cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Metabolic syndrome: definition and prevalence in children.

Metabolic syndrome a concurrence of disorders including obesity insulin resistance dyslipidemia and hypertension has gained importance because of its association with subsequent development of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. The extent of coronary atherosclerosis in children and young adults increases markedly with the increasing number of multiple risk factors. The metabolic syndrome is highly prevalent in adults and the coexistence of these multiple cardiovascular risk variables also occurs commonly in children. Importantly multiple risk factors reinforce each other and persist (track) from childhood into adulthood. Recent studies suggest that metabolic syndrome may even originate in the embryonic and fetal stages. (excerpt)
Outcomes of Locoregional Recurrence after Surgical Chest Wall Resection and Reconstruction for Breast Cancer

Locoregional chest wall recurrences involving ribs and/or sternum after primary surgical treatment predict a poor outcome in patients with breast cancer. The precise natural history and surgical outcome of these chest wall recurrences are not fully understood. The objective of this study is to clarify the clinicopathological features of chest wall recurrence of breast cancer and evaluate prognostic factors predicting survival after chest wall resection and reconstruction (CWRR). A total of 28 patients who underwent CWRR at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center between December 1999 and September 2007 were retrospectively analyzed. Overall survival was calculated by the Kaplan–Meier method and the significance of prognostic variables was evaluated by log-rank and Cox regression analyses. The postoperative morbidity and mortality was 21% and 0%, respectively. Overall 5-year survival for the entire cohort was 18%. Disease-free interval <24 months (P = 0.03) and triple-negative phenotype (P = 0.002) were the only independent predictors of survival. Overall 1-, 2-, and 5-year survival rates for the triple-negative phenotype were 38%, 23%, and 0%, respectively. In contrast, overall 1-, 2-, and 5-year survival rates for the non-triple-negative phenotype were 100%, 70%, and 39%, respectively. Radical chest wall resection can be done without mortality and acceptable morbidity to accomplish long-term palliation. The strongest predictor of overall survival was the triple-negative phenotype. Because the triple-negative phenotype is not amenable to any form of therapy, palliative resection may be warranted. Development of appropriate targeted therapies to this population of patients is critical.
The biaxial loading response of powder aluminum at elevated temperature

Nuclear fuel can be fabricated using powder-metallurgy processes by compacting uranium-oxide powder with aluminum powder to form a cermet and then extruding the cermet to form fuel tubes. This method of production allows greater control of uranium-oxide particle size and distribution in the tube, making the production of fuel with greater concentrations of uranium oxide possible, and thus decreasing the volume of radioactive waste remaining after the fuel is spent. As the concentration of uranium oxide increases, however, there is an increase in failures during extrusion. To address this problem, an experimental procedure was developed to examine the response of powder aluminum, a material with a structure similar to that of the cermet fuel, to biaxial loadings such as those experienced during extrusion. Biaxial loadings can be varied from pure shear to simple tension or compression, or to combinations of these loadings in a numerically controlled ‘tension-torsion’ testing machine. Data obtained using this system were used to develop a model for the post-yield behavior in extruded powder aluminum which includes information derived both from the macroscopic stress-strain behavior of 1100 aluminum and extruded powder aluminum and from the observed microscopic structure of the extruded powder aluminum.
Qualitative comparison of link shaping techniques

Over the last several years there has been an ever increasing trend in using emulated testbeds for network experimentation. Emulated testbeds offer a reproducible and highly controlled experimental environment; however, due to the physical proximity of the nodes to each other in the data centre, the available links have very low propagation delays and unrealistic bandwidth. In this work, we conduct a qualitative comparison of three link shaping approaches. We focus on evaluating approaches as opposed to individual link shaping tools. Our goal in this work is to ascertain which approach yields the fewest emulation artefacts. Our results indicate that a transparent link shaping node significantly outperforms the other two methods.
Non-linear optical polymers for photorefractive applications

Photorefractive materials can be used to record and erase holograms many times without the need for chemical processing. This places photorefractive materials at the cutting edge for use in updatable holographic display applications. This feature article reviews the basic principles of polymer photorefractivity and the properties of a newly developed bis-triarylamine side-chain photorefractive polymer sensitive at visible and near-infrared wavelengths. The photorefractive composites developed using this polymer exhibit stable dynamic properties under continuous operation combined with video-rate compatible dynamics, and long shelf lifetimes. Recent improvements in the polymer compositions have led to the development of an updateable holographic 3D display, capable of recording and displaying new images every few minutes.
Carbonates in Vigarano: Terrestrial, preterrestrial, or both?

Studies of two separate stones of the CV3 chondrite Vigarano have revealed the presence of previously unreported occurrences of calcite. In the first stone, calcite occurs as thin veins in a type B CAI. In contrast, observations of the second stone, which was recovered one month after its fall, show three calcite occurrences: networks of veins, vesicle fillings in the fusion crust, and pseudomorphic replacement of augite associated with a porphyritic olivine chondrule. The most common occurrence is as veins ranging in thickness from <1 μm to 25 μm and extending for more than several hundred m. Some veins crosscut the fusion crust and are connected to a carbonate coating on the exterior of the meteorite. Extensive minor element zoning occurs in carbonate masses, indicating variations in the fluid composition and/or redox potential during carbonate growth. Based on the textural evidence and a comparative study with carbonate veins in the CV3 chondrite Leoville, we conclude that the veins are terrestrial in origin. We propose a model for rapid carbonate formation in which calcite precipitation is driven by hydrolysis and oxidation in the meteorite interior that move the fluid composition to alkaline values. In addition, both stones also contain minor occurrences of carbonate that are not readily explained by terrestrial alteration. Minor carbonate in a type B CAI occurs in the first stone and calcite occurs as pseudomorphic replacement of augite in the second stone. Both of these occurrences appear to be preterrestrial, probably asteroidal in origin.
Ultrasensitive Detection of Amines by a Trace Amine-Associated Receptor

The mammalian main olfactory pathway detects volatile chemicals using two families of G-protein-coupled receptors: a large repertoire of canonical odorant receptors and a much smaller set of trace amine-associated receptors (TAARs). The TAARs are evolutionarily conserved in vertebrates, including humans, suggesting an indispensible role in olfaction. However, little is known about the functional properties of TAARs when expressed in native olfactory sensory neurons. Here we describe experiments using gene targeting, electrophysiology, and optical imaging to study the response properties of TAAR-expressing sensory neurons and their associated glomeruli in mice. We show that olfactory sensory neurons that express a subset of the TAAR repertoire are preferentially responsive to amines. In addition, neurons expressing specific TAARs, TAAR3 or TAAR4, are highly sensitive and are also broadly tuned—responding to structurally diverse amines. Surprisingly, we find that TAAR4 is exquisitely sensitive, with apparent affinities for a preferred ligand, phenylethylamine, rivaling those seen with mammalian pheromone receptors. We provide evidence that this unprecedented sensitivity is mediated via receptor coupling to the canonical odorant transduction cascade. The data suggest that the TAARs are evolutionarily retained in the olfactory receptor repertoire to mediate high-sensitivity detection of a biologically relevant class of odorous stimuli.
Integrated learning systems : An application linking technology with human factors and pedagogical principles

The development of integrated learning systems (ILSs) holds great promise for enhancing the instructional process and for improving student learning. This article describes an application of an ILS that takes into account learning theory research, principles of instructional design, and other factors related to human learning. The application presented utilizes IBM's “Advanced Technology Classroom” to verify the efficacy of integrated learning systems from both a student-user perspective and the perspective of instructors in a university setting.
Forward Suppression in the Auditory Cortex Is Caused by the Cav3.1 Calcium Channel-Mediated Switch from Bursting to Tonic Firing at Thalamocortical Projections

Brief sounds produce a period of suppressed responsiveness in the auditory cortex (ACx). This forward suppression can last for hundreds of milliseconds and might contribute to mechanisms of temporal separation of sounds and stimulus-specific adaptation. However, the mechanisms of forward suppression remain unknown. We used in vivo recordings of sound-evoked responses in the mouse ACx and whole-cell recordings, two-photon calcium imaging in presynaptic terminals, and two-photon glutamate uncaging in dendritic spines performed in brain slices to show that synaptic depression at thalamocortical (TC) projections contributes to forward suppression in the ACx. Paired-pulse synaptic depression at TC projections lasts for hundreds of milliseconds and is attributable to a switch between firing modes in thalamic neurons. Thalamic neurons respond to a brief depolarizing pulse with a burst of action potentials; however, within hundreds of milliseconds, the same pulse repeated again produces only a single action potential. This switch between firing modes depends on Cav3.1 T-type calcium channels enriched in thalamic relay neurons. Pharmacologic inhibition or knockdown of Cav3.1 T-type calcium channels in the auditory thalamus substantially reduces synaptic depression at TC projections and forward suppression in the ACx. These data suggest that Cav3.1-dependent synaptic depression at TC projections contributes to mechanisms of forward suppression in the ACx.
Emission studies of 9-cyanoanthracene excimers generated in glassy and crystalline matrices

Abstract Fluorescence spectra of 9-cyanoanthracene polycrystalline films and glasses of different viscosities and polarities are reported. The 490 nm emitting species is identified as the trans excimer. The blue-shift of 9-CNA crystal emission upon increasing temperature is explained in terms of a temperature-dependent competition between two crystal traps giving rise to cis or trans excimer position.
The Ocular Surface Center at the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston

Although Baylor's Ocular Surface Center is relatively new, it has already produced important work on ocular surface inflammation and corneal epithelial stem cell culture.
Theoretical and experimental study of the Bragg scattering of atoms from a standing light wave.

We study up to the sixth order of Bragg deflection of metastable neon atoms from a standing light wave, corresponding to a momentum transfer of 12\ensuremath{\Elzxh}k. We derive an analytical result for the scattering probability, suitable for arbitrarily high Bragg order, and demonstrate its agreement with experimental results. We investigate the effect of velocity distribution on the Bragg process and show that overlapping diffraction orders can be resolved in velocity space. The prospect of using Bragg scattering as the optics in a Mach-Zehnder style atom interferometer with large splitting is discussed.
High-grade gliomas.

High-grade gliomas (HGGs) should be treated with maximal, safe surgical resection followed by 57–60 Gy of partial-field external beam or intensity-modulated radiotherapy to a 2 cm margin surrounding the resection cavity. The standard of care for newly diagnosed glioblastoma includes concurrent temozolomide (TMZ) during radiotherapy and adjuvant TMZ for six or more cycles. The optimal role of chemotherapy in anaplastic gliomas is unresolved. Carefully selected patients with anaplastic gliomas can be treated with combination chemotherapy (procarbazine, lomustine, vincristine; PCV) or TMZ as initial therapy after surgical resection, adjuvant therapy after radiotherapy, or at recurrence in patients with anaplastic glioma. Patients with recurrent glioblastoma can be treated with intravenous bevacizumab or dose-intense regimens of TMZ, but selection of optimal candidates for either therapy is unresolved. Other currently available targeted biologic agents are not part of routine management of patients with HGGs. Combination therapeutic trials of antiangiogenic and other targeted agents are ongoing in patients with HGGs. The way forward for patients with HGGs will involve treatments targeting the molecular abnormalities that are important to tumor initiation and growth. All patients with HGGs should be evaluated for clinical trial eligibility at diagnosis and upon recurrence.
Enhanced Radiation Tunneling of a Multilayer Structure With a Left-Handed Medium by Surface Plasmon Polaritons

Radiation tunneling within a multilayer structure with one layer made of a left-handed medium (LHM) is studied. Model functions for the electric permittivity and magnetic permeability of a metamaterial are used to generate a LHM in the mid-infrared spectral region. The dispersion relations of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) for both s- and p-polarized electromagnetic waves are investigated. A generalized matrix formulation is developed and used to calculate the transmittance and reflectance of the multilayer structure. The results show that with the excitation of SPPs at the surface of the LHM, the transmittance of the multilayer structure can be enhanced up to several times. Furthermore, the characteristics of the evanescent fields associated with SPPs are analyzed for different thicknesses of the LHM layer.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Robust wireless channel based secret key extraction

Prior work in channel based key extraction has assumed that the adversary has negligible knowledge/control of the wireless channel. Recent analysis, however, has shown that this assumption is not necessarily valid. Gaining a better understanding of the implications of this assumption is crucial as the wireless channel plays a critical role in the security of this type of key extraction system. In this paper, we discuss why we feel this assumption oversimplifies the problem and present a formal adversary model which takes into account an adversary's knowledge/control of the wireless channel. We present impossibility results learned from our formal model and discuss why previously proposed systems fail to defend against our adversary. We propose the first secret key extraction system which thwarts this adversary and give a generic implementation of our system.
Effect of S-compounds and CO on hydrogenation of aldehydes over reduced and sulfided Ni–Mo/Al2O3 catalysts

Abstract Effects of sulfur compounds and CO molecule on the catalytic performance of the reduced and sulfided NiMo/Al2O3 catalysts in hydrogenation of linear aldehydes (hexanal and propanal) are studied. Although the steady-state reaction experiments showed a decrease in activity and selectivity of reduced catalysts when a model sulfur compound was introduced into the feed, the reaction performance of the reduced catalyst still remained superior to that of the sulfided catalysts. The studies with XPS, TPD, and volumetric chemisorption measurement techniques shown that, there is partial sulfidation of the reduced catalysts when exposed to sulfur under reaction conditions, however, it does not convert the catalyst to a molybdenum sulfide phase. Instead oxygen–sulfur exchange on the surface leaves behind oxisulfide species, with catalytic activity closely resembling that of the reduced catalysts. The presence of CO in the feed mixture leads to a decrease in hydrogenation activity and selectivity for both reduced and sulfided catalysts, due to the competitive adsorption between aldehyde and CO, although the effect of CO is completely reversible.
Laser Processing on CVD-Processed Alumina-Coated Carbide Inserts

Abstract Abstract Laser shock processing (LSP) has been applied to locally relieve the deleterious tensile residual stresses on the wear area of a coated tool. LSP utilizes a very short laser pulse with high energy density, which induces high-pressure stress wave propagation. The residual stresses are relieved by incident shock waves on the coating surface. Residual stress levels of LSP CVD alumina-coated carbide insert were evaluated by the x-ray diffractometer. Based on these results, LSP parameters such as number of laser pulses and laser energy density can be controlled to reduce residual stress. From the relationship between LSP parameters and the residual stress behavior, the empirical equation is derived. Crater wear on the coated carbide inserts with various LSP conditions was examined after the turning tests. We have analyzed the preliminary results to verify the effects of residual stress in reducing crater wear.
Lateral current density distribution and spatial hole burning in quantum cascade lasers

We have investigated non-uniformity of the lateral current density and lateral hole burning in Quantum Cascaded lasers, e.g., the current density in the mode center is 1.8 times that in the edge region.
Effects of Preoverlay Pavement Conditions and Preoverlay Repair Methods on the Performance of Asphaltic Concrete Overlays

Asphaltic concrete overlay is a commonly used rehabilitation technology for existing asphaltic or concrete pavements. The existing pavements are often repaired prior to the placement of the overlay. Considering the significant cost associated with this type of repair, it is imperative to understand how preoverlay pavement distresses and preoverlay repair methods can affect the postoverlay performance so that engineers can select the most effective preoverlay repair methods. This study used data that were collected from 449 asphaltic overlays on existing pavements. Statistical analysis results indicated that (1) for asphaltic concrete pavements, milling is more effective in reducing alligator/block cracking, longitudinal cracking, and raveling in asphaltic overlay; (2) for composite pavements, asphaltic concrete base patching is more effective in reducing longitudinal cracking, and doweled concrete base patching is more effective in reducing surface raveling in asphaltic overlay; (3) for joint plain concrete pavements, undoweled concrete base patching is more effective in reducing transverse and longitudinal cracking; and (4) for continuously reinforced concrete pavements, asphaltic concrete base patching is more effective in reducing transverse and longitudinal cracking. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)TE.1943-5436.0000606. © 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Schamberg disease: uncommon reaction to a common drug.

A 75-year-old woman with long-standing rheumatoid arthritis presented with a mildly pruritic, symmetrical erythematous rash on her legs ([Figure 1][1]). She was not taking any specific therapy for her rheumatoid arthritis but had taken acetaminophen for 3 days because of knee pain. She noticed the
Caryophyllidea (Cestoidea): perspectives

Caryophyllids are widely distributed cestodes of the fresh water siluriform and cypriniform fishes of the world. There are about 126 species and 45 genera and they constitute approximately 25% of the cestode fauna of fresh water fish (Mackiewicz, 1972). Benthic-feeding fish become infected by eating tubificid worms (Annelida; Oligochaeta) that harbour the cercomer-beariug, infective stage; the tubificids, in turn, are infected by eating the operculated eggs in mud. Such a brief synopsis belies the fact that these well-known tapeworms are at the very heart of important questions concerning the evolution of Cestoidea. One has but to read Bazitov (1976), Freeman (1973), Kulakovskaya & Demshin (1978), Mameav (1975), Malmberg (1974) and Mackiewicz (1981) to appreciate that great differences still exist as to how caryophyllids evolved and what role they may have played in the evolution of the more numerous strobilate tapeworms.
Forecasting capacity and capacity utilization in the U.S. aerospace industry

The forecasting of capacity and its utilization is particularly relevant in the aerospace industry because of long product delivery lead-times and the forward-pricing system. The objective of this paper is to develop a method for forecasting both the industry's capacity and its capacity utilization so that decision makers who must rely on this information may have policy guidance. The result shows that the aerospace industry's capacity expansion rate is closely tied to its present and recent past state of capacity utilization, and to anticipated changes in output. Output, in turn, can be predicted by using Five Year Defense Plans data and information on the cyclical nature of commercial business. Based on these findings, we were able to build an accurate model for forecasting aerospace industry capacity utilization.
Function of the Drosophila TGF-α homolog Spitz is controlled by Star and interacts directly with Star

Drosophila Spitz is a homolog of transforming growth factor a (TGF-a) and is an activating ligand for the EGF receptor (Egfr). It has been shown that Star is required for Spitz activity. Here we show that Star is quantitatively limiting for Spitz production during eye development. We also show that Star and Spitz proteins colocalize in Spitz sending cells and that this association is not coincident with the site of translation ‐ consistent with a function for Star in Spitz processing or transmission. Finally, we have defined minimal sequences within both Spitz and Star that mediate a direct interaction and show that this binding can occur in vivo. q 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Mechanism of induction of apoptosis in melanoma cancer cells by non-thermal plasma

Induction of apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is an important factor in cancer therapy as cancer cells frequently have acquired the ability to avoid apoptosis and continue to multiply in an unregulated manner; thereby becoming resistant to traditional chemotherapeutic drugs. Nonthermal atmospheric plasma discharge may provide a novel approach to induction of apoptosis in cancer cells. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the apoptotic effects of non-thermal plasma on melanoma cells and understand the mechanism of initiation of apoptosis in melanoma cancer cells by non-thermal plasma. Melanoma cancer cell line (ATCC A2058) was cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium with 4 mM L-glutamine adjusted to contain 1.5 g/L sodium bicarbonate and 4.5 g/L glucose, and 10% fetal bovine serum. Cells were incubated at 37 C with 95% humidified air and 5% carbon dioxide. Melanoma cells were treated with increasing levels of non-thermal plasma by altering dose rate and were evaluated by Trypan blue exclusion test, TUNEL analysis, Caspase 3 cleavage and Annexin-PI staining to determine viability and apoptotic activity at various time points after plasma treatment. Trypan blue testing revealed that plasma treatment at low power for up to 15 seconds (1.5 J/cm2) did not significantly increase the number of dead cells immediately following treatment (time zero); however, at higher doses, the percent dead cells increased linearly with dose of plasma. TUNEL analysis of cells treated for 15 seconds at high power (15 J/cm2) demonstrated an increase in apoptosis at 24 and 48 hours post-treatment (p < 0.05). Annexin-V staining revealed a significant increase in apoptosis in plasma-treated cells at 24, 48, and 72 hours post-treatment (p < 0.05). Caspase-3 cleavage was observed at 48 hours post plasma treatment at a dose of 15 seconds (15 J/cm2). Pretreatment with N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), a free radical scavenger, significantly decreased apoptosis in plasma-treated cells. Plasma treatment induces apoptosis in melanoma cells through a pathway that appears to be dependent on production of reactive oxygen species by plasma in fluid. ROS penetrate the cells and may induce high levels of DNA damage resulting in the induction of apoptosis. Plasma may be a useful tool to induce directed cell death without inducing necrosis and inflammation.
Lessons learned from the Tokamak Advanced Reactor Innovation and Evaluation Study (ARIES)

Lessons from the four-year ARIES (Advanced Reactor Innovation and Evaluation Study) investigation of a number of commercial magnetic-fusion-energy (MFE) power-plant embodiments of the tokamak are s...
Principles of virtual work and complementary virtual work for Cosserat media

Abstract The principle of a virtual work for a Cosserat medium is discussed. A principle of complementary virtual work for Cosserat media is given, providing an extension of the Dorn and Schild ‘Converse to the Virtual Work Theorem for Deformable Solids’ (1956) to general Cosserat media. As with the virtual work principle itself, the complementary virtual work principle is independent of the specific rheological character of the medium. Applications are briefly discussed.
Time-resolved MR imaging by automatic data segmentation

A method for time-resolved imaging that provides a flexible trade-off between imaging time and temporal resolution is presented. It is based on a view order selection technique that automatically segments the acquired raw data into appropriate temporal frames. When used with cardiac monitoring and phase-contrast imaging, data similar to that obtained with a conventional gated phase-contrast sequence are acquired rapidly. For many applications, the temporal resolution can be reduced enough to permit imaging within a breath-hold interval, while still allowing accurate time-averaged flow quantitation. This is a general technique that can be implemented within a variety of pulse sequences and can resolve other motion cycles, including the respiratory cycle.
Pedigree or Placement? An Analysis of Research Productivity in Finance

We examine pedigree and placement effects of research productivity in finance and find a notable placement effect: authors who are currently affiliated with “elite” institutions tend to be more productive, especially among the top three finance journals. The placement effect, however, weakens in more recent years. We also observe a pedigree effect in the top three journals, where there is a higher concentration of publications by authors with degrees from “elite” institutions. We provide rankings of the institutions that are best at developing and training scholars.
Prodrugs for improved CNS delivery

Abstract The blood-brain barrier is both a transport and an enzymatic barrier. The design of prodrugs for improved CNS delivery must necessarily address that barrier component which is playing the most important role in impeding the CNS uptake for a given parent compound. Because the capillaries within the blood-brain barrier are joined by tight junctions, the transport barrier is comprised of the lipid bilayer membranes of the capillary endothelial cells. Increasing parent drug lipophilicity is usually one element, therefore, in prodrug design. However, increased lipophilicity without the appropriate rate and selectivity of prodrug bioconversion in the brain will result in failure. To achieve the optimal bioconversion rates and selectivities, consideration of the enzymes present in brain tissue and in the BBB capillaries is essential. A number of enzymes appear to be localized in the cerebral microvasculature. A focus of this review is the prodrug approaches based on the utilization of these enzymes for bioconversion and the value of these approaches in achieving selectivity in delivery.
Treating adolescents with eating disorders in the family context: Empirical and theoretical considerations☆

The author described the Maudsley approach for family treatment of adolescent AN and the empirical evidence supporting its use in this population. This treatment focuses on the family as a resource for recovery and puts the patients in charge of re-feeding their affected child. Its success seems to depend on the successful motivation of parents to take on this task and see it through while simultaneously supporting the processes of adolescent development as they reemerge. Although this treatment is promising, substantial data to support its being the best approach for adolescents with AN are lacking. The author also described a theoretical model for involving parents in CBT for adolescents with BN. Although CBT is accepted as the most efficacious treatment for adults with BN, it has not been tested systematically in adolescents. At the same time, it is clear that the adult models of CBT for BN are unlikely to be successful without modifications that take into account the realities of adolescence. Although CBT as a model is likely to be acceptable to adolescents, parents are needed to promote motivation, provide a supportive milieu for behavioral change, and provide guidance and support in stressful periods that lead to relapse. It is important that CBT that is appropriately modified to include parents be tested for its efficacy in adolescents with BN. Preliminary, uncontrolled results are promising.
Branch-and-Bound for Model Selection and Its Computational Complexity

Branch-and-bound methods are used in various data analysis problems, such as clustering, seriation and feature selection. Classical approaches of branch-and-bound based clustering search through combinations of various partitioning possibilities to optimize a clustering cost. However, these approaches are not practically useful for clustering of image data where the size of data is large. Additionally, the number of clusters is unknown in most of the image data analysis problems. By taking advantage of the spatial coherency of clusters, we formulate an innovative branch-and-bound approach, which solves clustering problem as a model-selection problem. In this generalized approach, cluster parameter candidates are first generated by spatially coherent sampling. A branch-and-bound search is carried out through the candidates to select an optimal subset. This paper formulates this approach and investigates its average computational complexity. Improved clustering quality and robustness to outliers compared to conventional iterative approach are demonstrated with experiments.
Visual diagnosis: Rectal foreign body: A primer for emergency physicians

We present a case that is occasionally seen within emergency departments, namely a rectal foreign body. After presentation of the case, a discussion concerning this entity is given, with practical information on necessity of an accurate and thorough history and removal of the object for clinicians.
Determination of Isosorbide Dinitrate in Pharmaceutical Products by HPLC

A high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay for isosorbide dinitrate in pharmaceutical formulations is described. The method employs a reversed-phase C18 column with a mobile phase containing methanol/water/acetate buffer and is specific for isosorbide dinitrate with respect to its 2- and 5-mononitrate degradation products and other organic polynitrate esters. The method is applicable to the analysis of the diluted bulk drug and dosage forms, including sublingual, oral, chewable, and timed-release preparations.
Measurements for managing software maintenance

Software maintenance is central to the mission of many organizations. Thus, it is natural for managers to characterize and measure those aspects of products and processes that seem to affect the cost, schedule, quality and functionality of software maintenance delivery. This paper answers basic questions about software maintenance for a single organization and discusses some of the decisions made based on the answers. Attributes of both the software maintenance process and the resulting product were measured to direct management and engineering attention toward improvement areas, track the improvement over time, and help make choices among alternatives.
On the quickest flow problem in dynamic networks: a parametric min-cost flow approach

We consider the quickest flow problem in dynamic networks with a single source s and a single sink t: given an amount of flow F, find the minimum time needed to send it from s to t, and the corresponding optimal flow over time.We introduce new mathematical formulations and derive optimality conditions for the quickest flow problem. Based on the optimality conditions, we develop a new cost-scaling algorithm that leverages the parametric nature of the problem. The algorithm solves the quickest flow problem with integer arc costs in O(nm log(n2/m) log(nC)) time, where n, m, and C are the number of nodes, arcs, and the maximum arc cost, respectively.Our algorithm runs in the same time bound as the cost-scaling algorithm by Goldberg and Tarjan [10, 11] for solving the min-cost flow problem. This result shows for the first time that the quickest flow problem can be solved within the same time bound as one of the fastest algorithms for the min-cost flow problem. As a consequence, our algorithm will remain one of the fastest unless the quickest flow problem can be shown to be simpler than the min-cost flow problem.
Knowledge of oxygen delivery among paediatric trainee doctors and experienced paediatric nurses

Aims Assess the knowledge of oxygen delivery among paediatric junior doctors and nurses. Methods A paper survey was developed, piloted, refined and completed by junior doctors at induction to a children9s hospital, and experienced paediatric nurses attending post registration courses. The purpose was to identify and direct address knowledge gaps. Respondents needed to identify various oxygen delivery devices (nasal cannulae, face mask, face mask and reservoir bag, head box, tracheostomy mask, bag-valve-mask (BVM) and Ayre9s T-piece), specify maximum percentage (%) of oxygen that can be delivered, flow rates required, use with spontaneously breathing patients and possibility of delivering continuous positive airway pressure. Results A total of 152 surveys were completed, 29 of these by nurses. Identification: Nasal cannulae, tracheostomy mask and BVM were correctly identified 98%, 89% and 94% of the time. There was confusion over headbox (63% correct), face mask and reservoir bag (22% correct) and Ayre9s t-piece (36% correct). Knowledge of maximum % oxygen delivered by each device was poor: nasal cannulae had 28% (32/114) correct answers; 42/114 responded that nasal cannulae delivered >40% oxygen. BVM and Ayre9s T-piece had the most correct answers (69% and 82%). Flow rate responses showed poor knowledge of carbon dioxide clearance with oxygen delivery: 30% (37/125) would give Conclusion There are significant knowledge gaps regarding oxygen therapy despite their frequent use. Maximum % oxygen delivery and flow rates were particularly poor, with potential negative impact on patient care including: delivering too little oxygen in emergencies with BVM and face masks and reservoir, or too low flow rates with face masks and head boxes leading to CO 2 retention. The correct use of BVM requires particular clarification. This survey informed interactive teaching focusing on this common, important and life-saving therapy.
The Southernization of American Religion: Testing a Hypothesis

The most visible development in American religion in the past two decades is the resurgence of evangelical Protestantism. Because evangelical religion has remained the dominant twentieth century form of Protestantism in the South, and not in other regions of the country, John Egerton (1974) has characterized the recent nationwide revival of evangelical Protestantism as a movement of Southern-style religion back into the mainstream of American culture a process he calls the "Southernization of American religion." Using the Glenmary Research Center's church memberhsip data, and population and migration data from the United States Census, this article tests the Egerton hypothesis on the spread of Southern religion. In fact, I found that virtually all the membership growth in evangelical churches between 1971 and 1980 can be attributed to growth in specifically Southern evangelical churches. The growth of Southernstyle religion was especially marked outside the South and corresponds with regions that experienced high levels of in-migration from the South during the same period suggesting that migration is an important mechanism by which America's religious landscape evolves. In short, my data support the Egerton hypothesis. Although more research needs to be done in this area, based on my findings, I conclude that a region-based approach to understanding recent changes in American religion is indeed plausible.
Thromboplastin. I. Phospholipid moiety of thromboplastin.

SummaryPhosphatidyl ethanolamine and phosphatidyl choline are inactive in the Thromboplastin Generation Test, but they become highly active when present with about 10% phosphatidyl serine. Phospholipids from fresh eggs are inactive, because they contain no phosphatidyl serine. Sodium deoxycholate gives clear, but less active or inhibitory suspensions.The author is very grateful to Dr. Erich Baer, Toronto, Canada, for a generous gift of synthetic L-α-(Dioleoyl)-phosphatidyl ethanolamine, and thanks Mrs. Jane Harvey and Joann Powers for expert technical assistance.
Improving the accuracy of vehicle emissions profiles for urban transportation greenhouse gas and air pollution inventories.

Metropolitan greenhouse gas and air emissions inventories can better account for the variability in vehicle movement, fleet composition, and infrastructure that exists within and between regions, to develop more accurate information for environmental goals. With emerging access to high quality data, new methods are needed for informing transportation emissions assessment practitioners of the relevant vehicle and infrastructure characteristics that should be prioritized in modeling to improve the accuracy of inventories. The sensitivity of light and heavy-duty vehicle greenhouse gas (GHG) and conventional air pollutant (CAP) emissions to speed, weight, age, and roadway gradient are examined with second-by-second velocity profiles on freeway and arterial roads under free-flow and congestion scenarios. By creating upper and lower bounds for each factor, the potential variability which could exist in transportation emissions assessments is estimated. When comparing the effects of changes in these characterist...
Permanence and Global Attractivity of the Nonautonomous Competition Dispersion-Delay Model

A nonautonomous competition dispersion ecological system with functional response and continuous time delay is proposed in this paper.By applying the comparison theorem of the differential equation and constructing the suitable Lyapunov fundtion,sufficient conditions which guarantee the permanence and the global attractivity of the system are obtained.
Outcomes of blunt head trauma without intracranial pressure monitoring.

Although guidelines exist for intracranial pressure (ICP)-guided treatment after head trauma, no conclusive data exist that support routine ICP monitoring. A retrospective case series was reviewed ...
Experimental Study of the Global and Local Flame Responses to Acoustic Perturbation

In this study, the global and local flame responses to the acoustic perturbation were investigated to understand the thermoacoustic features of a low swirl flame. The effects of the Strouhal number and the acoustic perturbation level were examined. The global flame response was investigated with flame chemiluminescence. With the images captured with the planar laser-induced fluorescence of hydroxyl radicals method, the phase-averaged flame surface density was calculated to examine the flame dynamics and the local mean heat release oscillation. The results showed that the Strouhal number was useful in characterizing the flame responses: especially the oscillation amplitude. The flame showed a significant shape deformation when intense flame rollup happened; otherwise, the flame shape deformed weakly. The local analysis showed that large flame deformations caused strong local fundamental oscillations. However, the contribution of the local fundamental oscillation to the global fundamental fluctuation was af...
History matching of multi-facies channelized reservoirs using ES-MDA with common basis DCT

History matching a channelized reservoir with multiple facies has always posed a great challenge to researchers. In this paper, we present a workflow combining the ensemble smoother with multiple data assimilation (ES-MDA) method with a parameterization algorithm referred to as the common basis discrete cosine transform (DCT) and a post-processing technique in order to integrate static and dynamic data into multi-facies channelized reservoir models. The parameterization algorithm is developed to capture the critical features and describe the geological similarity between different realizations in the prior ensemble by transforming the discrete facies indicators into continuous variables. And the ES-MDA method is employed to update the continuous variables by assimilating the static and dynamic data. Finally, a post-processing technique based on a regularization framework is used to improve the spatial continuity of facies and estimate the non-Gaussian distributed reservoir properties. We apply this automatic history matching workflow to two synthetic problems that represent complex three-facies (shale, levee, and sand) channelized reservoirs. One is a 2D three-facies reservoir with a relatively high number of channels and the other is a 3D three-facies five-layer reservoir containing two geological zones with different channel patterns. The computational results show that the proposed workflow can greatly reduce the uncertainty in the reservoir description through the integration of production data. And the posterior realizations can well preserve the key geological features of the prior models, with a good history data match and predictive capacity. In addition, we also illustrate the superiority of the common basis DCT over the traditional DCT algorithm.
Nonlinear vibration of an axially loaded beam carrying rigid bodies

This paper investigates the nonlinear vibration due to mid-plane stretching of an axially loaded simply supported beam carrying multiple rigid masses. Explicit expressions and closed form solutions of both linear and nonlinear analysis of the present vibration problem are presented for the first time. The validity of the analytical model is demonstrated using finite element analysis and via comparison with the result in the literature. Parametric studies are conducted to examine how the nonlinear frequency and frequency response curve are affected by tension, rotational inertia, and number of intermediate rigid bodies.
Calvinism, Gender Ideology, and Relational Spirituality: An Empirical Investigation of Worldview Differences:

Participants were grouped on the basis of theological beliefs about divine-human and female-male dynamics using cluster analysis. We then explored whether these subgroups might differ on (a) hierar...
East Germany: An Elaborately Squandered Opportunity

This chapter covers the single case brought by East Germany against a suspected former Arajs Kommando man. The capture, investigation, and trial of this suspect—Stanislavs Steins—in the German Democratic Republic were virtually contemporaneous with those of Arājs in the Federal Republic of Germany and both men received the same sentence. This case was probably prepared as part of East Germany’s obsessive competition with West Germany to prove itself the more anti-fascist of the two Germanies. However, the investigation itself was seriously and bizarrely flawed: the suspect was clearly guilty of crimes related to the Holocaust, but the process was so badly managed that almost all knowledge to potentially be gained from it was corrupted. In the end, the entire case remained secret.
Mental Budgets and Green Consumerism: Consumer Responses to Categorization of Organic Premiums

Recent studies have shown that while 30% of Americans state that they are concerned about the environment, a much smaller proportion act on this concern and purchase environmentally-friendly products. For example, the market share for food products branded as ethically produced (such as organic or fair trade) stands at only five percent (Young, Hwang, McDonald, & Oates, 2010). This difference is often referred to as the environmental value-action gap. This paper examines whether the process of mental budgeting can increase sales of organic food products by categorizing the additional cost attributed as a contribution to either their personal health and/or their philanthropic contributions towards environmental organizations. The results of the study show that mental budgeting does increase consumers’ intentions to purchase organic products and can help reduce the gap between environmental values and actions.
The Neurotrophic Factor Neuritin Maintains and Promotes the Function of Regulatory T cells in Autoimmunity and Cancer

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) enforce immune homeostasis and self-tolerance and inhibit both natural and induced anti-tumor immunity. Consequently, there is considerable interest in therapeutic Treg enhancement or blockade to treat inflammatory/autoimmune diseases and cancer, respectively. Targeting Tregs requires a comprehensive understanding of the factors important for their maintenance, differentiation and function. Here we report that neuritin, a conserved, gpi-anchored molecule important for the development, survival and function of neurons, is highly expressed by induced and natural Tregs. Furthermore, neuritin expression was found to promote the maintenance of the Treg pool by stabilizing Foxp3 expression and promoting the persistence of these cells. Knockout of the neuritin gene in Tregs or anti-neuritin antibody treatment mitigated both Treg-dependent inhibition of colitis and resolution of experimental autoimmune encephalitis. Also, tumors grew poorly in Nrn1−/− mice, which mobilized more robust anti-tumor immunity than their wild type litter mates evidenced by elevated IFNgamma production and reduced PD1 expression. Importantly, we also found that in Tregs, neuritin expression was closely linked to the functional differentiation of Tregs into an activated, peripheral tissue-homing phenotype. As such, neuritin deficiency resulted in an imbalance between “central”- and “effector”-like Treg populations and functions. These findings characterize this neurotrophin as a hitherto unappreciated immunoregulatory molecule and a potential target for therapies aimed at the fine-tuning of Treg function in cancer and inflammatory/autoimmune diseases.
Extracranial Four-Vessel Dissection with Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome in a Habitual Cocaine User Presenting with Thunderclap Headache.

A four vessel dissection involving both extracranial carotid and vertebral arteries is an uncommon occurrence more so when it is likely a consequence of cocaine abuse. Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome (RCVS) is well documented with cocaine use but its association with a four vessel dissection has not been previously reported. We report the case of a 36 year old right-handed lady who presented with new-onset thunderclap headache and was found to have left internal carotid artery dissection with RCVS which then progressed to involve the right internal carotid artery and the bilateral vertebral arteries.