cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
TAMNROM-3D: Three-Dimensional Eulerian Model to Simulate Air Quality near Highways

Most models for the study of near-road air quality are based on either steady-state Gaussian equations or Lagrangian puff formulations to describe nonreactive pollutant concentrations at receptor sites. The accuracy of the dispersion calculation is often limited because of simplifications that are necessary to derive the analytical solutions. The general source–receptor structure of these models limits their capabilities to treat rapid chemical and physical processes that were recently observed in the near-road environment. A new three-dimensional (3-D) Eulerian near-road air quality model, the Texas A&M Near-Road Model (TAMNROM-3D), was developed. The enhanced pollutant turbulent diffusion caused by moving vehicles is handled in TAMNROM-3D by a revised vehicle-induced turbulence parameterization scheme. The performance of TAMNROM-3D on nonreactive tracer dispersion is evaluated with the SF6 data set collected by General Motors during a 1975 sulfate dispersion experiment. Predicted concentrations show good agreement with observations under different wind conditions. Model performance statistics are compared favorably with those reported by the ROADWAY-2 model. Sensitivity studies indicate that the model is robust to reasonable uncertainties in the model parameters and input data.
PARTICIPATION UNDER CONDITIONS OF CONFLICT: MORE ON THE VALIDITY OF THE VROOM-YETTON MODEL[1]

Previous research validating the Vroom-Yetton leadership model has provided support for all the prescriptions of the model except the Conflict Rule. This rule prescribes group decision-making methods when conflict among subordinates is anticipated and acceptance of the decision is critical, on the grounds that a group process provides a more effective vehicle for conflict resolution than other less participative methods. the present experiment tests the Conflict Rule against an alternative hypothesis that predicts conflict intensification and polarization in group settings. Forty groups of five members each considered a decision task chosen for its likelihood of generating task-based conflict. the 2x2 design (decision-making process by leader reward structure) created conditions in which a particular decision-making process either conformed to or violated the normative prescriptions of Vroom and Yetton's model. Both attitudinal and behavioural measures of decision acceptance revealed that the interactive group process was significantly more effective than one-to-one consultation in generating support for a leader's solution. A secondary analysis treating the quality of the leader's decision as a covariate revealed no significant variation in the pattern of subordinate acceptance explained by this factor. Overall, the results support Vroom and Yetton's Conflict Rule and suggest that subordinates are far more likely to accept a leader's decision following an interactive group process regardless of either the leader's desire to reach consensus or the technical quality of the decision.
Combination forecasting for directional accuracy: An application to survey interest rate forecasts

Abstract Using published interest rates forecasts issued by professional economists, two combination forecasts designed to improve the directional accuracy of interest rate forecasting are constructed. The first combination forecast takes a weighted average of the individual forecasters' predictions. The more successful the forecaster was in past forecasts at predicting the direction of change in interest rates, the greater is the weight given to his/her current forecast. The second combination forecast is simply the forecast issued by the forecaster who had the greatest success rate at predicting the direction of change in interest rates in previous forecasts. In cases where two or more forecasters tie for best historic directional accuracy track record, the arithmetic mean of these forecasters is used. The study finds that neither combination forecasting method performs better than coin-flipping at predicting the direction of change in interest rates. Nor does either method beat the simple arithmetic me...
Collisional Quenching and Energy Transfer of the z5DJo States of the Fe Atom

Room-temperature thermal rate constants for quenching and energy transfer have been determined for the individual fine-structure levels of the z5DJo term of the Fe atom in collisions with He, Ar, and several molecular gases (N2, O2, H2, and CH4). The z5DJo term is the upper level of a transition at 372 nm which is convenient for laser fluorescence detection of the Fe atom. Emission profiles from all excited levels were observed to be exponential, and total removal rate constants were derived. The rate constants for the molecular gases were significantly larger [in the range of (3−8) × 10-10 molecule-1 cm3 s-1] than for the inert gases [(0.3−1.3) × 10-10 molecule-1 cm3 s-1]. No evidence for collisional transfer to the neighboring b3H and a3D states was found, and upper limits for the collisional transfer rate constants are reported. Rate constants for intramultiplet transfer within the z5DJo state were determined for He and O2. The intramultiplet rate constants for He summed over all final fine-structure l...
Exclusion therapy in smoking cessation: a brief communication.

Abstract This study investigated the effect of exclusion therapy on the outcome of a 5-session treatment protocol for smoking cessation. A total of 120 Ss were randomly assigned to a group hypnotic and behavioral program which required 48 hours of pretreatment abstinence from use of tobacco products, or to an identical treatment which encouraged, but did not include, this pretreatment stipulation. Results indicated there were no significant differences between groups in dropout rates or number of Ss abstinent from smoking. For all Ss, including dropouts, the abstinence rate was 59.2% upon completion of treatment. It was 45.5% and 36.7% at 1- and 3-month follow-up, respectively.
Monitoring by fiber optic Raman spectroscopy

Raman spectroscopy produces highly characteristic responses from all molecular species. It uses visible or near-IR radiation and thus is well suited for use with relatively inexpensive low-loss fiber optics. Because it is a scattering measurement, it is readily applied to samples in a variety of forms, including aqueous solutions, solids and slurries, and to samples in hostile environments. Potential problems relating to sensitivity and reproducibility have been addressed by selection of appropriate instrumentation and data treatment strategies. This report describes considerations affecting the use of fiber optic components in Raman measurements for quantitative analysis. Both bidirectional single fiber probe systems and unidirectional multifiber probes have been considered. Some results for in situ monitoring are reported. Reactants and products have been monitored during the synthesis of a conducting polymer. Spectra have been measured and quantitation carried out for a mixture of azo dyes in a flowing stream. Measurements have also been made on mixtures of solids and on organic films on a metal surface. Problems relating to representative sampling of nonuniform materials are considered. A Hadamard transform approach to obtain energy throughput and spatial averaging advantages is described.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Photo-induced protonation and conductivity of polyaniline/poly(ethylene glycol) and polyaniline/[poly(ethylene glycol)-grafted polyaniline] composites

Composites of polyaniline in its emeraldine base form (PANI-EB) and photo-acid generators (PAG) show an increase in conductivity upon photo-irradiation due to the protonation of PANI-EB. Such materials may be utilized to fabricate conducting patterns by photo-irradiation. However, the conductivity obtained by direct irradiation of PANI-EB/PAG composites was normally quite low (<10−3 S/cm) due to aggregation of highly loaded PAG. In this work, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), which is a proton transfer polymer, was added to PANI-EB/PAG. Results showed that addition of low Mw (550) PEG significantly enhance the photo-induced conductivity. Conductivities as high as 10−1–100 S/cm were observed after photo-irradiation. This conductivity is comparable to that of PANI-salt synthesized by oxidizing aniline in the presence of an acid. High Mw (8000) PEG is much less effective than PEG 550, which is attributed to its lower compatibility with PANI. PEG-grafted PANI (N-PEG-PANI) was also studied as an additive. Composites of PANI-EB and N-PEG-PANI showed conductivity as high as 102 S/cm after treatment with HCl vapor. The photo-induced conductivity of the N-PEG-PANI/PANI-EB/PAG composite reached 10−2–10−1 S/cm. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
Observations of non-Rayleigh statistics in the approach to photon localization.

We measure the distribution of intensity of microwave radiation transmitted through absorbing random waveguides of lengths L up to localization length ?. For large intensity values the distribution is given by a negative stretched exponential to the 1/2 power, in agreement with predictions by Nieuwenhuizen van Rossum [Phys. Rev. Lett.74, 2674 (1995)] for diffusing waves in nonabsorbing samples, as opposed to a negative exponential given by Rayleigh statistics. The intensity distribution is well described by a transform derived by Kogan Kaveh [Phys.??Rev.??B52, R3813 (1995)] of the measured distribution of total transmission.
SYNTHESIS AND STRUCTURE OF A HETEROBIMETALLIC Fe-Ni PHOSPHIDO BRIDGED COMPLEX; X-RAY CRYSTAL STRUCTURE OF (PMe3)(CO)3Fe(μ-t-Bu2P)Ni(PMe3)Cl, (Fe-Ni)

Abstract Reaction of Fe(CO)3(t-Bu2PH)(t-Bu2PLi) with NiCl2(PMe3)2 gives the heterobimetallic ditertbutyl-phosphido bridged complex (PMe3)(CO)3Fe(μ-t-Bu2P)Ni(PMe3)Cl, (Fe-Ni), (1), (55%). The Fe atom bears three terminal CO groups and a PMe3 ligand in a roughly trigonal-bipyramidal geometry. The Fe-PMe3 ligand is trans to the μ-t-Bu2P group. The Ni atom is roughly planar with the Cl atom trans to the μ-t-Bu2P unit. Crystal data: (1) C17H36ClFeNiO3P3, M = 531.4 monoclinic, space group P21/c (No. 14), a = 17.363 (1) A, b = 11.383 (2) A, c = 13.308 (2) A, β = 104.60 (1)°, U = 2545.1 (5) A3, Dc = 1.387 g cm−3, Z = 4, μ(MoKα = 16.2 cm−1. Refinement of 1979 reflections (I > 3[sgrave](I)) out of 3537 unique observed reflections (2° < 2θ < 46°) gave R and R w values of 0.062 and 0.070 respectively. Data/parameter ratio 8.4, hydrogen atoms not located, λ(MoKx) = 0.71073 A, (graphite monochromator); methods: MULTAN, difference Fourier, full-matrix least squares; all non-hydrogen atoms anisotropic.
Growth Performance of Single Comb White Leghorn Chicks Fed Diets Containing Blood Meal Supplemented with Isoleucine

The suitability of blood meal supplemented with isoleucine as protein source for Single Comb White Leghorn (SCWL) chicks was evaluated. In four replicates, four hundred and eighty SCWL chicks were fed diets containing blood meal with supplemental isoleucine from day-old to 10 weeks of age (WOA). The experimental diets were corn-based with the protein sources being 100% soybean meal (control), 100% blood meal (BM), 50% soybean meal+50% blood meal (SMBM), and 50% alfalfa meal+50% blood meal (AMBM). Blood meal comprised 16.8%, 11.0% and 14.3% of the total ration in BM, SMBM, and AMBM diets, respectively. Experimental birds were provided a 23 hr light regimen and feed and water were provided at free choice. Feed consumption (FC) and body weights (BW), from which feed conversion ratios (FCR) and body weight gains (BWG) were calculated, were measured weekly. Shank lengths (SL) were measured weekly and mortality was recorded as it occurred. Birds fed the BM diet exhibited significantly lower (P SMBM>AMBM>Control. Based on this study, substitution of up to 50 percent of soybean meal with blood meal supplemented with isoleucine in corn-soy based diets did not adversely affect growth performance of SCWL chicks from day-old to 10 WOA.
Oxygen Affinity of Tyrosine and Tryptophan Hydroxylases in Synaptosomes

Tyrosine and tryptophan hydroxylase activities were studied in a synaptosome-enriched (P2) preparation from the rat striatum. Care was taken to avoid the potential diffusional artifacts to which measures of oxygenase activities in respiring tissue are, in general, subject. Tyrosine hydroxylase exhibited a Km for oxygen of 2 to 3 mm Hg under a variety of conditions. Tryptophan hydroxylase exhibited a Km of 3 to 4 mm Hg at C.S.F. levels of tryptophan (10 microM). The Km increased to 8 to 10 mm Hg at 2 microM tryptophan. These values are all consistent with some degree of unsaturation with respect to oxygen in vivo.
Doorjamb: unobtrusive room-level tracking of people in homes using doorway sensors

Indoor tracking systems will be an essential part of the home of the future, enabling location-aware and individually-tailored services. However, today there are no tracking solutions that are practical for "every day" use in the home. In this paper, we introduce the Doorjamb tracking system that uses ultrasonic range finders mounted above each doorway, pointed downward to sense people as they walk through the doorway. The system differentiates people by measuring their heights, infers their walking direction using signal processing, and identifies their room locations based on the sequence of doorways through which they pass. Doorjamb provides room-level tracking without requiring any user participation, wearable devices, privacy-intrusive sensors, or high-cost sensors. We create a proof-of-concept implementation and empirically evaluate Doorjamb with experiments that include over 3000 manually-recorded doorway crossings. Results indicate that the system can perform room-level tracking with 90% accuracy on average.
An examination of governance within extended producer responsibility policy regimes in North America

Extended producer responsibility seeks to integrate environmental impacts into the product lifecycle and achieve greater economic efficiencies in the management of products at end of life. For such integration to be actualized, however, producers may need to be accorded greater programmatic authority and flexibility than is often in some EPR policies that stipulate defined roles for other entities along the product chain. The proper allocation of responsibility among the parties and, in particular, the roles of the producers and local authorities remains a principal component of EPR policy construction. The analysis outlines four broad categories of financial and programmatic responsibility that currently reside within EPR programs in North America. The article concludes with recommendations for a research agenda to further define the governance characteristics that result in effective and efficient EPR programs.
Abdominal organ segmentation using texture transforms and a Hopfield neural network

Abdominal organ segmentation is highly desirable but difficult, due to large differences between patients and to overlapping grey-scale values of the various tissue types. The first step in automating this process is to cluster together the pixels within each organ or tissue type. The authors propose to form images based on second-order statistical texture transforms (Haralick transforms) of a CT or MRI scan. The original scan plus the suite of texture transforms are then input into a Hopfield neural network (HNN). The network is constructed to solve an optimization problem, where the best solution is the minima of a Lyapunov energy function. On a sample abdominal CT scan, this process successfully clustered 79-100% of the pixels of seven abdominal organs. It is envisioned that this is the first step to automate segmentation. Active contouring (e.g., SNAKE's) or a back-propagation neural network can then be used to assign names to the clusters and fill in the incorrectly clustered pixels.
The Foreign Policies of Small States: Challenging Neorealism in Its Own Backyard

The received wisdom in international relations suggests that we can best account for the foreign policies of small states by examining structural/systemic rather than domestic level factors. This article challenges this scholarly consensus. The distribution of power and the balance of threat do influence domestic institutional formation and change in emerging states. However, the subsequent military strategies of these weak states are likely to reflect such domestic institutional choices in a number of important and predictable ways. The article tests this argument against pre-1900 US domestic regime change and foreign security policy. The historical evidence suggests that while international preconditions were critically linked to constitutional reform, the institutional structures and rules of democratic presidentialism affected both the timing and substance of US military strategies in later periods. The US case study provides a springboard for speculating on the international context of democratization in Eastern Europe and the long-term foreign-policy consequences of this domestic regime choice.
Role of oxidative stress in diabetic nephropathy

Accumulating research suggests that oxidative stress is a significant contributor to the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. The normal kidney generates a substantial amount of oxidative stress because of its high metabolic activity that is balanced by an extensive antioxidant system. However, in pathologic states such as hyperglycemia, nitroso-oxidant balance shifts toward a pro-oxidant state that accelerates tissue and vascular injury. This oxidative damage progresses concomitant with worsening glucose metabolism, vascular dysfunction, and kidney disease. Accordingly, strategies to reduce oxidative stress in diabetes mellitus may exert favorable effects on the progression of diabetic nephropathy.
Effect of Fructooligosaccharide on Salmonella Colonization of the Chicken Intestine

The influence of fructooligosaccharide (FOS) on the ability of Salmonella typhimurium to grow and colonize the gut of chickens was investigated. In vitro studies showed that Salmonella did not grow when FOS was the sole carbon source. When FOS was fed to chicks at the .375% level, little influence on Salmonella colonization was observed. At the .75% level, 12% fewer FOS-fed birds were colonized with Salmonella compared with control birds. When chicks given a partially protective competitive exclusion (CE) culture were fed diets supplemented with .75% FOS, only 4 of 21 (19%) chickens challenged with 10(9) Salmonella cells on Day 7 became colonized as compared with 14 of 23 (61%) chickens given CE alone. When chickens were stressed by feed and water deprivation on Day 13 and challenged with 10(9) Salmonella on Day 14, 33 of 36 (92%) chickens fed a control diet were colonized compared with only 9 of 36 (25%) chickens fed a .75% FOS diet. Chickens treated with FOS had a fourfold reduction in the level of Salmonella present in the ceca. Feeding FOS in the diet of chickens may lead to a shift in the intestinal gut microflora, and under some circumstances may result in reduced susceptibility to Salmonella colonization.
High-Fat and Ketogenic Diets in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a fatal neurodegenerative disease. Epidemiologic data suggest that malnutrition is a common feature in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and being overweight or obese confers a survival advantage in this patient population. In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis mouse models, a high-fat diet has been shown to lead to weight gain and prolonged survival. However, little research has been conducted to test whether nutritional interventions might ameliorate the disease course in humans. Here we review the currently available evidence supporting the potential role of dietary interventions as a therapeutic tool for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Ultimately, determining whether a high-fat or ketogenic diet could be beneficial in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis will require large randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials.
Elections: The American Process of Selecting a President: A Comparative Perspective

The United States has fallen well behind worldwide trends in presidential elections. Its electoral college regionalizes the contest for the national executive, contrary to a worldwide trend toward direct election. U.S. states continue to select presidential electors via plurality rule, resulting in vulnerability to third-party "spoilers," even at a time when third-party voting is on the upswing. The worldwide trend is toward runoffs to guard against spoilers. Only in nomination methods is the United States the trendsetter, as primary elections only recently have been adopted in other countries, mainly in Latin America. Yet the American regionalized and sequential nomination process contrasts with the national primaries preferred elsewhere.
MPI-enabled Shape Optimization of Panels Subjected to Air Blast Loading

The problem of finding the optimal shape of an aluminum plate to mitigate air blast loading is considered. The goal is to minimize the dynamic displacement of the plate relative to the test fixture, while monitoring plastic strain values, mass, and envelope constraints. This is a computationally challenging problem owing to (a) difficulty with finding optimal shapes with higher dimensional shape variations, (b) non-differentiable, non-convex and computationally expensive objec- tive and constraint functions, and (c) difficulties in controlling mesh distortion that occur during explicit finite element analysis. An approach based on coupling LS-DYNA finite element software and a differential evolution (DE) optimizer is presented. Since DE involves a population of designs which are then crossed-over and mutated to yield an improved gener- ation, it is possible to use coarse parallelization wherein a computing cluster is used to evaluate fitness of the entire popula- tion simultaneously. However, owing to highly dissimilar computing time per analysis, a result of mesh distortion and min- imum time step in explicit finite element analysis, implementation of the parallelization scheme is challenging. Sinusoidal basis shapes are used to obtain an optimized 'double-bulge' shape.
Regulation of Nitric Oxide Synthase Expression in Motoneurons following Nerve Injury

This study investigated the influence of postsynaptic targets and axonal ensheathing cells on the expression of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in axotomized neurons. The hypoglossal and vagus nerves of adult rats were lesioned unilaterally, and axotomized neurons expressing NOS, identified by NADPH-diaphorase histochemistry and NOS immunocytochemistry, were counted as a function of time between 1 and 70 days postaxotomy. In the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV), the number of NOS-positive neurons increased steadily with a time course which was not significantly different between the nerve crushed and transected groups. In the hypoglossal nucleus, each of four axotomy groups, namely, crushed, transected, ligated/transected, and avulsed, exhibited a distinct time course and extent of NOS expression, suggesting that postsynaptic targets and axonal ensheathing cells regulated NOS expression. The disparity between hypoglossal and DMV neurons in NOS expression may be due to the latters' unresponsiveness to, or inability to obtain the proper regulatory signals. Since cell loss was most severe in the hypoglossal nucleus following nerve avulsion, it appears that prolonged expression of NOS at high levels may be neurotoxic.
Negotiation to Improve Role Adoption in Organizations

We present negotiation schemes for efficient role adoption that enhance utility in organizations. In one scheme, local utility computations determine role adoption. In the second scheme, utility of the entire system is considered by the negotiating agents. These strategies are compared to the optimal outcome. Our results show that when agents negotiate using the second strategy, the system performance converges to its pareto optimal utility level.
Laser action from atmospheric-pressure H 2 -F 2 mixtures made at 300K

Thirty-five photons ( \lambda = 3 \mu m) per photolytic F atom have been obtained from a 40-cm3photochemical laser filled with 400 torr of F 2 , 100 torr of H 2 , and minor amounts of Ar and O 2 mixed at 300 K. With 0.035-percent dissociation of the F 2 , 0.83-J 250-ns full width at half maximum (FWHM) pulses were observed.
A passive-assist design approach for improved reliability and efficiency of robot arms

The purpose of this paper is to examine a passive-assist design approach for improving the performance of robot arms and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) with respect to reliability, utility, and efficiency. Specifically, a procedure that alters the mechanical design of a robot arm to incorporate springs optimized to reduce the maximum motor torque, or energy, required to perform a specified maneuver is proposed. By reducing the maximum motor torque required, the reliability and utility of the motors (and by extension the entire UGV) are increased. Our joint model includes both a non-backdrivable worm gear and a static DC motor. Initial results for a one link arm indicate that this procedure can reduce maximum required torque by 50.9% and energy consumed by 8.5%.
Cold and Cough Medications for Children: Dangerous and Over the Counter!

Young children have cold symptoms multiple times per year, which are usually part of a viral upper respiratory illness. Fever is commonly associated with these viral upper respiratory infections and is one of the most frequent chief complaints for children presenting to an emergency department. Cold and cough medications (CCMs) are widely marketed and used for the relief of cold symptoms. Studies have not found the ingredients in CCM to be beneficial for symptom relief. Both the Food and Drug Administration and American Academy of Pediatrics have recommended against the use of CCM in young children younger than 2 years, citing a lack of efficacy and potential for harmful side effects. Clinical toxicity and death have been reported both with therapeutic use, misuse, and overdose. In addition to unintentional harm, CCM can be misused and/or abused. The purpose of this article is to review the classes of medications found in over-the-counter CCM, the epidemiology of their use, the pharmacology and clinical toxicity of specific medications, dextromethorphan abuse, and the management of children presenting with overdose or adverse effects.
Stable ATP binding mediated by a partial NBD dimer of the CFTR chloride channel.

Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), a member of the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) binding cassette (ABC) superfamily, is an ATP-gated chloride channel. Like other ABC proteins, CFTR encompasses two nucleotide binding domains (NBDs), NBD1 and NBD2, each accommodating an ATP binding site. It is generally accepted that CFTR’s opening–closing cycles, each completed within 1 s, are driven by rapid ATP binding and hydrolysis events in NBD2. Here, by recording CFTR currents in real time with a ligand exchange protocol, we demonstrated that during many of these gating cycles, NBD1 is constantly occupied by a stably bound ATP or 8-N3-ATP molecule for tens of seconds. We provided evidence that this tightly bound ATP or 8-N3-ATP also interacts with residues in the signature sequence of NBD2, a telltale sign for an event occurring at the NBD1–NBD2 interface. The open state of CFTR has been shown to represent a two-ATP–bound NBD dimer. Our results indicate that upon ATP hydrolysis in NBD2, the channel closes into a “partial NBD dimer” state where the NBD interface remains partially closed, preventing ATP dissociation from NBD1 but allowing the release of hydrolytic products and binding of the next ATP to occur in NBD2. Opening and closing of CFTR can then be coupled to the formation and “partial” separation of the NBD dimer. The tightly bound ATP molecule in NBD1 can occasionally dissociate from the partial dimer state, resulting in a nucleotide-free monomeric state of NBDs. Our data, together with other structural/functional studies of CFTR’s NBDs, suggest that this process is poorly reversible, implying that the channel in the partial dimer state or monomeric state enters the open state through different pathways. We therefore proposed a gating model for CFTR with two distinct cycles. The structural and functional significance of our results to other ABC proteins is discussed.
Differences in Cyclin D2 and D1 Protein Expression Distinguish Forebrain Progenitor Subsets

Regulation of neural proliferation is an essential component of brain formation and is driven by both intrinsic cell cycle and extrinsic growth and trophic molecules. Among the cell cycle proteins, understanding of the relative roles of the G1-phase active cyclins D2 and D1 (cD2 and cD1) has been hampered by lack of data regarding their expression patterns. In this study, cD2 immunoreactivity was examined in the neocortex, ganglionic eminences/ striatum, and hippocampal formation from embryonic day 12.5 until postnatal day 60 to more precisely characterize the expression of this protein during forebrain development. The localization of cD1 was also immunohistologically mapped for comparison. Throughout forebrain development, both overlapping and nonoverlapping protein expression of these cyclins suggests the presence of shared and unique cell cycle requirements for neurogenesis that distinguishes progenitor pools.
Caspase-8: Fly or Die

Recent studies have revealed that procaspase-8 has an important function in cell adhesion and motility. Src phosphorylation controls this function by preventing the conversion of procaspase-8, which is an adhesion/migration factor, to mature caspase-8, which is an apoptosis-inducing factor. This provides a mechanism to switch these opposing functions. In its migratory role, procaspase-8 interacts with the phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase regulatory subunit p85α and c-src to modulate signaling by Rac and extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and promote calpain activation. Here, I survey the findings of these studies and discuss potential mechanisms and ramifications for cancer prognosis and therapy. [Cancer Res 2008;68(12):4491–3]
Thygeson's Superficial Punctate Keratitis

Thygeson's superficial keratitis is a chronic disease of the cornea characterized by focal epithelial lesions. We studied 45 cases of Thygeson's superficial punctate keratitis. Twenty-eight were male and 17 were female patients. The disease had been active in our patients from one month to 24 years. The clinical findings, course, outcome, and response to therapy were studied. Viral cultures and microscopic studies were performed on the corneal epithelial scrapings from ten cases. The average course of the disease was prolonged in patients who received topical steroid therapy. Subepithelial opacities were seen more frequently in patients who had received treatment with idoxuridine (IDU).
Exponents of the class groups of imaginary Abelian number fields

It is a classical result, deriving from the Gaussian theory of genera of integral binary quadratic forms, that there exist only finitely many imaginary quadratic fields for which the ideal class group is a group of exponent two. This finiteness has been shown to extend to all those totally imaginary quadratic extensions of any fixed totally real algebraic number field. In this paper we put forward the conjecture that there exist only finitely many imaginary abelian algebraic number fields which have ideal class groups of exponent two, and we examine the extent to which existing methods can be brought to bear on this conjecture. One consequence of the validity of the conjecture would be a proof of the existence of finite abelian groups which do not occur as the ideal class group of any imaginary abelian field.
Physiological covalent regulation of rat liver branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase

Abstract A radiochemical assay was developed for measuring branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase activity of Triton X-100 extracts of freeze-clamped rat liver. The proportion of active (dephosphorylated) enzyme was determined by measuring enzyme activities before and after activation of the complex with a broad-specificity phosphoprotein phosphatase. Hepatic branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase activity in normal male Wistar rats was 97% active but decreased to 33% active after 2 days on low-protein (8%) diet and to 13% active after 4 days on the same diet. Restricting protein intake of lean and obese female Zucker rats also caused inactivation of hepatic branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex. Essentially all of the enzyme was in the active state in rats maintained for 14 days on either 30 or 50% protein diets. This was also the case for rats maintained on a commercial chow diet (minimum 23% protein). However, maintaining rats on 20, 8, and 0% protein diets decreased the percentage of the active form of the enzyme to 58, 10, and 7% of the total, respectively. Fasting of chow-fed rats for 48 h had no effect on the activity state of hepatic branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase, i.e., 93% of the enzyme remained in the active state compared to 97% for chow-fed rats. However, hepatic enzyme of rats maintained on 8% protein diet was 10% active before starvation and 83% active after 2 days of starvation. Thus, dietary protein deficiency results in inactivation of hepatic branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex, presumably as a consequence of low hepatic levels of branched-chain α-ketoacids, established inhibitors of branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase kinase. With rats fed a low-protein diet and subsequently starved, inhibition of branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase kinase by branched-chain α-ketoacids generated as a consequence of endogenous proteolysis most likely promotes the greater branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase activity state.
Metabolomics Of Type Ii Diabetes In The Qatari Population

Background: Diabetes is one of the world's most rapidly growing metabolic disorders. In Qatar, one in five people may develop Diabetes. Despite the existence of well known metabolic biomarkers of diabetes, there is still an urgent need to study whether such markers are different in the Qatari population and investigate the interactions between metabolites to understand the underlying metabolism of such disorder. Whereas previous studies have mainly considered identifying metabolites significantly associated with diabetes in one or two biofluids, the present study integrates plasma, urine and saliva. Moreover, it is the first study of its type to be conducted for the Qatari population. Objectives: Identifying metabolites significantly regressing with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) in a large cohort of more than 2000 metabolites in plasma, urine and saliva, as well as studying the interactions between metabolites for understanding the underlying mechanism of such disorder in the Qatari population. Results from this study would be useful for future designation of appropriate therapies that target T2D in the Qatari population. Materials & Methods: A cohort of more than 300 Qatari subjects (from different ethnicities) was used for the study, with around 50% T2D cases. The subjects came from different background ethnicities. More than 2000 metabolites from all 3 bio-fluids were used for the study. Linear regression was used to identify significantly regressing metabolites, after correcting for covariates. Partial correlations were used to identify significant relations between metabolites, and to visualize the important biochemical pathways in T2D. Results: A large set of metabolites in all 3 bio-fluids (plasma, urine and saliva) was identified as significantly regressing with diabetes, and with around 10% metabolites not reported before in literature. Metabolic sub-networks were identified as related to different biochemical pathways. Main pathways appearing in the larger sub-networks showed the involvement of the processes of glycolysis, ketoacidosis, proteolysis, and their relations to other pathways. The sub-networks were used to reveal novel interesting relations between known biomarkers and other T2D significant metabolites.
Nutritional intakes in children with Prader-Willi syndrome and non-congenital obesity.

Background : Individuals with Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) have extremely regulated diets to prevent the development of morbid obesity. Objective : This study evaluated potential deficiencies in macro and micronutrients in a cohort of youth with PWS and compared them to a group of children with non-congenital obesity and to US national recommendations. Design : Participants were 32 youth with PWS (age=10.8±2.6 years, body fat=46.7±10.1%) and 48 children without PWS but classified as obese (age=9.7±1.2 years, body fat=43.4±5.7%). Participants’ parents completed a training session on food recording before completing a 3-day food record during a typical week including a weekend day and two weekdays, as well as a screening form indicating nutritional supplements use. Results : Youth with PWS reported less calories (1,312±75 vs. 1,531±61 kcal, p= 0.03), carbohydrate (175±10 vs. 203±8 g), and sugars (67±5 vs. 81±4 g; p= 0.04 for both) than obese. Youth with PWS consumed more vegetables (1.1±0.1 vs. 0.6±0.1 cups) and more of them met the daily recommendation ( p< 0.01 for both). Likewise, youth with PWS consumed more calcium than obese (899±53 vs. 752±43 mg) and more of them met the recommended daily dose ( p= 0.04 for both). The majority of participants in this study did not meet the vitamin D recommendation. Conclusion : Despite consuming less calories, youth with PWS had a similar proportion of macronutrients in their diet as children with obesity. Micronutrient deficiencies in calcium and vitamin D in youth with PWS were noted despite a third of youth with PWS consuming multivitamin supplements. Special attention must be paid to the diets of youth with PWS and with obesity to ensure they are meeting micronutrient needs during this period of growth and development. Keywords: macronutrients; micronutrients; nutritional deficiencies; childhood obesity (Published: 8 December 2015) Citation: Food & Nutrition Research 2015, 59: 29427 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/fnr.v59.29427
Is Apache Spark scalable to seismic data analytics and computations

High Performance Computing (HPC) has been a dominated technology used in seismic data processing at the petroleum industry. However, with the increasing data size and varieties, traditional HPC focusing on computation meets new challenges. Researchers are looking for new computing platforms with a balance of both performance and productivity, as well as featured with big data analytics capability. Apache Spark is a new big data analytics platform that supports more than map/reduce parallel execution mode with good scalability and fault tolerance. In this paper, we try to answer the question that if Apache Spark is scalable to process seismic data with its in-memory computation and data locality features. We use a few typical seismic data processing algorithms to study the performance and productivity. Our contributions include customized seismic data distributions in Spark, extraction of commonly used templates for seismic data processing algorithms, and performance analysis of several typical seismic processing algorithms.
Range of Yield Conditions in Ideal Plasticity

The properties of ideal rigid-plastic solids are used to define bounding yield conditions that remain valid when test results are available for only one stress state, such as simple tension or simple shear. For material in which yield is insensitive to changes in mean stress, the bounding yield conditions are shown to be the maximum shear-stress criterion of Tresca and a new criterion designated as the maximum reduced stress criterion. Use of both criteria enables the best possible bounds to be obtained for the carrying capacity of a structure in the absence of further information. Parallel results are obtained for material in which yield strength is a linear function of the mean stress, and some examples are given.
Evaluating an Online Program to Help Children Exposed to Domestic Violence: Results of Two Randomized Controlled Trials

The current study reports the results of two randomized controlled trials investigating effects of an online program (Change A Life) designed to educate individuals about children's exposure to domestic violence (DV), and to increase individuals' self-efficacy for providing support to children exposed to DV. In both a community sample (n = 110) and a college student sample (n = 146), participants who completed Change A Life, compared to those who completed a control program, reported increased knowledge about children's exposure to DV. In the community sample, but not the college student sample, those who completed Change A Life also reported increased self-efficacy for helping children exposed to DV. Neither participant sex nor history of exposure to domestic violence moderated intervention effects. Language: en
Polarization of He 3 Gas by Optical Pumping

The process of ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ nuclear polarization by metastability exchange with optically pumped metastable ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ atoms is described and experimental details given. Phenomenological theories are presented which explain the optical signals and the time variation of the polarization. The polarization is measured both optically and by nuclear magnetic resonance. Relaxation of the nuclear spins by diffusion through magnetic field gradients is discussed. When gradients are small, nuclear relaxation times as long as 4000 sec have been measured. The maximum polarization achieved was 40\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}5% in ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ gas at a pressure of one mm Hg.
Autoimmunity in Chronic Experimental Pyelonephritis

Clinical studies have shown that in chronic pyelonephritis, kidneys may frequently be sterile, a finding that suggests that the progression of active chronic pyelonephritis may not require the presence of viable bacteria [1-3]. In view of the report by Kovats that endotoxins altered tissue antigenicity, one hypothesis to explain chronic "sterile" pyelonephritis is that renal tissue is modified by endotoxin or other bacterial products with a subsequent autoimmune reaction directed against the altered tissue [4]. Studies of experimental pyelonephritis in rabbits have shown that the kidney responds to bacterial infection with a local immune response characterized by enhanced synthesis of proteins and immunoglobulins [5]. Up to 15 ^o of the newly synthesized IgG was directed against the infecting organism. The present study was designed to determine if any locally synthesized antibody was directed against infected or normal renal tissue.
Endoscopic extra-cavitary drainage of pancreatic necrosis with fully covered self-expanding metal stents (fcSEMS) and staged lavage with a high-flow water jet system.

Aim: To present a novel, less-invasive method of endoscopic drainage (ED) for walled-off pancreatic necrosis (WON).We describe the feasibility, success rate, and complications of combined ED extra-cavitary lavage and debridement of WON using a biliary catheter and high-flow water jet system (water pump). Patients and methods: Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided drainage was performed with insertion of two 7-Fr, 4-cm double pigtail stents. Subsequently a fully covered self-expanding metal stent (fcSEMS) was placed. The key aspect of the debridement was the insertion of a 5-Fr biliary catheter through or along the fcSEMS into the cavity, with ensuing saline lavage using a high-flow water jet system. The patients were then brought back for repeated, planned endoscopic lavages of the WON. No endoscopic intra-cavitary exploration was performed. Results: A total of 17 patients (15 men, 2 women; mean age 52.6, range 24 – 69; mean American Society of Anesthesiologists [ASA] score of 3) underwent ED of WON with this new method. The mean initial WON diameter was 9.5 cm, range 8 to 26 cm. The total number of ED was 84, range 2 to 13. The mean stenting period was 42.5 days. The mean follow-up was 51 days, range 3 to 370. A resolution of the WON was achieved in 14 patients (82.3 %). There were no major complications associated with this method. Conclusion: ED of complex WON with fcSEMS followed by repeated endoscopic extra-cavitary lavage and debridement using a biliary catheter and high-flow water jet system is a minimally invasive, feasible method with high technical and clinical success and minimal complications.
The Kinetics of the Order-Disorder Transformation in the Pt1Co1-xNix Alloy System

The kinetics of atomic ordering in a series of alloys in the Pt1Co1-xNix ternary system where 0<x<0.5 were investigated by magnetic measurements. For all the alloys, the ordering kinetics as monitored by the saturation magnetization as a function of isothermal ordering time at a series of specified ordering temperatures, were found to be exponentially time dependent. The associated time constant was found to have an Arrhenius temperature dependence characterized by an activation energy that, with increasing nickel concentration, initially increased to maximum value at a nickel composition of x ≃.2 and then systematically decreased. This result for the activation energy as a function of nickel content was found to correlate roughly with the behavior of the saturation magnetization of the ordered alloys, suggesting that the kinetics of the transformation in this alloy system is sensitive to the magnetic properties of the ordered state.
CCL25/CCR9 interactions are not essential for colitis development but are required for innate immune cell protection from chronic experimental murine colitis.

Background The chemokine CCL25, and its receptor CCR9, constitute a unique chemokine/receptor pair, which regulates trafficking of T lymphocytes to the small intestine under physiological conditions and is an attractive target for small bowel Crohn's disease drug development. We have previously shown that CCL25/CCR9 interactions regulate the recovery from acute dextran sulfate sodium-induced colonic inflammation. In this study, we explored whether these interactions also regulate chronic colitis development in 2 independent murine models of experimental colitis. Methods Histological flow cytometry and qPCR analyses were performed to evaluate the role of CL25 and CCR9 in chronic colonic inflammation induced by serial exposures to dextran sulfate sodium salts or by adoptive transfer of CD45RB(hi) CD4(+) T cell into lymphopenic mice devoid of CCL25/CCR9 interactions. Results Chronic dextran sulfate sodium exposure results in exacerbated colitis in mice deficient for either CCR9 or CCL25 when compared with wild-type control mice. Although CCR9-deficient T cells traffic to the colon and induce severe colitis similar to wild-type T cells in the CD45RB transfer model, naive wild-type T cells induce more severe disease in recipient animals devoid of CCL25 expression. Conclusions CCL25/CCR9 interactions are required for modulating protection against large intestinal inflammation in 2 models of chronic colitis. These data may have implications for the potential effects of disrupting CCL25/CCR9 interactions in humans in the setting of intestinal disorders including inflammatory bowel disease.
Rubella virus complement-fixing antigen: sedimentable and non-sedimentable antigenic components.

SummaryEther treatment of rubella virus “cell pack” antigen resulted in the production of specific sedimentable and non-sedi-mentable (“soluble”) complement-fixing preparations which were serologically indistinguishable when tested with convalescent human sera. The sedimentable antigen was found in the emulsion phase, while the “soluble” antigen was found in the aqueous phase. None of these antigens was found to be infectious in tissue culture. Prolonged and repeated ether treatments of the sedimentable antigen resulted in the release of more “soluble” antigen into the aqueous phase. Maximum “soluble” antigen liters were produced when crude cell pack antigen was ether treated at pH of 9. The rubella virus spedficity of the sedimentable and non-sedi-mentable CF antigen preparations were established. The non-sedimentable CF preparation was compared to myxovirus soluble antigen in the sense that this term was used to describe the internal CF antigen of the latter. The sedimentable rubella CF antigen was cons...