumer feedback about their after service condition can provide useful insights. The issues of multidimensional measurement approach are also gaining importance in the current social scenario. The entire process of evaluation is thus a complex system of careful considerations.
The mass spectrometer as a chlorine-selective chromatographic detector : I. Description and evaluation of the technique

Abstract A computer program to selectively locate the mass spectra of chlorinated compounds in a gas chromatography—mass spectrometry data set is described. The method is based on a search for chlorine isotope patterns and functions as a chlorine-selective “detector”. Its performance has been evaluated using the EPA/NIH Mass Spectral Data Base of 31,333 mass spectra. Ninety-five percent of the chlorinated compounds in the library were “found”; and mass spectra of chlorinated compounds were assigned scores which averaged 18 times higher than those of non-chlorinated species. Positive and negative interferences discussed.
Transgenic approaches to increase dehydration-stress tolerance in plants.

Plant productivity is strongly influenced by abiotic stress conditions induced by drought, high salt and low temperature. Plants respond to these conditions with an array of biochemical and physiological adaptations, at least some of which are the result of changes in gene expression. Transgenic approaches offer a powerful means of gaining valuable information to better understand the mechanisms governing stress tolerance. They also offer new opportunities to improve dehydration-stress tolerance in crops by incorporating a gene involved in stress protection into species that lack them. In this review, we discuss progress made towards understanding the molecular elements involved in dehydration-stress responses that have been used to improve salt or drought tolerance following several transgenic approaches. Further, we discuss various strategies being used to produce transgenic plants with increased tolerance to dehydration stress. These include the overproduction of enzymes responsible for biosynthesis of osmolytes, late-embryogenesis-abundant proteins and detoxification enzymes. At this time, there is a need for a careful appraisal of the genes to be selected and promoter elements to be used, because constitutive expression of these genes may not be desirable in all applications. In this context, the advantages and limitations of transgenic approaches currently being used are discussed together with the importance of using stress-inducible promoters and the introduction of multiple genes for the improvement of dehydration-stress tolerance.
Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project

A detailed 3D model was created to show the 500-million dollar construction project of a 10-mile section of I-95 at the Virginia / Maryland Border, it includes four multi-level interchanges and a major bridge (Woodrow Wilson Bridge) across the Potomac River. Using AutoCAD Land evelopment and 3D Studio Max 3.1, a multi gigabyte 3D database was created to engineering accuracy. The animation is 19,000 frames long and had to managed so that every time a change was made the project can be re-rendered, composited and posted in a 48 hour turn around, using five-dual 933 PC's. Copyright held by creator.
Usability of user agents for privacy-preference specification

The goal of this study was to determine (a) users' privacy concerns; (b) whether these privacy concerns can be checked by an existing Web-based privacy agent; and (c) whether users are able to easily specify their privacy preferences using this agent. Users were able to configure the agent correctly for about half of the desired privacy goals that could be checked by the agent. Of more significance, users thought that they had configured the agent successfully to achieve many privacy goals that cannot be accomplished with the version tested. We also examined alternative interface layouts to ascertain whether any of them allowed users to specify their preferences at a higher success rate than the current interface. We discuss implications of our findings for user agents designed to aid users' assessments as to whether a Web site's stated privacy practices are consistent with the users' preferences.
Test generation for highly sequential circuits

The authors address the problem of generating test sequences for stuck-at faults in nonscan synchronous sequential circuits. They present a novel test procedure that exploits both the structure of the combinational logic in the circuit as well as the sequential behavior of the circuit. In contrast to previous approaches, the authors decompose the problem of sequential test generation into three subproblems of combinational test generation, fault-free state justification, and fault-free state differentiation. They describe fast algorithms for state justification and state differentiation using the ON sets and OFF sets of flip-flop inputs and primary outputs. The decomposition of the testing problem into three subproblems rather than the traditional two, performing the justification and differentiation steps on the fault-free rather than the faulty machine, and the use of efficient techniques for cube intersection result in significant performance improvements over previous approaches. >
An analytic study of 1,000 cases of cesarean section

Abstract Analysis of 1,000 cases of cesarean section in which either the classical operation or laparotrachelotomy was performed shows that the newer procedure is greatly superior in its lower mortality (1 : 5), its lessened unfavorable response to trial labor (1 : 13), and the much lower frequency of postoperative morbidity (1 : 10). Where anatomic consideration or time factor does not necessitate reversion to the classical procedure, laparotrachelotomy is clearly the method of election.
Machismo, Fatherhood and the Latino Family

(1997). Machismo, Fatherhood and the Latino Family. Journal of Multicultural Social Work: Vol. 5, No. 1-2, pp. 49-61.
Spark plasma sintering of diamond-reinforced uranium dioxide composite fuel pellets

Abstract In an effort to increase the thermal conductivity of UO 2 fuel pellets, high density UO 2 –5 vol% diamond composite pellets were fabricated using the spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique. Diamond particles with nano-size (0.25 μm) and several micro-sizes (3 μm, 12 μm and 25 μm) were mixed with UO 2 powder and sintered using SPS at 1300–1600 °C with a hold time of 5 min. The resultant density, chemical reaction, microstructure, thermal conductivity and Young's modulus of the sintered pellets were investigated. The pellets with 3 μm diamond particles had a uniform distribution of particles as well as better thermal and mechanical properties compared to others. An increase in thermal conductivity of up to 41.6%, 38.3% and 34.2% at 100 °C, 500 °C and 900 °C, respectively, was measured in the UO 2 –diamond composite pellets compared to the pure UO 2 fuel pellets.
Pulsed-thermal processing of chemically synthesized FePt nanoparticles

The disordered face-centered-cubic A1 to the chemical ordered face-centered-tetragonal L10 phase transformation of chemically synthesized magnetic FePt nanoparticles has been studied in the millisecond regime using a pulsed high-density plasma arc light source. Under select annealing conditions, relatively high magnetic coercivities (Hc) and anisotropies (Hk) of FePt nanoparticles were obtained with the millisecond pulse processing without significant sintering of the nanoparticles.
Dictyostelium small nuclear RNA D2 is homologous to rat nucleolar RNA U3 and is encoded by a dispersed multigene family.

Abstract We have cloned and partially sequenced a 3.9 kb Bgl II restriction fragment from the genome of the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum which encodes D2, the most abundant small nuclear RNA (snRNA) in vegetative amoebae. The D2 gene is colinear with the mature snRNA and is surrounded by extremely A + T rich DNA for at least 61 nucleotides 5′ to the coding region and 218 nucleotides in the 3′ direction. D2 is the only small stable RNA encoded by the cloned DNA fragment. Although D2 RNA is homogeneous in length, a comparison of the RNA and DNA sequencing data indicates that C/U or A/G heterogeneity is present in at least three positions within the D2 RNA sequence. Such minor heterogeneity implies that D2 is encoded by multiple genes, and indeed five different restriction fragments complementary to D2 RNA can be detected when genomic blots are probed with labeled fragments derived from the cloned D2 coding region. Further hybridization experiments using the cloned flanking sequences as probes suggest that sequences outside the RNA coding region are not detectably conserved between the five dispersed loci. The D2 RNA sequence is more than 40% homologous to the small nucleolar RNA U3B from rat Novikoff hepatoma, and the implications of this evolutionary conservation are discussed.
Surgical management of metastatic disease to the adrenal gland.

Metastatic disease to the adrenal glands can occur in a wide array of malignancies. With the increased use of abdominal imaging, these lesions are diagnosed with more frequency. Diagnostic and laboratory evaluation is essential for the differentiation of benign lesions from primary malignant adrenal tumors or extra-adrenal metastasis. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics, as well as the adjunctive use of immunocytochemical techniques on biopsy specimens, can allow accurate identification of metastatic lesions. Surgical management of metastastic lesions is appropriate in selected patients, primarily when representing the solitary site of metastatic disease. The surgical approach, while debatable, can de done either through open surgery or laparoscopically. Either approach appears comparable in terms of oncologic efficacy in the carefully selected patient, although laparoscopic adrenalectomy is associated with decreased pain and improved convalescence. The surgeon’s skill in laparoscopic technique, appropriate patient selection, and the ability to adhere to oncologic principles, including complete excision without tumor spillage, are of utmost importance when deciding the appropriate surgical intervention.
A fracture mechanics model to predict the rate sensitivity of mode I fracture of concrete

Abstract The mechanical properties of cementitious composites have been observed to be sensitive to the rate of loading and this rate sensitivity has been attributed to the strain rate effects on cracking. A nonlinear fracture mechanics model is proposed to predict the strain rate effect on mode I fracture of concrete. This model requires three material properties (Critical Stress Intensity Factor, KIcs Critical Crack Tip Opening Displacement, CTODc and Young's Modulus, E) which can be determined from static tests. The analytical procedure is based on the observation that the pre-peak nonlinearity is due to the pre-peak (or stable or pre-critical) crack growth and that this pre-critical crack growth decreases with increase in rate of loading. KIcs and E are assumed to be rate independent while CTODc is assumed to decrease exponentially with the logarithm of the relative strain rate. The model predicted values correlated well with the experimentally observed trends in the strain rate effects on mode I fracture of concrete.
Large-scale variations in ozone from the first two years of UARS MLS data

Two years of stratospheric measurements of ozone from the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) are examined in order to characterize large horizontal scale wave variations. The use of Fourier analysis allows the detection of variations from daily through seasonal and interannual timescales. High-latitude winter variations at 10 hPa often have very large amplitudes, but smaller midlatitude variations are more ubiquitous. Some variations have the characteristics of locally generated instabilities. Correlations of wave features with changes in the zonal-mean ozone at 10 hPa suggest the presence of significant horizontal motions during strong wintertime polar warming events. Such correlations are not evident at other levels. Spectral analysis of the large-scale variations show most waves to be slowly propagating. In contrast to some past observations, equatorial regions are shown to lack large amplitude wave events.
Analysis of transport phenomena within PEM fuel cells – An analytical solution

Abstract Transport phenomena within PEM fuel cells are investigated and a comprehensive analytical solution is presented. The methodology couples the transport within the fuel cell supply channels and the substrate which is composed of five different layers. The layers are all treated as macroscopically homogeneous porous media with uniform morphological properties such as porosity and permeability. The locally volume-averaged equations are employed to solve for transport through the porous layers. The problem encompasses complex interfacial transport phenomena involving several porous–porous as well as porous–fluid interfaces. Chemical reactions within the catalyst layers are also included. The method of matched asymptotic expansions is employed to solve for the flow field and species concentration distributions. Throughout the analysis, the choice of the gauge parameters involved in the perturbation solutions for velocity and concentration is found to be inherently tied to the physics of the problem and therefore an important physical metric. The analytical solution is found to be in excellent agreement with prior computational simulations. The analytical results are used to investigate several aspects of transport phenomena and their substantial role in PEM fuel cell operation. The solution presented in this work provides the first comprehensive analytical solution representing fuel cell transport phenomena.
Influencing Adolescent Social Perceptions of Alcohol Use to Facilitate Change through a School-Based Intervention

The current study examines the effectiveness of a voluntary high school-based alcohol intervention by investigating one proposed mechanism of change in adolescent alcohol involvement: perception of peer use. High school students reporting lifetime drinking (N = 2055) completed fall and spring surveys that assessed demographic information, substance use, risk factors, and intervention attendance (N = 327). The motivational enhancement-based intervention used school and grade-specific normative data to facilitate change in adolescent perceptions regarding the frequency and quantity of peer alcohol use. Results indicate that intervention participants were more likely to increase the accuracy of their peer frequency estimates over the course of the year in comparison to the general student body. Furthermore, students demonstrating decreases in peer perceptions of alcohol use exhibited a greater reduction in number of binge episodes, lower maximum number of drinks consumed per episode, and average number of dr...
Optical Properties and Reorientation of M Centers in NaF

The reorientation efficiency of M centers in NaF is found to be proportional to the M+ concentration, suggesting that M centers reorient via an M+ mechanism, as in KCl. In this mechanism light is first absorbed in the higher transitions of the M centers causing them to ionize, and then in the higher transitions of the M+ centers causing them to reorient. The higher transitions of both the M and the M+ center are identified. In addition, a new absorption band at 516 nm giving rise to emission at 680 nm, seen in lithium-doped samples, is tentatively identified as due to the lithium MA center. Es wird festgestellt, das die Umorientierungswirksamkeit der It-Zentren in NaF proportional zum M+ Gehalt ist, was darauf hinweist, das die M-Zentren durch einen M+ Mechanismus umorientiert werden, ebenso wie in KCI. In diesem Mechanismus erfolgt die Licht-absorption zuerst in den hoheren Ubergangen der M+ Zentren, die dadurch ionisiert werden, und dann in den hoheren Ubergiingen der M+ Zentren, die dadurch umorientiert werden. Die hoheren Ubergange des M+ und des M+ Zentrums werden identifiziert. Auserdem wird eine neue, bei 516 nm in Lithium-dotierten Proben beobachtete Absorptionsbande, die Emission bei 680 nm verursacht, vorliiufig dem Lithium-MA Zentrum zugeschrieben.
Selective hydrogenation of acetylene through a short contact time reactor

A novel approach to the selective hydrogenation of acetylene involves a short contact time reactor. A thin Pd/γ-Al2O3 catalytic membrane (about 5 μm thick) was observed to be void of minor defects. Forcing a dilute C2H2/H2/Ar mixture through the layer produced high conversions coupled with high selectivity at high temperatures. The selectivity was observed to increase with temperature. A gas-dispersion model with derived kinetics was employed to explain the results. A solution to the corresponding coupled nonlinear differential equations resulted in a Peclet number of 64.5 and a contact time of 9.5 × 10−3 s through the reactor at 100°C. A critical thickness is predicted to exist for a maximum in ethylene concentration. A value of 2.5 μm at 200°C is representative. Lastly, permeability experiments agree with modeling results to show that Knudsen diffusion is absent despite a narrow pore-size distribution.
Protein synthesis inhibition by 8-oxo-12,13-epoxytrichothecenes

The Fusarium mycotoxin, 4-deoxynivalenol, is an abundant, natural contaminant of corn and wheat. 8-Oxo-12,13-epoxytrichothecenes related to 4-deoxynivalenol were synthesized; they either lacked the 7-hydroxyl but contained a hydroxyl at C-4 (7-deoxynivalenol) or lacked substituents at C-3 and C-7 (3,7-dideoxynivalenol). The ability of these synthetic analogs and their acetylated derivatives to inhibit protein synthesis by cultured mammalian cells was compared to that of 4-deoxynivalenol. Whereas the 50% inhibitory dose (ID50) for murine erythroleukemia cells was about 1 microgram/ml for 4-deoxynivalenol and 3,7-dideoxynivalenol, all of the other analogs were at least 10-fold less potent. When tested at their ID50 dose, all of the 8-oxotrichothecenes, except 4-deoxynivalenol and 3,7-dideoxynivalenol, caused polysome 'run-off', indicating that, at this dose, they are inhibitors of polypeptide chain initiation. With 4-deoxynivalenol and 3,7-dideoxynivalenol, polysomes remained at control levels indicating that these toxins prevent polypeptide chain elongation. From these results and comparisons to previous studies of 8-oxo-12,13-epoxytrichothecenes (trichothecolone, trichothecin, nivalenol and fusarenone X), trichothecenes with substituents at both C-3 and C-4 predominantly inhibit polypeptide chain initiation, whereas those lacking one substituent at either site are inhibitors of chain elongation.
Applications in Cross-Curriculum Teaching The Synthesis of the Design Studio and Building Technology Seminar

“Change or perish. You need to prepare yourself for a profession that you are notgoing to recognize a decade from now.”Thom Mayne, Remarks on building information modeling at the 2005 AIAConvention, Las Vegas, NV Today architects are faced with new challenges involving Integrated Project Delivery and associated digital technologies that are rapidly changing the way architects work. Collaboration is the key to this newway of working as architects discover that the management of buildinginformation requires new skills and methods in design. How do educators respond to this call? How do we prepare a futuregeneration of architects to thrive within a rapidly changing profession? Given these new models for project delivery currently being utilized by theprofession, a new pair of courses was created at the Southern CaliforniaInstitute of Architecture (SCI_Arc) for the integration of the designcurricula with a building technology course by emphasizing teamworkand the use of three-dimensional software. The aim was to develop newskill-sets for students while maintaining a deep understanding of designand built form. Educators have long struggled with traditional architectural curricula that inherently separate design and technology courses. This bifurcation, often times convenient and useful for the organization of aschool and curriculum, is of course at odds with the “comprehensive” nature of architectural education that is so strived for in most programs. This paper serves to show examples of an attempt to address this seriousissue within the first professional graduate school curriculum (3 1/2 yearM.ARCH) by bridging both the second year design and technology classesover a two semester span. The goals of the two courses were; to bridgethe gap between design and technology pedagogy, develop collaborativetools for students, investigate a comprehensive understanding of theintegration of building systems, and to finally produce a set of documentsthat demonstrate this ability and use appropriate three-dimensionalsoftware to facilitate the investigation. It is helpful to set the stage on the importance of this shift of educational methodology by outlining first the context of the current environment bothwithin the profession and the academic realms. Finally, I will attempt toreflect on the methods employed and analyze the pros and cons of theendeavor and discuss possible improvements.
Neutron-proton weak coupling: Reducing shell-model dimensions by truncations in the neutron and proton subspaces.

A scheme for shell-model truncations based on diagonalizing and then truncating the separate neutron and proton subspaces and then combining the truncated subspaces together for rediagonalization is described and evaluated. Projected m-scheme techniques are used for these calculations and aspects of this technique relevant to this application are discussed. Detailed calculations are made for /sup 20/Ne and /sup 21/Ne. The truncated results for level schemes, B(E2) values, and wave-function amplitude distributions are compared with the results of calculations in the analogous full shell-model basis spaces. The results suggest that the neutron-proton ''weak-coupling'' approach may be an effective truncation scheme even though it is known that the n-p interaction has a dominating influence on these nuclei.
Neurological complications following general anaesthesia

Summary A causal relationship between resulting neurological impairment and anaesthetic technique is often assumed after spinal or epidural anaesthesia, despite the rare occurrence of these complications. A postoperative neurological deficit may be closely associated with a general anaesthetic. We present three cases in which neurological sequelae followed recent general anaesthesia: all cases occurred within a period of one year at a single institution. These cases exemplify the difficulty in assuming a causal relationship between neurological deficit and anaesthetic technique.
First field release of a predatory nematode, Mononchoides gaugleri (Nematoda: Diplogastrida), to control plant-parasitic nematodes

Predatory nematodes are an important entity of the soil food web with biological control potential against plantparasitic nematodes (Bilgrami, 1997). Low fecundity, long life cycle, difficult culture conditions, cannibalism and susceptibility to changing environmental conditions restrict the use of mononchs and stylet-bearing predators as biological control agents. The possibility of using nematodes as biological control agents of plant-parasitic nematodes lies with diplogastrid predators (Diplogastrida). Among the advantages of diplogastrids over mononchs and stylet-bearing predators, Siddiqi et al. (2004) and Bilgrami et al. (2005) have listed ease of in vitro culture, high rates of reproduction and predation, short life cycle, and ability to detect and respond to prey attractants and rare cannibalism. Diplogastrids possess greater tolerance to unfavourable environmental conditions (Bilgrami, 1997), density-dependent predation (Bilgrami et al., 2005), ability to reduce root galling (Fauzia et al., 1998) and decrease in parasitic nematode populations in pots (Osman, 1988). This is the first report of a predatory nematode being field-released to control plant-parasitic nematodes. Our goal was to evaluate the effects of Mononchoides gaugleri (Nematoda: Diplogastrida) on naturally occurring plantparasitic and non-parasitic nematode populations in a turfgrass field. A field experiment was conducted at Rutgers University Turfgrass Station, New Brunswick, NJ, USA. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomised design within a 260 × 170 cm plot. Forty 10 cm long sections of PVC pipe (10 cm internal diam.) were driven into the ground in five vertical rows; each row was 20 cm apart and contained eight PVC pipes. The area encircled by the pipe is referred to as a microplot. Thirty-nine microplots were divided into three groups, i.e., controls I and II, and