cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of the glucuronidation ability of liver microsomes from rats treated with 3-methylcholanthrene or phenolic antioxidants

1. UDP-glucuronyltransferase activity was studied in hepatic microsomal preparations isolated from female Sprague-Dawley rats treated with either 3-methylcholanthrene, butylated hydroxyanisole, propyl gallate, ethoxyquin or a combination of 3-methylcholanthrene and butylated hydroxyanisole.2. The substrates p-nitrophenol, 1-naphthol and phenolphthalein were used. With p-nitrophenol all treatments, except propyl gallate, caused a significant increase in activity over the control value; the combined treatment of 3-methylcholanthrene and butylated hydroxyanisole gave an additive response when compared to each treatment used singly. With 1-naphthol as substrate, 3-methylcholanthrene and 3-methylcholanthrene + butylated hydroxyanisole caused 8-fold increases in activity compared to the 2–3 fold increases caused by the other treatments. When phenolphthalein was used, all treatments increased activity to the same extent.3. When the assays were repeated with various concentrations of each substrate, the results r...
The PIAS-Like Protein Zimp10 Is Essential for Embryonic Viability and Proper Vascular Development

Members of the PIAS (for protein inhibitor of activated STAT) family play critical roles in modulating the activity of a variety of transcriptional regulators. Zimp10, a novel PIAS-like protein, is a transcriptional coregulator and may be involved in the modification of chromatin through interactions with the SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complexes. Here, we investigate the biological role of Zimp10 in zimp10-deficient mice. Homozygosity for the Zimp10-targeted allele resulted in developmental arrest at approximately embryonic day 10.5. Analysis of knockout embryos revealed severe defects in the reorganization of the yolk sac vascular plexus. No significant abnormality in hematopoietic potential was observed in zimp10 null mice. Microarray and quantified reverse transcription-PCR analyses showed that the expression of the Fos family member Fra-1, which is involved in extraembryonic vascular development, was reduced in yolk sac tissues of zimp10 null embryos. Using fra-1 promoter/reporter constructs, we further demonstrate the regulatory role of Zimp10 on the transcription of Fra-1. This study provides evidence to demonstrate a crucial role for Zimp10 in vasculogenesis.
Order Reduction of Nonsmooth Structural Systems With Multiple Surfaces of Discontinuity

A technique for order reduction of nonsmooth vibrating systems in structural form of arbitrary dimension with multiple surfaces of discontinuity is presented. By utilizing methods based on the bilinear frequency relation which approximates the nonlinear normal mode (NNM) frequencies and mode shapes, reduced order models are constructed which retain the form of the nonsmooth nonlinearity of the full model and more accurately represent the NNM dynamics in the full model than do reduced models obtained via linear transformations. The technique is applied to multi-degree-of-freedom systems with nonsmooth nonlinearities of deadzone and saturation type in which the full and reduced models are compared by direct numerical simulation. The advantages of the present technique include obtaining a reduced order model which uses a subset of the original physical coordinates and can easily accommodate large order systems and multiple nonsmooth nonlinearities with several surfaces of discontinuity. These characteristics make the method practical for use in large-scale structural dynamics applications in which the linear part of the model dominates the dynamics.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
25 PERCEPTIONS OF FATHERS BY FEMALE HOMOSEXUALS

Since the 1970′s, a liberalized view of homosexuality has lead to an increasing awareness of this clinical entity. There is evidence that early parent-child interaction among homosexual females may be associated with sexual identity. There is, however, a paucity of research in this area with inconsistent findings. The present study was undertaken to explore more fully perceptions of parents by female homosexuals. A study was conducted on a college population of female homosexuals and controls. There was a total of 34 subjects. Each evaluated her mother and father using the Adjective Check List of human behaviors and the Liphe Test of parent-child relationships. Fathers were viewed differently by the homosexuals and controls (p < .01). In the former group they were described as being less nurturing, more aggressive, less heterosexual, and more abasing. These fathers were viewed as having less interest in their daughters (p < .01) and less respect for them (p < .05). The two groups viewed their mothers more similarly. While we cannot be certain these women have accurately described their fathers, womens' perceptions of their fathers appear to be centrally involved in the dynamics of female homosexuality. This study further supports the pediatrician's increasing awareness of the importance of fathers in the family constellation.
Anisotropy of the Residual Resistivity of Tin with Sb, In, Zn, and Cd Impurities, and the Ideal Resistivities and Deviations from Matthiessen's Rule at 77 and 273°K

Measurements have been made of the orientation and of the electrical resistivities at 4.2, 77, and 273\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K of single-crystal tin samples containing In, Sb, Zn, and Cd impurity up to 2.2 at.%. The superconducting transition temperature was used as a measure of impurity concentration. The anisotropy of the residual resistivity is found to be dependent on impurity type. Defining ${\mathrm{a}}_{0}$ as the ratio of residual resistivities parallel and perpendicular to the tin tetrad axis (${a}_{0}=\frac{{\ensuremath{\rho}}_{0\ensuremath{\parallel}}}{{\ensuremath{\rho}}_{0\ensuremath{\perp}}}$), it is found that ${a}_{0}=1.21\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.05, 1.30\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.07, 1.53\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.07, \mathrm{and} 1.60\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.07$ for In, Sb, Zn, and Cd impurities, respectively. These results indicate that impurity scattering in tin is not isotropic, and a qualitative discussion of these results is offered. It is found that ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{0\ensuremath{\perp}}$ varies linearly with impurity content $x$ for indium and antimony impurity; we determine $(\frac{{\ensuremath{\rho}}_{0\ensuremath{\perp}}}{x})=0.54\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.02 \mathrm{and} 0.63\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.03$ \ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\Omega} cm/at.% for these two impurities, respectively. For zinc impurity this quantity is estimated to be at least 0.82 \ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\Omega} cm/at.%. For the $\ensuremath{\theta}={90}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$ orientation, it is found that the deviations from Matthiessen's rule at 77 and 273\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K vary linearly with ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{0\ensuremath{\perp}}$ and are, within experimental uncertainty, the same for Sb, In, and Zn impurity. At the ice point the deviation is approximately 1.7 times larger than at 77\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K where the deviation is (10\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1)% of ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{0\ensuremath{\perp}}$. Determinations of the ideal resistivity at 77 and 273\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K are in good agreement with previous determinations made by Gueths.
Localized aurora beyond the auroral oval

[1] Aurora is the result of the interaction between precipitating energetic electrons and protons with the upper atmosphere. Viewed from space, it generally occurs in continuous and diffuse ovals of light around the geomagnetic poles. Additionally, there are localized regions of aurora that are unrelated to the ovals and exhibit different morphological, spatial, and temporal properties. Some of these localized aurorae are detached from the oval poleward or equatorward of it. Others are located within the oval and are brighter than the surrounding diffuse aurora. Many of them occur only during preferred solar wind conditions and orientations of the interplanetary magnetic field. This review describes the different localized aurorae and their particle sources in the plasma sheet, at the plasmapause, or at the magnetopause. Their origin is still not completely understood, and the study of aurorae can teach a great deal about their underlying physical processes of reconnection, electrostatic acceleration, or wave-particle interactions.
A relationship between bipolar II disorder and borderline personality disorder

Abstract Background The relationship between DSM-IV-TR borderline personality disorder (BPD) and bipolar disorders, especially bipolar II disorder (BP-II), is still unclear. Many recent reviews on this topic have come to opposite or different conclusions. Study aim The aim was to test the association between hypomania symptoms and BPD traits, as hypomania is the defining feature of BP-II in DSM-IV-TR. Methods During follow-up visits in a private practice, consecutive 138 remitted BP-II outpatients were re-diagnosed by a mood disorder specialist psychiatrist, using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (as modified by Benazzi and Akiskal for better probing hypomania). Soon after, patients self-assessed (blind to interviewer) the SCID-II Personality Questionnaire for BPD. Associations and confounding were tested by logistic regression, between each criteria symptom of hypomania (apart from “racing thoughts” and “distractibility”, not assessed as probing focused mainly on behavioral, observable signs), and the entire set of BPD traits. Multivariate regression was also used to jointly regress the entire set of hypomanic symptoms on the entire set of BPD traits. Results Mean (SD) age was 39.0 (9.8) years, females were 76.3%. Frequency of BPD traits ranged between 17% and 66% (e.g. impulsivity trait 41%, affective instability trait 63%), mean (SD) number of traits was 4.2 (2.3). The most common episodic hypomanic symptoms were elevated mood (91%) and overactivity (93%); frequency of excessive risky, impulsive activities (impulsivity) was 62%. By logistic regression the only significant association was between the episodic impulsivity of hypomania and the trait impulsivity of BPD. Multivariate regression of the entire set of hypomanic symptoms jointly regressed on the entire set of BPD traits was not statistically significant. Discussion The core feature of BP-II, i.e. hypomania, does not seem to have a close relationship with BDP traits in the study setting, partly running against a strong association between BPD and BP-II and a bipolar spectrum nature of BPD.
Cervical spine injury masquerading as a medical emergency

Abstract Two cases of cervical spine fractures presenting as cardiac arrest in one case and as a coma with pneumonia and cervical osteomyelitis in the other are discussed. They demonstrate the need for careful history taking as well as a cautious approach to the cervical spine when accurate historical data are not avallable.
Histomorphometry and autoradiography of cultured fetal rat long bones

The behavior of fetal rat long bones cultured in vitro according to Raisz's technique (1969) was studied by histomorphometry and autoradiography for a period of four days. The changes were recorded daily both on the trabecular and cortical bone by measuring the bone volume, the number of osteoclasts, and the number of nuclei per osteoclast. Radioactive calcium release was measured and compared to the changes in bone volume and in the number of osteoclasts. An autoradiographic study, using /sup 3/H-proline and /sup 3/H-thymidine in flash labeling in the medium and /sup 3/H-thymidine in follow-up labeling after one injection in vivo was performed to evaluate the bone formation, the cellular proliferation rate and cell differentiation. After four days in culture, an increase in total calcified bone volume was observed which correlated with changes in the trabecular bone. No significant changes were recorded in the cortical bone. The results showed a good maintenance of the resorption and formation phenomena through an active process of cellular multiplication and differentiation. Undifferentiated cells were labeled in flash label and osteoblast, osteocyte and some osteoclast nuclei were labeled in follow-up studies.
Magnetic Field-Minimum Intensity Correlation in Sunspots: A Tool for Solar Dynamo Diagnostics

Within a sunspot umbra, the continuum intensity is known to be inversely proportional to the magnetic field strength. Studied less is the relationship between the minimum continuum intensity and the maximum field strength of different sunspots. We conduct a test of this global relationship, using brightness ratios and magnetic field data from the Advanced Stokes Polarimeter and the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) for 10 sunspot umbrae of various sizes observed 1998 May-2003 June. We determine that the peak field strengths of sunspots can be ascertained from a fit to their corresponding brightness ratios with an accuracy of ≈100 G, nearly twice the accuracy that a fit to the MDI magnetogram values can provide. We then analyze continuum intensity data from the MDI to characterize the distribution of sunspots as a function of latitude. We hand-select 331 and 321 umbrae, respectively, in the northern and southern hemispheres during Carrington rotations 1910-2003. Although the average location of sunspot eruption moves equatorward throughout the solar cycle, the northern hemisphere shows darker umbrae located systematically closer to the equator, while brighter umbrae are found at higher latitudes. These findings confirm the results of simulations that show strong flux emerging radially while weak flux emerges nonradially, causing weak flux to emerge poleward of its original toroidal field position. The average umbral intensity decreased in the north through the solar cycle, reaching a minimum intensity around sunspot maximum, possible evidence of the toroidal field strength peaking at solar maximum. This finding is in opposition to previous observations suggesting an increase late in the cycle. The southern hemisphere umbral distribution appears more disorganized and periodic in nature.
Multiagent Design Architecture for Intelligent Synthesis Environment

The intelligent synthesis environment (ISE) represents the integration of a broad range of high-fidelity knowledge at the design stage to facilitate the product realization process. ISE has the potential of reducing the product realization time by several orders of magnitude. The key characteristics of ISE are integrated evaluation of product life-cycle stages in a virtual environment, coordination of asynchronous design activities, design configuration selection based on multiple design criteria, and interoperability among heterogeneous software and hardware environments to accomplish an effective collaborative computational system. Multiagent design architecture (MADA) is designed to provide a flexible integration framework for ISE. This architecture provides seamless integration of product realization activities across heterogeneous machines, computing platforms, programming languages, data, and process representations using distributed intelligent agents. An agent in the context of MADA is an autonomous computational entity that is capable of migrating across computing environments asynchronously. These agents have intelligence in the form of individual goals, beliefs, learning mechanisms and interact cooperatively to accomplish overall product design objectives. An application of the MADA information framework for the design of aerospace components is presented. Specifically, the use of integrated design and analysis tools for creating a high-speed civil transport exhaust nozzle is demonstrated.
Quantum oscillations in screening in a two-dimensional electron gas

The static dielectric constant of a two-dimensional electron gas is studied as a function of the strength of a dc magnetic field applied normal to the plane of the electron gas. At high temperatures (kT ⪢ hωc) the static dielectric function is independent of magnetic field, and for long wavelengths is given by ϵ ≅ ϵ0 + 2nvme2/q, where ϵ0 is the background dielectric constant and nv is the valley degeneracy. At low-temperatures, quantum oscillations become important and dramatically modify the screening.
Nonmonotonic Behavior in Hydrogen Production from the Steam Reforming of Higher Hydrocarbons in a Circulating Fluidized Bed Membrane Reformer

The nonmonotonic behavior observed in hydrogen production from the steam reforming of higher hydrocarbons over nickel catalyst in an earlier-suggested novel circulating fast fluidized bed membrane reformer (CFFBMR) (Chen et al. AIChE J. 2003, 49 (5), 1250−1265) is extensively investigated. The investigation is carried out using kinetic model simulation at 623−823 K and 1013 kPa. Hydrogen-permselective membranes are used under cocurrent and countercurrent operations. The results show that the yield of hydrogen decreases at 623−723 K and then increases at 723−823 K. At 623 K, heptane is not fully converted, and thermodynamic equilibrium is not established. In contrast at 723−823 K, heptane is fully converted, and thermodynamic equilibrium is established. The strong methanation reaction at 723 K makes the hydrogen yield much lower, whereas at 823 K, the steam reforming of methane becomes increasingly important, enhancing the production of hydrogen. Using hydrogen-permselective membranes, the thermodynamic eq...
Effects of Cardiac Troponin C Mutants on TnC-TnI interaction and its modulation by PKA phosphorylation

We are considering several cardiac TnC mutants as potential therapeutic strategies for cardiomyopathies. To judge their potential to improve in situ function it is important to understand how these mutants affect TnC-TnI interaction and its modulation by PKA-mediated phosphorylation of TnI Ser 23, Ser 24. In this study, we are characterizing two cardiac TnC mutations, Leu48Glu (L48Q) and Ile61Glu (I61Q), with increased and decreased (respectively) Ca2+ binding affinity. In previous studies we showed these mutations resulted in increased (L48Q) and decreased (I61Q) Ca2+ sensitivity of steady state force in skinned rat trabeculae. To determine if these changes in Ca2+ sensitivity were due to altered TnC-TnI interactions we generated a structural marker by attaching IANBD to Cys84 in the N-lobe of cTnC. Half-maximal IANBD fluorescence saturation of Ca2+ binding occurred at pCa7.42 for L48Q cTnC, 7.38 for wild-type (WT) cTnC and 7.30 for I61Q cTnC. In both the absence and presence of saturating Ca2+ (0.6 μM TnC) IANBD fluorescence increased with increasing TnI and saturated at different [TnI] in the order L48Q, WT, I61Q. Fluorescence half-maximal saturation occurred at 0.26μM(saturating Ca2+) and 0.25 μM (no Ca2+)TnI for L48Q cTnC, 0.78 μM and 0.49μM for WT cTnC , and 1.45 μM and 0.69 μM I61Q cTnC according to the exponential function fit of the data. However, preliminary experiments suggest that when PKA phosphorylated [cTnI] was titrated to cTnC, in both the absence and presence of saturating Ca2+, IANBD fluorescence enhancement with L48Q may be impaired. The data thus far suggest that single amino acid mutations that alter Ca2+ binding affinity of TnC can influence interaction with TnI and its modulation by PKA mediated phosphorylation of Ser 23, Ser 24. Supported by HL65497 to MR.
Alternatives to fuelwood in African towns.

Abstract Fuelwood and charcoal are widely used by African households instead of kerosene, electricity and other “conventional” fuels, because they are cheaper. In many countries, consumption of fuelwood and charcoal now exceeds natural replenishment rates; this has serious consequences for soil fertility, especially in the countryside surrounding towns. Yet many attempts to encourage reforestation have failed, mainly because timber grown commercially for fuelwood cannot complete with “free” wood from common lands. When free wood is eventually exhausted there will be no escape from a sizable increase in the price of woodfuel. Only increases in incomes, especially of the lower income groups, will protect people from the unavoidable increase in the cost of cooking.
THE VALUE LINE STOCK RANKINGS AND THE OPTION MODEL IMPLIED STANDARD DEVIATIONS

Here, the relationship between Value Line rankings and option implied standard deviations is investigated. Each Value Line ranking (safety, price stability, timeliness, and earnings predictability) is significantly related to option implied standard deviations for a sample of 62 companies with Value Line timeliness rankings of 1, 2, 4, and 5 and with a total of 1,217 call options traded over a 3-day period. The index for price stability would be most valuable to investors for assessing future risk since only this index has a significant association with residual implied volatility, i.e., those unexplained by historical volatility.
Note on the distribution of mercury in fish species in three Ohio Lakes

Abstract Mercury was measured for over a hundred fish (sunfish, perch, catfish, white bass and carp) from Fairport Harbour in Lake Erie and from Pymatuning Lake and Mosquito Lake, two large non-industrialised lakes near Lake Erie. All the taxa in the two lakes except carp contain the same low content of mercury, about 0·1 ppm. Carp are distinctly higher at about 0·25 ppm. At Fairport Harbour, carp also contain about 0·25 ppm mercury but, in contrast with the two other lakes, this is not higher than the mercury of the other species, which also contain 0·25–0·35 ppm mercury.
TU‐C‐332‐02: Concomitant Segmentation and Registration of Liver Anatomy Using SPECT‐CT Imaging

Purpose: To develop an automatic and accurate technique for concomitant segmentations and registration of liveranatomy using SPECT and CTimages for unsealed sourceradiotherapy.Method and Materials: The link between segmentation and registration is given by the using the level set of a liver segmentation into the registration process. In the combined approach, the liver is automatically segmented from the CTimage by evolving an initial seed with a level set until it locks to the liver's border as observed in the CTimages. The time‐crossing map of the level set is then used to match gradients in the SPECTimage to the level set by using a data structure containing the signed distance values at a small band of neighboring pixels. Results: The technique was applied to three cases of metastatic liver disease treated with unsealed source therapy. Results indicated that the speed map of the level set plays an importance role in obtainng an accurate registration and produce a segmentation that is superior in registration time and accuracy over manual segmentation or the standard registration approach using mutual information. Accuracy measured with the convergence analysis method was of less than 0.5 mm rotation and 1 degree rotation. Conclusion: With the proposed combined segmentation‐registration technique, the uncertainty of soft‐tissue target localization could be greatly reduced ensuring accurate therapy assessment to be precisely delivered as planned. The combined all‐in‐one approach is automated and provides excellent accuracy over manual segmentation and mutual information approaches.
The Measurement of Body Currents

IN these days of supersensitive amplifiers and recording apparatus, it is very tempting to define life and death in terms of electrical activity. Whether or not this concept is accurate, we can, on present knowledge liken living tissue to a B-battery and dead tissue to a burned out generator. The function of living tissue, however, is so closely allied with its electrical activity that knowledge of the latter has given us better understanding of the working of the human body. Great names in electrical engineering contributed to our knowledge of the physiology of tissues. Galvani in 1780 made the really startling observation that the muscle of a frog's leg could be made to contract when stimulated with the voltage from the crude Voltaic pile. That the muscle itself, on contracting, gave off a charge of its own was shown in 1870 by D'Arsonval, who noted the deflection of the needle when the muscle contracted across the poles of his galvanometer. Summary D.C. potentials are associated with static cellular life and are a product of metabolism. A.C. potentials are associated with many tissues controlling or responding to movement. Brain tissue is the most highly developed and exists normally in a state of constant, irregular electrical activity.
Toughened mica‐filled polypropylene systems

A family of rubber-toughened, mica-filled polypropylene materials was developed. The rubber modifier used was an ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) compound. A unique feature of this rubber-modified system is that it can be directly molded from a dry blend. This simplifies processing by eliminating the need for melt compounding which, in turn, contributes to greater flexural moduli since attrition of the mica platelets is reduced. In addition, impact measurements were conducted as a function of temperature for EPDM/polypropylene and EPM D/poly(propylene-ethylene) copolymer blends. The low temperature impact resistance was improved for both systems; however, the modified copolymer system maintained ductile behavior to a far lower temperature than the corresponding homopolymer system.
Species Composition and Phenology of Thysanoptera within Field Crops Adjacent to Cabbage Fields

Studies were conducted in 1981 and 1982 to determine the general temporal occurrence of thrips in wheat, alfalfa, oat, and red clover fields adjacent to cabbage fields in upstate New York. Shifts in species composition of thrips on these crops were observed through time, and fluctuations in abundance were attributed to changes in habitat structure (e.g., maturation and senescence in wheat and oats, and cropping practices in alfalfa and red clover). All of these crops serve as a reservoir for Thrips tabaci Lindeman, which may move to and infest nearby cabbage plantings. By sampling the thrips populations within the foliage and utilizing sticky traps to monitor aerial populations, we may be able to predict the population buildup within these crops and the subsequent movement of thrips to adjacent crops.
Overcoming evasive resistance from vascular endothelial growth factor a inhibition in sarcomas by genetic or pharmacologic targeting of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α

Increased levels of hypoxia and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) in human sarcomas correlate with tumor progression and radiation resistance. Prolonged antiangiogenic therapy of tumors not only delays tumor growth but may also increase hypoxia and HIF-1α activity. In our recent clinical trial, treatment with the vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) antibody, bevacizumab, followed by a combination of bevacizumab and radiation led to near complete necrosis in nearly half of sarcomas. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis of microarrays from pretreatment biopsies found that the Gene Ontology category “Response to hypoxia” was upregulated in poor responders and that the hierarchical clustering based on 140 hypoxia-responsive genes reliably separated poor responders from good responders. The most commonly used chemotherapeutic drug for sarcomas, doxorubicin (Dox), was recently found to block HIF-1α binding to DNA at low metronomic doses. In four sarcoma cell lines, HIF-1α shRNA or Dox at low concentrations blocked HIF-1α induction of VEGF-A by 84–97% and carbonic anhydrase 9 by 83–93%. HT1080 sarcoma xenografts had increased hypoxia and/or HIF-1α activity with increasing tumor size and with anti-VEGF receptor antibody (DC101) treatment. Combining DC101 with HIF-1α shRNA or metronomic Dox had a synergistic effect in suppressing growth of HT1080 xenografts, at least in part via induction of tumor endothelial cell apoptosis. In conclusion, sarcomas respond to increased hypoxia by expressing HIF-1α target genes that may promote resistance to antiangiogenic and other therapies. HIF-1α inhibition blocks this evasive resistance and augments destruction of the tumor vasculature. What’s new? Despite their initial promise, anti-angiogenic therapies have been a disappointment in the clinic. One reason is that solid tumors often become resistant to these drugs. Tumors that respond poorly to this type of therapy have increased activation of the hypoxia-induced transcription factor HIF-1α which can enhance tumor survival and progression. In this study, the authors report that this evasive resistance can be overcome by adding low-dose doxorubicin or shRNA to inhibit HIF-1α activity. They are thus developing a clinical trial combining the angiogenesis inhibitor bevacizumab with metronomic doxorubicin in sarcoma patients.
Clusters for Competitiveness: A Practical Guide and Policy Implications for Developing Cluster Initiatives

This practical guide offers a unique design for projects aiming to enhance industrial competitiveness in developing countries. An industrial cluster is an agglomeration of companies, suppliers, service providers, and associated institutions in a particular field. This unit of analysis proves crucial in substantiating industrial policy discussions and it certainly complements economy-wide analyses. A cluster-based approach encourages engagement with a diverse group of stakeholders through which they may develop a shared understanding of the underlying public policy issues and act on them jointly. Developing such a joint platform with strong ownership by the public and private sector stakeholders is often crucial in jump starting more comprehensive economic reform processes in developing countries. In the meantime, clusters offer an interdisciplinary approach through which policymakers may focus more on challenges that may be industry-specific, society-specific or policy-specific. It is the subtleties and nuances at these levels which help develop a meaningful understanding as to how economic policies are being translated into practices and what responses are needed to ensure an incremental path to competitiveness that fully takes into consideration the local bottlenecks and opportunities.
Acquisition of Tense Marking in English-Speaking Children with Cochlear Implants: A Longitudinal Study.

This study investigated the development of tense markers (e.g., past tense -ed) in children with cochlear implants (CIs) over a 3-year span. Nine children who received CIs before 30 months of age participated in this study at three, four, and five years postimplantation. Nine typical 3-, 4-, and 5-year- olds served as control groups. All children participated in a story-retell task. Percent correct of tense marking in the task was computed. Within the groups, percent correct of tense marking changed significantly in children with CIs and in typical children who had more hearing experience. Across the groups, children with CIs were significantly less accurate in tense marking than typical children at four and five years postimplantation. In addition, the performance of tense marking in children with CIs was correlated with their speech perception skills at earlier time points. Errors of tense marking tended to be omission rather than commission errors in typical children as well as in children with CIs. The findings suggested that despite the perceptual and processing constraints, children who received CIs may learn tense marking albeit with a delayed pattern.
Blind MIMO using the Golden code

The Golden code has been proposed as an optimal space-time code for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication systems. This paper considers a “blind” MIMO system where the channel is assumed to be unknown. The Golden code is unidentifiable under this condition and can not be used directly. A block code modification is described which makes the Golden code usable in the context of blind joint symbol-channel estimation. A suboptimal receiver with modest computational requirements is presented and the performance of the blind system is illustrated.
Cooperative control based on distributed estimation of network connectivity

This paper addresses distributed estimation and control problems for directed network, whose connectivity can be captured by the first left eigenvector associated with the dominant eigenvalue of the communication matrix. In particular, distributive estimation scheme is designed such that the first left eigenvector as well as the expected consensus vector are estimated online employing the same communication network among the systems. Based on the estimation results, distributed cooperative controls with adaptive gains are synthesized to improve convergence of the overall system by making the time derivative of the cooperative control Lyapunov function more negative over time, such that the convergence to the expected consensus value can be enhanced. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed design.
Energy-Saving Control of Single-Rod Hydraulic Cylinders with Programmable Valves and Improved Working Mode Selection

This paper studies the energy-saving adaptive robust precision motion control of a single-rod hydraulic cylinder through the use of programmable valves. The programmable valves used in this study is a unique combination of five proportional cartridge valves connected in such a way that the meter-in and meter-out flows can be independently controlled by four of the valves as well as a true cross port flow controlled by the fifth valve. The programmable valves decouple the meter-in and meter-out flows providing tremendous flexibility to control the cylinder motion while decreasing the energy usage by utilizing the potential and kinetic energy of the load. This paper investigates the different working conditions of the programmable valves and proposes a simple yet effective way to use the programmable valves based on the desired states and current states.
Vaccination with Clumping Factor A and Fibronectin Binding Protein A to Prevent Staphylococcus aureus Infection of an Aortic Patch in Mice

Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of ventricular assist device-related infections. This study evaluated the protective effect against S. aureus infection of active and passive immunization that targeted 3 proteins involved in bacterial attachment to a murine intra-aortic polyurethane patch. Active immunization of mice with a combination of the A domains of clumping factor A (ClfA), fibronectin-binding protein A (FnBPA) and fibronectin-binding protein B or passive immunization with monoclonal antibodies against ClfA and FnBPA resulted in a higher level of protection than that obtained by vaccination with either protein or antibody alone. The combination of antibodies or protein antigens appears to provide enhanced protection against prosthetic-device infection.
Design of a solar array simulator for the NASA EOS testbed

The present spacecraft solar array simulator addresses both dc and ac characteristics as well as changes in illumination and temperature and performance degradation over the course of array service life. The computerized control system used allows simulation of a complete orbit cycle, in addition to automated diagnostics. The simulator is currently interfaced with the NASA EOS testbed.
DNA/protein complexes delivered in conjunction with adenovirus generate high-efficiency in vitro transfection: A powerful transfection reagent with potential broad applications

We have combined a receptor-mediated DNA delivery system with the endosomal lysis ability of adenovirus and shown that DNA can be delivered into primary hepatocytes, resulting in a high level of gene expression. When asialoorosomucoid conjugated with poly(L-lysine) was used to deliver the Escherichia coli β-galactosidase gene into primary hepatocytes through binding with the hepatic asialoglycoprotein receptor, only a low level of β-galactosidase was detectable, with less than 0.1% of the hepatocytes being transfected. This level of activity can be greatly enhanced by the cointernalization of the DNA protein complex with a replication-defective adenovirus, resulting in 100% of the hepatocytes staining blue with 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyI β-D-galactoside. Quantitative analysis of β-galactosdase expression also showed a 1000-fold enhancement of activity. To test the applicability of this DNA delivery system for the correction of phenylketonuria, a metabolic disorder that causes severe mental retardation in children, we have delivered the human phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene to hepatocytes derived from a PAH-deficient mouse strain and dem-onstrated complete reconstitution of enzymatic activity. This method shows great promise for efficient gene delivery to the liver for correction of hepatic disorders.
Self-adaptive power gating with test circuit for on-line characterization of energy inflection activity

A test circuit is presented for post-silicon and on-line characterization of the energy-inflection activity of power-gated circuits (the activity when overhead energy is equal to leakage savings) under static (process) and dynamic (voltage/temperature/input) variations. The test circuit is applied to design self-adaptive power-gating for energy-efficient SRAM.
Improving the Delivery of Care to Limited English Proficiency Patients

Poster Presentation Purpose for the Program Limited English proficiency (LEP) creates challenges for effective communication, affects health outcomes, and exacerbates health disparities. A survey of postpartum women at this facility indicated that 41% of LEP patients reported an unmet need for an interpreter and wide use of unqualified interpreters during their stays. Proposed Change By October 2013, to achieve a 50% reduction in the number of postpartum LEP women who reported an unmet need for a qualified medical interpreter (MI) during their hospital stay. Implementation, Outcomes, and Evaluation A Lean Six Sigma (LSS) project was initiated to improve the quality and safety of care for women with LEP during their labor and delivery hospitalizations. Utilizing LSS concepts, a multidisciplinary team embraced the define, measure, analyze, improve, and control (DMAIC) process. Focus groups and surveys were conducted to elicit the voice of the customer from patients, nurses, and providers. Findings from a postpartum survey served as the baseline of measure for unmet needs for an interpreter in LEP patients. The number of patients with a completed “preferred language” field in the patient registration and billing system (PRBS) as well as use of qualified interpreters (in person and telephonic) were tracked. A standardized process (script) for soliciting the patient's preferred language was established and education on race, ethnicity, and language was provided. Obstetric providers received training on the use of language services and effective communication. After training, there was a 25% increase in completed preferred language fields in PRBS. There was a significant increase (34%) in the use of qualified medical interpreters (p Implications for Nursing Practice Effective communication is critical to the delivery of safe, high‐quality care. Identifying and delivering safe, high‐quality care to patients with LEP can be challenging. Failure to address language barriers inadvertently affects health outcomes. National efforts are underway to address disparities in care. As direct care providers, nurses must appreciate the importance of providing culturally sensitive care to avoid miscommunication and misunderstanding. Nursing administrators need to recognize the challenges associated with caring for the LEP patient and advocate for appropriate support and resources to meet the needs of LEP patients and health care providers.
Some Experimental Possibilities With Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry

The importance of knowing the pore size distribution of a material, and the utility of mercury intrusion, are briefly reviewed. Mercury intrusion results can be used to obtain the specific surface of a material. Under the right circumstances, this method has many advantages over vapor sorption, and a mercury intrusion test may be desirable for this reason alone. The procedure and limitations are described. Modern instruments allow for the measurement of mercury extrusion as well as intrusion. This opens the possibility of measuring two pore size distributions. One is reversibly intruded, and the other is not. The use of these sub-distributions in seeking correlations with material properties and behavior is discussed. The applied-pressure/diameter-intruded relationship of the Washburn equation depends upon the surface tension and contact angle. Inter-metallic solutions with mercury as the solvent offer the possibility of reducing the surface tension and/or the contact angle. This allows the use of lower pressures to intrude the same diameter pore, or the intrusion of smaller pores at the same pressure. The practical application of using such solutions is described.
Managing distributed collaboration in a peer-to-peer network

Shared mutable information objects called u-forms provide an attractive foundation on which to build collaborative systems As we scale up such systems from small fully-connected workgroups to large, highly distributed, and partially disconnected groups, we have found that peer-to-peer technology and optimistic replication strategies provide a cost-effective mechanism for maintaining good performance Unfortunately, such systems present well-known coordination and consistency problems This paper discusses strategies for addressing those difficulties at different levels of the system design, focusing on providing solutions in the information architecture rather than at the infrastructure layer Addressing problems at this higher layer allows greater freedom in design, and simplifies moving from one infrastructural base to another as technology evolves Our primary strategy is to enable robust decentralized and asynchronous collaboration while designing architectures that do not rely on two users writing to the same u-form at the same time in different venues Techniques are provided for simple messaging, collaborative maintenance of collections, indexing supporting rich query, and stand-off annotation and elaboration of third-party datasets We outline the application of these techniques in a working collaborative system.
Packet Switched vs. Time Multiplexed FPGA Overlay Networks

Dedicated, spatially configured FPGA interconnect is efficient for applications that require high throughput connections between processing elements (PEs) but with a limited degree of PE interconnectivity (e.g. wiring up gates and datapaths). Applications which virtualize PEs may require a large number of distinct PE-to-PE connections (e.g. using one PE to simulate 100s of operators, each requiring input data from thousands of other operators), but with each connection having low throughput compared with the PE's operating cycle time. In these highly interconnected conditions, dedicating spatial interconnect resources for all possible connections is costly and inefficient. Alternatively, we can time share physical network resources by virtualizing interconnect links, either by statically scheduling the sharing of resources prior to runtime or by dynamically negotiating resources at runtime. We explore the tradeoffs (e.g. area, route latency, route quality) between time-multiplexed and packet-switched networks overlayed on top of commodity FPGAs. We demonstrate modular and scalable networks which operate on a Xilinx XC2V6000-4 at 166MHz. For our applications, time-multiplexed, offline scheduling offers up to a 63% performance increase over online, packet-switched scheduling for equivalent topologies. When applying designs to equivalent area, packet-switching is up to 2times faster for small area designs while time-multiplexing is up to 5times faster for larger area designs. When limited to the capacity of a XC2V6000, if all communication is known, time-multiplexed routing outperforms packet-switching; however when the active set of links drops below 40% of the potential links, packet-switched routing can outperform time-multiplexing
Generation of Th17 cells in response to intranasal infection requires TGF-β1 from dendritic cells and IL-6 from CD301b+ dendritic cells

Intranasal (i.n.) infections preferentially generate Th17 cells. We explored the basis for this anatomic preference by tracking polyclonal CD4(+) T cells specific for an MHC class II-bound peptide from the mucosal pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes. S. pyogenes MHC class II-bound peptide-specific CD4(+) T cells were first activated in the cervical lymph nodes following i.n. inoculation and then differentiated into Th17 cells. S. pyogenes-induced Th17 formation depended on TGF-β1 from dendritic cells and IL-6 from a CD301b(+) dendritic cell subset located in the cervical lymph nodes but not the spleen. Thus, the tendency of i.n. infection to induce Th17 cells is related to cytokine production by specialized dendritic cells that drain this site.
Dose–response curve slope helps predict therapeutic potency and breadth of HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies

A new generation of HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) with remarkable potency, breadth and epitope diversity has rejuvenated interest in immunotherapeutic strategies. Potencies defined by in vitro IC50 and IC80 values (50 and 80% inhibitory concentrations) figure prominently into the selection of clinical candidates; however, much higher therapeutic levels will be required to reduce multiple logs of virus and impede escape. Here we predict bnAb potency at therapeutic levels by analysing dose-response curve slopes, and show that slope is independent of IC50/IC80 and specifically relates to bnAb epitope class. With few exceptions, CD4-binding site and V3-glycan bnAbs exhibit slopes >1, indicative of higher expected therapeutic effectiveness, whereas V2-glycan, gp41 membrane-proximal external region (MPER) and gp120-gp41 bnAbs exhibit less favourable slopes <1. Our results indicate that slope is one major predictor of both potency and breadth for bnAbs at clinically relevant concentrations, and may better coordinate the relationship between bnAb epitope structure and therapeutic expectations.
Observations on the role of lipids in serum-induced intravascular thrombosis.

Summary(1) A method of producing serum-induced intravascular thrombi has been adapted to use in a convenient laboratory animal, the chicken. (2) Dose-response curves can be constructed and statistically compared. (3) The factors influencing the clotting rates are not all known, but alterations in serum lipids in the assay animals did not influence the results.
Experimental Validation of the α-Effect in the Gas Phase

The α-effect—enhanced nucleophilicity of an anion with a lone pair of electrons adjacent to the attacking atom—has been well documented in solution; however, there is continuing disagreement about ...
Structure of turbulent wedges created by isolated surface roughness

Isolated surface roughness in a laminar boundary layer can create a wedge of turbulence that spreads laterally into the surrounding laminar flow. Some recent studies have identified high- and low-speed streaks along the exterior of turbulent wedges. In this experiment, developing turbulent wedges are measured to observe the creation of these streaks. Naphthalene shear stress surface visualization and hotwire measurements are utilized to investigate the details of turbulent wedges created by cylinders in a laminar flat-plate boundary layer. Both the surface visualization and the hotwire measurements show high- and low-speed streaks in the wake of the cylinder that devolve into a turbulent wedge. The turbulent wedge spreading is associated with the emergence of these high- and low-speed streaks along the outside of the wedge. As the wedge evolves in the streamwise direction, these streaks persist inside of the core of the wedge, while new, lower amplitude streaks form along the outside of the wedge. Adding asymmetry to the cylinder moved the virtual origin closer to the roughness and increased the vortex shedding frequency, while adding small-scale roughness features did not strongly affect turbulent wedge development. Intermittency calculations additionally show the origin of the turbulent core inside of the wedge. The structure and spacing of the high-speed streaks along the extremities of the turbulent wedge give insight into the spreading angle of the turbulent wedge.