cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Galectin-3 and incident heart failure among patients with pre-existing coronary artery disease: The ADVANCE study

Abstract Background Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a novel fibrosis biomarker. We ascertained: 1) the correlates of Gal-3, and 2) its association with incident heart failure among 1312 participants in The ADVANCE study (871 subjects with acute myocardial infarction [AMI] and 441 subjects with stable angina). Methods Cohort design, with Gal-3 measured in stored baseline serum samples (2002–04). After a median (SD) follow-up of 8.1 (3.2) years, 74 incident heart failure events were documented. Results The significant independent correlates of Gal-3 were age, gender, diabetes, C-reactive protein and estimated glomerular filtration rate. In Cox regression with adjustment for these variables plus race, CAD presentation, smoking status, body mass index, hypertension and cholesterol lowering drugs, there was a 1.51-fold (95% CI, 1.24 to 1.85; p Conclusions Gal-3 is a useful marker of heart failure risk among patients with pre-existing coronary disease and may play an etiological role in the development of heart failure.
Prevalence of Glistenings in Acrysof Intraocular Lenses

2. Colin J, Orignac I, Touboul D. Glistenings in a large series of hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lenses. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2009 Dec;35(12):2121-6 . 3. Ayaki M, Nishihara H, Yaguchi S, Koide R. Surfactant induced glistenings: surface active ingredients in ophthalmic solutions may enhance water entry into the voids of implanted acrylic intraocular lenses. J Long Term Eff Med Implants. 2006;16(6):451-7.
Fast Newton-type Methods for the Least Squares Nonnegative Matrix Approximation Problem

Nonnegative Matrix Approximation is an effective matrix decomposition technique that has proven to be useful for a wide variety of applications ranging from document analysis and image processing to bioinformatics. There exist a few algorithms for nonnegative matrix approximation (NNMA), for example, Lee & Seung’s multiplicative updates, alternating least squares, and certain gradient descent based procedures. All of these procedures suffer from either slow convergence, numerical instabilities, or at worst, theoretical unsoundness. In this paper we present new and improved algorithms for the least-squares NNMA problem, which are not only theoretically well-founded, but also overcome many of the deficiencies of other methods. In particular, we use non-diagonal gradient scaling to obtain rapid convergence. Our methods provide numerical results superior to both Lee & Seung’s method as well to the alternating least squares (ALS) heuristic, which is known to work well in some situations but has no theoretical guarantees (Berry et al. 2006). Our approach extends naturally to include regularization and box-constraints, without sacrificing convergence guarantees. We present experimental results on both synthetic and realworld datasets to demonstrate the superiority of our methods, in terms of better approximations as well as efficiency.
Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of amphiphile hydration. Effects of cholesterol on phosphatidyl choline hydration.

Abstract Water which remains unfrozen at −25 °C in the presence of phosphatidyl choline (PC) gives rise to a proton magnetic resonance signal which can be used to measure the hydration of single-walled vesicles and multilamellar liposomes of PC. The proton magnetic resonance signal of the unfrozen water in these systems is strongly dependent upon the nature of the molecular domain in which the water is situated. For example, at cholesterol to PC molar ratios below 35 mol%, the vesicle hydration signal consists of a relatively narrow symmetric peak (line width, ~150 Hz). At higher molar ratios, however, rather broad asymmetric signals appear (line widths, ~300–1000 Hz) which indicate that when significant quantities of cholesterol are packed in the bilayer there must be regions in which there is a preferred direction for motion of the unfrozen water. It is possible to solubilize significant quantities of cholesterol by sonicating it in concentrated solutions of sodium dodecyl sulfate. Addition of cholesterol to PC vesicles via these sodium dodecyl sulfate-cholesterol complexes caused hydration changes in the PC, which, at high cholesterol to PC molar ratios, paralleled the effects of cholesterol on PC hydration in homogeneous vesicles in which the cholesterol and PC were simply cosonicated.
Características da brachiaria brizantha cv. marandu durante o seu estabelecimento submetida a diferentes doses de nitrogênio = Characteristics of brachiaria brizantha cv. marandu during the establishment assigned of differents levels of nitrogen

As caracteristicas agronomicas (materia seca - MS e dos componentes morfologicos), morfogenicas (taxa de aparecimento foliar -TApF, taxa de alongamento foliar - TAlF e taxa de senescencia foliar -TSF) e estruturais (comprimento medio de folhas - CMF, numero de folhas perfilho-1 - NF, massa de perfilhos - MP e densidade de perfilhos – DP e a area foliar -AF) durante o estabelecimento da Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu, cultivadas em vasos, em casa-de-vegetacao, submetida a tres doses de nitrogenio (0, 20 e 40 mg dm-3 semana-1 de N) foram avaliadas em experimento disposto em delineamento inteiramente casualizado, com cinco repeticoes para cada tratamento. A MS total (parte aerea + raiz), TApF, TSF e NF vivas foram insensiveis aos tratamentos. Contudo, o efeito positivo das doses de nitrogenio sobre a TAlF, o CMF, a DP e a AF foram os fatores que contribuiram para o incremento da MS aerea.
Physician incentives and treatment choice

I analyze the impact of physician competition for patients on treatment selection and an insurer's ability to induce its preferences through a supply-side payment mechanism. Informed patients choose the physician whose treatment practice best fits their preferences, aligning physician incentives with patient preferences. An insurer's ability to counter these incentives is not monotonic in how informed patients are, however. When demand is either perfectly inelastic to treatment practices because patients are completely uninformed or a sufficient proportion of the market is informed relative to the number of physicians in the market, then an insurer can induce its preferences through supply-side payment rules. Otherwise, more intensive policy levers such as utilization review must be employed. Programs that increase patient information can therefore improve the efficiency despite generating stronger incentive to treat according to patient preferences. I also explore how noisy signals of illness type and diagnostic testing further complicate the insurer's problem
Dietary protein level and energy metabolism during treadmill exercise in horses

Six conditioned Quarter Horse mares were used in a crossover design to assess the effect of the dietary protein level on intramuscular and hepatic glycogen and lactate, oxygen uptake and blood lactate, pyruvate and free fatty acids. After a 2-wk adaptation period to either a 9.0% (control) or an 18.5% crude protein diet, each horse performed an exercise test. The horses were exercised for 15 min on an 11% grade treadmill at 4.5 m/sec. The exercise test was performed 3-4 h after a meal. Venous, arterial and mixed-venous blood samples were taken simultaneously at rest and during exercise. Muscle and liver samples were taken at rest and after exercise. The dietary protein level did not affect hepatic or intramuscular glycogen utilization (P greater than 0.05). Exercise resulted in increased (P less than 0.001) lactate in venous blood, muscle and liver; however, dietary treatment did not affect (P greater than 0.05) lactate level. Venous blood lactate:pyruvate ratio was higher (P less than 0.05) in the control horses. Dietary protein level did not affect (P greater than 0.05) oxygen uptake or plasma free fatty acids; however, exercise increased (P less than 0.01) both. These results indicate the dietary protein did not affect substrate utilization during the absorptive phase of digestion in exercising horses; however, the higher lactate:pyruvate ratio in the control horses suggests that the intraconversion of lactate and pyruvate may be influenced by diet composition.
Estimation of radio refractivity using a multiple angle clutter model

[1] The common occurrence of a marine boundary layer in coastal regions can affect radio wave propagation significantly. Refractivity from clutter (RFC) techniques are aimed at estimating the refractivity profile of the ambient environment based on the received radar clutter. While most previous RFC work has not considered the dependence of RFC inversions on a variable grazing angle, this study investigates incorporation of the grazing angle information into the clutter model. A newly proposed clutter model based on multiple incident angles at each range is used here. The inversion performance of the multiple angle clutter model is compared to that of other models. Synthetic examples of a range-independent surface-based duct and a range-dependent evaporation duct are investigated for a S-band radar. Finally, a comparison of inversions on one set of experimental measurements from the SPANDAR 1998 data set is provided, using single and multiple grazing angle clutter models, and the previously used model based on grazing angle independent sea surface reflectivity.
From Latency-Insensitive Design to Communication-Based System-Level Design

By the end of the 20th century, the continuous progress of the semiconductor industry brought a major transformation in the design of integrated circuits: as the speed of global wires could not keep up with the speed of ever-smaller transistors, the digital chip became a distributed system. This fact broke the synchronous paradigm assumption, i.e., the foundation of those computer-aided design (CAD) flows which had made possible three decades of unique technology progress: from chips with thousands of transistors to systems on chips (SoCs) with over a billion transistors. Latency-insensitive design (LID) is a correct-by-construction design methodology that was originally developed to address this challenge while preserving as much as possible the synchronous assumption. A broad new approach that transforms the fundamentals of how complex digital systems are assembled, LID introduces the protocols and shells paradigm, which offers several main benefits: modularity (by reconciling the synchronous paradigm with the dominant impact of global interconnect delays that characterizes nanometer technologies), scalability (by making key properties of the design be correct by construction through interface synthesis), flexibility (by simplifying the design and validation of a system through the separation of communication from computation), and efficiency (by enabling the reuse of predesigned components, thus reducing the overall design time). This paper overviews the principles and practice of LID, offers a retrospective on related research over the past decade, and looks ahead in proposing the protocols and shells paradigm as the foundation to bridge the gap between system-level and logic/physical design, a requisite to cope with the complexity of engineering future SoC platforms.
ROLE OF PRECURSOR ALLOY PHASES AND INTERMEDIATE OXIDES IN THE PREPARATION OF RANEY AND URUSHIBARA IRON

57Fe Mossbauer spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy measurements of precursor phases formed during catalyst preparation and of the catalysts, themselves, demonstrate that the preparation of Raney iron from iron aluminum alloys involves the formation of Fe(OH)2 and Fe3O4 as intermediate phases. The metallic Fe is formed from subsequent reduction of Fe3O4 by hydrogen generated by the oxidation of aluminum metal by hydroxide ions. Precursors to Urushibara iron U−Fe (III) are found to consist of Fe−Zn alloys when Zn is used as a reductant and of epitaxial deposits of Fe on aluminum when Al is the reductant. The material resulting from the reduction of the iron salt by aluminum is not a hydrogenation catalyst; the absence of catalytic activity is related to the absence of any alloying of the iron and aluminum. A consideration of the preparation of Raney iron, Urushibara iron, ammonia synthesis and Fischer-Tropsch catalysts leads to the conclusions that catalytic activity is highly correlated to the existence of intermediate mixed-crystals phases and the presence of intimate mixtures of at least two phases in the final catalyst.
Review: systemic corticosteroids, antibiotics, and noninvasive positive pressure ventilation are effective in acute COPD.

Source Citation Quon BS, Gan WQ, Sin DD. Contemporary management of acute exacerbations of COPD: a systematic review and metaanalysis. Chest. 2008;133:756-66. 18321904
A reversed two-environment model for micromixing in a continuous flow reactor

A reversed two-environment model which consists of a maximum mixedness environment followed by a complete segregation environment is proposed. The model may be used to explain the segregation effect which is enhanced by the viscosity increase during the reaction. Comparison between the predicted results and the experimental data for the polymerization of styrene in a stirred tank flow reactor is presented. On propose un modele comprenant deux milieux contraires: dans le premier, il y a melange maximal, tandis que dans le second la segregation est complete. On peut utiliser le dit modele pour expliquer l'effet de segregation qui s'accroit avec la viscosite durant la reaction. On presente une comparaison entre les resultats predits et les donnees experimentales dans le cas de la polymerisation du styrene dans un reacteur a debit muni d'une cuve agitee.
Contribution of early cells to the fate map of the zebrafish gastrula

Previously, a tissue-specific fate map was compiled for the gastrula stage of the zebrafish embryo, indicating that development subsequent to this stage follows a reproducible pattern. Here it is shown that each early zebrafish blastomere normally contributes to a subset of the gastrula and thus gives rise to a limited array of tissues. However, the final contribution that any early blastomere makes to the fate map in the gastrula cannot be predicted because of variability in both the position of the future dorsoventral axis with respect to the early cleavage blastomeres and the scattering of daughter cells as the gastrula is formed. Therefore, early cell divisions of the zebrafish embryo cannot reproducibly segregate determinants of tissue fates.
Cohabitation, Gender, and Alcohol Consumption in 19 Countries: A Multilevel Analysis

We used an ecological paradigm and multilevel analytic techniques to analyze gender-specific relationships of cohabitation (versus marriage) to drinking in 19 countries (n = 32,922) and to “heavy episodic drinking” (HED) in 17 countries (n = 24,525) in surveys (1996–2004) from Gender, Alcohol, and Culture: An International Study. Cohabitation was associated with elevated risk of HED among drinkers of both genders, controlling for age, education, and societal characteristics. The association between cohabitation and HED tended to be stronger for female drinkers than for male drinkers. HED was more prevalent among younger drinkers, especially among younger women in countries with higher per capita gross domestic product. Cross-culturally, cohabiters deserve special attention in prevention efforts for hazardous drinking, considering both individual-level and societal factors.
Tyrosine depletion lowers dopamine synthesis and desipramine-induced prefrontal cortex catecholamine levels.

Abstract The relationship between limited tyrosine availability, DA (dopamine) synthesis and DA levels in the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) of the rat was examined by in vivo microdialysis. We administered a tyrosine- and phenylalanine-free mixture of large neutral amino acids (LNAA(−)) IP to lower brain tyrosine, and the norepinephrine transporter inhibitor desipramine (DMI) 10 mg/kg IP to raise MPFC DA levels without affecting DA synthesis. For examination of DOPA levels, NSD-1015 20 μM was included in perfusate. Neither NSD-1015 nor DMI affected tyrosine levels. LNAA(−) lowered tyrosine levels by 45%, and lowered DOPA levels as well; this was not additionally affected by concurrent DMI 10 mg/kg IP. In parallel studies DMI markedly increased extracellular levels of DA (420% baseline) and norepinephrine (NE) (864% baseline). LNAA(−) had no effect on baseline levels of DA or NE but robustly lowered DMI-induced DA (176% baseline) as well as NE (237% baseline) levels. Even when DMI (20 μM) was administered in perfusate, LNAA(−) still lowered DMI-induced DA and NE levels. We conclude that while baseline mesocortical DA synthesis is indeed dependent on tyrosine availability, the MPFC maintains normal extracellular DA and NA levels in the face of moderately lower DA synthesis. During other than baseline conditions, however, tyrosine depletion can lower ECF DA and NE levels in MPFC. These data offer a potential mechanism linking dysregulation of tyrosine transport and cognitive deficits in schizophrenia.
Commentary: Understanding the Flexner report.

AbstractIn this commentary, the author discusses medical education reform before Abraham Flexner's 1910 report, Medical Education in the United States and Canada, the reforms for which Flexner campaigned, and the report's impact on the future of the discipline. To honor Flexner's contributions to me
Forward-backward semiclassical dynamics for quantum fluids using pair propagators: Application to liquid para-hydrogen

Forward–backward semiclassical dynamics (FBSD) methods are emerging as a practical way of simulating dynamical processes in large quantum systems. In this paper we develop a pair-product approximation to the coherent state density. This form is accurate at low temperatures, enhancing significantly the convergence of Monte Carlo methods and thus allowing the simulation of quantum fluids. The scheme is applied to the calculation of velocity autocorrelation function of liquid para-hydrogen at several thermodynamic state points (between T=14 K and T=25 K). The results of the forward–backward semiclassical method with the pair-product approximation to the coherent state density exhibit good agreement with experimental measurements and other theoretical calculations. These calculations demonstrate that the FBSD method, in conjunction with an accurate representation of the coherent state density, allows an accurate description of dynamical processes in condensed phase systems at low temperatures where quantum me...
Present-Day Kutiyattam: G. Venu's Radical and Reactionary Sanskrit Theatre

G. Venu, a scholar and practitioner of kutiyattam, responds to contemporary political conditions in Kerala and draws on the work of India’s experimental Theatre of Roots movement in his unexpectedly classical production of Sakuntala. Though imbricated in both the traditional and the avantgarde—creating what Venu aptly calls “present-day kutiyattam”—the question remains: will the project’s politics be read to the radical or the revolutionary?
Continuous microwave drying of sweet sorghum bagasse biomass

Sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.)) biomass has been touted as an important bioenergy crop that can be converted into various biofuels. In order to minimize storage losses, and to optimize the processing parameters during biochemical or thermochemical conversion, the sorghum bagasse obtained after pressing the sugar-containing juice may need to be dried to specific moisture levels. In this study, the performance of a continuous microwave drying system using a traveling wave applicator was investigated with respect to moisture reduction, power consumption, and overall efficiency. The parameters investigated were microwave power level (0, 200, 600, and 1000 W) and ambient drying temperature (25 °C and 55 °C). A control test was performed using hot air alone (25 °C and 55 °C) during sample drying. The initial moisture contents were obtained through conventional hot air oven drying at 130 °C. The drying rate of microwave drying was compared to conventional oven drying and the control. It was determined that even though the highest drying rates were obtained at the highest power setting (1000 W), when accounting for the power consumed by the drying system, including fans, motors, and ambient air heater, the highest efficiency was obtained at a comparatively low power setting (200 W) and using just ambient temperature (25 °C). The drying rate for microwave drying was significantly higher than conventional drying. The results of this study can be used to design continuous microwave drying systems that can be more efficient and with higher throughputs than conventional air-blown systems.
Expression of SarX, a Negative Regulator of agr and Exoprotein Synthesis, Is Activated by MgrA in Staphylococcus aureus

The expression of genes involved in the pathogenesis of Staphylococcus aureus is known to be controlled by global regulatory loci, including agr, sarA, saeRS, arlRS, and sarA-like genes. As part of our continuing efforts to understand the regulatory mechanisms that involve sarA-like genes, we describe here the characterization of a novel transcriptional regulator called SarX, a member of the SarA protein family. The transcription of sarX was growth phase dependent and was expressed maximally during the stationary phase of growth, which was significantly decreased in the mgrA mutant. MgrA acted as an activator of sarX expression as confirmed by transcriptional fusion and Northern blot analyses. Purified MgrA protein bound to the upstream region of the sarX promoter as demonstrated by gel shift assay. The expression levels of various potential target genes involved in virulence and regulation, specifically those affected by sarA and mgrA, were analyzed with isogenic sarX mutant strains. Our data indicated that SarX acted as a repressor of the agr locus and consequently target genes regulated by the agr system. We propose that SarX is an important regulator in the SarA protein family and may be part of the common pathway by which agr and members of the sarA gene family control virulence in S. aureus.
Why skew selection, a model of parental exploitation, should replace kin selection.

In his 1964 paper, William Hamilton wrote that inclusive fitness trumps direct fitness if, and only if, the effect of interactions among siblings on their parent’s fitness is ‘zero’. Kin selection models have succeeded only because they have ignored the fact that, if an altruist dies saving two siblings, the ‘zero impact on their parent’s fitness’ constraint is violated. Imagine a parent with three offspring. If two offspring drown, parental fitness is 1. On the other hand, if one altruistic offspring dies saving its two drowning siblings, parental fitness doubles to 2. Thus, direct fitness trumps inclusive fitness as an explanation for the evolution of altruism. In other words, parents that produce some portion of altruistic offspring willing to die to save some of their siblings (who would die without the intervention of the altruist) will realize greater fitness than parents producing no altruists. Skew selection, a bioeconomic extension of Michael Ghiselin’s (1974) parental exploitation model, is presented to explain the evolution of altruism from a direct fitness point of view.
Tracking and Communications for Planetary Manned Mission

Manned planetary mission global network for continous tracking, communication telemetry and TV transmission
Small-scale composting of horse manure mixed with wood shavings

There is an increased interest in composting manure on small horse farms (1-5 horses). It is known that simple backyard, food waste composters do not efficiently reduce pathogens due to their small scale. However, it was not clear if small-scale manure composting on horse farms could ensure pathogen reduction during all seasons. Furthermore, because of potential human health concerns, the release of Aspergillus fumigatus on small horse farms was of interest. The objective of this study was to evaluate pathogen reduction in a simple shed composter and the release of Aspergillus fumigatus emissions from fall to spring under typical farm operational conditions. Horse manure mixed with wood shavings (bedding) was composted for 4-8 weeks in the fall, winter, early spring and late spring. Fecal streptococci and eggs of strongyles, which are a major recognized health concern for horses, were used as pathogen indicator organisms. Temperatures increased in all composting piles during all seasons, but tended to be ...
Improvement of lecithin as an emulsifier for water-in-oil emulsions by thermalization

The various forms (granular, liquid, gum) of lecithin can be heated under certain conditions of time and temperature to greatly improve their properties as emulsifiers for water-in-oil emulsions. Viscosity, discontinuous phase-holding capacity, stability and water retention were greatly enhanced in emulsions containing thermalized lecithins as the emulsifier compared to those prepared with corresponding amounts of nonthermalized lecithins. The improved emulsification properties of the thermalized lecithins appeared to be due, at least in part, to an increase in diglycerides and free fatty acids resulting from the thermal degradation of phosphatides.
Genome organization in dicots. II. Arabidopsis as a ’bridging species’ to resolve genome evolution events among legumes

Analysis of molecular linkage groups within the soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) genome reveals many homologous regions, reflecting the ancient polyploidy of soybean. The fragmented arrangement of the duplicated regions suggests that extensive rearrangements, as well as additional duplications, have occurred since the initial polyploidization event. In this study we used comparisons between homoeologous regions in soybean, and the homologous regions in the related diploids Phaseolus vulgaris and Vigna radiata, to elucidate the evolutionary history of the three legume genomes. Our results show that there is not only conservation of large regions of the genomes but that these conserved linkage blocks are also represented twice in the soybean genome. To gain a better understanding of the process of genome evolution in dicots, molecular comparisons have been extended to another well-studied species, Arabidopsis thaliana. Interestingly, the conserved regions we identified in the legume species are also relatively conserved in Arabidopsis. Our results suggest that there is conservation of blocks of DNA between species as distantly related as legumes and brassicas, representing 90 million years of divergence. We also present evidence for an additional, presumably earlier, genome duplication in soybean. These duplicated regions were only recognized by using Arabidopsis as a ’bridging’ species in the genome comparisons.
Preparation of delipidized serum protein for use in cell culture systems

A rapid procedure for the preparation of delipidized serum protein is described. The delipidized protein can be used for the maintenance and growth of tissue culture cells in a lipid-free environment. The extraction procedure greatly reduces all serum lipid classes and the delipidized protein supports the growth of a variety of cells in culture.
Efficient anomaly detection and discrimination for hyperspectral imagery

With the improvement of remote sensing sensor techniques, hyperspectral imagery is widely used today. Hundreds of frequency channels are used to collect radiance from the ground, which results in hundreds of co-registered images. How to process this huge amount of data is a great challenge, especially when no information of the image scene is available. Under this circumstance, anomaly detection becomes more difficult. Several methods are devoted to this problem, such as the well-known RX algorithm which takes advantage of the second-order statistics. In this paper we propose an effective algorithm for anomaly detection and discrimination based on high-order statistics. They include the normalized third central moment referred to as skewness and the normalized fourth central moment referred to as kurtosis, which measure the asymmetry and the flatness of a distribution respectively. The Gaussian distribution is completely determined by the first two statistics and has zero skewness and kurtosis, so these two indices tell us the deviation of a distribution from the Gaussian and are suitable to anomaly detection. The proposed algorithm can be generalized to use any high-order moment. The experimental results with AVIRIS data demonstrate that it can provide comparable detection results with low computational complexity.
Two-Color Micro PIV Measurements of Particle and Fluid Motion in AC Electrokinetics

Two-Color μ-PIV is developed and used to uniquely determine the fluid velocity based on the micron-resolution Particle Image Velocimetry (μ-PIV) technique [1–3]. The fluid velocity field was obtained by measuring the motion of two different sizes particles, 0.7 and 1.0 μm. The different sizes of particles contain different fluorescent dyes, allowing them to be distinguished using fluorescent filter cubes. By comparing the velocity fields from the two different size particles, the underlying fluid motion can be uniquely determined, without a priori knowledge of the electrical properties of the particles, or the electrical field. The test section is formed by two wedge-shaped electrodes sandwiched between two glass wafers. In the presence of nonuniform ac electric fields, the particles experience dielectrophoretic (DEP) forces due to polarization and drag forces due to viscous interaction with the suspending medium, and the fluid motion is induced by the electrothermal effect and/or ac electroosmosis. The micro-PIV measurements are used to determine quantitatively the physical characteristics of the AC electrokinetic effects.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Limbal stem cell deficiency in a contact lens-related case

Abstract Background: Limbal stem cell deficiency is a loss or decreased function of limbal epithelial stem cells secondary to systemic or ocular disease, trauma, contact lens wear, or an iatrogenic or idiopathic cause. The condition manifests itself as a conjunctivalization, vascularization and chronic keratitis usually involving the superior cornea. This article discusses a 38-year-old female patient who presented with contact lens-induced limbal stem cell deficiency. Historically, the treatment of limbal stem cell deficiency has included allograft transplant, autograft transplant, keratoepithelioplasty, and amniotic membrane transplant. However, less invasive procedures, such as lubricant therapy and debridement, should first be considered although the length of treatment may be longer.
The mechanism of formyl phosphate hydrolysis

Abstract The hydrolysis of formyl phosphate was studied in unbuffered and buffered solutions. In the absence of buffer the rate constant (8.8 × 10 −3 min −1 at 25°C and pH 7) varies little from about pH 5 to 8 and increases dramatically at low and high pH values. At pH 7 the hydrolysis appears to proceed via two mechanisms, nucleophilic attack on the carbonyl carbon and a mechanism involving PO bond cleavage. This is based on the facts that the reaction proceeds 45% by CO bond cleavage and 55% by PO bond cleavage (shown using H 2 18 O) ; there is a solvent isotope effect of 1.6; the Δ S ‡ (−11.8 e.u.) is intermediate between that expected for a unimolecular and a bimolecular reaction; the reaction rate is affected by organic solvent and buffer. At pH 1 and 11 the mechanism is entirely nucleophilic substitution at the carbonyl since the reaction proceeds 100% by CO cleavage, and the Δ S ‡ (−21.3 and −25.5 e.u.) is that expected for a bimolecular reaction. In the presence of Tris and glycine the formyl phosphate disappearance is accompanied by formylation of the primary amines with a 100% yield in the case of glycine. Imidazole and pyridine also catalyze formyl phosphate breakdown. In the former case the reaction proceeds primarily by CO cleavage, but no formylated product was observed. Differences in the hydrolyses of formyl phosphate and acetyl phosphate are discussed.
A Calcium Sensor Homolog Required for Plant Salt Tolerance

Excessive sodium (Na+) in salinized soils inhibits plant growth and development. A mutation in the SOS3 gene renders Arabidopsis thaliana plants hypersensitive to Na+-induced growth inhibition. SOS3 encodes a protein that shares significant sequence similarity with the calcineurin B subunit from yeast and neuronal calcium sensors from animals. The results suggest that intracellular calcium signaling through a calcineurin-like pathway mediates the beneficial effect of calcium on plant salt tolerance.
Social identification versus regionalism in contemporary Ukraine

Because of the historic separation of western and eastern Ukraine under Polish and Russian spheres of influence, respectively, regional subpopulations have been seen as an important factor in Ukrai...
Application of Linear Network Coding in Delay Tolerant networks

In this paper, we study the application of Linear Network Coding to routing in sparse networks, where the average number of neighbors of a node is less than one. Routing in such networks is facilitated by mobility of the nodes, which create sporadic connections in the network. Due to the long end-to-end packet delivery delays, such networks can support only Delay Tolerant applications. Techniques such as Epidemic Routing are then used to reduce the packet delivery delay. However, when the nodes are equipped with limited storage, the effectiveness of Epidemic Routing partially vanishes and the reliability of packet delivery is reduced. We show that through the use of Linear Network Coding, the probability of packet delivery can be improved for certain region of the network operation. We derive a mathematical model for the condition of this improvement and we confirm our results through simulations.
Stone algebra extensions with bounded dense sets

Stone algebras have been characterized by Chen and Gratzer in terms of triples \( (B, D, \varphi) \), where D is a distributive lattice with 1, B is a Boolean algebra, and \( \varphi \) is a bounded lattice homomorphism from B into the lattice of filters of D. If D is bounded, the construction of these characterizing triples is much simpler, since the homomorphism \( \varphi \) can be replaced by one from B into D itself. The triple construction leads to natural embeddings of a Stone algebra into ones with bounded dense set. These embeddings correspond to a complete sublattice of the distributive lattice of lattice congruences of S. In addition, the largest embedding is a reflector to the subcategory of Stone algebras with bounded dense sets and morphisms preserving the zero of the dense set.
The nature of insomnia: a descriptive summary of a sleep clinic population.

Abstract Disturbances of sleep are extremely common in the general population. Because of the large number of people seeking treatment for these disturbances, we opened a sleep clinic at the University of Cincinnati, primarily for the diagnosis and treatment of these disorders.1 A secondary function of the clinic was to help us gain information that would enhance our understanding of the various sleep disorders and permit us to evaluate the different treatment modalities for the different sleep disorders. The most common complaint of people seeking treatment at the clinic was insomnia. The present report is an attempt to provide a summary of some of our observations about the nature of insomnia. The data base for the present report consists of the information we gathered on the first 54 insomniac patients we saw at the Sleep Clinic. The data will be presented under several categories: demographic information, nature of sleep complaint, sleep laboratory observations, psychological testing, general health, and the subjective evaluation of sleep.
A transient-based approach to estimation of the electrical parameters of a lead-acid battery model

This paper describes a transient-based approach for measuring the parameters of a lumped element electrical circuit model for a lead-acid battery. In this approach, the battery is excited by connecting a typical load such as an automotive head lamp. The resulting terminal voltage and current are measured, and a non-linear least-squares routine is used to estimate the parameters of the battery model. Experimental results obtained at consistent temperatures demonstrate that the parameter values depend on state-of-charge. The approach requires minimal hardware and could be used to form the basis of a robust on-line monitoring system.
When the Barriers are Broken: An Oncology Perspective that Questions the Reality of How Nurses Navigate the Nurse–Patient Relationship Boundary

Through the care of David,* an extraordinary patient with lymphoma, the nurses on the oncology unit have come face-to-face with questions that do not have readily accessible answers. These questions regarding our daily practice make us turn an inward eye on how we cognitively and emotionally cope with the care of dying patients, and cause us to evaluate the nurse—patient boundaries we establish and maintain. The purpose of the following article is to shed light on the questions, rather than to provide all the answers.
Dose optimization for the treatment of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma: a comparison of treatment planning techniques.

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate and compare dose optimization for the treatment of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma using a 3D conformal plan, and two 3D intensity-modulated inverse plans. Methods and Materials: After patient immobilization using an alpha cradle and head-mask system, a postoperative CT scan was obtained to delineate the gross tumor volume (GTV), the clinical tumor volume (CTV), and adjacent critical structures. Treatment plans were generated using UM-Plan (University of Michigan), PeacockPlan and Corvus (NOMOS Corporation, Sewickley, PA). Isodoses were displayed in the sagittal, coronal, and multiple axial planes, and dose–volume histograms (DVH) were generated for the GTV, CTV, and critical normal tissues. Treatment times were estimated to compare the practicality of delivering each plan in a busy radiotherapy department. Results: All three treatment planning systems were able to deliver a minimum dose of 60 Gy to the GTV while keeping the maximum spinal cord dose at or below 45 Gy. However, there were differences in the doses delivered to 50% and 5% of the cord, the minimum CTV dose, and the overall treatment time. The PeacockPlan best spared the uninvolved tissues of the posterior neck, and provided the lowest dose to the cord without compromising the CTV. Conclusions: Inverse treatment planning provides superior dose optimization for the treatment of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. The radiobiologic impact of intensity modulation for this tumor should be further tested clinically.
Does elevated nitric oxide production enhance the release of prostacyclin from shear stressed aortic endothelial cells

Nitric oxide (NO) enhances prostacyclin (PGI2) production in agonist-stimulated endothelial cells, while peroxynitrite formed from NO and superoxide anion has been shown to activate cyclooxygenase. Using cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC) exposed to arterial levels of laminar shear stress of 25 dynes/ cm2, we tested the hypothesis that NO mediated the elevated synthesis of PGI2 by shear stressed endothelium. Shear stress caused a large and rapid burst and sustained release of NO and PGI2 with the cumulative production at 1 hr enhanced 9.96-fold (n = 4, p < 0.005) and 9.16-fold (n = 3, p < 0.005), respectively, over stationary control production of 0.0257 nmol-NO/cm2-BAEC and 0.0193 ng-PGI2/cm2-BAEC. The NO synthase inhibitors, N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (100 microM, LNAME) and N(G)-nitro-L-arginine (10 microM, LNA), caused 87.5 and 65% reductions (n = 3, p < 0.02) of cumulative NO release at 1 hr, respectively, and 45 and 55% reductions (n = 3, p = 0.025) of PGI2 release, respectively. About half of the elevated production of PGI2 in shear stressed cells was due to NO-dependent signaling, indicating that hemodynamic control of these two dilatory molecules is partially coupled.
Analytical energy third derivatives for two-configuration self-consistent-field wavefunctions

Abstract A theoretical formalism and its implementation are described for the analytic evaluation of energy third derivatives for both closed-shell and open-shell two-configuration self-consistent-field (TCSCF) wavefunctions. Cubic force constants and vibration—rotation interaction constants for methylene and ozone are predicted using five basis sets: double zeta through triple zeta plus double polarization.
Immune responses to the capsular polysaccharide of Mycoplasma dispar in calves and mice

Humoral and cell-mediated immune responses to the capsular polysaccharide (CPS) of M. dispar and polygalacturonic acid (pGaIU--a structurally similar polysaccharide) were investigated in calves experimentally infected with Mycoplasma dispar and in mice immunized with CPS or pGaIU. Sera, tracheobronchial lavage and nasal fluids, collected before and after infection in calves, were checked for the presence of anti-CPS and anti-pGaIU antibodies. The sera from mice injected with CPS or pGaIU were checked for different classes of anti-CPS and anti-pGaIU antibodies. Peripheral blood lymphocytes from calves and splenic lymphocytes from mice were monitored for specific proliferative responses to CPS and pGaIU. At about 2 weeks post-infection, anti-CPS IgM response in serum, anti-CPS and anti-pGaIU IgM and IgA response in lavage fluid and lymphocyte proliferative response was seen in the calves. Mice immunized with CPS and pGaIU gave exclusively IgM responses. No secondary response was seen in mice immunized with CPS in contrast to mice immunized with pGaIU. Antibodies cross-reactive with pGaIU were present in the sera of CPS-immunized mice but antibodies cross-reactive with CPS were not found in pGaIU-immunized mice. No significant blastogenic response was shown by mouse splenocytes to CPS or pGaIU.
Albright hereditary osteodystrophy: Current progress and new frontiers

Albright hereditary osteodystrophy (AHO) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by phenotypic abnormalities including brachydactyly, brachymetacarpia, short stature, subcutaneous ossifications, and dental abnormalities. This disorder is caused by heterozygous, inactivating mutations in GNAS , the gene encoding the alpha chain of the heterotrimeric G protein, Gs, that couples with receptors for many hormones and neurotransmitters for the activation of adenylyl cyclase. Transcripts encoding Gαs are preferentially expressed from the maternally inherited allele in the renal proximal tubule, thyroid, gonad, and pituitary. AHO patients who have GNAS mutations on maternally inherited alleles manifest resistance to multiple hormones (including PTH, TSH, gonadotropins, and GHRH) as well as obesity and cognitive deficits. This condition is termed pseudohypoparathyroidism type Ia (PHP Ia) and is due to tissue-specific paternal imprinting. Conversely, patients with AHO and GNAS mutations on their paternally inherited alleles have no evidence of hormonal resistance, are typically not obese, and cognitive function may be normal. This condition is termed pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism (PPHP). Current knowledge as well as the research in progress in both humans and mouse models regarding the major clinical problems in AHO will be reviewed. Dr. Germain-Lee will focus on her past and current research involving clinical trials with growth hormone in patients with AHO, as well as her research on the heterotopic ossifications that develop in this condition, which she is examining through the use of a mouse model. Her research on the etiology and mechanisms underlying the formation of the heterotopic ossifications has broader implications in terms of the potential to understand more about the mechanisms of osteogenesis overall. In addition, Dr. Germain-Lee will discuss her clinical findings related to the severe obesity in pseudohypoparathyroidism type Ia; this severe obesity is not present in pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism. Dr. Weinstein will discuss his basic science research on metabolism and obesity in AHO, which is based on his studies of his mouse models of this condition. In addition, he will discuss his current ongoing clinical studies of obesity and metabolism in AHO.
Content based image retrieval and information theroy: a general approach

A fundamental aspect of content-based image retrieval (CBIR) is the extraction and the representation of a visual feature that is an effective discriminant between pairs of images. Among the many visual features that have been studied, the distribution of color pixels in an image is the most common visual feature studied. The standard representation of color for content-based indexing in image databases is the color histogram. Vector-based distance functions are used to compute the similarity between two images as the distance between points in the color histogram space. This paper proposes an alternative real valued representation of color based on the information theoretic concept of entropy. A theoretical presentation of image entropy is accompanied by a practical description of the merits and limitations of image entropy compared to color histograms. Specifically, the L1 norm for color histograms is shown to provide an upper bound on the difference between image entropy values. Our initial results suggest that image entropy is a promising approach to image description and representation.
THRUST LOSSES IN HYPERSONIC ENGINES PART 2 : APPLICATIONS

The methodology developed in Part 1 of this investigation (Riggins, D. W., McClinton, C. R., and Vitt, P. H., ‘‘Thrust Losses in Hypersonic Engines Part 1: Methodology,’’ Journal of Propulsion and Power, Vol. 13, No. 2, 1997, pp. 281 – 287) for the identi cation and evaluation of the thrust losses in a scramjet engine is applied to one-dimensional scramjet engine  ows with coupled loss mechanisms. Thrust and thrust potential losses are related directly to increases in irreversible entropy caused by friction, heat transfer, mixing, nonequilibrium reaction, and shocks. This method is extended to enable the evaluation of thrust losses in multidimensional  ows. The fundamental relationship between performance assessment utilizing multidimensional  ow elds and cycle analysis performance prediction is shown and discussed.
The synthesis of bis(trifluoromethyl)xenon

Abstract The synthesis of bis(trifluoromethyl)xenon was first reported by our research group in 1979 [1]. Since then considerable progress has been made on the characterization and structure of bis(trifluoromethyl)xenon, Xe (CF 3 ) 2 . We will report on the 13 C NMR spectrum, high resolution mass spectrum and more on the vibrational spectrum and EXAFS spectra. In this talk we shall also describe the synthetic techniques and the properties of the novel compound. bis(trifluoromethyl)xenon.
Development of automotive air-conditioning system basic performance simulator:CFD technique development

Abstract In a practical application of a simulation to automotive design and development, computation to a high accuracy is needed, together with reduction of analysis labor. This paper describes our approach to a high accuracy estimation technique development, taking an example of temperature control characteristics, which is an important item in evaluation of air-conditioning performance. Key factors in the computation, such as basic analysis of air mix behavior and heat transfer model of heat exchangers, are described.