cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Working with community organizations to evaluate potential disease clusters

Abstract Increasingly, private citizens are organizing themselves to resist the intrusion of hazardous substances in their residential environments, or to promote the removal of the same. This movement is the source of the acronym (NIMBY—Not In My Back Yard). In North Carolina, the Cancer Surveillance Section has several experiences working with such community organizations. We have developed a commentary of our experience and observations on some of the characteristics that are more conducive to successful endeavors to resolve perception of increased health risk. Advantages and disadvantages of joint (health agency/concerned citizens group) studies or surveys are described. A case study of a successful joint survey to ascertain possible increased cancer incidence is described.
Inferences for the Socorro magma body from teleseismic receiver functions

Receiver functions constructed from teleseisms arriving from the northwest and recorded at station WTX in Socorro, NM show strong P-to-S conversions we interpret as coming from a mid-crustal sill-like magma body. Analysis of these conversions suggest that both the upper and lower surfaces of the magma body are distinct and provide sharp velocity contrasts with the surrounding host rock. Models that provide acceptable fits to these conversions all have magma body thicknesses less than 200 m. The absence of similar phases in data from the south and southeast suggests that the magma body is discontinuous near its edges.
A Concept for Robust, High Density Terminal Air Traffic Operations

This paper describes a concept for future high-density, terminal air traffic operations that has been developed by interpreting the Joint Planning and Development Office s vision for the Next Generation (NextGen) Air Transportation System and coupling it with emergent NASA and other technologies and procedures during the NextGen timeframe. The concept described in this paper includes five core capabilities: 1) Extended Terminal Area Routing, 2) Precision Scheduling Along Routes, 3) Merging and Spacing, 4) Tactical Separation, and 5) Off-Nominal Recovery. Gradual changes are introduced to the National Airspace System (NAS) by phased enhancements to the core capabilities in the form of increased levels of automation and decision support as well as targeted task delegation. NASA will be evaluating these conceptual technological enhancements in a series of human-in-the-loop simulations and will accelerate development of the most promising capabilities in cooperation with the FAA through the Efficient Flows Into Congested Airspace Research Transition Team.
An empirical investigation of Web site characteristics, consumer emotional states and on-line shopping behaviors

Abstract On-line retailing is rapidly emerging as an alternative mode of shopping and is expected to garner a substantial share of the retail market in future. The low order conversion ratio of Web site visitors and the inability of on-line retailers to attract repeat customers are the main hurdles identified for their lack of success at present. Enhancement of Web site features that facilitate the navigation of the consumer through the purchasing stages is suggested as a means of overcoming these hurdles. The present study proposes the stimulus–organism–response (S-O-R) framework of Mehrabian and Russell [Mehrabian A, Russell JA. An approach to environmental psychology. Cambridge (MA): MIT Press, 1974] as a viable model for the investigation of consumer responses to the Web sites of virtual stores and finds substantial support for its propositions. The paper concludes by offering some directions for Web site design as well as further research in this area.
Effects of spherical aberration on the laser beam of a bar code scanner

The modulation transfer function of bar code scanning is a useful tool for evaluating the performance of the scanning laser beam. Understanding the behavior of the scanning laser system near the end of its depth of focus is of particular interest because it may lead to the development of techniques that could effective extend the depth of focus. In the article the MTF at focus and the two extremes of the depth of focus are presented. The presence of spherical aberration in the scanning laser beam generally reduces the depth of focus. The effects of the spherical aberration to the MTF is presented and discussed.
Ellipsoidal figures of equilibrium: Compressible models

The results of Chandrasekhar (1969) are generalized to polytropes, using a formalism based on ellipsoidal energy variational principle to construct approximate stellar equilibrium solutions and study their stability. After reviewing the energy variational method and describing the approach, several equivalent stability conditions are established and secular vs. dynamical instabilities are discussed. Then, the equilibrium structure equations are derived for isolated, rotating polytropes, and axisymmetric configurations (compressible Maclaurin spheroids) are considered. Particular attention is given to triaxial configurations, either in a state of uniform rotation (generalizing the classical Jacobi ellipsoids) or with internal fluid motions of uniform vorticity (the compressible analogues of Riemann-S ellipsoids) and to the stability of these single star configurations. The compressible generalizations of the Roche and Roche-Riemann problems for a polytrope in orbit about a point-mass companion are solved, and the generalized Darwin problem for two identical polytropes in a binary is considered.
Aluminium, boron and molybdenum availability and uptake by rice in acid sulfate soils

Although Al toxicity is believed to be a problem in acid sulfate soils cropped to rice (Oryza, sativa L.), little is known about the behavior of other trace metals such as B and Mo in these soils. The objectives of this study were to measure the availability of Al, B, and Mo in these soils, to determine what governs the availability of these metals and to investigate the relationships between metal availability and uptake by rice. Metal availability and uptake by rice were evaluated in 134 flooded acid sulfate soils in the Central Plains region of Thailand and in a growth chamber study using 50 of the same soils. Soil and plant metal analyses were conducted at the panicle differentiation stage of growth in both studies and in the soil prior to transplanting in the growth chamber study. Metal activities were determined with GEOCHEM. The mineral phases believed to be governing Al3+ activities were jurbanite under low pH conditions and amorphous Al(OH)3 at high pH. The Al chemistry is believed to be intimately linked to the redox-pH cycle, which is driven by the monsoonal climate. Mortality of rice associated with Al toxicity was observed under field and growth chamber conditions. Interference in P uptake and/or assimilation was believed to be the mechanism of Al toxicity. Activities of B(OH)4− and B(OH)30 were found to be highly correlated to pH and ionic strength, respectively, with the latter being the dominant B ion found in these soils. Activities of MoO42− were positively correlated to pH and appeared to be controlled by wulfenite. Leaf Mo contents were found to be positively correlated with MoO42− activity.
Patterns of toy play: An analysis of sex differences

Kindergarten children were videotaped playing with female- and male-traditional toys as well as nonsex-typed toys. Coders calculated time spent by each child in behavioral categories (positive and negative comments, aggression, nurturance, movement, noise, and gadgetry) and rated children on scales (talkativeness, activity, familiarity, enjoyment, proximity, appropriateness, and gentleness). Sex differences were revealed on most dimensions. Boys were rated as familiar with, enjoying, and playing appropriately with two toys (male-traditional and nonsex-typed) and girls on the female-traditional toy. Girls paid more attention to details of the toys, while there were few differences on aggression and movement. Data suggest that children develop varying patterns of play with the same toy—based on their earlier experiences with play materials. Agents promoting these differences (parents, teachers, and peers) are discussed, as are implications of the findings for children's development of skills and cognitive abilities.
When should a chest radiograph be obtained after chest tube removal in mechanically ventilated patients? A prospective study.

Background The purpose of this study was to determine the appropriate time interval between the removal of a chest tube and the chest radiograph (CXR). We hypothesized that a CXR obtained 1 hour after chest tube removal would exclude the presence of a recurrent pneumothorax. Methods Of 214 trauma intensive care unit patients with a chest tube during a 1-year period, 75 met entry criteria and underwent chest tube removal according to an institutional review board-approved prospective study protocol. Patients were undergoing positive-pressure ventilation, with an existing solitary chest tube, and had less than 150 mL of drainage on water seal over the previous day. After chest tube removal, serial CXRs were obtained at approximately 1, 10, and 36 hours. Demographic, chest tube, and ventilator data were collected. Results None of the patients experienced hemodynamic or respiratory deterioration after chest tube removal. There were nine pneumothoraces (12%). All pneumothoraces were present on the initial CXR after chest tube removal. Two patients (3%) required intervention for pneumothorax. Of the remaining seven small pneumothoraces, three resolved and four were unchanged on the third CXR. Conclusion A CXR obtained within 1 to 3 hours after chest tube removal effectively identifies pneumothorax in mechanically ventilated patients.
Transitioning Linked Data accountable systems to the real world with identity, credential, and access management (ICAM) architectures

We have previously demonstrated a working prototype of an accountable system, a system that can reason with real information handling laws and policies over the sort of data transactions expected in the Information Sharing Environment, determine compliance or non-compliance, and provide detailed justifications for its decision. This capability allows our system to address three outstanding challenges for the federal community and its homeland security partners: extensibility, flexibility, and transparency. This paper describes the technical methods employed to achieve interoperability with the Identity Management Testbed and explains which methods are consistent with other approaches and which are uniquely necessary for interoperation. Furthermore, the paper describes additional capabilities that Linked Data participants could provide beyond those currently available in the ecosystem. This work supports the proposition that Linked Data should be formally included in the FICAM standards.
Circumventing formal structure through commitment: Presidential influence and agenda control

Although the formal institutional structure that defines the temporal order of play in a policy game between the Congress and President ought to provide Congress with agenda power, the President is traditionally treated as the dominant player in this relationship. We show that if the President can make “clear-cut” commitments, presidential commitment can counter the dominance hierarchy and the complexion of equilibrium outcomes. Thus, the details of political interactions (in particular, the possibilities for commitment) may be as important as the formal specification of institutional structure.
Thermodynamics of Interactions between Histone-like Proteins from Escherichia coli (HU and IHF) and Intact Duplex DNA

The structural homologs HUαβ and IHF are major nucleoid associated proteins (NAPs) of Escherichia coli, which organize chromosomal DNA and facilitate numerous DNA transactions. Using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and a series of DNA duplex lengths (8, 15, 34, 38 and 160 base pairs) we establish three different nonspecific binding modes for both HUαβ (Koh et al., 2008) and IHF. Both the NAP:DNA mole ratio ([NAP]/[DNA]) and DNA length dictate the dominant NAP binding mode. On sufficiently long DNA, at low [NAP]/[DNA], both HU and IHF populate a noncooperative 34 bp binding mode with a binding constant of ∼ 107 M−1 at 0.082 M Na+. With increasing [NAP]/[DNA], both HU and IHF bound in the noncooperative 34 bp mode progressively convert to two moderately cooperative modes with site sizes of 10 bp and 6 bp and smaller binding constants. As DNA length increases at low [NAP]/[DNA], fractional population of the 34 bp mode increases. The 34 bp mode of IHF exhibits a large negative ΔCp,obs° and an exothermic ΔHobs° (15 - 25°C), similar to previous observations for the specific complex of IHF and wrapped H'-DNA, whereas a small positive ΔCp,obs° and an endothermic ΔHobs° were observed for the 34 bp mode of HU. From these and parallel studies at various salt concentrations we propose that DNA is wrapped on the body of IHF in the nonspecific 34 bp mode like the specific complex of IHF and H'-DNA, whereas DNA is bent but not wrapped in the 34 bp nonspecific HU-DNA complex. Other structural features of the binding modes of HU and IHF deduced from these studies are also discussed.This work was supported by NIH grant GM 23467.
Effect of peptidoglycan-polysaccharide complex on reproductive efficiency in sheep.

Problem: Spontaneous mastitis or induced infections mimicking mastitis reduce pregnancy rates in ruminants. The effect of immunization with either a mastitis-related pathogen component, peptidoglycan–polysaccharide (PG–PS), or killed Streptococcus pyogenes on pregnancy outcome was investigated. Method of study: Ewe lambs were immunized with PG–PS (n = 50) or killed bacteria (n = 50) or were not immunized (control, n = 100). Titers of PG–PS immunoglobulin G (IgG) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Ewes were bred by rams at synchronized estrus. All immunized ewes and half of the ewes not immunized were challenged with PG–PS on day 5 after breeding. Pregnancy maintenance was evaluated. Results: Although the proportion of ewes pregnant at day 42 after breeding did not differ among treatments, the probability of pregnancy decreased with total dose of PG–PS (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Immunization of ewe lambs with PG–PS or killed S. pyogenes did not improve pregnancy maintenance. Furthermore, the toxic streptococcal component decreased pregnancy rate in immunized sheep in a dose-dependent manner.
Effects of pH and exocyclic substitution on flavosemiquinone reactivity with redox proteins and inorganic oxidants

The effect of pH on the reaction of free flavosemiquinone analogs generated by laser-flash photolysis with oxidized Chromatium vinosum high-potential iron-sulfur protein, other iron-containing redox proteins, and nonbiological one-electron oxidants has been investigated. The results demonstrate that the second-order rate constant for the oxidation of lumiflavin flavosemiquinone increases dramatically with increasing pH for the redox proteins and some of the other oxidants. The pH-rate constant profiles for the redox proteins closely follow the ionization of the proton at the N-5 position of the neutral lumiflavin flavosemiquinone, suggesting a higher intrinsic reactivity for the anionic lumiflavin flavosemiquinone. This increased reactivity apparently results from changes in the redox potential and in the electron spin density distribution between the two protonic forms of the semiquinone. Similar pH dependencies are observed for a number of other flavin structural analogs, yielding estimates of the N-5 pK values for these analogs. The data are consistent with the involvement of both the N-5-dimethylbenzene ring portion and the C-4a position of the flavin macrocycle in flavosemiquinone oxidation by one-electron oxidants.
Modeling of Tooling-Workpiece Interactions on Random Surfaces

Abrasive processes, commonly employed in manufacturing, are difficult to model because they rely on brittle particles with unknown geometry and multiple points of contact. Newly developed microreplicated abrasives allow for control of abrasive grit properties such as size, shape, and distribution. This paper proposes and validates a parametric model of abrasive machining that allows for studying the interaction of this particular tooling with randomly generated surfaces. In this work, the parameters of a probability distribution function that represents the workpiece surface are approximated by profilometry data. Monte Carlo simulation is used to account for inter- and intraspecimen variability. A geometric representation is used to mathematically represent the interaction between workpiece and tool. The results show good correlation between theoretical and actual values. This approach could be used to aid in tool geometry design as well as in process parameter optimization.
Bridging the Gap Between S-PARC and Optimum Closed-Loop MIMO

An optimum closed-loop multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) scheme requires a large amount of instantaneous channel information to be fed back from the receiver to the transmitter. Another closed-loop MIMO scheme called (selective) per antenna rate control (S-PARC) requires much less feedback. However, it does not perform well in conditions of low SNR, correlated antennas and Ricean fading where the number of independently coded and modulated data streams that can be supported by the channel, K, is less than the number of transmit antennas M. This is because S-PARC uses K out of M antennas to transmit the streams, which limits its capacity. The problem can be alleviated by using all antennas to transmit the streams. This is done in multiple stream co-phasing (MSC) by partitioning the set of M transmit antennas into K mutually exclusive subsets for transmission of K independent data streams after "co-phasing". Co-phasing can be considered as instantaneous beamforming where relative phase rotations (co-phasing angles) are applied to antennas for transmission of a stream. The co-phasing angles for each stream are designed to maximize the stream capacity (approximately). A minimum mean square error - successive interference cancellation (MMSE-SIC) receiver is used in MSC, as in S-PARC. MSC requires feedback of K rates and M-K angles, i.e. M real coefficients, same as in S-PARC. The average capacity of the various schemes is evaluated for 4times4 and 4times2 MIMO systems for flat Rayleigh and Ricean fading with antenna correlation. It is found that in the presence of fewer receive antennas than transmit antennas, low SNR, antenna correlation and Ricean fading, MSC greatly outperforms S-PARC. This is because MSC uses all antennas to transmit an adaptive number of streams after co-phasing, achieving high SNR. MSC closely approaches the capacity of optimum closed-loop MIMO for the entire SNR range for all channel models considered. Thus, the restriction of antenna set partitioning greatly reduces the amount of feedback in MSC, as compared to optimum, without significantly compromising performance.
The Bias Toward Discussing Shared Information Why Are High-Status Group Members Immune

Decision-making groups tend to bias discussion toward (shared) information that all members know at the expense of discussing (unshared) information that a single member knows. The present study sought to understand processes associated with high-status members' (i.e., those with prior task experience) attenuation of this discussion bias. Participants read applications for an assistant professor position and, in 4-person groups, chose between two candidates. Members who had prior experience working on the personnel selection task were less likely to mention shared information than members without prior task experience. The tendency for experienced members to mention shared and unshared information equally seems due not to their having acquired real task competence but rather to perceptions of task competence from themselves and others. Results from impression ratings and recognition task performance are consistent with this conclusion. Implications for understanding the collective information sharing proc...
Systolic architectures for vector quantization

A family of architectural techniques are proposed which offer efficient computation of weighted Euclidean distance measures for nearest-neighbor codebook searching. The general approach uses a single metric comparator chip in conjunction with a linear array of inner product processor chips. Very high vector-quantization (VQ) throughout can be achieved for many speech and image-processing applications. Several alternative configurations allow reasonable tradeoffs between speed and VLSI chip area required. >
GaAs technology status and perspectives for multi-band and multi-standard challenges in upcoming RF-frontends

GaAs HBT technologies currently dominate the wireless handset marketplace due to their proven RF performance, time-to-market, and size advantages compared to other technologies. As with any technology, new customer specifications and requirements drive the development of next generation processes. Some of the challenging customer requirements that will be, or already are, part of the future of handset power amplifiers are lower end-of-life battery voltage, lower/no reference voltage, improved mid-power efficiency performance, and the increasing number of band/modes used in the phone.
KRAKEN, a numerical model of RHIC impedances

The simulation code KRAKEN confirms analytical predictions of head-tail stability criteria, in the presence of momentum dependent linear coupling. It also confirms that resistive wall transverse wake fields are not a serious threat to strong head-tail stability in RHIC, at the vulnerable stage of proton injection. Equation 10, derived from the perspective of two macroparticles, potentially offers a very convenient semi-numerical evaluation of the effects of arbitrary transverse wake potentials. It remains to be seen how well the two macroparticle results correlate with simulations using, say, 100 macroparticles. KRAKEN is still under rapid development. Future plans are to include resonant wakefields, multiple bunches, space charge wakefields, betatron detuning, and a connection to the detailed RHIC impedance database.
Use of Baker's Yeast to Trace Microbial Movement in Ground Water

Field and laboratory tests were made using suspensions of baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to trace movement of microbes in artificially recharged ground water. Yeast cells penetrated more than 7 meters into a sand and gravel aquifer in less than 48 hours. It is believed that most of the cells travelled through channels formed by the solution of calcium carbonate rather than through intergranular pores. Ease and sensitivity of detection, coupled with negligible background correction, suggest that baker's yeast is an excellent choice as a tracer for this type of application.
Effect of structural modification in the amine portion of substituted aminobutyl-benzamides as ligands for binding σ1 and σ2 receptors.

Abstract 5-Bromo- N -[4-(6,7-dimethoxy-3,4-dihydro-1 H -isoquinolin-2-yl)-butyl)]-2,3-dimethoxy-benzamide ( 1 ) is one of the most potent and selective σ 2 receptor ligands reported to date. A series of new analogs, where the amine ring fused to the aromatic ring was varied in size ( 5 – 7 ) and the location of the nitrogen in this ring was modified, has been synthesized and assessed for their σ 1 /σ 2 binding affinity and selectivity. The binding affinity of an open-chained variant of 1 was also evaluated. Only the five-membered ring congener of 1 displayed a higher σ 1 /σ 2 selectivity, derived from a higher σ 2 affinity and a lower σ 1 affinity. Positioning the nitrogen adjacent to the aromatic ring in the five-membered and six-membered ring congeners dramatically decreased affinity for both subtypes. Thus, location of the nitrogen within a constrained ring is confirmed to be key to the exceptional σ 2 receptor binding affinity and selectivity for this active series.
Acceleration feedback design for voice coil actuated direct drive

Development of a servo-control system for a voice coil actuated direct drive used in turning of automotive camshafts is presented. The drive must possess low inertia, in order to satisfy motion bandwidth requirements for cam turning with a small actuator. Reduced inertia, however, makes the system more sensitive to the external forces acting on the drive, and may lead to chatter during cutting. High dynamic stiffness must be established by the control system to minimize the effects of the additional dynamics introduced by the machining process. This work presents a systematic approach to design of local acceleration feedback to increase the dynamic stiffness of the drive. An acceleration loop is added to the drive's servo-controller, that consists of an aggressive position feedback and a feedforward controller, resulting in a five-fold improvement in the system's performance.
Articulated body posture estimation from multi-camera voxel data

We present a framework for articulated body model acquisition and tracking from voxel data. A 3D voxel reconstruction of the person's body is computed from silhouettes extracted from four cameras. The model acquisition process is fully automated. In the first frame, body parts are located sequentially. The head is located first, since its shape and size are unique and stable. Other parts are found by sequential template growing and fitting. This initial estimate of body part locations, sizes and orientations is then used as a measurement for the extended Kalman filter which ensures a valid articulated body model. The same filter, with a slightly modified state and state transition matrix, is then used for tracking. The performance of the system has been evaluated on several video sequences with promising results.
Interlibrary Loan Patron Satisfaction at the Wichita State University Libraries

In 2004, the Wichita State University (WSU) interlibrary loan services completed a study of currently available interlibrary loan software. Based upon the results of the study, the library chose th...
Gene translocations in musculoskeletal neoplasms

Establishing the best diagnosis for musculoskeletal neoplasms requires a multidisciplinary approach using clinical, radiographic, and histologic analyses. Despite this rigorous approach, establishing accurate diagnoses and prognoses remains challenging. Improved diagnostic methods are expected as unique molecular signals for specific bone and soft tissue cancers are identified. We performed a systematic review of the best available evidence to explore three major applications of molecular genetics that will best benefit clinical management of musculoskeletal neoplasms: diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic applications. The specific questions addressed in this systematic review are: (1) What sets of histopathologic sarcoma subtypes will benefit from molecular evaluation and diagnosis? (2) What molecular methods are best applied to histopathologic sarcomas to distinguish between major subtypes? (3) How do the molecular patterns discovered on genetic diagnosis affect prognosis of certain sarcomas? (4) Which sarcoma translocations can benefit from an improved response and outcome using existing and forthcoming pharmacogenetic approaches targeting molecular events? This review summarizes recent advances in molecular genetics that are available and will soon be available to clinicians to better predict outcomes and subsequently help make future treatment decisions.
Testing for risk and protective trends in genetic analyses of HIV acquisition

Host genetics studies of HIV-1 acquisition are critically important for the identification of new targets for drug and vaccine development. Analyses of such studies typically focus on pairwise comparisons of three different groups: HIV-1 positive individuals, HIV-1 high-risk seronegative individuals, and population controls. Because there is a clear expectation of how gene frequencies of risk or protective alleles would be ordered in the three groups, we are able to construct a statistical framework that offers a consistent increase in power over a wide-range of the magnitude of risk/protective effects. In this paper, we develop tests that constrain the alternative hypothesis to appropriately reflect risk or protective trends jointly across the three groups and show that they lead to a substantial increase in power over the naive pairwise approach. We develop both likelihood-ratio and score statistics that test for genetic effects across the three groups while constraining the alternative hypothesis to reflect biologically motivated trends of risk or protection. The asymptotic distribution of both statistics (likelihood ratio and score) is derived. We investigate the performance of our approach via extensive simulation studies using a biologically motivated model of HIV-1 acquisition, and find that our proposed approach leads to an increase in power of roughly 10-28%. We illustrate our approach with an analysis of the effect of the CCR5Δ32 mutation on HIV acquisition.
Utilizing OFDM Guard Interval for Spectrum Sensing

Spectrum sensing is crucial for dynamic spectrum management systems. In this paper, we propose a scheme that utilizes the guard interval of OFDM symbol at the transmitter for spectrum sensing. The cyclic prefix is not inserted in the guard interval at the transmitter, whereas the circulant convolution is secured at the OFDM receiver through the proposed mechanism. Simulation results show that the scheme can be implemented with no impact on the BER under various channel conditions, and detection of incumbent DTV signal is possible in the OFDM guard interval. In addition, we develop enhancements to the circulant convolution preserving mechanism for handling the transceiver imperfections in practice.
Maxillary Arch Size and Shape in American Blacks and Whites

American blacks have larger teeth than whites, but they less frequently exhibit crowding--apparently because of larger arch dimensions. This study quantified differences in arch size and shape in these 2 constituents of the US population. Eighteen dental and bony landmarks were digitized from the maxilla of each of 332 subjects with permanent, intact dentitions, proportionately divided between blacks and whites, men and women. Linear, angular, and area measurements were computer-generated. Arch widths averaged 10% greater in blacks than whites, and mesiodistal arch depths had a greater difference, at 12%. Blacks, with a more square palate and significantly larger palatal index, were distinguished from whites primarily by greater intercanine and interpremolar widths. Arch perimeter was greater in blacks by 8%, and cross-sectional area of the arch was 19% greater in blacks than whites, so blacks and whites differ substantially for these parameters not only in size, but in shape as well. These differences are relevant in prosthodontics and orthodontics since individualization of treatment leads to more effective treatment by working within the patient's natural arch form instead of making patients fit a single standard.
Tryptophan Catabolites and Their Impact on Multiple Sclerosis Progression

Accumulating evidence demonstrates involvement of tryptophan metabolites and in particular activation of the kynurenine pathway (KP) in neurocognitive disorders under CNS inflammatory conditions. The KP is involved in several brain-associated disorders including Parkinson's disease, AIDS dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, schizophrenia, and brain tumors. Our review is an attempt to address any relevant association between dysregulation of KP and multiple sclerosis (MS), an inflammatory CNS disorder that ultimately leads to demyelinated brain areas and severe neurological deficits. Modulation of KP is a new topic for the field of MS and warrants further research. The availability of potential KP modulators approved for MS may shed some light into the therapeutic potential of KP antagonists for the treatment of MS patients.
Use of Exhaled Nitric Oxide as a Biomarker in Diagnosis and Management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a progressive and nonreversible disease, is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity throughout the world. Because airway inflammation is...
Efficacy, safety, and changes in angiogenic markers following sunitinib monotherapy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: Experience from a phase II study.

PR-7 Background: Patients (pts) with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have a poor prognosis. HCC is a highly vascular tumor with increased levels of angiogenic factors including VEGF and VEGFR2. Sunitinib is an oral multitargeted receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor with activity against VEGFR2, PDGFRβ, and c-KIT. We performed a phase II study to evaluate the efficacy, toxicity, and changes in angiogenic parameters following sunitinib administration in patients with advanced HCC. Methods: Eligibility criteria included unresectable or metastatic measurable HCC, 0-1 prior chemotherapy regimens, performance status ≤ 1, CLIP score ≤ 3, and adequate organ functions. Pts were treated with sunitinib at 37.5 mg po qd on a standard 4 weeks on, 2 weeks off regimen (6 weeks/cycle). Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) was performed to assess changes in tumor permeability. Plasma angiogenic markers were assayed by multiplex protein array. In a subset of patients, viable circulating endothelial cells (CECs) and circulating progenitor cells (CPCs) were evaluated by flow cytometry in fresh whole blood samples at days 1, 15, 29, 57, 85 and 133. The primary endpoint of the study was progression-free survival (PFS). Results: 30 pts have been enrolled: median age = 64 (30-79), M/F=26/4, ECOG0/1=13/17, CLIP1/2/3=12/10/8. The treatment was generally well tolerated. Grade 3/4 toxicities included SGOT/SGPT (23%/12%), neutropenia (15%), lymphopenia (15%), thrombocytopenia (12%), fatigue (8%), and rash (8%). One pt had a partial response and 10 pts had stable disease of at least 12 weeks. The median PFS was 4.1 months (95% CI: 2.6-15.9). The mean tumor permeability (Ktrans) following 2 weeks of sunitinib administration decreased by an average of 38%. Sunitinib decreased sVEGFR2 levels and increased PlGF and VEGF levels in most patients. Interim analyses suggested that sunitinib treatment increase the number of CECs at day 15. The number of CPCs was significantly decreased by sunitinib at days 15, 29 and 57 compared to baseline (p
The Effect of an Orthopaedic Surgical Procedure in the National Basketball Association

Background:Professional basketball players have a high incidence of injuries requiring surgical intervention. However, no studies in the current literature have compared postoperative performance outcomes among common injuries to determine high- and low-risk procedures to these athletes’ careers.Purpose:To compare return-to-play (RTP) rates and performance-based outcomes after different orthopaedic procedures in National Basketball Association (NBA) players and to determine which surgeries are associated with the worst postoperative change in performance.Study Design:Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:Athletes in the NBA undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, Achilles tendon repair, lumbar discectomy, microfracture, meniscus surgery, hand/wrist or foot fracture fixation, and shoulder stabilization were identified through team injury reports and archives on public record. The RTP rate, games played per season, and player efficiency rating (PER) were determined before and after surger...
Human Toxic Neutrophils. IV. Incorporation of Amino Acids and Uptake of 2-Deoxy-n-Glucose

Toxic neutrophils were studied for incorporation of amino acids into total proteins and for uptake of a glucose analogue. Both the amino acid incorporation and the uptake of 2-deoxy-D-glucose were increased in toxic neutrophils. This finding may indicate an alteration in the cell membrane of toxic neutrophils.
Is there still a role for continent ileostomy in the surgical treatment of inflammatory bowel disease

The continent ileostomy (CI) was first described in 1969 as an important advancement in the surgical treatment of patients with ulcerative colitis, providing an option for fecal continence to patients who would otherwise require a conventional ileostomy. The CI enjoyed a brief period of relative popularity during the 1970s before being displaced by today's gold standard for the surgical treatment of ulcerative colitis, the restorative proctocolectomy (ileal pouch-anal anastomosis [IPAA]). Although the CI is only rarely performed today, it still has a role to play in the treatment of patients with inflammatory bowel disease who have failed medical treatment. Current indications are patients with failed IPAAs who are not candidates for redo-IPAA, patients who require total proctocolectomy but cannot be reconstructed with IPAA, and patients with an existing conventional ileostomy that is adversely affecting their quality of life. CI, however, is a complex procedure that carries significant risk of both postoperative complications and the need for reoperation over the long term due to slippage of the nipple valve. Patients being considered for this procedure should undergo extensive preoperative counseling and must have a thorough understanding of the associated risks and a realistic vision of anticipated benefits. In well-selected and properly motivated patients, however, CI can be durable in the majority with long-term pouch survival rates approaching 80%. Published data suggest that these patients enjoy greater quality of life than their counterparts with a conventional ileostomy and that 95% would choose to undergo the procedure again or recommend it to another.
Determination of fluoride content in tea by ultrasonic extraction and a comprehensive ion testing instrument

Objective:To develop an assay for the direct determination of fluoride content in tea by ultrasonic extraction and a comprehensive ion testing instrument.Methods:After ultrasonic extraction of tea with hydrochloric acid(1+1,v/v) for 20 minutes,pre-added the buffer solution of fluoride ion strength,the fluoride concentration was directly measured by the comprehensive ion testing instrument.Results:The recovery of this method was in the range of 92.0% to 108.0%,the relative standard deviations were between 0.58%~1.92%.In addition,in order to compare the accuracy with the GB/T5009.18-2003 method,four tea samples with different concentrations were determined by both methods.It showed that the average results of the two methods had no significant differences by T-test which t value(t=1.87) was less than t0.952.23.Furthermore,determined the tea standard materials GBW07065,it also showed that the average value by the developed method had no significant difference with the reference value by T-test which t value(t=1.87) was less than t0.952.23.Conclusion:The method has the advantages of high precision and good accuracy,and it is simple and practical,and worth promoting.
Clinical Study of Fuzheng Yangying Decoction on Chronic Aplastic Anemia

Objective To observe the therapeutic effect of Fuzheng Yangying decoction on patients with chronic aplastic anemia.Methods The 60 patients with chronic aplastic anemia were divided into 3 groups as the traditional Chinese medicine group(TCM group,n=20) with Fuzheng Yangying decoction,the western medicine group(WM group,n=20) with the cyclosporin A and the integrated Chinese and western medicine(TWM group,n=20) with Fuzheng Yangying decoction added cyclosporin A.All the groups were treated for 3 months.The clinical therapeutic effect and the level of interleukin-12 of the supernatant in bone marrow were assessed.Results The therapeutic effect in TWM group was better significantly than that in CTM group and WM group(P0.05),in which there were no significant differences between them(P0.05).Compared with the level of interleukin-12 of the supernatant in bone marrow before the treatment,the level of interleukin-12 in all three groups were decreased after the treatment;the differences were statistically significant(P0.05).The g reater decrease in the level of interleukin-12 was exhibited in the WM group than that in CTM group(P0.05).There were no significant differences between WM and TWM groups in the decrease in the level of interleukin-12(P0.05).Conclusion Fuzheng Yangying decoction can decrease the level of interleukin-12 of the supernatant in bone marrow for the patients with chronic aplastic anemia,has good therapeutic effect for the disease without any side-effect and is worth to be used in clinic.
Low-Temperature Characteristics of Some Commercial Thermocouples

The thermocouple calibration project has been completed for commercially available thermocouple materials. Earlier papers reported the results on gold—cobalt and constantan vs. copper or “normal silver” [1, 2]. This report is on two types of constantan vs. iron (ISA types J and Y) and Alumel vs. Chromel (ISA type K). In addition to the detailed calibration tables, there is a quantitative discussion of the thermoelectric inhomogeneitles caused by variations between different lots of wire. Data are also given for a less satisfactory commercial thermocouples gold—palladium vs. platinum—iridium. None of the thermocouple systems reported on here prove to be as useful as those tested earlier [1, 2].
Some Developments in Wittgenstein’s View of Ethics

In the Tractatus (6.42) Wittgenstein says ‘there can be no ethical propositions’, but he still thinks that speaking of good and evil means something. He has just said that ‘in the world everything is as it is, and things happen as they do; in the world there is no value ‘ and if there were any, it would have no value’. (Instead of ‘a value that has value’ he might have said ’that has value in itself’ or ‘absolute value’.) What there is, the kinds of things there are, and the ways in which things happen might have been otherwise: there is nothing special about their being as they are. He might have said that an expression like ‘a value which has value’ is nonsense born of a confusion of grammar, which a logical analysis would replace by something else. Instead he says that ‘if there is a value which has any value, it must lie outside the whole sphere of what happens’. And it is because of what judgements of good and evil do mean that it is pointless to look for their meaning in any events or facts that might be found by science. ‘There are no distinctions of absolute value’ does not mean ‘the phrase “distinctions of absolute value” means nothing’.
Rapid Bridge Insertions Following Failures

Transportation bridges are an essential part of a network of highways and provide continuity to their use for rapid travel. If a bridge is shut down, it has many adverse consequences. This chapter covers topics relating to bridge failure and rapid construction techniques. Numerous incidences of recurring damage and failures in the conventional system of design and construction are demonstrated in this chapter, requiring a review of the design and construction philosophy. An alternate accelerated bridge construction (ABC) system with prefabrication and preassembly is proposed to overcome the difficulties. The difficulties are in transportation to the site and the availability of high-capacity cranes. The use of prefabricated girders is also on the rise, and the conventional system has been modified to a partial ABC system. It is expected that due to the increased popularity and many advantages of ABC system, the partial ABC system will be a good place to start, leading eventually toward full ABC.
Abstract 747: Glutamine, glutaminase and γ-glutamyl-transferase activities are essential for lung tumorigenesis

Increased glutamine uptake has been found to drive cancer cell proliferation, making tumor cells glutamine-dependent or even addicted. Glutamine is believed to provide additional carbon and nitrogen sources for cell growth. The first step in glutamine utilization is its conversion to glutamate by glutaminase (GLS). Glutamate is a precursor for glutathione synthesis, a pathway known to be activated in tumor cells. Additionally, glutathione concentrations are known to be elevated in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and is believed to protect against oxidative stress. In contrast, glutathione9s participation in the γ-glutamyl-cycle is less well studied. Here we investigated the hypothesis that glutamine drives glutathione synthesis and export, drives the γ-glutamyl-cycle, and thereby contributes to NSCLC tumor cell proliferation. Glutamine consumption and glutathione excretion were measured in H460, A549 and MRC-5 cell lines. Treatment with BPTES, a known GLS inhibitor, led to reduced cell proliferation. This was also demonstrated when γ-glutamyl-transferase (GGT) was inhibited with acivicin. GGT transfers glutamyl groups from glutathione to amino acids to facilitate the amino acid transport into the cell. These results suggest active utilization of the γ-glutamyl cycle in the tumor cells. The formation of metabolites downstream of GLS and GGT were essentially abolished at the lowest inhibitor concentrations studied. In contrast, biological endpoints, such as MTT assay response, required up to 30-fold higher inhibitor concentrations. Culturing in stable isotope-labeled glutamine demonstrated that >50% of excreted glutathione and >80% of γ-glutamyl amino acids were derived from glutamine. Together these results demonstrate that glutamine is actively utilized for synthesis and excretion of glutathione which, in turn, is utilized to promote amino acid uptake by the formation of γ-glutamyl amino acids. These findings add yet another important function to the glutamine dependence of tumor cells. In addition to providing TCA cycle intermediates, we show that glutamine promotes glutathione synthesis to increase cellular defense mechanisms, and drives the γ-glutamyl cycle to enhance amino acid uptake. Citation Format: Daniel R. Sappington, Eric R. Siegel, Rosalind B. Penney, Gunnar Boysen. Glutamine, glutaminase and γ-glutamyl-transferase activities are essential for lung tumorigenesis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 747. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-747
Fast online algorithm for nonlinear support vector machines and other alike models

Paper presents a unique novel online learning algorithm for eight popular nonlinear (i.e., kernel), classifiers based on a classic stochastic gradient descent in primal domain. In particular, the online learning algorithm is derived for following classifiers: L1 and L2 support vector machines with both a quadratic regularizer wtw and the l1 regularizer |w|1; regularized huberized hinge loss; regularized kernel logistic regression; regularized exponential loss with l1 regularizer |w|1 and Least squares support vector machines. The online learning algorithm is aimed primarily for designing classifiers for large datasets. The novel learning model is accurate, fast and extremely simple (i.e., comprised of few coding lines only). Comparisons of performances of the proposed algorithm with the state of the art support vector machine algorithm on few real datasets are shown.