cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Esophageal neuroendocrine tumor: A rare finding

Neuroendocrine tumors of the esophagus are exceedingly rare, with few cases reported in the literature. Here, we present a patient with a complaint of dysphagia who was found to have this rare finding. Due to the lack of available data, little information exists regarding treatment for this disease. Our patient was successfully treated with combination chemotherapy and radiation with regression of disease on follow-up imaging. We seek to increase awareness of this exceedingly rare but dangerous disease presentation through sharing our unexpected finding.
Technical Advice: Experimental Protocol and the Basic Principles of Experimental Design

This article provides a technical answer to the following question: "I just finished my organization’s Six Sigma training. We covered quite a bit of material on designing experiments. The instructor said that randomizing the design and blocking wer..
The electrostatic origin of chiral patterns on nanofibers

Several recent research works focus on nanofibers covered by molecules that self-assemble into chiral helices. While the formation of helical structures has been explained mostly on a case by case basis, the ubiquitous presence of chirality at the nanoscale suggests the existence of a unifying description. We present a model for computing the optimal arrangement of charged stripes over a cylindrical fiber, and show how helical structures can arise spontaneously from screened Coulomb interactions. We obtain the phase diagram and discuss some applications to nanoscale systems such as self-assembled peptide nanotubes, carbon nanotubes, and filamentous viruses.
Calibration, reconstruction, and rendering of cylindrical millimeter-wave image data

Cylindrical millimeter-wave imaging systems and technology have been under development at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for several years. This technology has been commercialized, and systems are currently being deployed widely across the United States and internationally. These systems are effective at screening for concealed items of all types; however, new sensor designs, image reconstruction techniques, and image rendering algorithms could potentially improve performance. At PNNL, a number of specific techniques have been developed recently to improve cylindrical imaging methods including wideband techniques, combining data from full 360-degree scans, polarimetric imaging techniques, calibration methods, and 3-D data visualization techniques. Many of these techniques exploit the three-dimensionality of the cylindrical imaging technique by optimizing the depth resolution of the system and using this information to enhance detection. Other techniques, such as polarimetric methods, exploit scattering physics of the millimeter-wave interaction with concealed targets on the body. In this paper, calibration, reconstruction, and three-dimensional rendering techniques will be described that optimize the depth information in these images and the display of the images to the operator.
Integrating the quantitative and qualitative

One way of resolving the quantitative versus qualitative methods dispute is to recognize that evaluation has a special content and that this content is more important than the methodologies.
Effects of jejunoileal bypass on the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids, bacterial flora in the upper small intestine, and absorption of vitamin B12

Abstract Eleven morbidly obese patients were studied before and at various time intervals after jejunoileal bypass (JIB). Bile acid deconjugation was assessed with the bile acid breath test and bile acid absorption by analyzing the fecal excretion of both radioactively labeled and unlabeled bile acids. In addition, aerobic and anaerobic cultures of upper small intestinal aspirates, the Schilling vitamin B 12 absorption test, and fecal fat analysis were performed. All patients developed marked diarrhea and steatorrhea after JIB. The bile acid breath test was positive in all 11 patients after JIB. In 7 of the 11 patients, this test was already slightly positive before JIB. In every instance, however, the bile acid breath test became significantly more abnormal after the bypass operation. The fecal excretion of labeled bile acids increased significantly. However, the increase in the quantitative excretion of the bile acids did not reach statistical significance. The concentrations of bile acids in fecal water were considerably below the levels required to induce diarrhea. This was mainly the result of a low fecal pH and consequent low aqueous solubility. Jejunoileal bypass effected a major shift in fecal bile acids from the secondary bile acids, lithocholic acid and deoxycholic acid, to the respective primary compounds, chenodeoxycholic acid and cholic acid. There were no significant changes in the small bowel bacteriologic findings after JIB. In 5 out of the 9 patients in whom bacteriologic studies were performed, the cultures were positive before the operation. The Schilling vitamin B 12 absorption test showed in all patients a significant drop in the 24-hour urinary 57 Co excretion rate after JIB. In spite of this decrease, however, the Schilling test remained within normal limits in 4 of the 11 patients. It is concluded that bile acids are not involved in the causation of diarrhea in JIB and that bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine plays no significant role in the development of the severe malabsorption syndrome in this condition. These findings, in conjunction with those of the heterogeneity of the alterations in the enterohepatic circulation (in particular the excretion of bile acids) are consistent with the view that the diarrhea and the malabsorption syndrome are mainly the result of the reduction in the absorptive surface of the small intestine.
On the capacity of MIMO broadcast channels with partial side information

In multiple-antenna broadcast channels, unlike point-to-point multiple-antenna channels, the multiuser capacity depends heavily on whether the transmitter knows the channel coefficients to each user. For instance, in a Gaussian broadcast channel with M transmit antennas and n single-antenna users, the sum rate capacity scales like Mloglogn for large n if perfect channel state information (CSI) is available at the transmitter, yet only logarithmically with M if it is not. In systems with large n, obtaining full CSI from all users may not be feasible. Since lack of CSI does not lead to multiuser gains, it is therefore of interest to investigate transmission schemes that employ only partial CSI. We propose a scheme that constructs M random beams and that transmits information to the users with the highest signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratios (SINRs), which can be made available to the transmitter with very little feedback. For fixed M and n increasing, the throughput of our scheme scales as MloglognN, where N is the number of receive antennas of each user. This is precisely the same scaling obtained with perfect CSI using dirty paper coding. We furthermore show that a linear increase in throughput with M can be obtained provided that M does not not grow faster than logn. We also study the fairness of our scheduling in a heterogeneous network and show that, when M is large enough, the system becomes interference dominated and the probability of transmitting to any user converges to 1/n, irrespective of its path loss. In fact, using M=/spl alpha/logn transmit antennas emerges as a desirable operating point, both in terms of providing linear scaling of the throughput with M as well as in guaranteeing fairness.
Mechanical properties of granular materials: A variational approach to grain-scale simulations

The mechanical properties of cohesionless granular materials are evaluated from grain-scale simulations. A three-dimensional pack of spherical grains is loaded by incremental displacements of its boundaries. The deformation is described as a sequence of equilibrium configurations. Each configuration is characterized by a minimum of the total potential energy. This minimum is computed using a modification of the conjugate gradient algorithm. Our simulations capture the nonlinear, path-dependent behavior of granular materials observed in experiments. Micromechanical analysis provides valuable insight into phenomena such as hysteresis, strain hardening and stress-induced anisotropy. Estimates of the effective bulk modulus, obtained with no adjustment of material parameters, are in agreement with published experimental data. The model is applied to evaluate the effects of hydrate dissociation in marine sediments. Weakening of the sediment is quantified as a reduction in the effective elastic moduli.
A novel technique for tunable mismatch shaping in oversampled digital-to-analog converters

Over-sampled digital-to-analog converters typically employ a unit-element architecture to drive out the analog signal. Performance can suffer from errors due to mismatch between unit elements, leading to a sharp drop in the achievable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Mismatch noise shaping is an established technique for overcoming these limitations, but usually anchors the signal band to a fixed location. In order to extend these advantages to tunable applications, this paper presents a novel technique that allows the mismatch noise shaping transfer function to have an adjustable center frequency.
Assessing Quality of Life in Older Adults With Cognitive Impairment

Objective: This article discusses theoretical, psychometric, and practical considerations of quality of life assessment in older adults with cognitive impairment. It describes a new measure of quality of life in dementia, the QOL-AD, and examines the reliability and validity of patient and caregiver reports of patient quality of life. Methods: Subjects were 177 patient/caregiver dyads. Patient Mini Mental State Exam scores ranged from 0 to 29, with a mean score of 16 (SD 7). Each patient and caregiver rated the patient’s quality of life on the QOL-AD. Patient functional and cognitive status, psychological state, physical function, and behavior problems were also assessed. Reliability and validity of patient QOL-AD reports were examined across three levels of cognitive impairment. Results: One hundred, fifty-five patients were able to complete the QOL-AD. Completers scored between 4 and 29 on the Mini Mental State Exam, whereas noncompleters all scored 10 or lower. Reliability for both patient and caregiver reports on the QOL-AD was good ( values ranged from 0.83 to 0.90). Validity of patient and caregiver reports across cognitive levels was supported by correlation with measures of depression (r 0.41 to 0.65), day-to-day functioning (r 0.10 to 0.45), and pleasant events frequency (r 0.18 to 0.51). Intraclass correlation between patient and caregiver reports was positive across all cognitive levels (r 0.14 to 0.39). Conclusions: The QOL-AD seems to be reliable and valid for individuals with MMSE scores greater than 10. Further research is needed to clarify the relationship between patient and caregiver reports of patient quality of life and to identify factors that influence quality of life throughout the progression of dementia. Key words: quality of life, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, caregivers, patient reports, proxy reports. AD Alzheimer’s disease; ADL activities of daily living; CESD Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (measure); GDS Geriatric Depression Scale; IADL instrumental activities of daily living; ICC intraclass correlation coefficient; MMSE Mini Mental State Exam; MOS Medical Outcomes Studies (36-item short form measure); PES-AD Pleasant Events Schedule–Alzheimer’s Disease; QOL quality of life; QOL-AD Quality of Life–Alzheimer’s Disease (measure); RMBPC Revised Memory and Behavior Problems Checklist; SCB Screen for Caregiver Burden.
Non-pregnant patients’ preference for delivery route

The objective of the study was to survey non-pregnant women regarding their preference for obstetric delivery route and to assess their awareness of the maternal and fetal risks of obstetric delivery. We wished to determine the percentage of non-pregnant women who would choose elective cesarean section and to correlate demographic factors. We compared women who elected cesarean delivery versus vaginal delivery. All patients presenting for routine gynecologic care were asked to complete an anonymous survey. Demographic variables analyzed were patient age, race, employment, insurance type and household income. Secondary data regarding knowledge of the risks and benefits of cesarean and vaginal delivery were assessed with a Likert Scale. Of patients surveyed, 13.3% preferred cesarean section. The only significant demographic factor was was race, with 21.7% of non-whites and 7.8% of whites choosing cesarean section. Most patients agreed that elective cesarean sections should be performed and reimbursed by insurance. The majority of women answered neutral regarding the maternal and neonatal risks of obstetrical delivery. The unique feature of this observational study is the sole participation of non-pregnant patients. The percentage of women who would elect cesarean section has significant public health implications. The only difference noted between demographic groups is that non-white women had a stronger preference for cesarean . Without counseling, most women are unsure of the risks of delivery route on maternal and neonatal health.
Poxvirus nature of the Motol virus.

In 1958 Kubelka et al reported the isolation of an agent from the pooled sera of 2 brothers hospitalized with infectious hepatitis. The serum mixture was inoculated into the allantoic cavity of chick embryos, and after 4 days incubation the allantoic fluid was inoculated onto monkey kidney cells. A cytopathic agent, termed the Motol virus, was isolated from the tissue culture fluid. The virus produced lethal hepatitis in mice but was not pathogenic for any other host. Kubelka and others have since performed extensive studies in attempts to identify the agent and establish its relationship to infectious hepatitis (Kubelka, 1960, 1964; Schon et al, 1964; Spies, 1965), but the agent has not yet been identified. Attempts to relate Motol virus to mumps virus by demonstrating 4-fold or greater rises in hemadsorption inhibition titer against the agent in human sera during clinical parotitis have been described by Trlifajova et al, 1966. However, these workers noted that the Motol material with which they obtained this data contained 2 agents: a cytopathogenic virus and a noncytopathogenic hemagglutinin-producing agent. They indicated that studies with 5-iododeoxyuridine showed the agents to have different nucleic acids. The noncytopathogenic virus was described as parainfluenza SV5 myxovirus; the cytopathogenic virus was not identified.
Comparison of gemfibrozil and Fenofibrate in patients with dyslipidemic coronary heart disease

Study Objective. To compare the lipid-lowering effects of gemfibrozil and fenofibrate in patients with dyslipidemic coronary heart disease. Design. Open label, fixed-dosage, retrospective-prospective, one-way crossover from gemfibrozil to fenofibrate. Setting. University-affiliated outpatient clinics. Patients. Eighty patients with coronary heart disease with a baseline low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) level above 130 mg/dl or a triglyceride level of 200 mg/dl or higher who had been receiving gemfibrozil 600 mg twice/day Thirty-nine (49%) patients had received concomitant therapy with a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitor (statin) for a minimum of 9 months. Intervention. All patients received gemfibrozil 600 mg twice/day for at least 3 months before being switched to fenofibrate 201 mg/day. Patients receiving concomitant statin therapy before crossover continued the statin at the same dosage after crossover. Before crossover, a fasting lipid profile was determined and patients were queried about the side effects of lipid-lowering therapy. A repeat fasting lipid profile was obtained 12 weeks after the crossover. Measurements and Main Results. Patients were stratified into those receiving versus those not receiving concomitant statin therapy. In both of these groups, fenofibrate was associated with significantly greater reductions in total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides than gemfibrozil (all p<0.001). In addition, fenofibrate was associated with a significantly greater increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) than gemfibrozil (p<0.001). No patients reported new-onset adverse effects after the crossover. Conclusions. Compared with gemfibrozil, fenofibrate produced significantly greater reductions in total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides and significantly greater increases in HDL. These changes were evident in patients receiving and not receiving concomitant statin therapy.
The age of the Medusae Fossae Formation: Evidence of Hesperian emplacement from crater morphology, stratigraphy, and ancient lava contacts

Abstract The Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF), covering about 2.1 × 10 6 km 2 (with an estimated volume of 1.4 × 10 6 km 3 ) and straddling the equatorial region of Mars east of Tharsis, has historically been mapped and dated as Amazonian in age. Analysis of the MFF using a range of new observations from recent mission data at multiple resolutions reveals evidence that the formation is older than previously hypothesized, with parts of the MFF having formed in the Hesperian and parts having been reworked and reformed throughout the Amazonian, up to the present. Ancient outcroppings of the MFF, edged with jagged yardangs, became a “mold” for embaying Hesperian-aged lavas. The erosion of the MFF left solidified lava “casts” in the embaying lava unit. This lava edge morphology permits the identification of ancient contacts between the MFF and Hesperian-aged lava terrain. Additionally, the flanking fan of the Hesperian-aged Apollinaris Patera volcano embays the formation at its foot, indicating that parts of the MFF were formed in the Hesperian. Erosion has erased and inverted many of the superposed craters in the region, showing that very young Amazonian ages derived from impact crater size–frequency distributions are resurfacing ages, and not emplacement ages. We find abundant evidence that the formation is extremely mobile and continuously reworked. We conclude that a significant part of the MFF may have originally been emplaced in the Hesperian. These observations place new constraints on the mode of origin of the MFF.
Metabolism of 2,2',3,3',6,6'-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB 136) atropisomers in tissue slices from phenobarbital or dexamethasone-induced rats is sex-dependent.

1. Chiral polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) such as PCB 136 enantioselectively sensitize the ryanodine receptor (RyR). In light of recent evidence that PCBs cause developmental neurotoxicity via RyR-dependent mechanisms, this suggests that enantioselective PCB metabolism may influence the developmental neurotoxicity of chiral PCBs. However, enantioselective disposition of PCBs has not been fully characterized. 2. The effect of sex and cytochrome P450 (P450) enzyme induction on the enantioselective metabolism of PCB 136 was studied using liver tissue slices prepared from naive control (CTL), phenobarbital (PB; CYP2B inducer) or dexamethasone (DEX; CYP3A inducer) pretreated adult Sprague-Dawley rats. PCB 136 metabolism was also examined in hippocampal slices derived from untreated rat pups. 3. In liver tissue slices, hydroxylated PCB (OH-PCB) profiles depended on sex and inducer pretreatment, and OH-PCB levels followed the rank orders male > female and PB > DEX > CTL. In contrast, the enantiomeric enrichment of PCB 136 and its metabolites was independent of sex and inducer pretreatment. Only small amounts of PCB 136 partitioned into hippocampal tissue slices and no OH-PCB metabolites were detected. 4. Our results suggest that enantioselective metabolism, sex and induction status of P450 enzymes in the liver may modulate the neurotoxic outcomes of developmental exposure to chiral PCBs.
NeXO Web: the NeXO ontology database and visualization platform

The Network-extracted Ontology (NeXO) is a gene ontology inferred directly from large-scale molecular networks. While most ontologies are constructed through manual expert curation, NeXO uses a principled computational approach which integrates evidence from hundreds of thousands of individual gene and protein interactions to construct a global hierarchy of cellular components and processes. Here, we describe the development of the NeXO Web platform (http://www.nexontology.org)-an online database and graphical user interface for visualizing, browsing and performing term enrichment analysis using NeXO and the gene ontology. The platform applies state-of-the-art web technology and visualization techniques to provide an intuitive framework for investigating biological machinery captured by both data-driven and manually curated ontologies.
When IT Gets Cultural: Data Management and Agile Development

How the technical impedance mismatch between object-oriented and relational database technologies became a cultural mismatch that still separates the data and development communities, and what to do about it.
Development of an effective treatment for A 5-log reduction of Escherichia coli in refrigerated pickle products.

Refrigerated cucumber pickle products cannot be heat processed due to the loss of characteristic sensory attributes. Typically brined refrigerated pickles contain less than 100 mM acetic acid with pH values of 3.7 to 4.0. Refrigeration (4 to 10 ◦ C) helps to inhibit the growth of spoilage bacteria and maintain flavor, texture, and appearance of the pickles. Previous research has shown that pathogenic Escherichia coli strains are unusually acid resistant and survive better in refrigerated acid solutions than at higher temperatures. We found that E. coli O157:H7 can survive for 1 mo or longer at 4 ◦ C in brines typical of commercial refrigerated pickles. Our objective was to develop methods to assure a 5-log reduction of pathogenic E. coli in these types of products, while maintaining the sensory characteristics. A novel brine formulation was developed, based on current commercial refrigerated pickle brines, which contained 25 mM fumaric acid, 5 mM benzoic acid, 70 mM acetic acid, and 342 mM (2%) sodium chloride, with a pH of 3.8. Sensory data indicate that this formulation did not affect flavor or other sensory attributes of the product, compared to traditional formulations. We achieved a 5-log reduction of E. coli O157:H7 at 30 ◦ C for 1.52 ± 0.15 d, at 20 ◦ C for 3.12 ± 0.34 d, or at 10 ◦ C for 8.83 ± 0.56 d. Growth of lactic acid bacteria was also inhibited. These results can be used by manufacturers to assure a 5-log reduction in cell numbers of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella without a heat process during the manufacture of refrigerated pickle products.
A new method for real-time monitoring of high-voltage transmission-line conductor sag

The amount of power flowing through a high-voltage transmission line is proportional to its voltage and the current flowing through it. To increase power flow without modifying the line to support increased voltage, the current must be increased. There is a limit to this, however, since increasing the current causes the conductor temperature to increase and, hence, the conductors to elongate and sag. In this paper, a method to simply and inexpensively measure the amount of conductor sag and, through simple calculation, the average conductor core temperature is described, and the results of a field test are summarized. The method involves attaching two ends of a grounded wire of high electrical resistance to an appropriate location on each of two transmission-line towers and measuring the current induced on the wire by the nearby transmission-line conductors. Information from this measurement is a critical input to any method for dynamically rating transmission lines.
Batman to the rescue! The protective effects of parasocial relationships with muscular superheroes on men's body image

article i nfo Superheroes have a considerable presence in our society and dominate popular media for boys and men, while often representing unattainable muscular ideals. The present research is the first to examine the effects of superheroes on men's body image and the moderating role of parasocial relationship status (PSR; a one-sided psychological bond) on those effects. Men who had vs. did not have a PSR with a superhero were exposed to a muscular vs. non-muscular image of that superhero. As predicted, exposure to a muscular superhero with whom a PSR did not exist made men feel bad about their bodies (Hypothesis 1). However, having a PSR with a muscular superhero not only eliminated the negative effects of exposure on body satis- faction, but also increased men's physical strength (Hypothesis 2). This research suggests that muscular su- perheroes change men's body image and that the direction of that change is determined by PSR status.
Intravascular irreversible electroporation: Theoretical and experimental feasibility study

Irreversible electroporation (IRE) employs microsecond scale, mega-volt/m electric field pulses to impair the cell membrane. IRE is emerging as a valuable new minimally invasive technique. Of central importance in using IRE is the existence of electric fields, which while impairing the cell membrane, do not cause thermal Joule heating induced damage to the tissue. Our recent studies suggest that IRE could become an important technique to ablate vascular smooth muscle cells of the arterial wall and attenuate restenosis following angioplasty. This study was done to support the use of IRE in treatment of restenosis and is a fundamental investigation on the electric field parameters that can produce non-thermal IRE ablation of cells on the arterial wall. The study combines time-dependant finite-element models of the electric field equation and of the bio-heat equation with Henriques and Moritz thermal damage integral to evaluate the range of non-thermal IRE fields for use in blood vessels. The theoretical analysis is supported by temperature measurements during intravascular IRE of rodent carotid arteries, showing no significant temperature rise.
What have fusion reactor studies done for you today

The University of Wisconsin examines the fusion program and puts into perspective what return is being made on investments in fusion reactor studies. Illustations show financial support for fusion research from the four major programs, FY'82 expenditures on fusion research, and the total expenditures on fusion research since 1951. Topics discussed include the estimated number of scientists conducting fusion research, the conceptual design study of a fusion reactor, scoping study of a reactor, the chronology of fusion reactor design studies, published fusion reactor studies 1967-1983, conceptual fusion reactor design studies, STARFIRE reference design, MARS central cell, HYLIFE reaction chamber, and selected contributions of reactor design studies to base programs.
Quasi-static scheduling for multiprocessor DSP

Scheduling strategies for a multiprocessor DSP (digital signal processor) are classified into four types: fully dynamic, static-assignment, self-timed, and fully static. The concept of static scheduling (self-timed or fully static) is extended to handle nondeterministic actors in the proposed quasi-static scheduling. Quasi-static scheduling minimizes run-time overhead with increased compilation complexity, and is thus adequate for signal processing applications. The proposed scheme is applicable to the dynamic (static-assignment) scheduling strategy as well as to static (self-timed) scheduling. >
Hyperleptinemia in Mares: Prevalence in Lactating Mares and Effect on Rebreeding Success

Abstract Previous research from our laboratory showed that approximately one third of obese, nonfoaling mares displayed a condition of hyperleptinemia coupled with hyperinsulinemia that resembled type 2 diabetes in humans. The current study was performed to evaluate the prevalence of the hyperleptinemic syndrome in lactating mares and its possible impact on their rebreeding success. Additionally, we investigated possible relationships between leptin levels in lactating versus nonlactating mares. In experiment 1, jugular blood samples were collected from 198 lactating mares on two occasions approximately 2 weeks apart. The mares resided on eight farms in Louisiana; breeds included Thoroughbred (n = 86), Quarter Horse (n = 71), Warmblood (n = 24), and draft-type (n = 17). Body condition scores (BCS) were measured at the time of blood sampling; plasma samples were assessed for leptin and progesterone concentrations. Reproductive and medical histories, as well as feeding regimens, were compiled on each mare. Based on our previous reports and examination of the current data, a mare was considered hyperleptinemic if her plasma samples contained greater than10 ng/mL leptin; normal was considered 6.0 ng/mL or less; mares with levels above 6.0 and 10 ng/mL or greater were classified as intermediate. Overall mean leptin concentration was 4.7 ng/mL, and average BCS was 5.5. After analysis, 24 mares were classified as hyperleptinemic (12%), 138 were classified as normal (70%), and 36 were classified as intermediate (18%). Leptin concentrations were affected by BCS ( P = .08), with higher concentrations in mares with higher body condition; however, there were hyperleptinemic mares with BCS of 4 to 5.5. Feeding regimen affected leptin concentrations ( P R 2 = 0.65; P
Nano Mapper: an Internet knowledge mapping system for nanotechnology development

Nanotechnology research has experienced rapid growth in recent years. Advances in information technology enable efficient investigation of publications, their contents, and relationships for large sets of nanotechnology-related documents in order to assess the status of the field. This paper presents the development of a new knowledge mapping system, called Nano Mapper (http://nanomapper.eller.arizona.edu), which integrates the analysis of nanotechnology patents and research grants into a Web-based platform. The Nano Mapper system currently contains nanotechnology-related patents for 1976–2006 from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), European Patent Office (EPO), and Japan Patent Office (JPO), as well as grant documents from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) for the same time period. The system provides complex search functionalities, and makes available a set of analysis and visualization tools (statistics, trend graphs, citation networks, and content maps) that can be applied to different levels of analytical units (countries, institutions, technical fields) and for different time intervals. The paper shows important nanotechnology patenting activities at USPTO for 2005–2006 identified through the Nano Mapper system.
Free Radicals and Carcinogenesis

The role of free radicals and active states of oxygen in human cancer is as yet unresolved. Various lines of evidence provide strong but inferential evidence that free radical reactions can be of crucial importance in certain carcinogenic mechanisms. A central point in considering free radical reactions in carcinogenesis is that human cancer is really a group of highly diverse diseases for which the initial causation and the progression to clinical disease occur through a wide variety of mechanisms. Furthermore, for many human cancers it appears that there are alternate pathways capable of tumor initiation and tumor progression. While for certain of these pathways free radical reactions appear necessary, it is unlikely that there are human cancers for which free radicals, or any other mechanism, are sufficient for the entire process beginning with the genetic alteration leading to a somatic mutation and eventually resulting in clinically overt disease. It is crucial that we view free radical reactions as among a panoply of mechanisms leading to human cancer, and consider research about the role of free radicals in cancer as opportunities to prevent the initiation or progression of human cancer.
Antiarrhythmic and electrophysiologic actions of clofilium in experimental canine models.

Abstract Clofilium was studied in three experimental models. In non-ischemic and chronically infarcted canine hearts, clofilium (0.5–2 mg/kg) produced a dose-dependent increase in electrical ventricular fibrillation threshold (VFT), but prolonged the effective refractory period (ERP) of normal myocardium in only the non-ischemic heart. When chronically infarcted hearts were subjected to programmed electrical stimulation, 1 mg/kg of clofilium inhibited the re-induction of either ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation in 5 of 6 animals and slowed the rate of the induced tachycardia in the sixth. Clofilium, however, failed to alter ventricular refractory periods of normal myocardium at either twice diastolic threshold current (176 ± 5 ms control vs. 187 ± 9 ms post-clofilium, P > 0.05) or at 10 mA (134 ± 6 ms control vs. 137 ± 13 ms post-clofilium, P > 0.05). In addition, chronic administration of clofilium (2 mg/kg, i.v., followed by 1 mg/kg every 12 h) was ineffective in decreasing mortality in a canine model of sudden coronary death. Of 10 saline-treated conscious animals subjected to an electrically-induced intimal lesion of the left circumflex coronary artery in the presence of a previous ischemic insult, all 10 died suddenly of ventricular fibrillation within 173 ± 45 min after current application. Under similar conditions, 7 clofilium-treated animals died suddenly within 249 ± 88 min (P > 0.05) after current application while 3 animals survived (P > 0.10). Clofilium did, however, elevate the effective refractory period in these animals (150 ± 3 ms saline-treated vs. 195 ± 7 ms clofilium-reated). It is concluded from our data that there is little relationship between clofilium's electrophysiologic actions in normal myocardium and antiarrhythmic effects. Furthermore, simple prolongation of refractorines in normal non-ischemic myocardium may be insufficient for the prevention of ventricular fibrillation which develops in response to a transient ischemic event superimposed on a chronically injured myocardium.
A paleoecological paradox: the habitat and dietary preferences of the extinct tethythere Desmostylus, inferred from stable isotope analysis

The Desmostylia, an extinct order of mammals related to sirenians and proboscideans, are known from the late Oligocene to late Miocene of the North Pacific. Though often categorized as marine mammals on the basis of fossil occurrences in nearshore deposits, reconstructions of desmostylian habitat and dietary preferences have been somewhat speculative because morpho- logical and sedimentological information is limited. We analyzed the carbon, oxygen, and stron- tium isotope compositions of enamel from Desmostylus and co-occurring terrestrial and marine taxa from middle Miocene sites in California to address the debate surrounding desmostylian ecol- ogy. The d 13C value of tooth enamel can be used as a proxy for diet. Desmostylus had much higher d13C values than coeval terrestrial or marine mammals, suggesting a unique diet that most likely consisted of aquatic vegetation. Modern aquatic mammals tend to exhibit lower variability in d18O values than terrestrial mammals. Both fossil marine mammals and Desmostylus exhibited low d18O variability, suggesting that Desmostylus spent a large amount of time in water. Finally, the Sr isotope composition of marine organisms reflects that of the ocean and is relatively invariant when com- pared with values for animals from land. Sr isotope values for Desmostylus were similar to those for terrestrial, rather than marine, mammals, suggesting Desmostylus was spending time in estu- arine or freshwater environments. Together, isotopic data suggest that Desmostylus was an aquatic herbivore that spent a considerable portion of its life foraging in estuarine and freshwater ecosys- tems.
Reflections on Wittrock's Generative Model of Learning: A Motivation Perspective

In this article, I examine developments in research on achievement motivation and comment on how those developments are reflected in Wittrock's generative model of learning. Specifically, I focus on the roles of prior knowledge, the generation of knowledge, and beliefs about ability. Examples from Wittrock's theory and from current motivational theory are used to elaborate on the parallel dimensions of these two areas of research.
A Sharp Upper Bound for the Expected Number of Shadow Vertices in Lp-Polyhedra Under Orthogonal Projection on Two-Dimensional Planes

Consider a set {a1, ', am, u, v} â ℝn satisfying a mild nondegeneracy condition. When the polyhedron X = {x â£ a1Tx â¤ 1, ', amTx â¤ 1} â ℝn is orthogonally projected on the two-dimensional plane linu, v, then some of its vertices may be mapped on vertices of the two-dimensional image of X. These vertices of X will be called shadow vertices under that projection. Their number will be denoted by S. This figure S has an outstanding relevance for the complexity of a special Simplex-Method, the dimension-by-dimension method, for solving LPs of the type maximizeââvTx âs.t.âa1Tx â¤ 1, ', amTx â¤ 1âwhere x, v, a1, ', am ∈ ℝn and m â¥ n. This method applies the "shadow vertex algorithm" in n-1 stages of increasing dimension, by constructing a Simplex-Path that visits only shadow vertices. In each stage specific versions of the vectors u and v are used to define the projection plane and to control the application of the "shadow vertex algorithm." So S delivers an upper bound for the length of such a path in one stage. We want to study the average-case complexity of these algorithms and are therefore interested in Em,nS, the expected value of S. For that purpose we assume a distribution of the linear programming problems corresponding to the rotation symmetry model RSM: The vectors a1, ', am, u, v are distributed on ℝn\{0} independently, identically and symmetrically under rotations. In this paper we improve the upper bounds for Em,nS from our polynomiality-proofs of 1982 and 1987. There we had found an upper bound of m1/n-1 i¾· n3 i¾· Const., valid for all RSM-distributions and all pairs m â¥ n. Based on a refined evaluation technique for space-angles, on a reorganization and on substantial modifications of the old proof, we are now able to confirm a bound Em,nS â¤ m1/n-1 i¾· n2 i¾· Const.âfor all pairs m,n with m â¥ n. This result had been desired since 1982, because then a bound m1/n-1 i¾· n2 i¾· Const. had been derived exclusively for the situation, where n is fixed and m tends to infinity. All the time the question had been open, whether the asymptotical behaviour would be better than the behaviour in moderate dimensions, or whether the bound for the moderate case was crude. In addition, we know-from an asymptotic analysis in 1987-that for a special RSM-distribution, namely the uniform distribution on the unit sphere, there is a lower bound for Em,nS of type m1/n-1 i¾· n2 i¾· Const. The combination of this result and the new upper bound shows that the new bound is sharp.
Three-dimensional nanostructured substrates toward efficient capture of circulating tumor cells.

During the progression of metastasis, cancer cells detach from the solid primary tumor, enter the blood stream, and travel to different tissues of the body. These breakaway cancer cells in the peripheral blood are known as circulating tumor cells (CTCs).[1] In addition to conventional diagnostic imaging and serum marker detection, quantification of CTCs in patient blood provides new and valuable information about managing cancer.[2–5] Over the past decade, CTC counting has been used for examining cancer metastasis, predicting patient prognosis, and monitoring the therapeutic outcomes of cancer.[6] However, isolation of CTCs has been technically challenging due to the extremely low abundance (a few to hundreds per milliliter) of CTCs among a large number of hematologic cells in the blood (109 mL−1).[4, 7, 8] Several technology platforms for isolating/counting CTCs have been developed with strategies that involve immunomagnetic beads or microfluidic devices.[3, 4,9, 10] The former utilizes capture-agent-coated magnetic beads to immunologically recognize CTCs in the blood, followed by magnetic isolation. However, these bead-based approaches are limited by their low CTC-capture yield and purity. Recently, a number of microfluidic technologies[9, 10] has been established for capturing viable CTCs from whole-blood samples with improved efficiency and selectivity compared to the bead-based approach.[3, 7] While different device architectures were applied in these CTC-sorting microchips, the improved CTC-capture efficiencies were achieved by increasing CTC/substrate contact frequency and duration.
Ontogeny of malate-aspartate shuttle capacity and gene expression in cardiac mitochondria.

Developmental downregulation of the malate-aspartate shuttle has been observed in cardiac mitochondria. The goals of this study were to determine the time course of the postnatal decline and to ide...
In Vivo Antitumor Activity of Bropirimine Against PAIII and Dunning Mat-Lylu Rodent Prostate Cancers

AbstractPurpose: To evaluate bropirimine for in vivo activity in rodent prostate cancer.Materials and Methods: Subcutaneously injected PAIII and Dunning MAT-LyLu rodent prostate cancer cells caused solid tumors and death in controls. Bropirimine was given on varying schedules at 250 mg./kg. by gavage, and tumor volume and survival were recorded.Results: Bropirimine prevented growth when given on the day of tumor injection and caused 95 percent of advanced tumors to regress completely in the PAIII model. Bropirimine caused significant growth inhibition and prolongation of survival in the MAT-LyLu model.Conclusions: Bropirimine has statistically significant in vivo activity against both of these rodent prostate cancer cell lines.
Unmet needs for dental care in children with special health care needs

Objective: The unmet need for dental care is one of the greatest public health problems facing U.S. children. This issue is particularly concerning for children with special health care needs (CSHCN), who experience higher prevalence of unmet dental care needs. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate regional differences in unmet dental care needs for CSHCN. Using the Social Ecological Model as a framework, additional variables were analyzed for regional differences. It was hypothesized that (H1) unmet dental care needs would be high in the CSHCN population, (H2) there would be regional differences in unmet dental care needs in CSHCN, and (H3) there would be differences in specific individual, interpersonal (family), community (state), and policy level factors by region. Methods: Data were obtained from the 2009–2010 National Survey of CSHCN. SPSS was used for data management and analysis. Results: Each of the study hypotheses was supported for the sample of 40,242 CSHCN. The West region was more likely to have more unmet needs for preventive and specialized dental care in CSHCN than the reference region (Northeast). The South region followed the West region in unmet dental care needs. Statistically significant differences in individual, interpersonal (family), community (state) and policy factors were found by region. Conclusion: Further research is recommended. Effective strategies that include policy to address unmet dental care needs at multiple levels of intervention are suggested.
Why does Ni56 decay so slowly

The decay of the doubly magic nucleus $^{56}\mathrm{Ni}$ to the lowest ${1}^{+}$ state of $^{56}\mathrm{Co}$ proceeds about a hundred times slower than the shell model predicts. The explanation is that the lowest ${1}^{+}$ state of $^{56}\mathrm{Co}$ is mostly a two-particle, two-hole state. The giant spin-isospin resonance lies at a higher energy.
From Boca to Beijing: The Rise and Fall of IBM's Personal Computer Business

In 2004 IBM announced that it was selling its personal computer business unit to a Chinese company. The announcement raised many questions, and some fear, that IBM was losing its competitive edge in an industry it helped to create. Questions were also raised concerning the ability of the Chinese company to compete in the ever-competitive global personal computer industry.
A college freshman's guide to machine learning: short and sweet way to introduce machine learning to college freshman

Machine Learning is not only for graduate level academic world anymore. With high school level mathematics and some programming experience, one should be able to appreciate what the machine learning can do. This workshop gives a novice overview of machines learning, how machine can be useful. Key machine learning concepts such as supervised and unsupervised learning. Some simple and common learning algorithms are discussed. The presenter shows how to implement them with scikit-learn, one of the most well-known machine learning Python modules, using real world data. Handouts and sample codes will be provided so the participants can follow along and reproduce at home. The presenter will also present a one credit semester hour course plan to the participants. The presenter and his assistance(s) will be available to help the participants with the installation of the needed software for the workshop prior to the start of the workshop.
Neural network calibration of a snapshot birefringent Fourier transform spectrometer with periodic phase errors

Systematic phase errors in Fourier transform spectroscopy can severely degrade the calculated spectra. Compensation of these errors is typically accomplished using post-processing techniques, such as Fourier deconvolution, linear unmixing, or iterative solvers. This results in increased computational complexity when reconstructing and calibrating many parallel interference patterns. In this paper, we describe a new method of calibrating a Fourier transform spectrometer based on the use of artificial neural networks (ANNs). In this way, it is demonstrated that a simpler and more straightforward reconstruction process can be achieved at the cost of additional calibration equipment. To this end, we provide a theoretical model for general systematic phase errors in a polarization birefringent interferometer. This is followed by a discussion of our experimental setup and a demonstration of our technique, as applied to data with and without phase error. The technique's utility is then supported by comparison to alternative reconstruction techniques using fast Fourier transforms (FFTs) and linear unmixing.
AC 0 Pseudorandomness of Natural Operations.

A function f : Σ∗ → Σ∗ on strings is AC-pseudorandom if the pair (x, f(x)) is ACindistinguishable from a uniformly random pair (y, z) when x is chosen uniformly at random. Here f(x) is the string that is obtained from f(x) by discarding some selected bits from f(x). It is shown that several naturally occurring functions are AC-pseudorandom, including convolution, nearly all homomorphisms, Boolean matrix multiplication, integer multiplication, finite field multiplication and division, several problems involving computing rank and determinant, and a variant of the algebraic integer problem.