cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Busulfan disposition in children

Children receive busulfan orally as part of myeloablative therapy before bone marrow transplantation for malignant and nonmalignant conditions. Children have been reported to have a low incidence of severe toxicity and significant rates of failure to achieve full engraftment. We evaluated the disposition of busulfan in children between 2 months and 3.6 years of age with lysosomal storage diseases, leukemia, and immunodeficiency disorders receiving oral doses of 1 or 2 mg/kg using a gas chromatographic assay. Peak concentrations were lower than those previously reported for adults, ranging from 1.4 to 5.2 mumol/L. The harmonic mean of the elimination half-life was 92 minutes, which is only slightly faster than that for adults (140 minutes). However, the area under the curve ranged from 400 to 1,000 (715 +/- 240) mumol.min/L, substantially lower than in adults receiving 1 mg/kg (range, 710 to 5,100 mumol.min/L; mean +/- SD, 2,180 +/- 1,200). The apparent volume of distribution (assuming complete bioavailability) ranged from 0.28 to 3.53 L/kg (1.42 +/- 0.86), which is more than twice that reported for adults (0.60 +/- 0.42). Busulfan clearance rate normalized to surface area is twice as high in children (200 +/- 100 mL/min/m2) as it is in adults (95 +/- 54 mL/min/m2). Alterations in bioavailability (absorption or first pass elimination) or in actual volume of distribution may account for these differences in drug disposition. The observed differences suggest the need for separate phase I dose escalation studies in children with accompanying pharmacokinetic assessment.
Studies on the pathogenesis of experimental autoimmune renal tubulointerstitial disease in guinea pigs.1 II. passive transfer of renal lesions by anti-tubular basement membrane autoantibody and nonimmune bone marrow cells to leukocyte-depleted recipients.

Abstract Renal tubulointerstitial disease (RTD) in guinea pigs is induced by anti-tubular basement membrane (TBM) antibodies, complement, and radiosensitive mononuclear cells. The present experiments show that the bone marrow is the source of the initial cellular infiltrate. Groups of normal and irradiated guinea pigs were passively immunized to TBM; in addition, some of the leukocyte-depleted passive transfer recipients were injected with bone marrow cells from unimmunized donors. By day 6–8 RTD had occurred in 36 of 36 unmanipulated recipients, in none of 45 depleted animals, and in 18 of 25 given a combination of marrow cells and antibody. Under similar conditions, irradiated marrow cells or viable cells from thymus, spleen or lymph node did not elicit the accumulation of mononuclear cells in the renal cortex. Hence, mononuclear cells derived from the bone marrow play a major role in the pathogenesis.
The quality of warfarin prescribing and monitoring in Veterans Affairs nursing homes.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the quality of warfarin prescribing and monitoring in Veterans Affairs (VA) nursing homes and to assess the factors associated with maintaining a therapeutic international normalized ratio (INR). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort. SETTING: Five VA nursing homes. PARTICIPANTS: All veterans who received warfarin between January 1 and June 30, 2008, at the nursing homes. MEASUREMENTS: Using medical records, the percentage of person-time spent in the target INR range, the proportion of patients with INRs in the therapeutic range on 50% or more of their person-days, and the frequency of INR monitoring were estimated. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with maintaining a therapeutic INR 50% or more of the time. RESULTS: Over 6 months, 160 patients received 10,380 person-days of warfarin. INRs were in the therapeutic range for 55% of the person-days, and 99% of the INR tests were repeated within 4 weeks of the previous result. On an individual level, 49% of patients had INRs in the target range for 50% or more of their person-days. Achieving this outcome was more likely in patients with prevalent warfarin use than with new use (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=2.86, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.06–7.72). Conversely, patients with a history of a stroke (AOR=0.38, 95% CI =0.18–0.80) were less likely to have therapeutic INRs for 50% or more of their days. CONCLUSION: Warfarin appears to be prescribed and monitored effectively in VA nursing home patients. Future studies should focus on increasing time in therapeutic range in patients with poor INR control.
Cardiovascular precision medicine: hope or hype?

![Graphic][1] An ever-growing number of studies and editorials herald the promise of ‘precision medicine’. On the diagnostic side, new technologies and analytical tools will allow us to pinpoint patient-specific differences and on the treatment-side novel therapies will permit us to exploit those differences for better outcomes. A combination of genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomics information—a patient's ‘panomic’ data—may soon be part of an individual medical record. And innovative therapies such as ivacaftor, a cystic fibrosis treatment that targets only a small set of mutations in the CFTR gene, could be weapons in our treatment armamentarium to provide the ‘right drug in the right dose at the right time’. When US President Barack Obama spotlighted such opportunities by launching his new Precision Medicine Initiative in January 2015, he focused upon opportunities in cancer and diabetes. How will precision medicine fit into cardiology? Advances in precision medicine will likely accrue to cardiology rapidly. While our field was not a focus of the initial excitement surrounding the Precision Medicine Initiative announcement, I believe cardiology is poised to be a leader in the development of this discipline, based upon more than half a century of contributions. Indeed, the pioneering Framingham Study was instrumental in introducing the concept of disease prediction based upon patient-specific data or ‘factors of risk’—serum cholesterol and blood pressure.5 Large randomized clinical trials, another innovation grounded in cardiology, provided additional datasets mined for … [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif
A biomedical smart sensor for the visually impaired

In this paper, we describe the current version of the artificial retina prosthesis and cortical implant that we are developing. This research project will require significant advances in a variety of disciplines. We have assembled a multidisciplinary team of researchers in Ophthalmology, Neurosurgery, Computer Networking, VLSI, and Sensors to develop the novel solutions needed to make artificial vision for the visually-impaired a reality. This paper describes the novel approach that we have adopted to providing a complete system for restoring vision to visually-impaired persons - from the signals generated by an external camera to an array of sensors that electrically stimulate the retina via a wireless interface.
"Decolonizing" the minds of bioethicists: reflections on psychosocial challenges.

(2003). 'Decolonizing' the Minds of Bioethicists: Reflections on Psychosocial Challenges. The American Journal of Bioethics: Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 27-29.
Values, expectations, and drug use among high school students in a rural community.

Rotter's Social Learning Theory of Personality was used to investigate relationships among values for certain goals, expectations for achieving these goals, and self-reported drug use among high school students. It was hypothesized that students with low “freedom of movement” in important goal areas (low expectations and high values) would report (1) heavier drug usage, (2) more frequent periods of intoxication, and (3) more drug-related social complications. Support for the hypothesis was found. Low freedom of movement in the goal area of recognition-achievement did correlate with drug use in the predicted fashion, especially in the case of barbiturate and hallucinogen use.
FREE AMINO ACID AND RHEOLOGICAL MEASUREMENTS ON HYDROLYZED LACTOSE CHEDDAR CHEESE DURING RIPENING

Three lots each of conventional Cheddar and hydrolyzed lactose Cheddar cheese (HLCC) were analyzed for free ammo acid content and examined for texture properties at 28day intervals during an eight-month ripening period. The average increases in total free amino acids in the control and the HLCC were from 500 μg/g in each cheese to 9,967 μg/g and 14,564 μg/g, respectively. Aspartic acid, proline and histidine were the only amino acids not significantly different between the two cheeses. Arginine, glycine, alanine, methionine and isoleucine increased slowly during ripening and accounted for 12% of the total free amino acids. Valine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, glutamic acid, leucine and lysine showed greater increases and accounted for about 80% of the total amount of free amino acids at all stages of ripening. Leucine increased the most, from 23.2 μg/g to 1959.5 μg/g in the control cheese and from 68.2 μg/g to 2875.9 μg/g in the HLCC. Arginine and methionine were the only two amino acids whose mole percentages did not significantly differ between the control and the HLCC. The mole percentages of aspartic acid, tyrosine, histidine, alanine, proline, lysine and glutamic acid decreased during the study in both the control and the HLCC. The mole percentage of leucine increased the most, from 5 to 15% in the control cheese and from 12% to 25% in the HLCC. The texture measurements for toughness, mechanical hysteresis, and modulus of elasticity showed significant (α0.05) treatment effects, but the changes during ripening were not significant. The toughness of the HLCC after eight months was 69% higher than in the control. Stiffness (modulus of elasticity) was 54% less and the damping capacity (mechanical hysteresis) was 93% more in the HLCC cheese than in the control. The differences in the texture measurements (toughness, mechanical hysteresis, and modulus of elasticity) on the controls and HLCC were greatest after 3 or 4 months and remained relatively constant thereafter. Therefore, proteolysis is related to texture and quality of cheese and accelerated ripening does seem to enhance desirable body and texture characteristics.
The letter of the law: telecommunications and the corporate person

Purpose – This paper provides a brief historical sketch of cable and telephone regulation in the USA, the purpose of which is to demonstrate the legacy that precedes contemporary debates over competing models of digital networks, and to question the justifications offered for regulating such networks as private property with no corresponding public service obligations. Design/methodology/approach – The paper relies on historical research to examine the rationales that have been used for cable and telephone regulation, based on the use of legal documents (statutes, regulations, court rulings). Findings – The historic justifications that have been used to protect telecommunications from competition amounts to what is known as ‘‘corporate welfare’’. Today’s cable and telephone networks, and the accumulated wealth of the corporations that own them, would not have been possible without the willingness of regulators to favor particular firms and business models, and to protect these firms from competition under the rationale that these networks are ‘‘natural monopolies’’. Originality/value – Today’s digital networks have been built on the wealth and market dominance that was made possible by protection from competition and the guaranteed rates of return that regulation permitted. Consequently, the property rights that have been afforded to network owners should be accompanied by responsibilities, namely, in the form of public service obligations.
A real-time asynchronous dynamically re-sizable optical buffer for variable length 40Gbps optical packets

We demonstrate a 40Gbps dynamically re-sizable optical buffer capable of storing packets of lengths ranging from 40 to 800 bytes. Packet recovery measurements greater than 95% demonstrate a dynamic operating range of 5dB.
APhysiologic interpretation of gastric freezing in the human

Temporary clinical improvement in peptic ulcer does occur with so-called gastric “freezing.” Destruction of gastric mucosa is not a necessary requirement.
Development and mapping of SNP assays in allotetraploid cotton.

A narrow germplasm base and a complex allotetraploid genome have made the discovery of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers difficult in cotton (Gossypiumhirsutum). To generate sequence for SNP discovery, we conducted a genome reduction experiment (EcoRI, BafI double digest, followed by adapter ligation, biotin–streptavidin purification, and agarose gel separation) on two accessions of G. hirsutum and two accessions of G. barbadense. From the genome reduction experiment, a total of 2.04 million genomic sequence reads were assembled into contigs with an N50 of 508 bp and analyzed for SNPs. A previously generated assembly of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) provided an additional source for SNP discovery. Using highly conservative parameters (minimum coverage of 8× at each SNP and 20% minor allele frequency), a total of 11,834 and 1,679 non-genic SNPs were identified between accessions of G. hirsutum and G. barbadense in genome reduction assemblies, respectively. An additional 4,327 genic SNPs were also identified between accessions of G. hirsutum in the EST assembly. KBioscience KASPar assays were designed for a portion of the intra-specific G. hirsutum SNPs. From 704 non-genic and 348 genic markers developed, a total of 367 (267 non-genic, 100 genic) mapped in a segregating F2 population (Acala Maxxa × TX2094) using the Fluidigm EP1 system. A G. hirsutum genetic linkage map of 1,688 cM was constructed based entirely on these new SNP markers. Of the genic-based SNPs, we were able to identify within which genome (‘A’ or ‘D’) each SNP resided using diploid species sequence data. Genetic maps generated by these newly identified markers are being used to locate quantitative, economically important regions within the cotton genome.
High-power CW quantum cascade lasers: How short can we go?

Limiting factors for short-wavelength CW QCL designs are discussed. A model is used to predict the short-wavelength cutoff for strain-balanced QCL structures. High performance is predicted at wavelengths as short as 3.0 micron based on a conduction band offset of 0.9 eV in the GaInAs/AlInAs materials. Recent work is presented on the growth of strained materials using gas-source molecular beam epitaxy to investigate the model predictions. Advanced material characterization, including high-resolution x-ray diffraction, photoluminescence, atomic force microscopy, and wafer-scale uniformity and repeatability are demonstrated for highly-strained and strain-balanced QCL structures. Laser testing results are presented for QCLs operating near the short wavelength limit at 3.66 micron. Lastly, predictions for further performance improvement at short wavelengths are discussed.
The Long Term: Capitalism and Culture in the New Millennium

One of the most significant developments in the latter part of the 20th century and the first part of this new millennium has been the triumph of short-term over long-term thinking. We are increasingly a culture that looks neither to the past nor to the future, but only to the next “quarter,” or to the next Delphic pronouncement by Alan Greenspan. This cultural construction of time has given rise to social, political and personal problems of unprecedented magnitude. The short-term focus of contemporary American capitalism is causing us to behave, both individually and collectively, in an increasingly irrational and thus self-destructive manner. Ours is now the most violent, crime-ridden society in the industrialized world. Capitalism is sometimes blamed for this, yet there are other capitalist societies that do not suffer the same evils we suffer. I argue that we can learn from these societies how to correct some of the ills of our own system and in this way construct a new paradigm of the market, a paradigm for the new millennium, a more mature, rational version of capitalism that would focus on the long rather than the short term.
Prevention of obesity in infancy and early childhood: a National Institutes of Health workshop.

Addressing the childhood obesity epidemic continues to be a challenge. Given that once obesity develops it is likely to persist, there has been an increasing focus on prevention at earlier stages of the life course. Research to develop and implement effective prevention and intervention strategies in the first 2 years after birth has been limited. In fall 2013, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases convened a multidisciplinary workshop to summarize the current state of knowledge regarding the prevention of infant and early childhood obesity and to identify research gaps and opportunities. The questions addressed included (1) “What is known regarding risk for excess weight gain in infancy and early childhood?” (2) “What is known regarding interventions that are promising or have been shown to be efficacious?” and (3) “What are the challenges and opportunities in implementing and evaluating behavioral interventions for parents and other caregivers and their young children?”
A Further Examination of Project AWARE: The Relationship Between Teacher Behaviors and Changes in Student Behavior.

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to examine specifically how teacher behaviors influence the effectiveness of a social development program entitled Project AWARE. Thirty-one teachers and two hundred and nine children were included in this study (82 at the primary level and 127 at the intermediate level). Participant teachers were rated in terms of their skill at implementation. For the intermediate grades, those teachers who received the highest skill ratings also tended to report positive changes in their children's behavior over the six months of the study. Those teachers who received the lowest skill ratings tended to report little change in behavior. For the primary grades, similar results were not obtained. Implications of these findings for implementation of classroom programs are discussed.
THE CANAL SYSTEM IN SCLERITES OF LOWER CAMBRIAN SINOSACHITES (HALKIERIIDAE: SACHITIDA): SIGNIFICANCE FOR THE MOLLUSCAN AFFINITIES OF THE SACHITIDS

The halkieriids (Sachitida He, 1980) from the Early to Mid Cambrian possess a hollow sclerite with a com- plex branching canal system. An analysis of the canal system morphology in the halkieriid Sinosachites (Thambetolepis) delicatus (Jell, 1981) from South Australia reveals similarities to the aesthete canal system in the shell plates of chitons, which has been analysed in a number of extant taxa. The compartments, referred to as macro-aesthetes in chitons, and lateral canals in halkieriids, have overlapping diameters and are constrained in morphology by the space of accommoda- tion by maintaining a constant width, whereas length is more variable. Both canal systems are morphologically distinct from shell pores of other lophotrochozoans and known mol- lusc classes. Similarities in sclerite growth, microstructure and mineralogy further suggest that halkieriids, along with the other sachitids, are molluscs, most likely stem aculiferans (Polyplacophora and Aplacophora). Chitons (Polyplacophora: Mollusca) are characterized by having a complex canal system of 'aesthetes' in their outermost mineralized shell layer. The aesthete canals consist of sensory and secretory cells, and are in contact with the shell-surface and the body of the animal. Aes- thetes are derived from epithelial papillae (Fischer et al. 1980) present in the girdle epithelium (or perinotum) of both aplacophorans and polyplacophorans. These two groups comprise Aculifera Hatschek, 1891.
Diversity, productivity and landscape-level effects in North American grasslands managed for biomass production

Expanding markets for bioenergy will increasingly shape the composition and configuration of crop production. Growing interest in second-generation biofuels (e.g., lignocellulosic ethanol) is driving a discussion about the most productive and appropriate cropping systems. Interest in perennial grasslands as a bioenergy source has many people asking about the importance of plant community diversity in bolstering productivity, resistance to pest and pathogen pressure and wildlife habitat, among other ecosystem services. We review the current understanding of diversity–productivity relationships across multiple spatial scales, but also emphasize perspectives that have received less attention in the literature.
Response deprivation and instrumental performance in the controlled-amount paradigm ☆

Abstract The response deprivation analysis, previously applied to a paradigm frequently used in free operant experiments, was applied successfully to another paradigm frequently used in discrete trials experiments. Each trial ended when the rat performed 1 lick at an empty tube (E), and either 10 or 100 licks at a second tube containing either saccharin (S) or water (W). Baseline trials were begun by exposing both tubes. Contigency trials required 1 instrumental E-lick for access to the second tube. Rate of instrumental responding, relative to baseline, was directly proportional to the value required if the subject were to perform the contingent licks at their baseline rates. The results also confirmed the predicted functional relations between the absolute rate of instrumental responding and the number of contingent S-licks, the number of contingent W-licks, and hours of water deprivation. Critical implications for the concept of instrumental reinforcement were discussed.
Primary mucosal malignant melanoma: An immunohistochemical study of 12 cases with comparison to cutaneous and metastatic melanomas

Immunohistochemical analysis of 40 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded malignant melanomas (12 primary mucosal, 16 primary cutaneous, and 12 metastatic cutaneous) was performed to study the possible differences in immunostaining profiles according to location. The majority of melanomas were reactive with a polyclonal antibody to S100 protein (P-S100; 85%), a monoclonal melanoma-specific antibody (HMB-45; 88%), and a monoclonal antibody to vimentin (90%), and there were no differences in staining profiles for these antibodies by anatomic location. In contrast, while 13 of 16 cutaneous melanomas (81%) and ten of 12 metastatic melanomas (83%) were reactive with a monoclonal antibody to S100 protein (MoAb-079), only five of 12 mucosal tumors (42%) showed positive staining for MoAb-079. Similarly, 14 cutaneous melanomas (88%) and 11 metastatic melanomas (92%) showed positive staining for neuron specific enolase (NSE), while only four mucosal melanomas (33%) were NSE-positive. Of the 40 melanomas, all but two were reactive with either P-S100, MoAb-079, or HMB-45. These findings suggest that MoAb-079 and NSE may be less sensitive markers than P-S100 and HMB-45 for routinely processed mucosal melanomas as compared with cutaneous and metastatic tumors.
Digit preference, recall bias, and nonresponse bias in self reports of angling participation

Abstract Explored in this study is the role of digit preference as a response style that helps explain the problems of recall and nonresponse bias in self‐report surveys of recreation participation. Digit preference is a tendency to guess participation by rounding estimates to values that end in zero or five. Recall bias was assessed by comparing three separate recall periods: extended, intermediate, and short. Nonresponse bias was assessed by conducting telephone interviews with subjects who had not responded to the initial requests. The dependent variable was the total number of days fished per month from April to June 1989. Analysis of variance and chi‐Square were used to explore the relationships among the three sources of bias. A significant Recall × Nonresponse × Digit Preference interaction was found. Results suggest that bias traditionally attributable to recall and nonresponse may be a function of digit preference. Ways of controlling for the effects of the three sources of bias on recreation par...
Selective Inhibition of the Expression of Signal Transduction Proteins by Lithium in Nerve Growth Factor‐Differentiated PC12 Cells

This investigation examined if lithium, the primary therapeutic treatment for bipolar affective disorder, modulated the levels of selected signal transduction proteins in PC12 cells. Nerve growth factor (NGF) induced differentiation of PC12 cells, and after 12 days of NGF treatment there were large increases in the levels of the heterotrimeric G protein subunits alpha o1, alpha i1, beta, and alpha s, small increases in those of alpha i2 and alpha q, and a slight decrease in that of alpha o2. Lithium (1 mM, equivalent to the therapeutic concentration) selectively reduced NGF-induced increases in levels of G protein subunits, generally having the greatest inhibition on those that were increased the most by NGF. Lithium at 5 mM had greater inhibitory effects than 1 mM lithium on NGF-induced increases in levels of G proteins, but neither concentration of lithium affected the induction of the cytoskeletal protein beta-tubulin. Examination of other proteins involved in signal transduction revealed that 12 days of NGF treatment increased the level of protein kinase C-alpha, but not those of the beta, epsilon, or zeta subtypes, and did not alter the levels of beta, gamma, or delta phospholipase C. Pretreatment with lithium inhibited the increase in content of protein kinase C-alpha induced by NGF but had little effect on the proteins not responsive to NGF except for decreasing the levels of protein kinase C-epsilon. The inhibitory effect of lithium was found not to be due to inhibition of NGF-induced tyrosine phosphorylation, which was unaffected by 5 mM lithium, or to inositol depletion. In summary, use of the dynamic system of NGF-induced PC12 cell differentiation provided a sensitive model in which to identify signal transduction proteins that were influenced by lithium treatment. The large changes caused by a therapeutically equivalent concentration of lithium lend support to the proposal that the selective inhibitory effects of lithium on subtypes of G proteins and protein kinase C may be important therapeutic targets.
Assessing levels of state and arousal in individuals with profound handicaps: a research integration.

ABSTRACT. To determine optimal learning conditions in the profoundly handicapped, an approach which assesses state through a prediction analysis is proposed.
Loss of [13C]Glycerol Carbon via the Pentose Cycle: IMPLICATIONS FOR GLUCONEOGENESIS MEASUREMENT BY MASS ISOTOPER DISTRIBUTION ANALYSIS

Whereas many reports substantiated the suitability of using [2-(13)C]glycerol and Mass Isotoper Distribution Analysis for gluconeogenesis, the use of [(13)C]glycerol had been shown to give lower estimates of gluconeogenesis (GNG). The reason for the underestimation has been attributed to asymmetric isotope incorporation during gluconeogenesis as well as zonation of gluconeogenic enzymes and a [(13)C]glycerol gradient across the liver. Since the cycling of glycerol carbons through the pentose cycle pathways can introduce asymmetry in glucose labeling pattern and tracer dilution, we present here a study of the role of the pentose cycle in gluconeogenesis in Fao cells. The metabolic regulation of glucose release and gluconeogenesis by insulin was also studied. Serum-starved cells were incubated for 24 h in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's media containing 1.5 mm [U-(13)C]glycerol. Mass isotopomers of whole glucose from medium or glycogen and those of the C-1-C-4 fragment were highly asymmetrical, typical of that resulting from the cycling of glucose carbon through the pentose cycle. Substantial exchange of tracer between hexose and pentose intermediates was observed. Our results offer an alternative mechanism for the asymmetrical labeling of glucose carbon from triose phosphate. The scrambling of (13)C in hexose phosphate via the pentose phosphate cycle prior to glucose release into the medium is indistinguishable from dilution of labeled glucose by glycogen using MIDA and probably accounts for the underestimation of GNG using (13)C tracer methods.
Distributive Quasi-Ballistic Drift Diffusion Model Including Effects of Stress and High Driving Field

This paper presents a simulation study using a novel distributive quasi-ballistic drift diffusion (DD) TCAD model applied to low mobility unstressed and high mobility stressed scaled pMOS devices. The model is implemented in a DD simulator and used to study the gate length dependence of current drives. The new model captures the physically correct potential distribution and gives the correct drive current limit in ballistic devices for both linear current response and current saturation source–drain bias conditions. The diffusive and ballistic transport is connected using a ballistic probability, which relates to the fundamental time scale in the problem—the mean energy relaxation time. The model captures the ballistic velocity degradation from the diffusive limit at linear source–drain biases. It is shown that the DD simulation with the distributive quasi-ballistic model describes the stress ballistic drive gains at high driving field, which are missed by the existing ballistic models.
Initial therapy for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Evolution of frontline treatment for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) has been driven by the objective of increasing complete remission (CR) rates and achieving maximum elimination of leukemia. As a result, effective combination regimens incorporating new agents such as monoclonal antibodies have been developed. Beyond morphologic CR, evaluation for residual disease by multicolor flow cytometry or molecular techniques may provide a tool to assess potentially more effective therapies. Although new prognostic factors correlate with time to treatment and survival have been identified, the utility of these factors in predicting response rates or response duration has not been established. Clearly, strides have been made in developing effective treatments that are improving remission duration with the ultimate goal of improving survival for patients with CLL. Herein, we review the recent progress in frontline therapies for patients with CLL.
Nine out of 10 restaurants fail? Check, please

Tian Luo and Philip B. Stark use Bureau of Labor Statistics data to put paid to a persistent myth about the riskiness of the restaurant business
Vasopressin-like peptides in the rat brain: immunologic and chromatographic behavior and their response to water deprivation.

Abstract The immunologic and chromatographic behavior of vasopressin-like immunoreactivity (VP-LI) extracted from rat brain tissue has been studied. VP-LI present in acid extracts of hypothalamic, hippocampal, and septal tissue was found to be immunologically identical to synthetic AVP. When extracts of hypothalamic tissue were fractionated using high-performance liquid chromatography, Arg 8 -vasopressin (AVP) was shown to be the predominant immunoreactive species. In contrast, in addition to AVP, extrahypothalamic brain tissue extracts also contained a small second vasopressin-immunoreactive peak. The effect of water deprivation on brain vasopressin content and chromatographic profile was also studied. This treatment depleted VP-LI content in the posterior pituitary but did not greatly alter that of hypothalamic or extrahypothalamic brain. Microdissection studies showed that VP-LI content was reduced, but only in a restricted number of extrahypothalamic brain nuclei, and that water deprivation failed to alter or increased content in other areas. The results suggest that VP-ergic neurons in the rat brain may be differentially activated.
A study of a saturated parametric mixer non-reciprocity dependence on the pump wavelength

We study the non-reciprocal saturated parametric amplifier response dependence on the pump wavelength. The available pump depletion bandwidth and signal induced pump depletion level were characterized and the optimum pump wavelength and propagation direction was identified, with the non-reciprocal behavior having been clearly observed at all of the tried pump wavelengths.
The high-temperature effective work function of chemically vapor deposited rhenium on a polycrystalline molybdenum substrate

The work function of chemically vapor deposited rhenium, with a (0001) preferred orientation, on a molybdenum substrate was determined using the thermionic emission method. Data were collected as a function of time and temperature on temperature ramps from 1800 to 2600 K in 100-K increments. The effect of pressure on effective work function was demonstrated by introducing oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide through a precision leak valve into the vacuum emission vehicle. The effect of introducing various gasses was negligible. Also, no significant time or temperature dependence was observed. The sample yielded the maximum average effective work function, 5.08 eV, at 2100 K. The overall average effective work function was determined to be 5.02 eV.
Iterative algorithms for the curfew planning problem

The curfew planning problem is to design an annual timetable for railway track maintenance teams. Each team is capable of handling certain types of repairs and replacement jobs. The jobs are combined into a set of projects according to their locations and types. The timetable shows which project should be worked on by each team on a weekly basis throughout an entire year. Our objective is to design a schedule with minimum network disruption due to ongoing maintenance projects that require absolute curfew. Absolute curfew projects are those that cause complete closure of the rail traffic. For tackling this problem, we develop four optimization-based iterative algorithms. We also present very promising computational results obtained within a few minutes using data provided by a major North American railroad.
Using GIS to Generate Spatially Balanced Random Survey Designs for Natural Resource Applications

Sampling of a population is frequently required to understand trends and patterns in natural resource management because financial and time constraints preclude a complete census. A rigorous probability-based survey design specifies where to sample so that inferences from the sample apply to the entire population. Probability survey designs should be used in natural resource and environmental management situations because they provide the mathematical foundation for statistical inference. Development of long-term monitoring designs demand survey designs that achieve statistical rigor and are efficient but remain flexible to inevitable logistical or practical constraints during field data collection. Here we describe an approach to probability-based survey design, called the Reversed Randomized Quadrant-Recursive Raster, based on the concept of spatially balanced sampling and implemented in a geographic information system. This provides environmental managers a practical tool to generate flexible and efficient survey designs for natural resource applications. Factors commonly used to modify sampling intensity, such as categories, gradients, or accessibility, can be readily incorporated into the spatially balanced sample design.
A Note on Testing for the Interaction in a MANOVA Model

For a multivariate two way classification model with a single replicate per cell, likelihood ratio test for the interaction are derived assuming certain structures on the interaction. The underlying distribution is assumed to be elliptically symmetric.
Effect of Storage Time, Relative Humidity and Temperature on the Cookability of Whole Red Kidney Beans and on the Cell Wall Components of the Cotyledons

Abstract Red kidney beans were stored for eight months under three storage conditions: 1) 0°C; 2) 30°C - 80070 RH; 3) 40°C - 80070 RH. Hardness of cooked whole beans from treatments 2 and 3 increased during storage. Application of the detergent system for analysis of cell wall components to whole ground cotyledons showed significant increases in cell wall content, cell wall nitrogen and hemicellulose for cotyledons of treatment 3. These increases were highly correlated with hardness of cooked beans. Acid detergent residue, lignin and cellulose contents of cotyledons did not change in any of the treatments. The synthesis of nitrogen containing compounds in cell walls during adverse storage may be a contributing factor in the development of hardness by hindering dissolution of the middle lamella during cooking.
Mathematical Modeling of Electrochemical Flow Capacitors

Electrochemical flow capacitors (EFCs) for grid-scale energy storage are a new technology that is beginning to receive interest. Prediction of the expected performance of such systems is important as modeling can be a useful avenue in the search for design improvements. Models based off of circuit analogues exist to predict EFC performance, but these suffer from deficiencies (e.g. a multitude of fitting constants that are required and the ability to analyze only one spatial direction at a time). In this paper mathematical models based off of three-dimensional macroscopic balances (similar to models for porous electrodes) are reported. Unlike existing three-dimensional porous electrode-based approaches for modeling slurry electrodes, advection (i.e., transport associated with bulk fluid motion) of the overpotential is included in order to account for the surface charge at the interface between flowing particles and the electrolyte. Doing so leads to the presence of overpotential boundary layers that control the performance of EFCs. These models were used to predict the charging behavior of an EFC under both flowing and non-flowing conditions. Agreement with experimental data was good, including proper prediction of the steady-state current that is achieved during charging of a flowing EFC. (C) The Author(s) 2015. Published by ECS.more » This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 License (CC BY-NC-ND, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is not changed in any way and is properly cited. For permission for commercial reuse, please email: oa@electrochem.org. All rights reserved.« less
Generalized Redistribute-to-the-Right Algorithm: Application to the Analysis of Censored Cost Data

Medical cost estimation is a challenging task when censoring of data is present. Although researchers have proposed methods for estimating mean costs, these are often derived from theory and are not always easy to understand. We provide an alternative method, based on a replace-from-the-right algorithm, for estimating mean costs more efficiently. We show that our estimator is equivalent to an existing one that is based on the inverse probability weighting principle and semiparametric efficiency theory. We also propose an alternative method for estimating the survival function of costs, based on the redistribute-to-the-right algorithm, that was originally used for explaining the Kaplan-Meier estimator. We show that this second proposed estimator is equivalent to a simple weighted survival estimator of costs. Finally, we develop a more efficient survival estimator of costs, using the same redistribute-to-the-right principle. This estimator is naturally monotone, more efficient than some existing survival estimators, and has a quite small bias in many realistic settings. We conduct numerical studies to examine the finite sample property of the survival estimators for costs, and show that our new estimator has small mean squared errors when the sample size is not too large. We apply both existing and new estimators to a data example from a randomized cardiovascular clinical trial.
Expanded Access to Archival Sources

Presentation des principaux moyens d'acces aux archives, aux Etats-Unis: le repertoire national des manuscrits historiques, les systemes nationaux d'information, le systeme de controle des archives et manuscrits (AMC) du RLIN
An analysis of philanthotoxin block for recombinant rat GluR6(Q) glutamate receptor channels

1. The action of philanthotoxin 343 (PhTX) on rat homomeric GluR6(Q) recombinant glutamate receptor channels was analysed using concentration-jump techniques and outside-out patches from HEK 293 cells. Both onset and recovery from block by external PhTX were dependent on the presence of agonist, indicating that channels must open for PhTX to bind and that channel closure can trap PhTX. 2. Block by external PhTX developed with double-exponential kinetics. The rate of onset of the fast component of block showed an exponential increase per 27 mV hyperpolarization over the range -40 to -100 mV. The rate of onset of the slow component of block showed a non-linear concentration dependence indicating a rate-limiting step in the blocking mechanism. 3. The extent of block by 1 microM external PhTX was maximal at -40 mV and did not increase with further hyperpolarization; the rate of recovery from block by external PhTX increased 6-fold on hyperpolarization from -40 to -100 mV suggesting that PhTX permeates at negative membrane potentials. 4. Apparent Kd values for block by external PhTX estimated from dose-inhibition experiments decreased 300-fold on hyperpolarization from +40 mV (Kd, 19.6 microM) to -40 mV (Kd, 69 nM); there was little further increase in affinity with hyperpolarization to -80 mV (Kd, 56 nM), consistent with permeation of PhTX at negative membrane potentials. 5. Block by internal PhTX showed complex kinetics and voltage dependence. Analysis with voltage ramps from -120 to +120 mV indicated a Kd at 0 mV of 20 microM, decreasing e-fold per 16 mV depolarization. However, at +90 mV the extent of block by 1 and 10 microM internal PhTX (73 % and 95 %, respectively) reached a maximum and did not increase with further depolarization. 6. Voltage-jump analysis of block by 100 microM internal PhTX revealed partial trapping. With 100 ms jumps from -100 to -40 mV, onset and recovery from block were complete within 5 ms. With jumps of longer duration the extent of block increased, with a time constant of 8.1 s, reaching 84 % at 30 s. On repolarization to -100 mV, recovery from block showed fast and slow components. 7. The amplitude of the slow component of block by internal PhTX showed a biphasic voltage dependence, first increasing then decreasing with progressive depolarization. Maximum block was obtained at 0 mV. 8. Our results suggest that PhTX acts as an open channel blocker; however, provided that the toxin remains bound to the channel, an allosteric mechanism destabilizes the open state, inducing channel closing and trapping PhTX. Strong depolarization for internal PhTX, or strong hyperpolarization for external PhTX, forces the toxin to permeate before it triggers entry into closed blocked states.
A Multi-Parametric Particle Pairing Algorithm for Particle Tracking Velocimetry in Single and Multiphase Flows

The measurement of turbulent flows becomes problematic when considering a dispersed multiphase flow, which typically requires special techniques focusing on the simultaneous resolution of both the carrier and discrete phases present in the flowfield. The method presented in this paper, a multi-parametric particle pairing algorithm for particle tracking velocimetry (MP3-PTV), provides a powerful and flexible technique for the measurement of multiphase flows. Combined with a traditional Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) system, the MP3-PTV employs a variable pair-matching algorithm which utilizes displacement preconditioning in combination with estimated particle size and intensity to match particle pairs between successive images. To improve the method’s efficiency, a new particle identification and segmentation routine was also developed. Validation of the new method was performed on two artificial data sets: a traditional single-phase flow published by the Visualization Society of Japan (VSJ) and an in-house generated multiphase flow having a bi-modal distribution of particles diameters. On the VSJ data set, the newly presented segmentation routine delivered a two-fold increase in identifying particles compared to other published methods. For the simulated multiphase flow data set, measurement efficiency of the dispersed phase improved from 9% to 41% for MP3-PTV as compared to traditional hybrid PTV.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
The Heine-Borel Theorem in Extended Basic Logic

A demonstrably consistent theory of real numbers has been outlined by the writer in An extension of basic logic 1 (hereafter referred to as EBL). This theory deals with non-negative real numbers, but it could be easily modified to deal with negative real numbers also. It was shown that the theory was adequate for proving a form of the fundamental theorem on least upper bounds and greatest lower bounds. More precisely, the following results were obtained in the terminology of EBL: If С is a class of U -reals and is completely represented in Κ′ and if some U -real is an upper bound of С, then there is a U -real which is a least upper bound of С. If D is a class of ( U -reals and is completely represented in Κ′, then there is a U -real which is a greatest lower bound of D .
Gamma-secretase inhibitors - Do they have a role in the treatment of B cell lymphoma?

Commentary to:Inhibition of KSHV infected primary effusion lymphomas in NOD/SCID mice by γ-secretase inhibitorKe Lan, Masanao Murakami , Bharat Bajaj, Rajeev Kaul, Zhiheng He, Runliang Gan, Michael Feldman and Erle S. Robertson
8.1.1 Enhancing the Usability of Human Machine Interface on the Handheld Interagency Identification Detection Equipment (HIIDE

An essential element of a biometric system is the human machine interface (HMI), both from the user (administrator) and subject perspectives. The HMI has a significant impact on the performance of the system, as it is a key factor in the quality of the biometric sample collected. This paper will consider the implications of the HMI from the user perspective, analyzing the results of user experiences and training with the Handheld Interagency Identity Detection Equipment (HIIDE) Series 4, a device used by the Department of Defense in Iraq and Afghanistan. Results of this task analysis will be in the form of recommendations and considerations for the development of future collection systems. The paper will also provide a preliminary review of the recently released HIIDE Series 5 device and conclude by presenting the Systems Engineering (SE) based process used in this analysis as well as recommendations for including select SE practices in future biometric system design and development.
Eye to the rosy lens

Science and Scientific Researchers in Modern Society. By John P. Dickinson. UNESCO: 1984. Pp.254. FF90.