cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comprehensive analysis of laparoscopic, robotic, and open hepatectomy outcomes using the nationwide readmissions database

Although open resections have been the most prevalent method of hepatectomies in the United States, laparoscopic and robotic methods of liver resection have since gained significant traction. Given the augmenting role of minimally invasive techniques in liver resection, a study that explores and analyzes the surgical outcomes of the approaches mentioned above to liver resection on a national basis is warranted. A retrospective analysis was performed in this study using the 2016–2018 Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD). Patients who underwent liver resections via one of the following methods were selected and grouped: open, laparoscopic, or robotic. Our primary outcome variable of interest was the 45-day readmission rate. 11,186 patients were included in the analysis. The 45-day readmission rate was 13.5%, 12.9%, and 8.7% in the open, laparoscopic, and robotic groups, respectively (p < 0.001). A significantly lower complication rate (7.3%) was seen in the robotic group than its counterparts (11.4% in open vs. 9.1% in the laparoscopic group). Patients undergoing hepatectomies may benefit from the robotic approach given that it is associated with a shorter hospital length of stay and lower readmission rates.
Stearoyl-CoA Desaturases are Regulators of Lipid Metabolism in Skin

The skin is the largest single organ in humans, serving as a major barrier to infection, water loss, and abrasion. Skin is a stratified tissue composed of epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous fat layers. The epidermis is the thinnest of the three layers but is the mitotically most active stratum due to the continued differentiation of keratinocytes into the cornified epithelium exposed to the environment. The dermis is thicker than the epidermis and contains a number of specialized structures such as sweat glands, hair follicles, and sebaceous glands that impart functional diversity to the organ. This layer functions as an insulator, shock absorber, and energy storage depot.
In Vivo Chimera Model: Creation of Primary and Secondary Chimera

Chimerism-based protocols are considered one of the most successful approaches for tolerance induction in solid organ and vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA). The concept of chimerism originated in the early fifties from the research on small animal models. It began a new approach for tolerance induction and initiated the transition from laboratory to first clinical trials.
Tree Matching Using Data Shaping

Real time big data analytics has become important to meet the business as well as other decision making needs in many complex applications. A significant portion of such data is available and stored in semi-structured form. A tree-based organization is commonly used in such cases. Tree matching is a core component for many applications such as fraud detection, spam filtering, information visualization and extraction, user authentication, natural language processing, XML databases, bioinformatics, etc. Comparing ordered (unordered) trees is compute-intensive, in particular for Big Data. To facilitate comparison of ordered trees, in this paper we address the problem of shaping the semi-structured data to enable time efficient processing on contemporary hardware such as a GPGPU (General Purpose Graphics Processing Unit) and INTEL MIC (a multi-core processors). Specifically, our data shaping approach enables pre-computation of partial edit distance values in parallel. We evaluate our work using real world data sets. Our experimental results show that our SIMT-based PTED-GPU (Parallel Tree Edit Distance using GPU) implementation shows speedup of up to 12X when compared to the state-of-the-art in tree edit distance (TED) computation.
Cilia and Related Microtubular Arrays in the Eukaryotic Cell

The sections in this article are: 1 Cell Biology of Microtubules 1.1 Microtubules and the Cytoskeleton 1.2 Structure, Assembly, and Disassembly 1.3 Stability and Pattern Formation 1.4 Primary Cilia 2 Evolution of Centrioles, Cilia, and Microtubules 3 Motor Molecules of Cilia and Microtubule-Based Arrays 3.1 Dynein- and Microtubule-Based Motility 3.2 Axonemal Dynein 3.3 Cytoplasmic Dynein 3.4 Kinesin 3.5 The Kinesin Superfamily 3.6 Interactions Between Dynein and Kinesin 3.7 Other Putative Motors 4 Motile Cilia and the Mechanism of Motility 4.1 Introduction to Ciliary Structure 4.2 Experimental Analysis of Motility 4.3 Cellular Control of Ciliary Motility
Assessing Decision Tools for Secondary Risks of Capital Projects Weighing EIA Versus More Complex Approaches

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the relative uses of decision tools for secondary risks of capital projects.Design/methodology/approach – The approach is a comparison of traditional limited approaches (notably EIA) versus emerging more complex approaches at assessing secondary risks.Findings – In many context, notably in the case of large capital projects, the new and more complex tools are necessary. However, they also apply higher costs and should therefore be applied selectively.Research limitations/implications – One research limitation is that experience with some of the tools being discussed, notably MCDA, is still somewhat limited.Practical implications – The key practical implication is greater use of the most appropriate decision tool for secondary risks in each new individual large capital project.Originality/value – Comparison of risk assessment tools has so far largely focused on risk assessment for primary risks. The present article extends this to an assessment of the relat...
SoC TAM Design to Minimize Test Application Time

AbstractWe propose a new test access mechanism(TAM) design to reduce the System-on-chip (SoC) test application time (TAT) under various hardware and power constraints. Prior works on TAM design focus on designing TAM architecture based on fixed cores parameters, which assumes unchanged internal scan chains and layout arrangement of cores, and therefore is unable to make effective use of SoC resources for testing purpose. Moreover, previous works on SoC test scheduling fail to incorporate the presented hardware and power constraints at once, which may render the testing result inapplicable. The proposed TAM design is tightly integrated with scan chain redesign and layout arrangement of individual core in SoC, and thus able to reduce the wiring complexity and to make effective use of TAM resources. Various hardware and power constraints are considered in this work, which are often ignored or partly addressed by previous SoC test scheduling work. Dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) is adopted in test scheduling to minimize testing time. Both session-less and session-based scheduling are formulated in Mixed-integer linear programming. Experimental result of a set of ITC'02 benchmark shows up to 69% of reduction in test application time with the proposed TAM Design and DVFS scheduling.
Experiences with a protocol stack for multimedia transport

Our experiences with the BERKOM MMT protocol stack are reported. The MMT protocol stack is aimed at multimedia data communications. It consists of the ST-II protocol at the network layer and a modified version of the XTP protocol called XTP-Lite at the transport layer. The specific features of the protocol stack are presented and the implementation in a SUN environment is detailed. Related performance measurements are also given to support our conclusions. The protocol stack is the core of the BERKOM multimedia transport system (MMTS). The MMTS is designed for communication between distributed multimedia applications on top of broadband ISDN networks.
Formation ages and evolution of Shergotty and its parent planet from U-Th-Pb systematics

The isotopic composition of lead was determined in different phases from Shergotty, Zagami and EETA 79001. Using phases with low ^(238)U/^(204)Pb, the initial leads of these meteorites could be well defined and are distinct from each other and have high ^(204)Pb/^(206)Pb (from 0.0652 to 0.0739). These leads evolved in different reservoirs over most of solar system history in a low ^(238)U/^(204)Pb ≈ 5 environment. It follows that the parent planet of the shergottites has a high ^(204)Pb concentration relative to U and must also be high in other volatiles. If the parent planet of the shergottites is Mars, then this planet must be volatile-rich compared to the Earth by a factor of ~ 1.8. This implies that Mars lost its original atmosphere and that the present atmosphere was derived from a previously outgassed Martian upper mantle. The U-Th-Pb isotopic relationships involving phases with high ^(238)U/^(204)Pb are quite regular and give ages for three shergottites which indicate an event of U-Th-Pb fractionation at ~200 m.y. The initial leads at that time were highly evolved relative to the primordial lead. The absence of substantial additions of radiogenic lead (above the initial lead) in high U phases precludes an older age for the U-Th-Pb fractionation. However, details of the data arrays are complex. The young age is in general agreement with some of the ages obtained by other methods, but precise concordance between the different methods is not established. It is suggested that the shock event that produced maskelynite may possibly be associated with the late-stage breakup at ~2.5 m.y. and not necessarily related to the ~ 180 m.y. record. The major event of chronometer resetting is taken to be ~ 180 m.y. This event does not appear to be an endogenic igneous event but an almost complete equilibration during a major impact on more ancient igneous rocks which were contained in the target. Problems of the polymetamorphic history of meteorites appear as complicated as those of polymetamorphic terrestrial terranes.
Ensemble methods for classification of patients for personalized medicine with high-dimensional data

Objective: Personalized medicine is defined by the use of genomic signatures of patients in a target population for assignment of more effective therapies as well as better diagnosis and earlier interventions that might prevent or delay disease. An objective is to find a novel classification algorithm that can be used for prediction of response to therapy in order to help individualize clinical assignment of treatment. Methods and materials: Classification algorithms are required to be highly accurate for optimal treatment on each patient. Typically, there are numerous genomic and clinical variables over a relatively small number of patients, which presents challenges for most traditional classification algorithms to avoid over-fitting the data. We developed a robust classification algorithm for high-dimensional data based on ensembles of classifiers built from the optimal number of random partitions of the feature space. The software is available on request from the authors. Results: The proposed algorithm is applied to genomic data sets on lymphoma patients and lung cancer patients to distinguish disease subtypes for optimal treatment and to genomic data on breast cancer patients to identify patients most likely to benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery. The performance of the proposed algorithm is consistently ranked highly compared to the other classification algorithms. Conclusion: The statistical classification method for individualized treatment of diseases developed in this study is expected to play a critical role in developing safer and more effective therapies that replace one-size-fits-all drugs with treatments that focus on specific patient needs.
Melancholia and the Violent Regulation of Gender Variance: Reply to Commentaries

In this reply to James Herzog and Gayle Salamon, the “in”/“out” boundary of gender and the psychotherapeutic address of gender is considered. Particular emphasis is paid to the ways in which gender is constituted through aggressive and often violent forms of social regulation. Matters of social justice are considered as psychoanalysts and mental health workers take up normative violence in the form of policy speech. Clinical dilemmas with respect to gender melancholia, trauma, and shame are also considered.
Long T methamphetamine schedules produce circadian ensuing drug activity in rats.

Eight female Sprague-Dawley rats were housed in isolated continuous 24-h/day environments under conditions of constant dim light and a rate-limited feeding schedule. Following 2 months of free-running activity, all animals were administered methamphetamine (MA) i.p. (2 mg/kg) once every 31 h for 24 injection cycles. Average wave forms of wheel-running activity showed that animals did not anticipate the 31-h schedule of MA injections, but rather displayed circadian ensuing drug activity (CEDA) between 24 and 28 h following the injections. Post-injection meals failed to meet reliably the threshold necessary to achieve food-engendered anticipatory or ensuing activity. Cosinor analysis showed that the intensity of CEDA was strongly influenced by the relative phase of the free-running rhythm. CEDA was moderately influenced by the size of the post-injection bout of activity. Because injection times rotated daily throughout local time without repeating a time of day, CEDA resulting from a long T schedule of MA administration appeared to be based on one-trial resetting of a circadian-related mechanism by a major drug of abuse.
Diagnostic accuracy of indium-111 platelet scintigraphy in identifying left ventricular thrombi

This study defines the optimum imaging time window after injection of labeled platelet suspension for detection on left ventricular (LV) thrombi, identifies the most useful imaging views, and determines the reproducibility of this technique. A total of 662 images obtained from 64 patients were analyzed retrospectively on 2 separate occasions by 3 observers blinded as to patient identity, view (right anterior oblique, anterior, left anterior oblique, and left lateral), and time after injection of the platelet suspension that the images were obtained (0 to 2, 3 to 4, and 5 to 6 days). Images were categorized as either positive or negative. In every case surgical or autopsy verification of the presence or absence of LV thrombus was possible. The best combination of sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy was found in the 3- to 4-day period in the left anterior oblique view and was 54 +/- 5% (mean +/- standard deviation), 98 +/- 1%, and 85 +/- 2%, respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy were not enhanced by adding additional views (right anterior oblique, left lateral, and anterior) to the left anterior oblique view in the 3- to 4-day time period. However, using multiple views, localization of thrombi to the left ventricle was facilitated. In a second retrospective analysis, a comparison of day 0 with day 3 to 4 images enhanced sensitivity and accuracy to 65 (p less than 0.001) and 90% (not significant), respectively. Specificity was unchanged at 99%. Mean intra- and interobserver agreement was 91 and 88%, respectively. Thus, (1) indium-111 platelet scintigraphy is a reproducible and specific technique for identifying LV thrombus, and (2) we advise imaging on day 0 and again 3 to 4 days after injection of the platelet suspension in right anterior oblique, left anterior oblique, left lateral, and anterior views to maximize accuracy and to facilitate localization of LV thrombus.
Population Exchange and its Impact on Literacy, Occupation and Gender – Evidence from the Partition of India

How do large scale, involuntary migrations and population exchanges affect sending and receiving communities? We examine the case of the partition of India in which approximately 17 million people moved within four years, resulting in one of the largest and most rapid population exchanges in human history. We find large effects due to the migration on a district's educational, occupational, and gender composition. Due to higher education levels amongst migrants, districts with 10 per cent greater inflows saw their literacy rates increase by 3 percentage points, while a 10 per cent increase in outflows reduced literacy by 1.2 percentage points. Due to disparities in the amount of land vacated by migrants, Indian districts with 10 per cent greater inflows saw a decline of 11 per centin agricultural occupations. Districts that experienced high inflows and outflows also experienced changes in gender composition. While the partition, driven along religious lines, increased religious homogenization within communities, our results suggest that this was accompanied by increased educational and occupational differences within religious groups. We conclude that these compositional effects, in addition to an aggregate population impact, are probably features of involuntary migrations and population exchanges and, as in the case of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, can have important long-term consequences.
Cloning of human solid tumors in soft agar

Of 1,014 human solid tumors of various histologic types, 690 (68%) showed evidence of colony formation within 2 to 4 weeks. Tumors which grew particularly well were colon carcinoma (104/175), melanoma (134/155), lung carcinoma (62/85), breast cancer (100/140), ovarian carcinoma (50/67), and sarcoma (72/122). Histologic examination indicated that the colony-forming cells retained functional and morphologic features similar to those of the original tumor. Plating efficiencies varied between 0.01% and 0.2%, and the numbers of colonies observed formed a direct linear correlation with the number of cells plated. Recovery of viable tumor cells was increased when enzymatic tumor dissociation was used rather than a mechanical method. A simplified, supplemented medium resulted in improved cloning efficiencies when compared to previously reported methods (Hamburger and Salmon, 1977 b).
A Monte Carlo code for a time projection chamber

Abstract A Monte Carlo code was written to simulate the data collected in a time projection chamber that was used to measure the positron spectrum of muon decay. The computer code traced positrons through the detector, taking into account the nonuniformity of the magnetic field and other known systematic effects, and generated coordinates along simulated trajectories to give an accurate description of the acceptance-resolution function of the spectrometer. The event topology , i.e., the geometry of the positron trajectory, generated by the Monte Carlo program was compared with that of the experimental data. This comparison indicated a positive ion effect, which was subsequently modeled and incorporated in the simulation. The magnitude of this effect was determined on the basis of the event-topology comparison without reference to the momentum spectrum.
Purification and characterization of an enzyme from Mycobacterium sp. Pyr-1, with nitroreductase activity and an N-terminal sequence similar to lipoamide dehydrogenase

Mycobacterium sp. Pyr-1 produces an enzyme with nitroreductase activity that reduces 1-nitropyrene and 4-nitrobenzoic acid to the corresponding aromatic amines. This enzyme was constitutive and required NADH; and its activity was enhanced by FAD. It was inhibited by antimycin A, dicumarol, and o-iodosobenzoic acid; and it was inactivated by ammonium sulfate precipitation. After purification to homogeneity, the protein produced a single band on native and SDS-polyacrylamide gels and had a single amino-terminal sequence. The N-terminal amino acid sequence was identical to the corresponding sequences of the lipoamide dehydrogenases of M. leprae, M. tuberculosis and Corynebacterium glutamicum. The amino-terminal sequence was also similar to lipoamide dehydrogenases from M. smegmatis and several other bacteria. The amino acid sequence of an internal peptide (12 of 13 amino acids) was nearly identical to the corresponding sequences of lipoamide dehydrogenases from M. leprae and M. tuberculosis and was similar to those of C. glutamicum, Streptomyces coelicolor and S. seoulensis. The data show that a unique lipoamide dehydrogenase in Mycobacterium sp. Pyr-1, which differs from classic (Type I) bacterial nitroreductases, reduces aromatic nitro compounds to aromatic amines.
Behavioral sensitization to cocaine: modulation by the cyclic AMP system in the nucleus accumbens

We have previously observed that chronic cocaine administration increases levels of adenylyl cyclase and cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). In the present work we directly examined the involvement of the cAMP system at the level of the NAc in cocaine-induced locomotor activity and sensitization. Groups of rats were pretreated on 3 consecutive days with cocaine (10 mg/kg, i.p.) concurrently with intraacumbens infusion saline, 8-bromo-cAMP (2 micrograms/side; a membrane permanent analogue of cAMP which activates PKA), or RP-CPT-cAMP (20 nmol/side; which inhibits PKA). In a separate experiment, control animals received total infusion of either 8-bromo-cAMP or saline plus i.p. saline. All animals were tested for locomotor activity on pretreatment days, and following an additional cocaine challenge ona subsequent day. Over pretreatment days, animals given 8-bromo-cAMP showed greater cocaine-induced activity, while animals given RP-CPT-cAMP tended to be less active, compared to saline infused animals. When subsequently challenged with cocaine, animals pretreated with intraaccumbens 8-bromo-cAMP showed greater locomotor activity during the last 30 min of the 60 min test session than animals pretreated with saline or RP-CRT-cAMP. No differences in locomotor activity were evident between the two control groups on pretreatment or challenge days. These data suggest that PKA activation at the level of the NAc may have a facilitative role with respect to acute and long-term stimulant-induced locomotor activity.
Water stress and Sphaeropsissapinea as a latent pathogen of red pine seedlings.

Summary • The role of water stress in the initiation of collar rot by Sphaeropsis sapinea in asymptomatically colonized Pinus resinosa seedlings is reported. • Mortality and frequency of identification of the pathogen was quantified for seedlings subjected to different water regimes or watering regime–fungicide (benomyl) combinations in glasshouse experiments. • In experiment 1, seedling mortality ranged from 8% of repeatedly watered seedlings to 50% of those in the driest regime; data analysis indicated a high probability that mortality was not independent of watering regime. Seedlings developed symptoms resembling those of Sphaeropsis collar rot, and S. sapinea was identified from living (42%) and dead (92%) seedlings. In experiment 2, mortality of repeatedly watered seedlings was low, irrespective of fungicide application. For nonwatered seedlings, however, mortality was greater among seedlings not treated with fungicide (61%) than among benomyl-treated seedlings (37%); data analysis indicated a high probability that mortality was not independent of fungicide treatment. • Sphaeropsis sapinea can act as a latent pathogen; physiological alteration, through water stress, can effect release from the quiescent condition to result in rapid disease development.
Picosecond observation of electronic quenching. Br(2P12)+I2(ν=0)→Br(2P32)+I2(ν > 0) by geometrically restricted reaction

Abstract A picosecond time-resolved study of the interaction of Br with I2 is presented. The bromine atom is formed by photodissociation of the HBr in the van der Waals dimer HBr·I2 at 220 nm. The resultant molecular products are detected by picosecond REMPI. We see primarily vibrationally excited I2 with only a tiny amount of IBr visible to our REMPI scheme. Results show an interaction beginning on the spin-orbit excited reaction potential surface (Br(2P 1 2 )+I2). The electronically excited BrI2 complex internally converts to the one of the two states which correlate to ground state atoms on a time scale of 51 ps. The system then quickly dissociates resulting in vibrationally excited I2 and a ground state bromine atom.
SUPPRESSION OF PROLACTIN AND GONADOTROPIN SECRETION IN POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN BY 2-HYDROXYESTRONE

An infusion of 2-hydroxyestrone given to estrogen primed post-menopausal women resulted in a rapid and total suppression of serum prolactin. Serum LH responded with an initial rise followed by a 30% decrease below baseline values. Serum FSH exhibited a significant suppression below preinfusion levels. The catechol estrogen had no effect on serum LH, FSH and PRL in post-menopausal women who were not pretreated with estrogens. This impact of 2-hydroxyestrone on pituitary hormone secretion provides evidence for the physiological role of this non-uterotropic estrogen in the neuroendocrine mechanisms of the human.
A comparative assessment of small-head metal-on-metal and ceramic-on-polyethylene total hip replacement

Large-head metal-on-metal (MoM) total hip replacements (THR) have given rise to concern. Comparative studies of small-head MoM THRs over a longer follow-up period are lacking. Our objective was to compare the incidence of complications such as infection, dislocation, revision, adverse local tissue reactions, mortality and radiological and clinical outcomes in small-head (28 mm) MoM and ceramic-on-polyethylene (CoP) THRs up to 12 years post-operatively. A prospective cohort study included 3341 THRs in 2714 patients. The mean age was 69.1 years (range 24 to 98) and 1848 (55.3%) were performed in women, with a mean follow-up of 115 months (18 to 201). There were 883 MoM and 2458 CoP bearings. Crude incidence rates (cases/1000 person-years) were: infection 1.3 vs 0.8; dislocation 3.3 vs 3.1 and all-cause revision 4.3 vs 2.2, respectively. There was a significantly higher revision rate after ten years (adjusted hazard ratio 9.4; 95% CI 2.6 to 33.6) in the MoM group, and ten of 26 patients presented with an adverse local tissue reaction at revision. No differences in mortality, osteolysis or clinical outcome were seen. In conclusion, we found similar results for small-head MoM and CoP bearings up to ten years post-operatively, but after ten years MoM THRs had a higher risk of all-cause revision. Furthermore, the presence of an adverse response to metal debris seen in the small-head MOM group at revision is a cause for concern. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2014; 96-B:868–75.
Analysis of anisotropy decays in terms of correlation time distributions, measured by frequency-domain fluorometry

We describe the theory and practical aspects of analyzing fluorescence anisotropy decays in terms of correlation times distributions. In our model the rotational motions of the fluorophores were described using Gaussian or Lorentzian distributions of the correlation times. The theory is presented both for time and frequency-domain measurements, although the simulations and measurements are focused on the frequency-domain measurements of the anisotropy decays. Analysis of simulated data is presented to illustrate the nature of the data and the resolution which can be expected with presently available frequency-domain measurements. Additionally, we describe experimental data for samples where one can reasonably expect a single exponential and/or discrete multi-exponential correlation time distributions, and for samples where the anisotropy decay might be expected to display a distribution of correlation times. These samples include small single tryptophan peptides in propylene glycol, the single tryptophan residue in S. Nuclease, and the single tryptophan residue in the native and partially unfolded states of ribonuclease T1.
Relation of pulse pressure and blood pressure reduction to the incidence of myocardial infarction.

The prognostic value of pretreatment pulse pressure as a predictor of myocardial infarction and the relation of pulse pressure and in-treatment diastolic blood pressure reduction to myocardial infarction were investigated in a union-sponsored systematic hypertension control program. In a prospective study, 2207 hypertensive patients with a pretreatment systolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 160 mm Hg and/or diastolic pressure greater than or equal to 95 mm Hg grouped according to tertile of pulse pressure (PP1, or = 63 mm Hg) were further stratified by the degree of diastolic fall: large (L), > or = 18; moderate (M), 7 to 17; small (S), < or = 6 mm Hg. During an average follow-up of 5 years, 132 cardiovascular events (50 myocardial infarctions, 23 strokes) were observed. Myocardial infarction rates per 1000 person-years were positively related to pulse pressure (PP1, 3.5; PP2, 2.9; PP3, 7.5; PP3 versus PP1, P = .02). Wide pulse pressure was identified as a predictor of myocardial infarction (PP3 versus [PP1 + PP2]: relative risk [RR] = 2.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.2-4.1), controlling for other known risk factors by Cox regression. A curvilinear relation (resembling a J shape) between diastolic fall and myocardial infarction was observed in patients with the widest pulse pressure, PP3 (L, 9.5; M, 3.9; S, 11.2; L versus M: RR = 2.5, 95% CI = 1.0-6.2; S versus M: RR = 2.9, 95% CI = 1.1-8.0).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Biological monitoring part V—Preference and avoidance studies

Abstract Although the literature on preference and avoidance and other types of fish behavior (and to lesser extent of other aquatic organisms) is abundant, little industrial and regulatory interest in this subject is apparent. Two factors could change this situation: (a) An extention of U.S. legislation (and that of other countries) of Section 316 of U.S. Public Law 92-500 from heated wastewaters discharges to include chemicals. Essentially, such legislation provided for obtaining variances to state and federal legislation on the basis of site-specific evidence that no harm will result to the indigenous biota. In short, permission to make fuller use of the nondegrading natural assimilative capacity for industrial wastes would depend on the acquisition of a substantial information base at a particular locale. We have found temperature preference-avoidance and other behavior studies to be essential to the implementation of Section 316 (a) of Public Law 92-500. (b) Greater attention is paid to mixing zones. This term is used in the biological sense of an area in violation of existing standards for the protection of aquatic organisms. If the standards are not met at the point of discharge and a mixing zone is permitted, it would be helpful to show that zones of passage for migratory fish have not been disrupted and that organisms would not be attracted into lethal concentrations of toxic materials and that they would, in fact, avoid these consequences.
Asymptotic distribution of motifs in a stochastic context-free grammar model of RNA folding.

We analyze the distribution of RNA secondary structures given by the Knudsen–Hein stochastic context-free grammar used in the prediction program Pfold. Our main theorem gives relations between the expected number of these motifs—independent of the grammar probabilities. These relations are a consequence of proving that the distribution of base pairs, of helices, and of different types of loops is asymptotically Gaussian in this model of RNA folding. Proof techniques use singularity analysis of probability generating functions. We also demonstrate that these asymptotic results capture well the expected number of RNA base pairs in native ribosomal structures, and certain other aspects of their predicted secondary structures. In particular, we find that the predicted structures largely satisfy the expected relations, although the native structures do not.
A nonlinear stochastic heat equation: Hölder continuity and smoothness of the density of the solution

Abstract In this paper, we establish a version of the Feynman–Kac formula for multidimensional stochastic heat equation driven by a general semimartingale. This Feynman–Kac formula is then applied to study some nonlinear stochastic heat equations driven by nonhomogeneous Gaussian noise: first, an explicit expression for the Malliavin derivatives of the solutions is obtained. Based on the representation we obtain the smooth property of the density of the law of the solution. On the other hand, we also obtain the Holder continuity of the solutions.
A technique for obtaining a surface replica and a negatively stained image from the same biological object

Abstract A new technique is described that allows precisely the same area of a biological specimen to be viewed in the electron microscope both by shadowing and by negative staining. Both techniques increase contrast; however, with shadowing the upper surface of the specimen is shown in relief while negative staining produces a two-dimensional image. With the combined technique a direct correlation can be achieved between the structure of the surface and of the interior of an object.
Effect of Gender and Race on the Pharmacokinetics of Pentamidine in HIV-Infected Patients

Objectives: We studied the effects of race and gender on the pharmacokinetics of intravenously administered pentamidine as women and minorities have been under-represented in earlier studies and the incidence of HIV and opportunistic infection is increasing in these groups.
Electronic Cigarette Use and Exposure in the Pediatric Population

Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use has gained recent widespread popularity and acceptance in the general population. What effect e-cigarettes may have on pediatric health remains unknown. Although many jurisdictions have laws that prevent the sale of e-cigarettes to minors and the use of e-cigarettes in public places, infants, children, and adolescents are increasingly exposed to them. In this pediatric-focused review, we discuss the history of these devices, user demographics, known health effects, and current legislative efforts to protect minors from exposure.
Medicare health maintenance organizations and traditional coverage: Perceptions of health care among beneficiaries with disabilities

Abstract Beatty PW, Dhont KR. Medicare health maintenance organizations and traditional coverage: perceptions of health care among beneficiaries with disabilities. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2001;82:1009-17. Objective: To determine whether perceptions of access to, affordability of, and quality of health care services differ for Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities in health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and traditional Medicare coverage. Design: Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to determine the relationship between Medicare coverage type and perceptions of health care access, affordability, and quality. Setting: Noninstitutionalized Medicare beneficiaries across the United States. Participants: A random sample of 6116 beneficiaries who qualify for Medicare as working-age disabled ( n = 2250), or who qualify as elderly and have at least 1 instrumental activities of daily living limitation ( n = 3866). This subsample of the nationally representative Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) represents 11,627,107 beneficiaries with disabilities. Intervention: Questions about perception of access to primary care, affordability of care, and quality of care. Data derived from the 1994 MCBS Access to Care File. Main Outcome Measures: Dependent variables: perceptions of access to primary care, affordability, and satisfaction with quality of care. Independent variables: indicators of managed care status and health status level, severity of disability, Medicare qualification, age, and gender. Results: Beneficiaries with disabilities in HMOs perceive better access to primary care services, and greater affordability of health services than those with traditional Medicare coverage. Beneficiaries in poor health or with the most severe disabilities were most likely to perceive access and cost difficulties, regardless of coverage type. Conclusion: Medicare managed care appears generally to be meeting 2 of its goals—better access to primary care and more affordable care—though these advantages are not being shared by those with poor health status and/or severe disabilities. © 2001 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
A treatment of ferrite-M2C coherent phase equilibrium in high Co-Ni steels

Abstract Conditions for the equality of diffusion potentials and for a fixed jump in grand canonical free energy across the phase interface have been used to evaluate coherent ferrite/M2C carbide equilibrium in a series of high Co-Ni steels. Equilibrium calculations at the standard tempering temperature of 510C predict a substantial deviation from stoichiometry and a measurable solubility of iron in the M2C phase, both of which have been verified experimentally. Present model has been compared with a previous treatment of the same equilibrium which was based on the addition of coherent elastic energy to the Gibbs free energy- Implications of observed discrepancies between the two approaches have been discussed.
Cross tolerance to etorphine in rats tolerant to morphine-induced antidiuresis

Abstract Previously in the analgesic tail flick assay, mice and rats implanted with morphine pellets were shown to be highly tolerant to subcutaneously administered morphine but not to etorphine. The present purpose was to see whether the same differential response would be found to the antidiuretic response of morphine and etorphine in water-loaded rats because the presence of such a differential response would be of value in studying mechanisms of tolerance. Etorphine injected subcutaneously was about 1000x more potent than morphine in producing an antidiuretic response. Following chronic administration of morphine by pellet implantation, where the pellets remained in place during the drug challenge, profound tolerance developed to the antidiuretic effect of both morphine and etorphine. The dose-response curves for both were shifted to the right in non-parallel fashion with decreased slopes and antidiuretic efficacies. The large degree of tolerance developed to the antidiuretic effect of etorphine in morphine pellet implanted rats in contrast to the lack of development of tolerance to etorphine in the tail flick assay indicated that different mechanisms of development of tolerance exist for the two responses.
Survey of Ballute Technology for Aerocapture

Ballute aerodynamic decelerators have been studied since early in the space age (1960’s), being proposed for aerocapture in the early 1980’s. Significant technology advances in fabric and polymer materials as well as analysis capabilities lend credibility to the potential of ballute aerocapture. The concept of the thin-film ballute for aerocapture shows the potential for large mass savings over propulsive orbit insertion or rigid aeroshell aerocapture. The mass savings of this concept enables a number of high value science missions. Current studies of ballute aerocapture at Titan and Earth may lead to flight test of one or more ballute concepts within the next five years. This paper provides a survey of the literature with application to ballute aerocapture. Special attention is paid to advances in trajectory analysis, hypersonic aerothermodynamics, structural analysis, coupled analysis, and flight tests. Advances anticipated over the next 5 years are summarized.
Field dynamics, instabilities, and phase squeezing in the two-photon correlated-emission laser

Both stationary and time-dependent regimes of operation, instabilities, and phase squeezing are investigated in the off-resonant two-photon correlated-spontaneous-emission laser by numerical calculation. Initial atomic coherence plays an essential role in lasing without population inversion, phase locking, and phase noise squeezing in the system. Under certain conditions, in the inverted and noninverted regimes alike, the output intensity exhibits bistable behaviors against the initial atomic coherence. Depending on the parameters, the whole or a portion of the upper or lower branch gives stable operations. In the inverted regime, even tristable behavior can be found in a narrow range of parameters. The field evolution and dynamics are studied. Furthermore, phase noise reduction near bistable areas is also investigated. In addition to the lower branch, where from previous studies, it has been known to exist, phase squeezing is also found on the upper branch both with and without population inversion, thus generating a bright source of phase noise squeezed light.
FEM calculations of capillary rheometer flow for carbon-filled liquid crystal polymer composites

There is an emerging market for conductive resins for use in fuel cell bipolar plates. This research focuses on developing a finite element model of a capillary rheometer. Comsol Multiphysics 3.2b was used to model the flow of a remeltable thermoplastic matrix material, Vectra A950RX Liquid Crystal Polymer, with varying amounts of either a carbon black or synthetic graphite filler, to obtain the velocity profile and pressure drop of these composites within the capillary. Previous experimental results have shown that the molten composites obey a shear-thinning power law behavior. When comparing the model predicted pressure drops from the model with the experimental data, very good agreement was obtained. This signifies that the rheological behavior of the composites can be described by a power law relationship, using parameters specific to each composite. When comparing the modeled velocity profile with the theoretical profile, it was found for all composite formulations that the velocity becomes fully developed within a length of 0.05 times the diameter of the tube, independent of the power law parameters n and m. This work is a necessary first step in developing 2D or 3D mold filling simulations for fuel cell bipolar plate applications. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007
Investigation of accuracy characteristics of the method of interchannel gradient reconstruction of digital color images

Results of computational experiments aimed at studying the accuracy characteristics of interchannel gradient reconstruction of signals of color digital images distorted by impulse noise with different brightness distribution laws, which are not correlated between the channels, are generalized. Examples of interchannel reconstruction of color digital images on the basis of different sets of gradient estimates are presented.
Food choking hazards in children

OBJECTIVES: To review the literature on pediatric food choking risks, with the long-term goal of supporting legislation regulating the production, labeling, and distribution of high-risk foods. METHODS: A PubMed search (KEYWORDS: choking, obstruction, asphyxiation, foreign body, food) was conducted in July-September 2010 with publication dates ranging from 1966 to 2010. Study selection: Articles related to pediatric foreign body aspiration (FBA) were selected by three independent reviewers. 1145 articles were initially identified. Abstracts were then screened utilizing a tool designed to isolate relevant pediatric choking events; this tool helped to only select abstracts which presented data on patients younger than 18 years of age who had choked on food items. Through this, a total of 72 pertinent articles were isolated (55 observational studies, 17 case reports/series). Data extraction: For each study, patient age, sex, foreign body location, presenting signs and symptoms, utility of radiographic studies, and type of foreign body detected in the majority of study participants were determined. A "majority" of patients for each study was predetermined arbitrarily to be 2/3 of the studied population. RESULTS: The majority of patients in each observational study was determined to be: male (87% of all studies) and age Language: en
Isolation of nitro compounds from Astragalus species

Abstract From Astragalus canadensis var. Mortonii and A. flexuosus var. flexuosus , two nitropropanoic acid glucosides were isolated: karakin and 1,6-di-(3-nitropropanoyl)-1-β- d -glucopyranose. A. flexuosus was also found to contain other nitro compounds including miserotoxin. Two new chromatographic methods were introduced for rapid identification of nitro-containing compounds contained in crude plant extracts. The first involves modification of the Griess-Ilosvay method to produce a spray reagent for visualization of nitro-containing compounds on TLC. The second uses high pressure liquid chromatography with UV detection for nitro-containing compounds separated on a micro-Porasil column.
Immune cell regulation by autocrine purinergic signalling

Stimulation of almost all mammalian cell types leads to the release of cellular ATP and autocrine feedback through a diverse array of purinergic receptors. Depending on the types of purinergic receptors that are involved, autocrine signalling can promote or inhibit cell activation and fine-tune functional responses. Recent work has shown that autocrine signalling is an important checkpoint in immune cell activation and allows immune cells to adjust their functional responses based on the extracellular cues provided by their environment. This Review focuses on the roles of autocrine purinergic signalling in the regulation of both innate and adaptive immune responses and discusses the potential of targeting purinergic receptors for treating immune-mediated disease.
Effect of an in situ Hydrogen Plasma Pre-treatment on the Reduction of GaSb Native oxides Prior to Atomic Layer Deposition

Abstract The influence of an in situ hydrogen plasma pre-treatment on the modification of native oxides of GaSb surfaces prior to atomic layer deposition (ALD) is presented. The effects of varying rf-plasma power, exposure time, and substrate temperature have been characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), as well as capacitance–voltage ( C – V ) measurements on fabricated devices. Results indicate that a completely oxide free surface may not be necessary to produce a good electrical interface with a subsequent ALD Al 2 O 3 dielectric; the most effective hydrogen plasma treatments resulted in the absence of Sb-oxides, a reduction in elemental Sb, and an increase in the Ga 2 O 3 content at the interface. The use of an in situ hydrogen plasma pre-treatment eliminates the need for wet chemical etches and may also be relevant to the deposition of other high- k dielectrics, making it a promising technique for realizing high performance Sb-based MOS-devices.
A Mixed-Integer Programming Planning Model for Optimal Investment and Financing in Segmented International Capital Markets

This paper describes a corporate planning model for capital investment and financing with special reference to foreign direct investment. The paper begins by identifying some key elements of the investment and financing decision that differentiate this planning problem from that of the one-country firm. A deterministic model is then developed which addresses these considerations in the context of mathematical programming. The paper concludes with some observations on the practical application of the model.
Comparison of insulin and proinsulin storage in an islet adenoma and adjacent pancreas.

Abstract The storage of insulin and proinsulin in various subcellular compartments of an islet adenoma and islets from the adjacent pancreas was compared. The tumor had a greater concentration of proinsulin relative to insulin in the secretion granule fraction than the adjacent islets. The microsome fraction from both the adenoma and islets had a larger percentage of proinsulin compared to insulin in contrast to other fractions. In a tolbutamide tolerance test before surgery, the percentage of serum proinsulin relative to insulin was 53% before and 17% after tolbutamide. Proinsulin secretion was temporally separated from insulin secretion in the early phase.
Constraint-sensitive Catalan path statistics having the Narayana distribution

Abstract This paper concerns determining a new class of statistics for Catalan lattice paths that satisfy the Narayana distribution and account for certain specified behavior of the paths at the constraining boundary. Each new statistic is shown to be related, usually bijectively, to either a known or another new statistic having the Narayana distribution.