cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Green-Tao Theorem on arithmetic progressions in the primes: an ergodic point of view

A long standing and almost folkloric conjecture is that the primes contain arbitrarily long arithmetic progressions. Until recently, the only progress on this conjecture was due to van der Corput, who showed in 1939 that there are infinitely many triples of primes in arithmetic progression. In an amazing fusion of methods from analytic number theory and ergodic theory, Ben Green and Terence Tao showed that for any positive integer k, there exist infinitely many arithmetic progressions of length k consisting only of prime numbers. This is an introduction to some of the ideas in the proof, concentrating on the connections to ergodic theory.
Can Natural Experiments Measure Behavioral Responses to Environmental Risks

Efforts to measure people’s responses to spatially delineated risks confront the potential for correlation between these risks and other, unobserved characteristics of these locations. The possibility of correlation arises in part because individuals observe other locational attributes that can be expected to influence the hedonic equilibrium. One response to this problem is to use events from nature to exploit both temporal and spatial variation in the behavioral responses of interest. This paper evaluates the use of hurricanes as a source of new risk information to households in coastal counties potentially subject to the effects of these storms. We study the extent to which housing prices before and after hurricane Andrew, a hurricane with unprecedented property loss, reveal how Floridians responded to the risk information provided by the storm. Two counties are selected – one without and another with damage from the hurricane. To evaluate the plausibility of using quasi-random experiments for locations not directly affected by natural events, we compare Lee County’s results to those of Dade County, where the majority of the damage occurred. Our findings suggest, after controlling for ex post storm damage and changes in insurance markets, there is a reasonably high level of consistency in a repeat sales model’s ability to estimate the effects of the risk information conveyed by the storm for both counties.
Determination of proliferative characteristics of growth plate chondrocytes by labeling with bromodeoxyuridine.

Postnatal bone growth occurs by the process of endochondral ossification in cartilaginous growth plates at the ends of long bones. The rate and extent of long bone growth is determined by a combination of chondrocytic proliferation, matrix production, and increase in chondrocytic height in the direction of growth during cellular enlargement. In this study, single pulse and/or repeated pulse labeling with the thymidine analog bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) was used to study the role of cellular proliferation in controlling long bone growth. Variables studied included progression of the label over time following a pulse, and patterns and progression of the label over time following repeated pulse labeling for 24 and 48 hours. Examination was made of the proliferative characteristics of chondrocytes, the spatial pattern of cellular proliferation, and cell cycle kinetics. With respect to the spatial pattern of proliferative chondrocytes, results suggest that chondrocytes within a column are more synchronized with each other than are chondrocytes in different columns. This is consistent with the concept that each column represents a clonal expansion of a stem cell, which may proceed independently from adjacent columns. Despite this apparent heterogeneity, all chondrocytes in the proliferative zone complete at least one cell cycle in 24–28 hours. This estimate of the cell cycle time is significantly shorter than previous estimates of cell cycle times in similar growth plates. Our results also suggest that chondrocytes entering the cell cycle in the proximal part of the growth plate spend an average of 4 days in the proliferative cell zone, representing approximately four cellular divisions. After leaving the cell cycle, an additional 48 hours is required for the label to reach the terminal chondrocyte, which represents the time required to complete hypertrophy. These data are important when considering hypotheses concerning both the role of controls on proliferation in the determination of overall rate of long bone growth, as well as the interplay between proliferation and hypertrophy in regulating the overall amount of growth achieved by a given growth plate.
Amperometric Enzyme-Amplified Receptor Assay For Tricyclic Antidepressants

Abstract Enzyme-amplified receptor assay performed by competitive binding of amitriptyline drug and enzyme labeled drug for acetylcholine receptor binding sites is described. the change in enzyme activity is followed by the rate of NADH oxidation at a platinum electrode with polarizing potential of 700 mV. the response obtained using amperometric technique compares well with results from spectrophotometric studies carried out for comparison purposes.
Doing Business in the Caribbean

With the passage of the Caribbean Basin Initiative in 1983, there has been an increased interest in obtaining information useful to businesses considering expansion in the region. This selective guide to current sources addresses that interest.
Inhibition of the Hirst haemagglutination reaction by pneumococcal extract, normal serums, and blood cell esterases.

Summary1. Filtrates and autolgsates of Type I and Type V pneumococcus cultures inhibited the agglutination of chicken red cells by influenza virus. 2. Chicken red cells treated with such a filtrate (or autolysate) could not then be agglutinated by the virus. 3. Human red-cell extracts and normal sera of man, guinea pigs, and rabbits were also shown to be capable of inhibiting agglutination of chicken red cells by influenza virus, although some differences of behavior were noted. 4. The presence of a cholinesterase in each of these agents was shown and their possible significance in agglutinin inhibition was discussed
Induction of Necrotic-Like Cell Death by Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha and Caspase Inhibitors: Novel Mechanism for Killing Virus-Infected Cells

Induction of apoptotic cell death generally requires the participation of cysteine proteases belonging to the caspase family. However, and similar to most cell types, mouse fibroblasts are normally resistant to tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-induced apoptosis. Surprisingly, TNF-α treatment of vaccinia virus-infected mouse fibroblasts resulted in necrotic-like cell death, which was significantly reduced in cells infected with a vaccinia virus mutant lacking the caspase inhibitor B13R. Furthermore, TNF-α also induced necrotic-like cell death of fibroblasts in the presence of peptidyl caspase inhibitors. In both cases, necrosis was accompanied by generation of superoxide species. Caspase inhibitors also sensitized fibroblasts to killing by double-stranded RNA and gamma interferon. In all cases, cell death was efficiently blocked by antioxidants or mitochondrial respiratory chain inhibitors. These results define a new mitochondrion-dependent mechanism which may be important in the killing of cells infected with viruses encoding caspase inhibitors.
A WORLD OF SUFFERING? BIOCULTURAL APPROACHES TO FAT STIGMA IN THE GLOBAL CONTEXTS OF THE OBESITY EPIDEMIC

Even as obesity rates rise, weight-related stigma remains widespread in the United States and leads to many documented social, economic, and health disparities. These include lower wages, less academic achievement, social exclusion as early as childhood, psychosocial stress, depression, and additional weight gain. Recent research documents the proliferation of antifat beliefs across the globe, but we know little about how this fat stigma varies across cultures. A clearer empirical and theoretical understanding of fat stigma in cultural context is essential to gauging its likely biocultural impacts across populations. Using data from Paraguay, Bolivia, India, and students and Muslim women in the United States (N = 414 women), we show that psychometric scales suggest high levels of stated or expressed fat stigma in all these samples, capturing globalizing anti-fat norms. However, when we assess what people think implicitly through reaction-time implicit association tests, we find marked variation across sites in the degree to which people are internalizing these stigmatized ideas around obesity. In India and among U.S. university students, women tend to internalize the idea of “fat” negatively. Paraguay women present, on average, fat-neutral internalized views. In Bolivia and among Muslim women in the United States, average assessments suggest fat-positive internalized views. This indicates fat stigmatizing norms are not always internalized, even as explicit fat stigma otherwise appears to be globalizing. Our findings indicate that the proposed biocultural relationships between fat stigma and health disparities may be complex and very context specific.
H.264 Video over 802.11a WLANs with Multipath Fading: Parameter Interplay and Delivered Quality

Emerging as the method of choice for compressing video over WLANs, the AVC/H.264 standard is a suite of coding options and parameters whose values are to be chosen for specific videos and channel conditions. We investigate the tradeoffs in performance across the quantization parameter (QP), the group of picture size (GOPS), the payload size (PS), physical layer (PHY) data rate in 802.11a, and the average channel SNR for multipath fading channels. The interesting and sometimes surprising results are: the delivered video quality is very sensitive to the change in PSs and in many cases the PS optimizing PHY throughput cannot yield acceptable video quality; although lower QP yields better video quality when there is no packet loss, when the quality is corrupted heavily due to packet losses, there is no advantage gained for finer quantization and higher bit rate; lower GOPS, i.e., to refresh I-frames more frequently does not necessarily improve the delivered video quality and in many cases medium values of GOPS should be chosen; different types of videos have dramatically different delivered quality in the same channel which should be taken into account in network evaluation and design.
Two-compartment model of inner medullary vasculature supports dual modes of vasopressin-regulated inner medullary blood flow

The outer zone of the renal inner medulla (IM) is spatially partitioned into two distinct interstitial compartments in the transverse dimension. In one compartment (the intercluster region), collec...
A 3D moving vector Preisach hysteresis model

The moving vector Preisach model includes the basic features of the magnetization mechanisms in particulate recording media: uniaxial anisotropy, switching, rotation, and dependence of the interaction field on the magnetization. An identification procedure is proposed and comparison with experimental data shows an excellent fit for very different measurements: major loop and /spl delta/M curves in both longitudinal and transverse directions, and magnetization under rotating field. >
Control of gene expression and assembly of chromosomal subdomains by chromatin regulators with antagonistic functions

Epigenetic regulation of higher-order chromatin structure controls gene expression and the assembly of chromosomal domains during cell division, differentiation, and development. The proposed "histone code" integrates a complex system of histone modifications and chromosomal proteins that establish and maintain distinctive types of chromatin, such as euchromatin, heterochromatin, and centromeric (CEN) chromatin. The reversible nature of histone acetylation, phosphorylation, and (most recently discovered) methylation are mechanisms for controlling gene expression and partitioning the genome into functional domains. Many different regions of the genome contain similar epigenetic marks (histone modifications), raising the question as to how they are independently specified and regulated. In this review, we will focus on several recent discoveries in chromatin and chromosome biology: (1) identification of long-elusive histone "de-methylating" enzymes that affect chromatin structure, and (2) assembly and maintenance of chromatin domains, specifically heterochromatin and euchromatin, through a dynamic equilibrium of modifying enzymes, histone modifications, and histone variants identified biochemically and genetically.
The kinesin superfamily protein KIF17 is regulated by the same transcription factor (NRF-1) as its cargo NR2B in neurons.

Abstract The kinesin superfamily of motor proteins is known to be ATP-dependent transporters of various types of cargoes. In neurons, KIF17 is found to transport vesicles containing the N-methyl- d -aspartate receptor NR2B subunit from the cell body specifically to the dendrites. These subunits are intimately associated with glutamatergic neurotransmission as well as with learning and memory. Glutamatergic synapses are highly energy-dependent, and recently we found that the same transcription factor, nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF-1), co-regulates energy metabolism (via its regulation of cytochrome c oxidase and other mitochondrial enzymes) and neurochemicals of glutamatergic transmission (NR1, NR2B, GluR2, and nNOS). The present study tested our hypothesis that NRF-1 also transcriptionally regulates KIF17. By means of in silico analysis, electrophoretic mobility shift and supershift assays, in vivo chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, promoter mutations, and real-time quantitative PCR, we found that NRF-1 (but not NRF-2) functionally regulates Kif17, but not Kif1a, gene. NRF-1 binding sites on Kif17 gene are highly conserved among mice, rats, and humans. Silencing of NRF-1 with small interference RNA blocked the up-regulation of Kif17 mRNA and proteins (and of Grin1 and Grin2b) induced by KCl-mediated depolarization, whereas over-expressing NRF-1 rescued these transcripts and proteins from being suppressed by TTX. Thus, NRF-1 co-regulates oxidative enzymes that generate energy and neurochemicals that consume energy related to glutamatergic neurotransmission, such as KIF17, NR1, and NR2B, thereby ensuring that energy production matches energy utilization at the molecular and cellular levels.
Clostridium chromiireducens sp. nov., isolated from Cr(VI)-contaminated soil.

A Cr(VI)-resistant, Gram-positive, spore-forming, obligate anaerobe, designated GCAF-1T, was isolated from chromium-contaminated soil by its ability to reduce Cr(VI) in low concentrations. Mixed acid fermentation during growth on glucose resulted in accumulation of acetate, butyrate, formate and lactate. Morphological studies indicated the presence of peritrichous flagella, pili and an S-layer. The major cellular fatty acids (>5 %) were C16 : 0, C14 : 0, summed feature 3 (comprising iso-C15 : 0 2-OH and/or C16 : 1ω7c), C18 : 1ω7c, C16 : 1ω9c, summed feature 4 (comprising iso-C17 : 1 I and/or anteiso-C17 : 1 B) and C18 : 1ω9c. The DNA G+C content of strain GCAF-1T was 30.7 mol%. Phylogenetic interference indicated that strain GCAF-1T clustered with group I of the genus Clostridium. Of strains within this cluster, strain GCAF-1T shared the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities (98.1–98.9 %) with Clostridium beijerinckii DSM 791T, C. saccharobutylicum NCP 262T, C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum N1-4T, C. puniceum DSM 2619T and C. roseum DSM 51T. However, strain GCAF-1T could be clearly distinguished from its closest phylogenetic neighbours by low levels of DNA–DNA relatedness (<50 %) and some phenotypic features. Based on the evidence presented here, strain GCAF-1T ( = DSM 23318T = KCTC 5935T) represents a novel species of the genus Clostridium, for which the name Clostridium chromiireducens sp. nov. is proposed.
African-American Male Sexual Behavior and the Risk for HIV Infection

Social researchers and epidemiologists have been slow to address racial aspects of the AIDS epidemic. This lag has occurred in spite of the fact that African-Americans have been disproportionately affected by HIV. Few community-based interventions have been designed specifically for minority males. Those health educators who have attempted to respond to the growing public health problem of sexually transmitted AIDS among African-American males have had little or no socio-cultural information on which to develop their intervention models.
Effective conductivity of loaded granular materials by numerical simulation

Thermal (or electrical) conduction through a stationary, random close packed granular material is studied by numerical simulation. The particles are smooth uniform spheres with either point contact...
Aberrant patterns of DNA methylation, chromatin formation and gene expression in cancer

Gene function in cancer can be disrupted either through genetic alterations, which directly mutate or delete genes, or epigenetic alterations, which alter the heritable state of gene expression. The latter events are mediated by formation of transcriptionally repressive chromatin states around gene transcription start sites and an associated gain of methylation in normally unmethylated CpG islands in these regions. The genes affected include over half of the tumor suppressor genes that cause familial cancers when mutated in the germline; the selective advantage for genetic and epigenetic dysfunction in these genes is very similar. The aberrant methylation can begin very early in tumor progression and mediate most of the important pathway abnormalities in cancer including loss of cell cycle control, altered function of transcription factors, altered receptor function, disruption of normal cell-cell and cell-substratum interaction, inactivation of signal transduction pathways, loss of apoptotic signals and genetic instability. The active role of the aberrant methylation in transcriptional silencing of genes is becoming increasingly understood and involves a synergy between the methylation and histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity. This synergy can be mediated directly by HDAC interaction with DNA methylating enzymes and by recruitment through complexes involving methyl-cytosine binding proteins. In the translational arena, the promoter hypermethylation changes hold great promise as DNA tumor markers and their potentially reversible state creates a target for cancer therapeutic strategies involving gene reactivation.
Effect of zoledronic acid on disseminated tumour cells in women with locally advanced breast cancer: an open label, randomised, phase 2 trial

Summary Background Treatment with bisphosphonates decreases bone loss and can increase disease-free survival in patients with breast cancer. The aim of our study was to assess the effect of zoledronic acid on clearance of disseminated tumour cells (DTCs) from the bone marrow in women undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer. Methods Patients were recruited for this open-label, phase 2 randomised trial between March 17, 2003, and May 19, 2006, at a single centre. Eligible patients had clinical stage II–III (≥T2 and/or ≥N1) newly diagnosed breast cancer, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1, and normal cardiac, renal, and liver function. 120 women were randomly assigned, using allocation concealment, to receive 4 mg zoledronic acid intravenously every 3 weeks (n=60), or no zoledronic acid (n=60), for 1 year concomitant with four cycles of neoadjuvant epirubicin (75 mg/m 2 ) plus docetaxel (75 mg/m 2 ) and two cycles of adjuvant epirubicin plus docetaxel. The primary endpoint was the number of patients with detectable DTCs at 3 months. Final analysis was done 1 year after the last patient was enrolled. Analyses were done for all patients with available data at 3 months. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00242203. Findings Of the 120 patients initially enrolled, one withdrew after signing consent and one patient's baseline bone marrow was not available. Both of these patients were in the control group. At 3 months, 109 bone-marrow samples were available for analysis. In the zoledronic acid group, bone marrow was not collected from one patient because of disease progression, one patient was taken off study because of severe diarrhoea, and two patients had not consented at the time of surgery. In the control group, bone marrow was not collected from two patients because of disease progression, one patient withdrew consent, and three patients were not consented at the time of surgery. At baseline, DTCs were detected in 26 of 60 patients in the zoledronic acid group and 28 of 58 patients in the control group. At 3 months, 17 of 56 patients receiving zoledronic acid versus 25 of 53 patients who did not receive zoledronic acid had detectable DTCs (p=0·054). The most common grade 3–4 toxicities were infection (five of 60 patients in the zoledronic acid group and six of 59 in the control group) and thrombosis (five of 60 in the zoledronic acid and two of 59 in the control group). There was one documented case of osteonecrosis in the zoledronic acid group. Interpretation Zoledronic acid administered with chemotherapy resulted in a decreased proportion of patients with DTCs detected in the bone marrow at the time of surgery. Our study supports the hypothesis that the antimetastatic effects of zoledronic acid may be through effects on DTCs. Funding Novartis Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer Inc.
IRT Model Selection Methods for Dichotomous Items

Fit of the model to the data is important if the benefits of item response theory (IRT) are to be obtained. In this study, the authors compared model selection results using the likelihood ratio test, two information-based criteria, and two Bayesian methods. An example illustrated the potential for inconsistency in model selection depending on which of the indices was used. Results from a simulation study indicated that the inconsistencies among the indices were common but that model selection was relatively accurate for longer tests administered to larger sample of examinees. The cross-validation log-likelihood (CVLL) appeared to work the best of the five models for the conditions simulated in this study.
Finite time observers and observability

A notion of finite time observer for partially observed deterministic control systems is introduced. The observer dynamics are given by a Hamilton-Jacobi equation, and the observer is consistent under a natural observability condition. An observability grammian for nonlinear systems is introduced, and is used to study the time evolution of sets of indistinguishable points. >
Radiographic follow-up of 84 operatively treated scapula neck and body fractures

Abstract Background Certain scapula fractures may warrant surgical management to restore shoulder anatomy and promote optimal function. The purpose of this study is to determine the early radiographic follow-up of open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) for displaced, scapular fractures involving the glenoid neck and body. Methods Eighty-four patients with a scapula body or neck fracture (with or without articular involvement) underwent ORIF between 2002 and 2010 at a single level I trauma centre. This study represents a retrospective review of data prospectively collected into a dedicated scapula fracture database. All patients met at least one of the following operative criteria: ≥20 mm medial/lateral (M/L) displacement (lateral border offset), ≥45° of angular deformity on a scapular-Y X-ray, the combination of angulation ≥30° plus M/L displacement ≥15 mm, double disruptions of the superior shoulder suspensory complex both displaced ≥10 mm, glenopolar angle (GPA) ≤22° and open fractures. Eighty-eight percent (74/84) had sufficient follow-up defined as at least 6 months. Measured outcomes included rates of scapula union and malunion, as well as surgical complications and re-operations. Results All fractures were caused by high-energy trauma with 24 (29%) resulting from motor-vehicle collisions. Associated injuries occurred in 94% of patients, most commonly involving the chest (70%) and ipsilateral shoulder girdle (43%). Forty-eight patients had M/L displacement as an operative indication with a mean displacement of 25.7 mm (range = 20–40). Thirty-eight (45%) had ≥2 operative indications. A single surgeon performed ORIF in all patients using a posterior approach. Five patients also required an anterior (deltopectoral) approach. The fixation strategy included lateral and vertebral border stabilisation with dynamic compression and reconstruction plates, respectively. Union was achieved in all cases. There were three cases of malunion based on a GPA difference >10° from the uninjured shoulder. Re-operations included removal of hardware (seven patients) and manipulation under anaesthesia (three patients). There were no infections or wound dehiscence. Conclusions ORIF for displaced scapula fractures is a relatively safe and effective procedure for restoration of anatomy and promotion of union. Level of evidence Therapeutic study, level IV.
Evaluation of predictors of weaning from mechanical ventilation in pediatric patients.

Objective criteria for ending mechanical ventilation have not been established for infants and children. A recent study in adult patients developed two new indexes, the Rapid Shallow Breathing Index (RSB) and the CROP Index for predicting success or failure of extubation. We decided to evaluate the applicability of these indices to intubated, mechanically ventilated pediatric patients. For this evaluation the indices were adapted to the physiology of infants and children. A pneumotachograph was used to measure spontaneous tidal volume, respiratory rate and dynamic compliance. The tidal volume and the dynamic compliance were corrected for the patient's body weight. Based on the data collected a cutoff value for each index was determined. Of 47 sets of patient data, 38 (81%) were collected during successful extubations, 9 (19%) during failed extubations. A modified CROP index value of > or = 0.1 ml x mmHg/bpm/kg and a modified RSB index value of or = 0.1 and < or = 11 for the modified CROP index and RSB index, respectively, appear to be predictive of successful extubation in the pediatric population. Our data identifies the modified CROP index as a superior discriminator between successful and unsuccessful extubation.
Integrated tracking and control using condensation-based critical-point matching

Image matching via multiresolution critical-point hierarchies has been shown to be useful in feature point selection, real-time tracking, volume rendering, and image interpolation. Drawbacks of the method include computational complexity and a lack of constraints on rigid motion. In this paper we present a method by which robot end-effector velocities are tracked using the condensation algorithm and critical-point image observations. By using a window-based approach, we immediately reduce complexity while imposing constraints on camera motion. We show that the critical-point observations are successful in estimating camera motion by evaluating the similarity of sample windows.
Towards visually-grounded spoken language acquisition

A characteristic shared by most approaches to natural language understanding and generation is the use of symbolic representations of word and sentence meanings. Frames and semantic nets are examples of symbolic representations. Symbolic methods are inappropriate for applications which require natural language semantics to be linked to perception, as is the case in tasks such as scene description or human-robot interaction. This paper presents two implemented systems, one that learns to generate, and one that learns to understand visually-grounded spoken language. These implementations are part of our on-going effort to develop a comprehensive model of perceptually-grounded semantics.
Improved Model-Based Parameter Estimation Approach for Accelerated Periodic Method of Moments Solutions With Application to the Analysis of Convoluted Frequency Selected Surfaces and Metamaterials

An improved ?smart? interpolation approach known as model-based parameter estimation (MBPE) is applied to the wide-band interpolation of periodic method of moments (PMM) impedance matrices for normal and oblique incidence cases. Prior to interpolation, easy to calculate but hard to interpolate, phase terms are removed from the impedance matrices. An efficient spectral-domain PMM formulation is introduced for the accelerated analysis of frequency selective surface (FSS) problems with a large number of unknowns, employing a one dimensional O(N log N) FFT-based method to speed up the computation of matrix-vector products within the bi-conjugate gradient (BCG) iterative solver, which is made possible by the asymmetric multilevel block-Toeplitz structure of the impedance-matrix. The MBPE interpolation algorithm provides a faster matrix fill time than the brute force method and is comparable or even faster than the 2-D FFT-based method for a large number of unknowns. It also has the advantage that it can be applied to non-uniform gridding cases. The accuracy and efficiency of the proposed techniques for large FSS problems are demonstrated by several design examples for both the normal and oblique incidence cases. We also apply this efficient analysis tool to the design of multiband single-layer FSS filters and artificial magnetic conductors (AMC) comprised of a 2-D periodic arrangement of convoluted metallic strips in the shape of a Hilbert curve. The multiband properties of the Hilbert curve FSS filters are studied for different iteration orders (i.e., different degrees of space-filling).
Influence of oxygen, hydrogen, helium, argon and vacuum on the surface behavior of molten InSb, other semiconductors, and metals on silica

Abstract Sessile drop experiments were performed on molten indium antimonide on clean quartz (fused silica) surfaces. A cell was constructed through which argon, helium, oxygen, hydrogen or a mixture of these was flowed at 600 °C. Some of the InSb was doped with 0.1% Ga. The surface tension σ of oxide-free molten InSb was smaller in Ar than in He, may have increased with increasing O 2 in the gas, and was not influenced by Ga or H 2 . The contact angle θ on silica was higher in the presence of Ar, was lowered by O 2 , and was not influenced by H 2 or Ga. The work of adhesion W and the surface energy σ sv of the silica were higher in He than in Ar. The surface remained free of solid oxide only in flowing gas containing ⩽0.8 ppm O 2 . This behavior is attributed to reaction of O 2 at the surface of the melt to form In 2 O gas. When solid oxide formed on Ga-doped material, it was strongly enriched in Ga, with the Ga/In ratio increasing with the concentration of O 2 in the gas. Examination of published sessile-drop results for liquid metals and semiconductors on silica revealed that W and σ sv were highest for reactive melts, in which SiO 2 dissolves. For non-reactive melts, W and σ sv were lower and θ higher in a gas than in a vacuum, regardless of whether the experiments had been carried out in sealed ampoules, a flowing gas, or dynamic vacuum. The implication is that the surface of silica was different in a vacuum than in a gas at ∼1 bar.
Comprehensive Laboratory Fuel Economy Testing with RFG and Conventional Fuels

Reformulated gasoline (RFG) was introduced at retail gasoline stations in the six county Southeastern Wisconsin severe ozone non-attainment area in December, 1994. By early February a substantial local outcry encompassing health complaints and excessive fuel economy reduction complaints had materialized. The objectives of the RFG studies were to investigate the possibility of excessive fuel economy reduction anecdotes by measuring the fuel economy of various vehicles, using different RFG types and grades and comparing the RFG varieties containing methyl-tertiary-butyl-ether (MTBE), ethyl-tertiary-butyl-ether (ETBE) and ethanol (ETOH) against conventional gasoline. Nine vehicles were used in the study including both open-loop control system vehicles and various technology closed-loop vehicles. Eight fuels were used in the study: regular (87 octane) and mid-grade (89 octane) of each type of RFG and conventional gasoline. The average fleet fuel economy statistics for both investigations approximated the nominal 2--3% fuel economy reduction expected based on the energy content reduction of RFG in relation to conventional gasoline. Frequency distributions of the fuel economy results showed a wide deviation about the average. The lower 5 and 10 percentiles of the distribution exhibiting the most severe fuel economy reduction showed excessive fuel economy reduction up to 16% and 14%, respectively. The distributionmore » substantiated that a portion of the anecdotal fuel economy complaints may be valid. Consistent excessive fuel economy reduction or gain correlations were not found between the various driving cycles, vehicle control technology, and RFG blends.« less
Comparison of Different Quantitative Approaches to 18F-Fluoride PET Scans

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between 18F-fluoride bone metabolic measures obtained by nonlinear regression (NLR), Patlak analysis, and standardized uptake value (SUV) for a wide range of normal and pathologic bone conditions. In patients imaged twice, changes in metabolic rates were determined using the different quantitation methods. Methods: In 33 patients 2–51 mo after resection of a bone tumor of the limbs, a total of 42 dynamic PET scans were performed after injection of 250–350 MBq 18F-fluoride. SUV, fluoride bone influx rate obtained by Patlak analysis (KPat), and fluoride bone influx rate obtained by NLR (KNLR) were calculated in each patient for the bone graft, the contralateral normal side, and the spine, if within the field of view. Results: SUV ranged from 0.4 to 9.9, KPat from 0.0035 to 0.0742 mL/min/mL, and KNLR from 0.0027 to 0.0737 mL/min/mL. Significant linear correlations were found between KPat and KNLR (r = 0.99), KPat and SUV (r = 0.95), and KNLR and SUV (r = 0.93). Eight patients have been imaged twice within 6 mo. Changes in metabolic values of the grafts were significantly correlated for KPat and KNLR (r = 0.96), KPat and SUV (r = 0.88), and KNLR and SUV (r = 0.79). The 95% ranges of normal change in limb bones were ±58.0% for SUV, ±23.0% for KPat, and ±20.2% for KNLR; the corresponding 95% ranges in the spine were ±8.6%, ±7.6%, and ±19.6%. Conclusion: The results of this study show that 18F-fluoride metabolic values as well as changes in bone metabolism measured by SUV and Patlak analysis were strongly correlated with NLR findings. The high 95% range of normal change of SUV in limb bones, however, indicates that this parameter is of limited value in areas with low metabolic activity. The range of spontaneous bone metabolic rate fluctuations presented in this study may be used as an estimate for assessing changes in bone metabolic activity, and the normal values for limb bones provide a basis for further studies on 18F-fluoride bone metabolism.
Developmental Rates of Codling Moth (Lepidoptera: Olethreutidae) Reared on Apple at Four Constant Temperatures

Developmental and survival rates of the codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.), on apples were determined at constant temperatures of 16, 21,27, and 32 ± 1°C by using F1 progeny of moths collected in a North Carolina apple orchard. Survival rate was greatest at 21°C (46.7%) but did not differ significantly among the temperatures. No significant difference in developmental rates between the sexes was found. Developmental rates increased with increasing temperature, and no evidence of a decline or leveling off of the developmental rate vs. temperature curve was shown up to 32°C. By linear regression, the base threshold was shown to be 9.9°C, and 510 day-degrees (C°) was required to complete larval and pupal development. However, the developmental rate vs. temperature curve is quite nonlinear, and thus the day-degree approximation is not very accurate. The use of simplistic models of development to predict the phenology of field populations of codling moth is discussed.
Writing Highly Ordered Macroscopic Patterns in Cylindrical Block Polymer Thin Films via Raster Solvent Vapor Annealing and Soft Shear

Block polymers (BPs) potentially can be used to template large arrays of nanopatterns for advanced nanotechnologies. However, the practical utilization of directed BP self-assembly typically requires guide patterns of relatively small size scales. In this work, the macroscopic alignment of block polymer cylinders on a template-free substrate is achieved through raster solvent vapor annealing combined with soft shear (RSVA-SS). Spatial control over nanoscale structures is realized by using a solvent vapor delivery nozzle, poly(dimethylsiloxane) shearing pad, and motorized stage. Complex patterns including dashes, crossed lines, and curves are demonstrated, along with the ability for large area alignment and scale-up for industry applications. The unique ability to directly write macroscopic patterns with microscopically aligned BP nanostructures will open new avenues of applied research in nanotechnology.
ELIMINATING HAZARDS FROM A MEDIUM TERM CONFLICT DETECTION TOOL

to increase the capacity of the national airspace, either the separation standard between aircraft must be decreased, or some form of free flight must be a llowed. Either method raises the issue of maintaining safety in an already overtaxed system. In order to mitigate the workload placed on pilots and controllers, software aids such as conflict detection tools can be employed. However, these tools must be verified to be safe, before they can be employed with any degree of reliability. Furthermore, air traffic control, and aircraft conflict detection is a dual natured problem: discrete logic is being used to command and control vehicles that have inherently continuous dynamics. Identifying hazardous states in such a system and ensuring that these states are not reachable is an ongoing problem in any large system safety analysis. An exhaustive search of most complex process-control systems will encounter th e problem of state explosion; in the case of aircraft conflict detection, the state space is infinite. However, in this paper, we outline a more tractable approach to verification: the state explosion problem is minimized by requiring a search of only par t of the state space, as the hazard is not necessarily traced back to the initial state, only to a critical state from which an escape path to safe behavior exists. This path is then given priority in the control flow of the system by means of redesign. This method is demonstrated on a Medium Term Conflict Detection tool, and an actual hazard is identified and eliminated.
Structure and Cultivating Strategy of PE Quality of College Students

Quality education is a strategic issue which has become the focus of today's education community.Based on documentary review,comprehensive and logic analysis,this article explores the five parts of college students'PE quality structure and the significance of PE quality in the sustainability of talented people.It also puts forward the strategies of cultivating and promoting college students'PE quality which provide references for PE education and teaching reform and development so as to guarantee that more talented,all round people will be brought up for our nation.
Abnormal Microsomal Detoxification Implicated in Fanconi Anemia Group C by Interaction of the FAC Protein With NADPH Cytochrome P450 Reductase

The FAC protein encoded by the Fanconi anemia (FA) complementation group C gene is thought to function in the cytoplasm at a step before DNA repair. Because FA cells are susceptible to mitomycin C, we considered the possibility that FAC might interact with enzymes involved in the bioreductive activation of this drug. Here we report that FAC binds to NADPH cytochrome-P450 reductase (RED), a microsomal membrane protein involved in electron transfer, in both transfected COS-1 and normal murine liver cells. FAC-RED interaction requires the amino-terminal region of FAC and the cytosolic, membrane-proximal domain of the reductase. The latter contains a known binding site for flavin mononucleotide (FMN). Addition of FMN to cytosolic lysates disrupts FAC-reductase complexes, while flavin dinucleotide, which binds to a distinct carboxy-terminal domain, fails to alter FAC-RED complexes at concentrations similar to FMN. FAC is also functionally coupled to this enzyme as its expression in COS-1 cells suppresses the ability of RED to reduce cytochrome c in the presence of NADPH. We propose that FAC plays a fundamental role in vivo by attenuating the activity of RED, thereby regulating a major detoxification pathway in mammalian cells.
Progression to COPD in smokers with normal spirometry/low DLCO using different methods to determine normal levels.

Smokers with normal spirometry/low DLCO are at higher risk of COPD versus those with normal DLCOhttp://ow.ly/4mQBwZ
Rapid noninvasive techniques for determining etiology of bronchitis and pneumonia in infants and children.

SUMMARY Table 2 lists the names, abbreviations, and principle underlying most of the rapid diagnostic techniques we have described. Table 3 lists the pathogens most likely to cause lower respiratory tract infections in pediatric patients, the specimens needed for each rapid diagnostic test now generally available, and the approximate time required for its actual performance. For maximal cost-effectiveness, it is recommended that laboratory diagnosis be pursued in a stepwise manner: 1) The usual patient with acute respiratory illness who is to be managed as an outpatient may need little if any laboratory evaluation. 2) For the child for whom hospital admission is being considered, serum C-reactive protein screen, urine bacterial antigen tests, and a cold agglutinin test (at the appropriate age) will help to classify the etiology of the infection as likely or unlikely to be bacterial. If antibiotic therapy is to be given, a blood culture should be obtained before starting. 3) For the child admitted to the hospital with a possible chlamydial or viral lower respiratory infection for whom specific therapy is considered, nasopharyngeal secretions should be examined for Chlamydia and for antigens of respiratory syncytial, parainfluenza, and influenza viruses to help select the appropriate antimicrobial. Serum for IgM level may be helpful. 4) For the child who has been intubated for respiratory support, a specimen of deep respiratory secretions should be sent for Gram stain, bacterial culture, for Chlamydia, and viral antigens and culture. 5) For patients presenting with atypical symptoms, signs, or clinical course additional diagnostic possibilities should be considered and appropriate tests done even if results may not be available within 48 hours.
Management Earnings Forecasts during Price Pressure: Evidence from Mutual Fund Trades

Does a company’s stock mispricing influence its decision to issue an earnings forecast? Does executive compensation affect the nature of the forecast? How does the market react to these forecasts? I address these questions using cross-sectional and time-series variation in stock mispricing related to the liquidity-driven trades of mutual funds. I find that managers issue earnings forecasts more frequently when their company’s stock appears mispriced. In answering the second question, I uncover unintended consequences of executive compensation schemes, in that managers of mispriced firms strategically withhold information from investors to benefit from stock option exercises. I also show that in responding to forecasts of mispriced firms, investors act as if they are able to distinguish informative management earnings forecasts from uninformative ones. Finally, the difference-in-differences estimations lend credibility to the results by exploiting the exogenous fund outflows due to the 2003 mutual fund trading scandal. Collectively, my findings highlight the interplay between stock mispricing, managerial earnings forecast incentives, the company’s resulting disclosure policy, and the market reaction to it.
The Identification of EGRET Sources with Flat-Spectrum Radio Sources

We provide a table of 42 blazars which we expect to be robust identifications of EGRET sources. The table includes the lensed source, PKS 1830–211 which we identify with a previously unidentified EGRET source.
Topology of algebraic varieties

Throughout this appendix we work with projective varieties X ⊂ ℙ ℂ N —that is, with complex projective varieties. We can also view such a variety as a complex analytic, or holomorphic, subvariety of ℙ ℂ N —that is, a subset locally defined by the vanishing of analytic equations—or, if X is smooth, as a complex submanifold of ℙ N C . The topology induced from the standard topology on ℙ ℂ N , referred to as the classical , or sometimes analytic, topology, is much finer than the Zariski topology with which we have dealt in this text. Using it, we can consider geometric invariants of X such as the singular homology and cohomology groups H * ( X , ℤ) and H * ( X ,ℤ). In this appendix, we explain a little of what is known about such invariants. Throughout, when we speak of topological properties of X , we refer to the classical, or analytic, topology. GAGA theorems One might think that there would be many more holomorphic subvarieties of ℙ N than algebraic subvarieties, or that in passing from a smooth projective variety X over ℂ to its underlying complex manifold we would be losing information, since regular functions are holomorphic but not conversely. But this is not the case: Theorem C.1 (Chow). Every holomorphic subvariety of ℙ ℂ N is algebraic . See for example Griffiths and Harris [1994, Section I.3] for a proof. Many further results in this direction were proven in Serre [1955/1956]. These are collectively known as the GAGA theorems, after the name of Serre's paper (“Geometrie algebrique et geometrie analytique”). It follows immediately from Chow's theorem that if X and Y are projective varieties over C then any holomorphic map f : X → Y is algebraic (Proof: Apply Theorem C.1 to the graph Γ f ⊂ X × Y ). Not quite so immediate are the facts that any holomorphic vector bundle on a projective variety is algebraic and that if e is any such vector bundle on X then any global holomorphic section of e is algebraic. More generally, the Cech cohomology groups of e will be the same, whether computed for the sheaf of holomorphic sections of e in the analytic topology or the sheaf of regular sections in the Zariski topology.
Modelling drug response and resistance in cancer: Opportunities and challenges

Given the heterogeneity of cancer tumors, and the propensity of tumor cells to become resistant to therapy even when they are initially responsive, the current thinking is to administer multi-drug therapy to cancer patients. However, given the complexity of cancer, predicting the efficacy of multi-drug therapy, and the emergence of resistance, are important challenges. In this paper, a mini-survey is presented of some of the currently popular methods, and challenges for the future are indicated.