cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Acoustic emission as an aid for investigating the deformation and fracture of composite materials

Abstract After a brief discussion of the experimental procedures, the application of acoustic emission (AE) for investigating flaw formation and propagation in grp pressure tubes and evaluating the fracture behaviour of notched bend specimens in flexural and fatigue experiments is described. Different failure modes can be distinguished by amplitude distribution analysis.
Circadian control of oviposition in the codling moth, Laspeyresia pomonella, Lepidoptera: Olethreutidae

The oviposition rhythm in Laspeyresia pomonella (L.) is entrained by light-dark cycles and freeruns in continuous light with a period τ = 25.9 hr and in continuous darkness with τ = 21.8 hr. In the laboratory as well as in the field, the median of oviposition occurs on average 2.5 hr before the onset of darkness. The codling moth can adapt quickly to a new light regime. Oviposition was resynchronized with a normal light-dark cycle within 48 hr after freerunning for several days in continuous light. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG CIRCADIANE STEUERUNG DER EIABLAGE BEIM APFELWICKLER, LASPEYRESIA POMONELLA, LEPIDOPTERA: OLETHREUTIDAE Der Eiablagerhythmus von Laspeyresia pomonella (L.) wird von Licht-Dunkel-Zyklen gesteuert und lauft frei im Dauerlicht mit einer Periode τ = 25.9 St. und im Dauerdunkel mit τ = 21.8 St. Im Labor sowie unter naturlichen Bedingungen lag der 50%-Punkt der taglichen Eiablage jeweils 2.5 St. vor dem Beginn der Dunkelheit. Der Apfelwickler kann sich rasch an ein verandertes Lichtregime anpassen. Nach mehreren Tagen Freilauf im Dauerlicht synchronisierte sich der Eiablagerhythmus innerhalb von 48 St. mit einem normalen Licht-Dunkel-Zyklus.
A murine locus on chromosome 18 controls NKT cell homeostasis and Th cell differentiation.

Th cell differentiation is a critical event in the adaptive immune response. C57BL strains develop predominant Th1 responses while BALB/c develops a predominant Th2 response. To identify quantitative trait loci controlling this variation, we performed Th1/Th2 differentiation assays of F(1) x BALB/c progeny. A single strong quantitative trait locus was identified on chromosome 18, with weaker effects detectable on chromosomes 5, 12, and 14. By preparing a congenic BALB.B10.D2c18 strain, we were able to demonstrate that this single locus was sufficient to "repolarize" spleen cell cultures. This difference was not due to intrinsic differences in CD4(+) T cells. Rather, introgression of the chromosome 18 locus into BALB/c disrupted Va14Ja18 NKT cell homeostasis resulting in the almost complete absence of this T cell subset. Taken together, these data indicate that genes within chromosome 18 control strain-dependent development of Va14Ja18 NKT cells.
An EM-based Ensemble Learning Algorithm on Piecewise Surface Regression Problem

A multi-step Expectation-Maximization based (EM-based) algorithm is proposed to solve the piecewise surface regression problem which has typical applications in market segmentation research, identification of consumer behavior patterns, weather patterns in meteorological research, and so on. The multiple steps involved are local regression on each data point of the training data set and a small set of its closest neighbors, clustering on the feature vector space formed from the local regression, regression learning for each individual surface, and classification to determine the boundaries for each individual surface. An EM-based iteration process is introduced in the regression learning phase to improve the learning outcome. In this phase, ensemble learning plays an important role in the reassignment of the cluster index for each data point. The reassignment of cluster index is determined by the majority voting of predictive error of sub-models, the distance between the data point and regressed hyperplane, and the distance between the data point and centroid of each clustered surface. Classification is performed at the end to determine the boundaries for each individual surface. Clustering quality validity techniques are applied to the scenario in which the number of surfaces for the input domain is not known in advance. A set of experiments based on both artificial generated and benchmark data source are conducted to compare the proposed algorithm and widely-used regression learning packages to show that the proposed algorithm outperforms those packages in terms of root mean squared errors, especially after ensemble learning has been applied.
Geology and resources of some world oil-shale deposits

Oil-shale deposits are found in many parts of the world. They range in age from Cambrian to Tertiary and were formed in a variety of marine, continental, and lacustine depositional environments. The largest known deposit is the Green River oil shale in western United States. It contains an estimated 215 billion tons of in-place shale oil (1.5 trillion U.S. barrels). Total resources of a selected group of oil-shale deposits in 33 countries is estimated at 411 billion tons of in-place shale oil which is equivalent to 2.9 trillion U.S. barrels of shale oil. This figure is very conservative because several deposits mentioned herein have not been explored sufficiently to make accurate estimates and other deposits were not included in this survey.
Prognostic value of absolute versus relative measures of the procedural result after successful coronary stenting: importance of vessel size in predicting long-term freedom from target vessel revascularization.

Background The procedural result is a major determinant of the incidence of 6-month target vessel revascularization (TVR) after successful coronary stenting. However, the prognostic implications of the different measures of the procedural result or procedural end points have not been directly compared. In this study, we sought to assess and compare the impact of achieving different procedural end points on the long-term (2-year) incidence of TVR. Methods and Results We studied 234 patients in whom 1 or 2 stents were successfully deployed and ultrasound imaging performed after angiographic optimization. End points included a visually estimated angiographic residual stenosis <10% and ultrasound stent-to-mean reference lumen area ≥80%. After 2 years, TVR was required in 48 (20.5%) patients. Qualitative predictors of TVR were vein graft lesions, 3-vessel disease, and baseline TIMI flow grade <3. Quantitatively, reference diameter by quantitative coronary angiography (QCA), final minimum lumen diameter (MLD) by QCA, and in-stent minimum lumen area (MLA) by ultrasound were predictive of TVR. Stent-to-reference ratios were not significantly predictive of TVR. By multivariable analysis, vein graft location and MLA by ultrasound were the only significant predictors of TVR (relative risk, 2.9 [1.5, 5.4] and 0.72 [0.6, 0.9], respectively). Receiver operator curves for MLD by QCA and MLA by ultrasound were similar in predicting TVR. Neither was significantly superior to reference vessel diameter. Conclusions Commonly used angiographic and ultrasound stent-to-reference ratios do not predict the incidence of TVR. Absolute measures of the lumen size (MLA by ultrasound and MLD by QCA) were the most important quantitative predictors of TVR within 2 years. This emphasizes the role of the vessel size as the limiting factor in determining the long-term outcome of coronary stenting. (Am Heart J 2001;141:823-31.)
Long term outcome of Gamma Knife radiosurgery for metastatic brain tumors

Abstract Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS; Elekta AB, Stockholm, Sweden) has emerged as an important treatment option for metastatic brain tumors (MBT). However, the long term outcome of GKRS on MBT is not well understood. We reviewed the treatment of MBT with GKRS at our institution. We performed a retrospective review (2000–2013) of 298 patients with MBT who received GKRS. The study population was monitored clinically and radiographically after GKRS treatment. Survival benefits and predictive factors of the outcome were analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier test and Cox regression model, respectively. GKRS in MBT showed significant variation in tumor growth control (decreased in 135 [45%] patients, arrested growth in 91 [37%] patients and increased tumor size in 72 [24%] patients). The median survival in the study population was 17 months. Overall and progression free survival after 3 years were 25% and 45%, respectively. The predictive factors for improving survival in the patients with MBT were recursive partitioning analysis class I ( p p 80 ( p = 0.007) and absence of recurrent MBT ( p = 0.01). Forty (12%), 15 (4.3%) and two (0.6%) patients required GKRS, resection and whole brain radiation, respectively, after initial GKRS due to tumor progression and worsening of signs and symptoms. Our findings revealed that GKRS offers a high rate of tumor control and good survival benefits in both new and recurrent patients with MBT. Thus, GKRS is an effective treatment option for new patients with MBT, as well as an adjuvant therapy in patients with recurrent MBT.
LIFO Layer Liquidations: Some Empirical Evidence:

The LIFO inventory valuation method has received a great deal of attention as a means of postponing taxes. At the same time the tax consequences of a LIFO inventory liquidation have been virtually ignored. This research indicates that LIFO layer liquidations do occur and can, therefore, cause cash flow problems for corporations in the form of higher federal income tax payments. A hypothesis that LIFO layer liquidations is specific to certain cyclical industries was tested and affirmed. A survey indicated that two factors, cost of capital and income tax expense, were the more critical in the LIFO layer liquidation decision.
Folate status: effects on pathways of colorectal carcinogenesis

Many epidemiologic, animal and human studies suggest that folate status modulates carcinogenesis. Although these observations have been made in a number of tissues, the data are clearly most compelling for the colorectum. The mechanism(s) by which this modulation is mediated remains ill defined. Alterations in either genome-wide or gene-specific DNA methylation and/or alterations in DNA stability, resulting from DNA strand breaks or uracil misincorporation, are leading candidates in this regard. Folate has a central role in biological methylation and nucleotide synthesis, and therefore it is not surprising that folate depletion has been observed to alter DNA methylation and diminish DNA stability. The hypothesis that these two pathways are the means by which folate modulates cancer risk is also supported by the epidemiological observation that a common polymorphism in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR; EC 1.5.1.20) gene differentially affects the relative risk of colon cancer depending on folate status, because MTHFR catalyzes the reaction that determines whether cellular folate is diverted into biological methylation or nucleotide synthesis. This phenomenon suggests that it is an imbalance between biological methylation and nucleotide synthesis that is responsible for folate-related carcinogenesis. The control of cell proliferation, which also is related to DNA methylation, is another candidate mechanism by which folate status modulates carcinogenesis. In cell culture studies, folate supplementation has been observed to suppress excessive cell proliferation. Understanding the mechanisms by which folate status modulates carcinogenesis is important for advancing insight into cancer biology and for facilitating those efforts to translate research in folate and carcinogenesis into effective and safe public health initiatives.
Elastic and scalable tracing and accurate replay of non-deterministic events

SCALATRACE represents the state-of-the-art of parallel application tracing for high performance computing (HPC). This paper presents SCALATRACE II, a next generation tracer that delivers even higher trace compression capability, even when events are not always regular. In this work, we contribute a spectrum of novel compression and replay techniques that are fundamentally different from our past approaches. SCALATRACE II features a redesigned low-level encoding scheme of trace data such that data elements are elastic and self explanatory. With this new encoding scheme, trace compression is enhanced by introducing innovative intra-node and inter-node trace compression algorithms that guarantee high compression rates in a loop structure agnostic fashion. In practice, the improved compression scheme is particularly efficient for scientific codes that demonstrate inconsistent behavior across time steps and nodes. A novel approach is further contributed to probabilistically replay sequences of non-deterministic events. To assess the compression efficacy of SCALATRACE II, we conduct experiments not only with computational kernels but also a real-world application, the Parallel Ocean Program (POP). Compared to the first generation SCALATRACE, we observe key improvements on trace compression for benchmarks with inconsistent time step behavior and diverging task level behavior while retaining timing accuracy even under probabilistic replay.
A preliminary functional magnetic resonance imaging study of prefrontal‐amygdalar activation changes in adolescents with bipolar depression treated with lamotrigine

Objectives: Hypotheses regarding mood dysregulation in bipolar disorder (BD) have centered on limbic overactivity with relative prefrontal underactivity during mood episodes. Therefore, we hypothesized that adolescents with bipolar depression successfully treated with lamotrigine would show decreases in amygdalar activation, and increases in prefrontal activation. Methods: Eight adolescents with BD underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at baseline and after eight weeks of lamotrigine treatment. Blocks of negatively and neutrally valenced emotional pictures were presented during scanning, and subjects were asked to rate how each picture made them feel. Activation in bilateral amygdalae and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (DLPFC) for negative minus neutral pictures was correlated with Children’s Depression Rating Scale (CDRS) scores. Results: Mean (SD) CDRS scores decreased significantly, from 53.0 (10.6) at baseline to 26.3 (5.3) at Week 8. This clinical improvement was correlated with decreased right amygdalar activation (r = 0.91, p = 0.002). At Week 8, but not baseline, CDRS score was positively correlated with bilateral amygdalar activation (r = 0.85, p = 0.007). DLPFC activation was not correlated with change in CDRS score. Conclusions: These preliminary results indicate that adolescents with BD treated with lamotrigine demonstrated less amygdalar activation when viewing negative stimuli as depressive symptoms improved. Larger controlled studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Genetic and Environmental Influences on Alcohol Use Problems: Moderation by Romantic Partner Support, But Not Family or Friend Support

Background High levels of various forms of social support (e.g., romantic partner, family, friend) have a buffering effect on alcohol use outcomes in both adolescents and adults. The etiological associations among these variables have not been well studied. One possibility is that social support may buffer against inherited genetic predispositions to alcohol problems. Previous work has examined gene–environment interactions (G×E) for alcohol use disorders, but never for social support in adult twins. Methods In the current study, biometric modeling techniques were implemented to examine genetic and environmental components of variance of social support and alcohol use problems in a sample of 672 adult twin pairs. Using biometric moderation models that estimate G×E in the presence of gene–environment correlation (rGE), analyses examined how genetic and environmental influences on alcohol use problems varied as a function of romantic partner support, family support, and friend support. Results Genetic and environmental components of variance for alcohol use problems varied depending on the level of romantic partner support, with greater environmental influences found at the low level of support. Family and friend support, however, failed to show moderating effects. Conclusions The current research has implications for expanding our understanding of what types of social support may trigger or suppress genetic and environmental influences on alcohol use problems.
Ethnic Identity and Self-Esteem: A Review and Integration:

In order to clarify the relationship between ethnic identity and self-esteem, this article identifies a number of components of ethnic identity and examines research linking each component to self-esteem. Research generally has found a weak or inconsistent relationship between self-esteem and the following components: negative stereotypes of one's group; acceptance versus rejection of one's group membership; knowledge about one's group; and commitment to the group. Failure to find a clearer relationship may be a result of not taking into account the ethnic group member's relationship to the mainstream culture. There is evidence to suggest that a strong ethnic identity, when accompanied by a positive mainstream orientation, is related to high self-esteem, whereas without some adaptation to the mainstream it may be problematic.
Nutritional value of soybean meal produced from conventional, high-protein, or low-oligosaccharide varieties of soybeans and fed to broiler chicks

Three experiments were conducted to determine the feeding value to broiler chicks of soybean meal (SBM) produced from high-protein (SBM-HP), low-oligosaccharide (SBM-LO), or conventional (SBM-CV) varieties of soybeans. The 3 SBM contained 54.9, 53.6, and 47.5% CP, respectively. The standardized digestibility (SDD) of amino acids (AA) in the 3 ingredients was measured using a precision-fed rooster assay with cecectomized Single Comb White Leghorn roosters. Results indicated that the SDD of AA was not different among the 3 sources of SBM, with the exception that the SDD of Lys in SBM-HP tended to be greater (P = 0.07) than that in SBM-CV. In the second experiment, a precision-fed rooster assay was used to measure the concentration of TME(n) in each source of SBM. Results indicated that the TME(n) in SBM-HP was greater (P < 0.001) than those in SBM-LO and SBM-CV (3,104 vs. 2,984 and 2,963 kcal/kg of DM). A 14-d growth performance experiment was also conducted using 120 Ross 308 male commercial broiler chicks (mean initial BW = 102.6 g) that were allotted to a completely randomized design. There were 5 chicks/pen and 8 replicate pens/diet. Three corn- and SBM-based diets were formulated based on the data for digestible AA and TME(n) that were measured in the previous experiments. Each source of SBM was used in 1 diet, but because of the greater concentrations of digestible AA in SBM-HP and SBM-LO than in SBM-CV, the inclusion of SBM-HP and SBM-LO were 31.21 and 32.60%, respectively, whereas an inclusion of 38.21% SBM-CV was used. There were no differences among the 3 diets for BW gain or feed efficiency, which indicated that the reduced inclusion rates of SBM-HP and SBM-LO compared with SBM-CV were not detrimental to broiler chick growth performance. It was concluded that, compared with SBM-CV, SBM-HP and SBM-LO are needed in lower concentrations in diets fed to broiler chicks because these 2 sources of SBM have a greater nutritional value than does SBM-CV.
A Neogene structural dome in the Klamath Mountains, California and Oregon

Regional structural doming of Neogene age has affected rocks of the Klamath and Cascade mountains near the California-Oregon border. Evidence for this is seen in (1) subannular outcrop patterns of pre-Cretaceous lithotectonic units, (2) a crude pattern of radially oriented high-angle faults, (3) tilted Jurassic plutons, (4) tilted Cretaceous to Miocene strata, and (5) various geomorphological features. The age of doming is constrained by a major middle Miocene to earliest Pliocene angular unconformity within the Cascade Mountains and uplifted upper Miocene marine beds on the western edge of the Klamath Mountains. Uplift and doming may be the result of shortening in the Cascade fore-arc region or, more speculatively, the recent accretion of subducted material to the North American plate beneath the Klamath Mountains.
The Deposition of Aluminum and Aluminum Boride Thin Films by Aluminaborane Cluster Compounds

The preparation of aluminum-containing thin film materials by MOCVD and MOMBE for use in III-V semiconductor materials, such as HEMT devices, is currently under active investigation. The preparation of uniform, conformal aluminum and boron containing thin film materials from the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of aluminum borane cluster precursor compounds has been studied. A variety of substrates, deposition conditions and aluminaborane precursors have been explored and their effect on film composition, growth rate and thin film morphology has been investigated. The thermal depositions of aluminum and boron-containing thin films from aluminum borohydride, AI(BH 4 ) 3 , on copper, SiO 2 and GaAs are reported. Boron incorporation in the films vary depending on substrate temperature, aluminaborane flow and the presence or absence of a H 2 carrier. These films have been characterized by SEM, AES and XES.
Long-term effects of wet and dry site harvesting on soil physical properties mitigated by mechanical site preparation in coastal plain loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantations

Abstract Wet site forest harvesting may damage soil physical properties, altering long-term site productivity. In 1993, a study was installed to evaluate effects of machine trafficking with site preparation during wet and dry harvest conditions on a poorly drained, wet pine flat in the Coastal Plain of South Carolina, USA. Five soil disturbance classes (Minimum Traffic, Compacted, Shallow Ruts, Ruts, and Churned) were documented following harvest (prior to site preparation). Three site preparation treatments and two harvest conditions (Wet Mole-Plowed, Wet-Flat, Wet-Bedded, Dry-Flat, and Dry-Bedded) were operationally replicated three times. Soil physical properties and carbon were measured 17 years after stand re-establishment to document long-term changes associated with traffic disturbance and site preparation. Results show that all measured soil physical properties at surface and subsurface horizons (except macroporosity in surface horizons) were similar among site preparation treatments and soil disturbance classes. Previous research showed that Mole-Plowed treatment proved beneficial for tree growth parameters at stand age 16 years, which corresponded to macroporosity levels within soil surface horizons at stand age 17 years. Statistical analyses indicated greater ( p = 0.04) macroporosity of surface horizons in the intensive Mole-Plowed treatment (14.7%, ±1.6%). Wet-Flat (9.1%, ±0.9%), Wet-Bedded (9.1%, ±0.8%), Dry-Bedded (9.5%, ±1.0%), and Dry-Flat (9.8%, ±1.0%) had significantly less macroporosity, but were not significantly different from each other. Macroporosity of surface horizons was also significantly different among soil disturbance classes ( p = 0.08). However, macroporosity had not recovered to pre-harvest levels for any site preparation treatments except Mole-Plowed. Bulk density and total porosity recovered to near pre-harvest levels for all treatment combinations, but saturated hydraulic conductivity rates remained lower than pre-harvest values. Mole plowing with bedding improved microsite drainage, which likely reduced areas of locally high water tables and somewhat reduced areas with root restriction due to poor aeration. Based on tree productivity, treatment drainage appeared to be the most limiting growth factor for this site. Recovery of soil properties on non-bedded treatments indicate site amelioration through natural mechanisms which may include shrinking and swelling of clays, activities of soil macrobiota, and root dynamics. On these sites, natural processes ameliorated almost all post harvesting soil differences by age 17 (before the end of the rotation). The benefits of both minimizing soil disturbance and/or employing ameliorative site preparation treatments were largely restricted to early in the rotation where they could contribute to initial survival and early growth increases. As the cost of ameliorative site preparation is high, minimizing soil disturbance is recommended.
The potential costs and benefits of long-term prefetching for content distribution

This paper examines the costs and potential benefits of long-term prefetching for content distribution. In contrast with traditional short-term prefetching, in which caches use recent access history to predict and prefetch objects likely to be referenced in the near future, long-term prefetching uses long-term steadystate object access rates and update frequencies to identify objects to replicate to content distribution locations. Compared to demand caching, long-term prefetching increases network bandwidth and disk space costs but may benefit a system by improving hit rates. Using analytic models and trace-based simulations, we examine several algorithms for selecting objects for long-term prefetching. We find that although the web''s Zipf-like object popularities makes it challenging to prefetch enough objects to significantly improve hit rates, systems can achieve significant benefits at modest costs by focusing their attention on long-lived objects.
Compartmented Sediment Trap

A method for measuring sediment transport is presented. The measurement device is a portable, compartmented, bottom trap that is operated by burying the trap in the stream bed, waiting until the natural bedforms are reestablished, and then opening the trap during a time interval sufficient to collect a large number of moving particles. The sections of the trap allow the calculation of the fractions of the sediment that jump various lengths as they move along the bed. The jump-length distribution permits the direct calculation of the efficiency of the trap for the various grain sizes of the moving sediment. The compartmented trap was field tested in a sand-bottomed creek. The test data indicated that the trap worked well.
Globalectics, Relation, and Creolization: New Perspectives in African Literature

In response to Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s most recent book, Globalectics (2012), and its theoretical resonances with the Martinican thinker, Edouard Glissant’s Poetics of Relation (1990), this roundtable will bring their work into dialogue for the first time. Both texts propose a strikingly similar paradigm for reading African literature beyond the strict framework of the colonizer and colonized. Instead they understand a literary text as an “entanglement,” (Glissant) or “multi-logue,” (Ngugi) with a myriad of other cultures and languages. These exchanges often result in what Francoise Lionnet has called “the creolization of theory.” The roundtable brings scholars of Ngugi and Glissant together in order to not only reach across the Anglophone, Francophone, and indigenous language divide in African literary studies, but also to address the gap in models of scholarship that continue to posit Europe and the West as inextricably central to global flows of commodities, peoples, culture, and poetics. Francoise Lionnet has written extensively on Glissant, including The Creolization of Theory (2011). Cilas Kemedjio has published on both thinkers, including On Negritude and Creolite: Edouard Glissant, Maryse Conde and the Curse of Theory (1999). Anjali Prabhu newest book is on Glissant and Frantz Fanon: Hybridity: Limits, Transformations, Prospects (2007). Duncan McEachern Yoon has collaborated with Ngugi wa Thiong'o through Cornell’s Global South Cultural Dialogue Project and published with him in Frontline and the Journal of Contemporary Thought.
Novel Bivalent Interaction between VASP-EVH1 And Zyxin is Critical for Binding Orientation

The interaction of EVH1 domain of the actin polymerization regulatory protein VASP with the cytoskeletal protein Zyxin shows a novel secondary binding site by NMR spectroscopy. Previous studies had shown the importance of the Y39 phosphorylation in EVH1 for co-localization of VASP and Zyxin in the cell. We found a novel secondary binding site that is located in the structural vicinity of Y39. Phosphomimetic mutation Y39E eliminates binding to this secondary interaction site. By analyzing NMR populations, we determined that the secondary binding site provides an orientation preference for the four-motif Zyxin ligand. We further ran double/triple resonance NMR experiments, including carbon-detected, to determine the resonance assignments and structure of a chimera that includes EVH1 and motifs two-four of Zyxin. This structure shows EVH1 bound simultaneously and specifically to two of the four proline-rich binding motifs in Zyxin. This works reveals a secondary binding site in EVH1 that could represent a previously unrecognized coordination mechanism for partners with multiple proline-rich binding motifs.
Suicide gene transduction sensitizes murine embryonic and human mesenchymal stem cells to ablation on demand – a fail-safe protection against cellular misbehavior

Stem cells and their progeny constitute a potential resource for replacing damaged tissues or supplying missing functions, but also pose a threat of aberrant behavior, including neoplastic growth or immunopathology. Suicide genes introduced into these cells before transplantation might provide a means of addressing this threat by permitting the ablation of the cells if they subsequently misbehave. Retroviral transduction of the E. coli gpt and herpes thymidine kinase (HSVtk) suicide genes was used to determine the degree to which stem cells could be sensitized to the prodrugs 6-thioxanthine (6TX) and ganciclovir (GCV) respectively, and whether this sensitivity could persist over many cell generations. The ES-E14TG2a murine embryonic stem cell line was rendered sensitive to quantitative ablation at prodrug concentrations well tolerated by untransduced cells (50 μM 6TX, 1 μg/ml GCV). The HSVtk gene also conferred GCV sensitivity on human mesenchymal stem cells and hematopoietic precursors derived from the murine cells, although ablation was not complete. Because ES-E14TG2a cells are deficient in the cellular enzyme HPRT, they are sensitive to hypoxanthine/aminopterin/thymidine (HAT). This property enhanced the persistence of chemosensitivity in gpt-transduced cells by permitting cells that lost 6TX sensitivity to be ablated with HAT.
Dimension theory via reduced bisector chains

Let (X, d) be a metric space and Y and Z subsets of X. We say that Z is a bisector in Y and write Y⊳Z iff Y⊃Z and there are two distinct points y1, y2 ∈ Y such that Z = ={z:d(z, y1) = d(z, y2) and z∈Y}. By a reduced bisector chain in (X, d) of length n we understand a chain X = such that dim Xn≤0 and dimXn-1>0). By r(X, d) we denote the maximum length of reduced bisector chains in (X, d). For a metrizable topological space X we introduce the topological invariant r(X) as the minimum of r(X, d) taken over the set of all metrizations d of X. We prove that the function r(X) coincides with the dimension of X on the class of compact metric spaces.
Influence of vitamin D on in vivo intestinal calcium transport in normal rats.

SummarySmall intestinal calcium transport was compared in normal controls and in body weight matched rats injected with vitamin D2 (either 500 or 10,000 U). The vitamin was injected 48 hr before study. Flux into the lumen of 45Ca (injected 24 hr before study) and calcium and net calcium absorption were measured under steady-state conditions in duodenum-proximal jejunum and in terminal ileum. Flux of 45Ca and calcium into the lumen was significantly lower in the rats treated with vitamin D2 (10,000 U) than in controls, in both proximal and distal intestinal segments. However net calcium absorption was not significantly increased in the vitamin-treated groups compared with controls, in contrast to the behavior of vitamin D-deficient animals in which the main effect of this vitamin is to increase absorption. Thus, the effects of vitamin D differ in normal and depleted rats and this may be explained by differences in vitamin D metabolism in normal and deficient rats. The finding that vitamin D decreased flux ...
Micro X-Ray Fluorescence As A High Throughput Screening Method For Combinatorial Chemistry

Micro X-ray fluorescence is used as a high-throughput screening method for combinatorial applications. These include chemical weapon degradation products, catalytic phosphate hydrolysis and radiologic dispersion device metals. In each application the intrinsic elemental signature was utilized to identify the lead hits for the combinatorial screening in locating peptide sequences exhibiting the desired binding characteristics. In addition to being nondestructive, rapid and non-perturbing to the binding event, this method can be used to quantify the amount of target material.
Punch Skin Biopsy in Diabetic Neuropathy

Measurement of unmyelinated C and A delta nociceptors through punch skin biopsy has been an important development in diabetic peripheral neuropathy over the past decade. The technique provides an objective pathological window into a population of fibers that is invisible to standard electrophysiological techniques and as a result has been difficult to investigate. Clinically, the punch biopsy technique is most often used to define a length-dependent peripheral neuropathy, but can also be used to follow patients longitudinally over time. Epidermal nerve fibers are often lost early in diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance and can be the only objective measure of neuropathy in these patients. The accessibility of cutaneous nerve fibers has also given rise to several nerve injury paradigms from which regeneration can be efficiently measured. The chapter will review the skin biopsy technique and recent findings with respect to diabetes.
Taking advantage of time-averaging

One of the major obstacles in dealing with any form of data derived from fossils is the effects of time-averaging, which are the result of mixing the remains of organisms that did not live contemporaneously. Although this process results in loss of temporal resolution, it also serves to filter out short-term variations. Temporal resolution of a collection depends not only on the range of fossil ages, but also on their frequency distribution. Previous studies of marine molluscs indicate that most shells in an accumulation are relatively young. Such a distribution of shell ages can be fit by an exponential curve (assuming both a constant probability of shell loss and a constant rate of shell addition), which implies that 90% of the shells were added during the last 50% of the time interval represented by the collection. That is to say, differences between two collections can be discerned even if they overlap 50% in time, because the proportion of shells with shared ages is only 10%. Applying the exponential model to previously published data suggests that long-term rates of destruction are controlled by how frequently shells from the taphonomically active zone are re-exposed to rapid destruction. To take advantage of the “noise-filtering” property of time-averaging, samples need to be large enough to catch the full range of environmental variation recorded by an accumulation. A simple probability formula indicates that samples of easily achievable size can give satisfactory time-averaged results depending on the level of confidence and sampling density defined by the researcher.
Color Doppler imaging of central retinal artery in retinopathy of prematurity

Color Doppler imaging (CDI) is a noninvasive technique, combining 2-dimensional brightness-modulated (B-mode) ultrasound evaluation of eye and orbital structures, with simultaneous color-coded Doppler imaging of orbital blood flow. It has been used to characterize various ophthalmic disorders in adults. Currently there is no data describing orbital blood flow parameters in either normal children or in those with ophthalmic disease, such as the retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). We evaluated blood flow in the central retinal artery of preterm infants undergoing examination for ROP. We also investigated whether useful readings could be obtained on a consistent basis, and the reproducibility of differences in central retinal artery blood flow between subjects with and without ROP (including the influence of "plus" disease). We obtained hemodynamic readings in 43 of 46 eyes of preterm infants. 13 eyes had no signs of ROP; 18 had ROP (at least stage 1) without "plus" disease, and 12 had ROP with "plus" disease. There were no statistically significant differences in systolic blood flow velocity within the 3 groups. However the average velocity was slower in the "plus" disease group, correlating with the clinical finding of dilated and tortuous blood vessels which characterize the posterior retina of ROP eyes with "plus" disease.
World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and Neoliberalism

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are arguably the two most influential international global economic institutions. Since World War II, both have been central to restricting the global economic system, including trade, economic development, debt service, and macroeconomic policy. Since the 1980s, concerns about these organizations' policies have been raised. Critics lament the harshness of structural adjustment and conditionalities—policy changes required by the World Bank and IMF—which are seen to reflect neoliberal political and economic philosophies and the interests of lenders, rather than the broader goals of human and economic development. This approach views states, regulations, and taxation as anathema to good economic functioning and encourages deregulation, reduced taxation and tariffs, and the privatization of the public sector, as well as cuts to basic services such as health, education, and welfare programs. Criticism has led to some reforms and scholarly debate, but the central concerns around debt in developing countries, poverty, unfair trade, and drastically cut public services remain. Keywords: economics; globalization; government, politics, and law
Balloon flight results of a FAst compton telescope (FACTEL)

Current medium energy gamma-ray astronomy is limited by the intense atmospheric or local background radiation degrading the sensitivity of instruments. Compton Telescopes' background rejection capabilities can be significantly improved with no loss of effective area by narrowing as much as possible the event acceptance Time of Flight (ToF) window by using fast scintillators materials such as LaBr3. We present the balloon test flight results of the FAst Compton TELescope (FACTEL) prototype we built using LaBr3 scintillators, along with other techniques to reduce the neutron induced background. This 26 hour flight from NASA's Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility at Fort Sumner, New Mexico, permitted us to evaluate the background rejection capabilities offered by our 1.2 ns ToF window compared to COMPTEL's 4 ns. We also report laboratory and Monte Carlo simulations results. We use these results to make a preliminary evaluation of the performance of a larger future instrument based on similar principles.
Old Maids: Aging and Its Impact on Microglia Function

Microglia are highly active and vigilant housekeepers of the central nervous system that function to promote neuronal growth and activity. With advanced age, however, dysregulated inflammatory signaling and defects in phagocytosis impede their ability to perform the most essential of homeostatic functions, including immune surveillance and debris clearance. Microglial activation is one of the hallmarks of the aging brain and coincides with age-related neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. Age-associated microglial dysfunction leads to cellular senescence and can profoundly alter the response to sterile injuries and immune diseases, often resulting in maladaptive responses, chronic inflammation, and worsened outcomes after injury. Our knowledge of microglia aging and the factors that regulate age-related microglial dysfunction remain limited, as the majority of pre-clinical studies are performed in young animals, and human brain samples are difficult to obtain quickly post-mortem or in large numbers. This review outlines the impact of normal aging on microglial function, highlights the potential mechanisms underlying age-related changes in microglia, and discusses how aging can shape the recovery process following injury.
Frequency and Content of Conversations About Pictorial Warnings on Cigarette Packs

Introduction Social interactions are a key mechanism through which health communication efforts, including pictorial cigarette pack warnings, may exert their effects. We sought to better understand social interactions elicited by pictorial cigarette pack warnings. Methods A controlled trial randomly assigned US adult smokers (n = 2149) to have their cigarette packs labeled with pictorial or text-only warnings for 4 weeks. Smokers completed surveys during the baseline visit and each of the subsequent 4 weekly visits. Results Smokers with pictorial warnings on their packs had more conversations throughout the trial compared to those with text-only warnings (8.2 conversations vs 5.0, p<.01). The highest number of conversations occurred during the first week. Smokers with pictorial warnings were more likely than those with text-only warnings to discuss the health effects of smoking, whether the warnings would make them want to quit and whether the warnings would make others want to quit (all p < .05). Smokers were more likely to describe pictorial warnings as scary, gross, or depressing and gloomy during conversations than text-only warnings (all p < .05). Conclusions Pictorial warnings sparked more conversations about the warnings, the health effects of smoking, and quitting smoking than text-only warnings. These social interactions may extend the reach of pictorial warnings beyond the targeted smoker and may be one of the processes by which pictorial warnings have impact. Implications Health communication can influence behavior by changing social interactions. Our trial characterized social interactions about pictorial cigarette pack warnings with a large longitudinal sample in a real-world setting. Understanding these conversations can inform the United States and other countries as they improve existing warnings and help tobacco control policy makers and health communication theorists understand how social interactions triggered by warnings affect smoking.
Association of Surgical Approach and Margin Status With Oncologic Outcomes Following Gross Total Resection for Sinonasal Melanoma.

Importance Sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SMM) is a rare malignant neoplasm characterized by a poor prognosis despite aggressive intervention including wide surgical resection. Margin status has previously been cited as an important prognostic factor for local control and overall survival (OS) in patients who undergo either an open or endoscopic surgical approach. No comparisons have been made, however, in patients who have undergone gross total resection with or without positive margins. Objective To assess the association of margin status and surgical approach with oncologic outcomes in patients with SMM undergoing gross total resection. Design, Setting, and Participants In this cohort study, patients with SMM without evidence of regional or distant disease treated with curative intent in part or full at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center from 1998 through 2016 were retrospectively assessed. Demographic data, prognostic information, and surgical pathology were reviewed. Operative reports and imaging were used to confirm gross total resection of local disease. Exposures Surgical techniques including open maxillectomy, craniofacial resection, and endoscopic resection. Main Outcomes and Measures Three-year local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), disease-free survival (DFS), and OS were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariable analyses of outcomes were carried out using the Cox proportional hazard regression method. Results Seventy-two patients (39 [54%] female; mean [SD] age, 67 [12] years) met the eligibility criteria. Thirty-eight patients (53%) underwent open partial or total maxillectomy with or without ethmoidectomy or sphenoidectomy via a transfacial approach. Fourteen patients (19%) had a more extensive craniofacial approach, and 20 patients (28%) underwent endoscopic resection. The 3-year OS for all patients was 52%. The absolute 3-year difference between patients with open/craniofacial resection vs endoscopic resection for LRFS, DFS, and OS was 11% (95% CI, −21% to 43%), 16% (95% CI, −7% to 39%), and 12% (95% CI, −18% to 41%), respectively. The absolute 3-year difference between patients with a negative margin and patients with a positive margin for LRFS, DFS, and OS was 18% (95% CI, −9% to 45%), 5% (95% CI, −17% to 27%), and 15% (95% CI, −9% to 39%), respectively. Multivariable analysis revealed that none of the adjusted variables (margin status, tumor stage, or surgical approach) were significantly associated with OS. Conclusions and Relevance Outcomes for patients with SMM remain poor regardless of operative approach or postoperative margin status.
Laser doppler anemometry: Applications in multiphase flow systems

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA). It is a non-invasive optical technique, which can be used to conduct the in situ measurements of velocity, fluctuating velocity, size and concentration, high spatial resolution, fast dynamic response and the ability to detect reversal flows for particles, bubbles, and droplets in single and multiphase flow systems. The chapter focuses on LDA theory and techniques for measuring: (a) velocity and fluctuating velocity, including the Doppler Model, the Fringe Model, and large particle LDA techniques; (b) particle or bubble size, including visibility and pedestal techniques, the phase Doppler technique, the shape discrimination technique, and the flight time technique for large particles; (c) particle concentration, including the Time Ratio Technique and the Data Rate Technique; (d) the Threshold Technique for discriminating signals for multiphase flow systems; and (e) the Matched Refractive Index Method for multiphase flow measurement with very high particle concentration. It also presents the two examples of particle flow parameter measurement in dilute gas-cohesive particle systems and bubble flow parameter measurement in a three-phase circulating fluidized bed that were conducted at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT).
Primary Blast Brain Injury Mechanisms: Current Knowledge, Limitations, and Future Directions

Mild blast traumatic brain injury (bTBI) accounts for the majority of brain injury in United States service members and other military personnel worldwide. The mechanisms of primary blast brain injury continue to be disputed with little evidence to support one or a combination of theories. The main hypotheses addressed in this review are blast wave transmission through the skull orifices, direct cranial transmission, skull flexure dynamics, thoracic surge, acceleration, and cavitation. Each possible mechanism is discussed using available literature with the goal of focusing research efforts to address the limitations and challenges that exist in blast injury research. Multiple mechanisms may contribute to the pathology of bTBI and could be dependent on magnitudes and orientation to blast exposure. Further focused biomechanical investigation with cadaver, in vivo, and finite element models would advance our knowledge of bTBI mechanisms. In addition, this understanding could guide future research and contribute to the greater goal of developing relevant injury criteria and mandates to protect our soldiers on the battlefield.
LEARNING TO MEET NUTRITIONAL NEEDS: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

ABSTRACT The global malnutrition problem may be addressed as one requiring quality of life education for developing the concern and capability of individuals, groups and nations to meet their own nutritional needs. This implies roles for analysts which are sharply contrasting with those for which we are conventionally trained.