cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The kilogram, resurrected

Probably few scientists realize that in 1975 the National Bureau of Standards found significant inconsistencies in a series of mass measurements which included the standard kilogram {Science, 90,379, 1975). The ‘anomalous’ results, now attributed to a miscalculation of Archimedes' principle, were major. The magnitude of the error amounted to 1 milligram (in 1 kilogram). A subsequent study of the results now seems to resolve most of the differences (Science, 207, 1347, 1980). There are no further reasons to believe that anomalous behavior or violations of Archimedes' principle were observed, and yet significant differences (on the order of 40 µg uncertainty in 1 kg, compared to the precision of the best kilogram comparators of 1 µg) still remain between masses of different materials, such as platinum and stainless steel.
PARECOXIB VERSUS IBUPROFEN: Author's response

The first thing I noted in Dr. Richard Hubbard and colleagues’ November JADA article, “The Analgesic Efficacy of Intramuscular Parecoxib Sodium in Postoperative Dental Pain,” was that there was no comparison of parecoxib to an analgesic/anti-inflammatory agent we are all familiar with: ibuprofen. Instead, the article compared intramuscular (IM) parecoxib to IM ketorolac for dental surgical postoperative pain. The authors state that the two drugs are equal in efficacy for dental postsurgical pain. Both are more effective than placebo. Big deal. This comparison is of little value, except to Pfizer Global Pharmaceuticals, which sponsored the research. All of the researchers, by the way, are either employees of or consultants for Pfizer. A quick search online showed that 60 milligrams of ketorolac IM was no more effective for emergency room patients in pain than 800 mg of ibuprofen by mouth. This was a doubleblind study reported in the Academy of Emergency Medicine. Even though 60 mg of ketorolac is double that in the present study, it was no more effective than 800 mg of ibuprofen. It might even be possible that ibuprofen reduces pain more than parecoxib, but we won’t know from this study. A study in the Journal of Postgraduate Medicine concluded that ketorolac is comparable with ibuprofen in analgesic efficacy in 20 postoperative patients and 20 postlaparoscopy patients. If we are to consider speed of onset of analgesia, it is simple to administer ibuprofen before the procedure for effective analgesia when the local anesthetic wears off. Faster onset than this is unnecessary in most dental procedures. Both parecoxib and ketorolac are much more expensive than ibuprofen, and much more profitable for their manufacturers, but have no added value for patients in pain, except for those relatively few who are unable to take oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. As dentists, with our patients’ and society’s best interests as our guide, we should prescribe the least expensive medication that will safely provide the best results in a class of drugs. There are very few patients who would benefit from IM parecoxib. I am surprised that this mostly irrelevant article made it through the review process to be published in JADA. It seems to belong in the new products section instead of the research studies section. Robert L. Wartell, D.D.S. Department of Wet-Gloved Dentistry Santa Fe, N.M. 1. Neighbor ML, Puntillo KA. Intramuscular ketorolac vs. oral ibuprofen in emergency department patients with acute pain. Acad Emerg Med 1998;5(2):118-22. 2. Anaokar SM, Parulekar SV, Thatte UM, Dahanukar SA. A multiple dose comparison of ketorolac tromethamine with ibuprofen for analgesic activity. J Postgrad Med 1993;39(2):74-6.
Sperm flagellar motion maintained by ADP.

Abstract Bull and human sperm which are dissected or impaled retain wave motion in the presence of 10 mM ADP. Unlike ATP-induced motility which must be mechanically initiated, ADP-induced motility requires no initiation. The activity observed appears similar to that of intact cells. Flagellar segments which are detached from the head and middle piece are capable of sustaining coordinated motility. Asymmetric motion resembling a ciliary beat can also be exhibited by free flagellar segments.
How to administrate erythropoietin, intravenous or subcutaneous?

Aim To determine whether adding recombinant erythropoietin to the intravenous (IV) solution and administering it as a 24-h continuous infusion would result in an erythropoietic effect not inferior to that seen with subcutaneous (SC) administration. Methods Infants weighing ≤1500 grams and ≤32 weeks of gestational age were randomly assigned at 72 h of life to receive erythropoietin (300 units/kg, 3 times a week until 36 complete weeks of postmenstrual age or discharge), either subcutaneously [erythropoietin subcutaneous (ESC) group] or added to IV fluids [erythropoietin intravenous (EIV) group]. Results One hundred infants were randomized (50 in the EIV group and 50 in the ESC group). The incidence of transfusions was comparable in the two groups, similar in baseline characteristics and haematologic values at study entry. Phlebotomy losses did not differ between groups, and at the end of the study, there were no differences in reticulocyte counts, transferrin saturation and ferritin. No differences in the incidence of side effects were observed. Conclusions In preterm infants, continuous intravenous administration of erythropoietin was not inferior to SC dosing.
Chaos-induced turbulent diffusion

Abstract It is shown that “super diffusion” (i.e., the rate of growth of the variance of displacements is faster than linear in time) can be caused by a chaotic mechanism. A one-dimensional amplified climbing-sine model generates a diffusive process with the variance growing asymptotically like t m , 1 m B t ( B : constant > 1).
Impact of inhomogeneous optical scattering coefficient distribution on recovery of optical absorption coefficient maps using tomographic photoacoustic data.

We present a study through extensive simulation that considers the impact of inhomogeneous optical scattering coefficient distribution on recovery of optical absorption coefficient maps using tomographic photoacoustic data collected from media mimicking breast tissue. We found that while the impact of scattering heterogeneities/targets is modest on photoacoustic recovery of optical absorption coefficients, the impact of scattering contrast caused by adipose tissue, a layer of normal tissue along the boundary of the breast, is dramatic on reconstruction of optical absorption coefficients using photoacoustic data—up to 25.8% relative error in recovering the absorption coefficient is estimated in such cases. To overcome this problem, we propose a new method to enhance photoacoustic recovery of the optical absorption coefficient in heterogeneous media by considering inhomogeneous scattering coefficient distribution provided by diffuse optical tomography (DOT). Results from extensive simulations show that photoacoustic recovery of absorption coefficient maps can be improved considerably with a priori scattering information from DOT.
Sorption and degradation of atrazine in middens formed by Lumbricus terrestris.

Little information is available about the fate of herbicides in middens formed by Lumbricus terrestris. The midden and surrounding soil materials from no-till and conventionally tilled fields were measured for their ability to sorb and biodegrade atrazine [2-chloro-4-(ethylamino)-6-(isopropylamino)-s-triazine]. For samples from the conventional tillage system, atrazine sorption was similar in middens and in the surrounding soil, while under no-till atrazine sorption was higher in middens than in the surrounding soil. Atrazine degradation under no-till was slower in the middens than in the surrounding soil, consistent with a commonly observed inverse relationship of sorption and degradation. Under conventional tillage, however, atrazine degradation was greater in the middens than in the surrounding soil, despite little difference in sorption between the two treatments.
Modern Cathode-Ray Oscillograph for Testing Lightning Arresters

THIS oscillograph was designed to meet the specialized needs of a group that uses the cathode-ray oscillograph as the principal tool in the study of transients in-lightning-arrester development. The instrument is desirable for many purposes, especially those requiring very high writing speeds in connection with nonrepetitive transients where photographic records must be obtained. Other requirements of primary importance in the design were convenience of operation; accuracy of measurement of current, voltage, and time; accuracy of the timing; and linearity and rectilinearity of the plate pattern.
Inverse Problems With Errors in the Independent Variables Errors-in-Variables, Total Least Squares, and Bayesian Inference

Most practioners of inverse problems use least squares or maximum likelihood (MLE) to estimate parameters with the assumption that the errors are normally distributed. When there are errors both in the measured responses and in the independent variables, or in the model itself, more information is needed and these approaches may not lead to the best estimates. A review of the error-in-variables (EIV) models shows that other approaches are necessary and in some cases Bayesian inference is to be preferred.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Predicting polyposis severity by proctoscopy: how reliable is it?

PURPOSE: Patients with familial adenomatous polyposis need prophylactic colectomy and ileorectal anastomosis or restorative proctocolectomy. Preoperative rectal polyp counts have been used as one factor to determine which operation should be done, triaging patients according to risk of rectal cancer or completion proctectomy after ileorectal anastomosis. This study was designed to examine the reliability of preoperative proctoscopy in predicting familial adenomatous polyposis severity and outcome after ileorectal anastomosis. METHODS: Familial adenomatous polyposis patients were categorized according to preoperative proctoscopy as follows: Group 1, 5 or fewer adenomas; Group 2, 6 to 19 adenomas; Group 3, 20 or more adenomas. Familial adenomatous polyposis severity was defined as mild if there were 1,000 polyps. RESULTS: A total of 213 patients were reviewed, 80 in Group 1, 59 in Group 2, and 74 in Group 3. There was no difference among the groups in mean age at presentation. Patients with fewer than five rectal adenomas were predominately females. They rarely had symptoms (22.8 percent), had mostly mild polyposis (86.5 percent), and in 74 of 80 cases underwent ileorectal anastomosis. Only six underwent restorative proctocolectomy. Of those having an ileorectal anastomosis, five needed later proctectomy, none for cancer. Patients with 6 to 19 rectal polyps were a similar group to those with 5 or fewer. Most were asymptomatic (67.8 percent), most had mild polyposis (81.6 percent), and 54 of 59 underwent ileorectal anastomosis (5 had restorative proctocolectomy). Only 3 of the 54 having ileorectal anastomosis needed subsequent proctectomy, 2 for rectal cancer. The patients with 20 or more rectal polyps were different. They usually presented with symptoms (86 percent), the majority (56.6 percent) had severe polyposis, and only 50 percent (37/74) underwent ileorectal anastomosis, the other half having restorative proctocolectomy. Of the 37 patients with an ileorectal anastomosis, 13 needed later proctectomy (35.1 percent), 4 for cancer (10.8 percent). CONCLUSION: Fewer than five rectal adenomas at presentation almost always predicts mild disease, and patients do well after ileorectal anastomosis. Twenty or more adenomas usually means severe disease. Patients with 6 to 19 adenomas are often mildly affected, but their phenotype is less benign than that of patients with fewer than five polyps. Although not foolproof, proctoscopy is a useful test in triaging patients with familial adenomatous polyposis according to disease severity.
An epidemiologic study of early onset lung cancer

Summary Using cases from an ongoing case–control study, we completed a case series analysis by comparing epidemiologic, clinical and survival characteristics among lung cancer patients characterized by age at diagnosis. Our sample included 230 early onset lung cancer (EOLC) (all Caucasian and no older than 50 years of age at diagnosis) and 426 later-onset cases (LOLC) (all Caucasian and no younger than 70 years of age at diagnosis) who were referred to The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston between 1995 and 2004. Detailed lifestyle, exposure, clinical, survival and self-reported cancer family history data were available from personal interviews. We observed a higher proportion of never smokers (23.9%) for the EOLC cases as compared to the LOLC cases (17.6%) and a higher proportion of former smokers (59.4%) among the LOLC cases compared to EOLC cases (17.8%). Adenocarcinoma was the most common histology (55.2%) among the EOLC cases. More (83.4%) of the EOLC cases presented with stage 3 or 4 lung cancer compared to the LOLC cases (58.6%). Median ( M ) survival was 16.7 months among the EOLC cases ( M =19.2 months for the LOLC cases) and the 24-month survival rate was 20.6% for the EOLC cases and 29.5% for the LOLC cases. Female EOLC cases ( M =20.7 months) exhibited better survival than male EOLC cases ( M =13.0 months, P =0.004). EOLC cases diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma had poorer survival ( M =8.2 months) compared to cases with other histologies ( P P
Abstract C02: Transient metabolic complex, the purinosome, for metabolic adaptation in cancer cells

Sequential metabolic enzymes have long been hypothesized to form transient multienzyme complexes to regulate metabolic pathways in cells. Human de novo purine biosynthetic complex, the “purinosome,” stands as first examples of this cellular phenomenon. The purinosome formation indeed increased desired metabolic flux in cells. The purinosome assembly/disassembly was also dynamically regulated by multiple cellular factors; including microtubule networks, protein kinase CK2, and Gi-protein coupled receptors. However, we barely understand the structural organization of the purinosome. We will discuss our recent progress providing unprecedented insights into the mechanism of purinosome assembly/disassembly upon environmental changes. Taken together with our knowledge of purinosome regulatory systems, we propose that the purinosome dynamics could be part of metabolic alterations and adaptations of cancer cells. Given that purine biosynthesis has been a validated target for anticancer chemotherapy, this new level of understanding purine biosynthesis will open new opportunities of therapeutic intervention in human cancers. Citation Format: Songon An, Minjoung Kyoung. Transient metabolic complex, the purinosome, for metabolic adaptation in cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Third AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Basic Cancer Research; Sep 18-22, 2013; National Harbor, MD. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(19 Suppl):Abstract nr C02.
Cystic fibrosis and hemolytic uremic syndrome coexisting during pregnancy.

Abstract BACKGROUND: As more women with cystic fibrosis are living into their reproductive years, this disease can complicate pregnancy and coexist with other entities. We report a case of cystic fibrosis with hemolytic uremic syndrome. CASE: An 18-year-old primigravida with cystic fibrosis was admitted at term with pulmonary symptoms, hypertension, and thrombocytopenia. She was delivered with the admitting diagnosis of severe preeclampsia. Postpartum, thrombocytopenia, and microangiopathic hemolytic anemia worsened. She developed renal failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome, requiring plasmapheresis, mechanical ventilation, and hemodialysis. Renal biopsy was consistent with the diagnosis of hemolytic uremic syndrome. CONCLUSION: Cystic fibrosis, a disease once managed predominantly by pediatric subspecialists, will be seen increasingly by physicians caring for adults, including obstetrician-gynecologists. We may also expect to see it coexisting with other disorders. The management of such patients may prove challenging.
Autocrine, paracrine and juxtacrine signaling by EGFR ligands

Receptor and cytoplasmic protein tyrosine kinases play prominent roles in the control of a range of cellular processes during embryonic development and in the regulation of many metabolic and physiological processes in a variety of tissues and organs. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a well-known and versatile signal transducer that has been highly conserved during evolution. It functions in a wide range of cellular processes, including cell fate determination, proliferation, cell migration and apoptosis. The number of ligands that can activate the EGF receptor has increased during evolution. These ligands are synthesized as membrane-anchored precursor forms that are later shed by metalloproteinase-dependent cleavage to generate soluble ligands. In certain circumstances the membrane anchored isoforms as well as soluble growth factors may also act as biologically active ligands; therefore depending on the circumstances these ligands may induce juxtacrine, autocrine, paracrine and/or endocrine signaling. In this review, we discuss the different ways that EGFR ligands can activate the receptor and the possible biological implications.
ROBINSON, PETER. (Ed.). Second Language Task Complexity: Researching the Cognition Hypothesis of Language Learning and Performance. Philadelphia/Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 2011. Pp. xii, 345. $149.00, cloth. ISBN 978–90–272–0719–7.

The article reviews the book "Second Language Task Complexity: Researching the Cognition Hypothesis of Language Learning and Performance" edited by Peter Robinson.
Plant a radish, get a radish: Case study of kindergarten teachers’ differing literacy belief systems

Abstract This study explores the relationship between two teachers’ literacy belief systems, and their children's understanding of literacy. Researchers addressed issues of teachers’ decision making, practical and personal knowledge, and pedagogical knowledge which serve to form belief systems in teaching literacy. Researchers interviewed two philosophically differing kindergarten teachers regarding their views, beliefs, and practices in teaching literacy to kindergarten populations. Then, kindergarten students were interviewed at the end of the school year regarding their understanding of reading and writing as a direct or indirect result of teachers’ differing belief systems. Other data collected at the end of the school year include students’ demonstration of their knowledge of literacy through participation in the following tasks: Clay's concepts of print, a word reading task, phonemic segmentation tasks, and writing samples.
An automated fluorometric procedure for the enzymatic determination of ethanol in fingertip blood.

An automated fluorometric procedure, using AutoAnalyzer modules and based on the alcohol dehydrogenase reaction, has been developed for the determination of ethanol in fingertip capillary blood samples. Whole blood is measured directly from the finger prick into 0.02-ml. capacity automatic-filling disposable micropipets. The sample is quickly discharged into an AutoAnalyzer cup containing 1.0 ml. of water. This dilution can be placed on the sampler plate for immediate analysis or preserved under refrigeration for future use. The time required for sample flow from sampler to fluorometer cuvet (and recording of results) is 16 min. The coefficient of variation of replicate analyses is approximately 1%. Analyses of blood to which varying amounts of ethanol was added gave a mean recovery of 101%. As described, the method is designed to extend over the ethanol concentration range of 10-300 mg./100 ml. of whole blood. Analysis of undiluted blood or of weaker dilutions of blood samples would permit the accurate determination of as little ethanol in whole blood as 0.2 mg./100 ml. or as much as 600 mg./100 ml.
Remarks on the time-optimal control of two-link manipulators

Various preliminary results are given related to the problem of characterizing singular and time-optimal trajectories for (planar, rigid) two-link robotic manipulators with torque constraints. Most of the results are consequences of the nice Lie-algebraic structure of the corresponding control system.
Collapsed-cone based deformation field regularization for nonrigid image registration

Incorporating biomedical information into nonrigid image registration is an important approach to improve the registration quality and provide realistic results. However, previous tissue-dependent deformation field filtering incur a relatively high computation cost in order to obtain results of improved quality. In this paper, we propose a collapsed-cone based adaptive filtering method to reduce the computational overhead of regularization. The filter is designed to change its filtering parameters dynamically at each voxel according to the tissue characteristics and the deformation of the surrounding voxels. The proposed filter is integrated into the demons deformable registration method to evaluate its effectiveness and performance. The evaluation is performed on a set of 3D computed tomography (CT) images and the result quality is compared with the output of those without applying the tissue-dependent filter. The results show that our proposed method can preserve the global features better. Based on the measure of sum of squared differences (SSD), the proposed method is also found converging faster and leading to lower SSD.
Cytogenetic characterization of natural killer cell leukemia

Natural killer (NK) cell neoplasms are rare neoplasms characterized by cells with NK characteristics. Few descriptions of the karyotype of this tumor are available. We describe a case with sequential analysis of the karyotype over a 3-month period. Cytogenetic analyses performed on specimens from the patient's peripheral blood and bone marrow generated similar results. Karyotype of the unstimulated peripheral blood at diagnosis was 46,XX,i(7)(q10),der(17)t(1;17)(q21;p11.1),-18,+mar[15]. Notably, a single cell with only an i(7q) was found, suggesting that this was the primary chromosomal abnormality in the neoplasm. The second specimen, 2 weeks later, was from bone marrow. Both the i(7q) and der(17) were present in two clones, which differed from each other in having two distinct derivative chromosomes 10. In one clone, the additional material on the short arm of chromosome 10 appears to have originated from either chromosome 1p or chromosome 22q, whereas for the second clone the donor of the additional material is most likely chromosome 8q. Thus, the karyotype for the bone marrow specimen is 46,XX,i(7)(q10),add(10)(p11.2),der(17)t(1;17)(q21;p11.1)[8]/46,XX,i(7)(q10),der(10)t(8;10)(q21;p12),der(17)t(1;17)(q21;p11.1)[3]/46,XX[14]. A final bone marrow specimen, after chemotherapy and shortly before the patient's death, showed abnormalities similar to those identified previously. The abnormalities seen in chromosomes 7 and 17 are consistent with previous reports of chromosomal abnormalities in NK-cell lymphomas.
Development of a Variable Inertia Reaction Wheel System for Spacecraft Attitude Control

*† * * ‡ Attitude control is an important basic function for most spacecraft. The primary objective of this experiment was to improve the capability and flexibility of a reaction wheel attitude control system by introducing variable inertia reaction wheels. This enhancement might provide at least two advantages: variable precision and vehicle reorientation without changing the reaction wheel angular velocity. To demonstrate these advantages, a prototype of a variable inertia reaction wheel system was flown in a microgravity environment aboard NASA’s KC-135A “Weightless Wonder V” aircraft as a free floating experiment. The data collected during flight suggests the control system performed well, and that a variable inertia system offers increased flexibility in attitude control.
Accumulation and maternal transfer of polychlorinated biphenyls in snapping turtles of the upper Hudson River, New York, USA.

We conducted field studies over three years to assess body burdens and maternal transfer of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as well as indices of sexual dimorphism in snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) of the upper Hudson River (NY, USA.) We collected adult turtles in areas known to be contaminated with PCBs and in nearby reference areas for measurement of body size, precloacal length, and penis size. We analyzed PCB concentrations in eggs collected over three years and in whole blood from adults in one year. Total PCB concentrations (mean ± standard error) in eggs were 2,800 ± 520 and 59 ± 5 ng/g wet weight in the contaminated area and the reference area, respectively. Eggs from the contaminated area were significantly enriched in tri-, penta-, and hepta-PCBs relative to the reference area. Blood from adults in the contaminated area averaged 475 ± 200 and 125 ± 34 ng/g wet weight for males and females, respectively. In the reference area, blood PCB concentrations were 7 ± 3 and 4 ± 1 ng/g wet weight for males and females, respectively. Significant positive relationships were found between carapace length and blood PCB concentration for both sexes in the contaminated area; however, only a marginal relationship was found between female carapace length and concentration of PCBs in their eggs. Our results suggest that PCB contamination of the upper Hudson River presents risks of establishing high body burdens and of maternal transfer of PCBs to eggs, although our measures of gross morphology revealed no discernable expression of abnormal sexual development or reproduction.
Digitally linearized wide-band photonic link

A photonic analog-to-digital (A/D) link with third-order distortion suppression is proposed and demonstrated. Experimental results with single-and two-tone analog input signals and a one giga-sample per second (GSPS) photonic A/D system with 500-MHz instantaneous bandwidth are presented. The application of a simple time-domain linearization scheme results in distortion suppression approaching 30 dB and allows optical modulation depths over 80%.
Making sense out of intuition

Executive Overview A small but vocal band of popular writers argues that executives should rely more on intuition and less on the systematic analysis long considered to be good management practice. Making sense out of this recommendation is hampered by the fact that those who write about intuitive management decision making conceptualize intuition in at least six separate ways: as a paranormal power or sixth sense; as a personality trait; as an unconscious process; as a set of actions; as distilled experience; and as a residual category. The differences among these conceptualizations are not trivial. Each one carries special implications for the men and women who ultimately must, analytically or intuitively, make the decisions that guide firms. Specifically, they lead to different conclusions about recruiting and developing intuitive executives and the usefulness of intuition as a managerial tool.
The role of vendor in eCRM tool development

Purpose – A paucity of research on the motivations and goals of vendors who develop electronic customer relationship management (eCRM) tools and systems exists in the literature. This is an important gap in the literature because many eCRM systems are products of outsourcing (to vendors). This paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approach – This exploratory case study focuses on an international van‐based service franchise and the experiences of the vendor, company, and franchisees as they design, develop, and implement certain eCRM tools. Participants include the president and founder of the eCRM vendor company, the chief executive officer, chief financial officer, and marketing director from the franchisor company, and six franchisees. This paper is triangulated via personal interviews, member‐checking interviews, and relevant literature from information systems (IS) and marketing.Findings – Specifically, this paper sheds light on the role and influence of the vendor in the design, deve...
Ontogenetic and seasonal variation in the diets of a Costa Rican leaf-litter herpetofauna

Ontogenetic and seasonal variation in diet was examined for 11 species of insectivorous forest-floor frogs and lizards from a lowland wet forest in north-eastern Costa Rica. Specimens were collected systematically over an entire seasonal cycle and represented individuals of all sizes. Individual prey items were removed from stomachs of preserved specimens, measured and identified. Ontogenetic shifts in prey size were pervasive. Ontogenetic shifts in prey composition were limited to four species; these were not the species with greatest range in body size, nor the species with the broadest diets. Small prey types (ants, mites, collembolans) decreased in representation and large prey types (roaches, orthopterans, millipedes) increased in importance over ontogeny; this could be because prey selection is based primarily on prey size or because of different prey preferences among age classes. There is little evidence for size-structure in this assemblage. There is no evidence that total availability of arthropod prey varies among seasons, but some evidence that preferred prey are less common in the wet season. Diet was similar between lizards and frogs. Lizards were more likely to have empty stomachs, but also greater stomach volume, than frogs; this indicates a difference in food-gathering strategies. Our study indicates strong similarity between frogs and lizards in diet despite enormous differences in physiology and behaviour.
Internet Attack Traceback - Cross-validation and Pebble Tracing

It is of strategic importance for our cyber space security to be able to trace back to the origin of an Internet attack. However, it is particularly challenging due to the evading techniques that attackers use: IP spoofing and attacking across stepping stones. A number of attack traceback methods have been proposed; most of them deal with DoS/DDoS attacks or do not perform well in a non-cooperate or hostile environment. In this contribution, we propose a single packet and host-based traceback scheme. It consists of two phases: Cross-Validation for coping with IP spoofing; and Pebble-Trace for uncovering original attack host location. Cross-Validation is the process that a validation server analyzes an attack packet and determines whether its source IP address is spoofed for making a decision on the feasibility and strategy of traceback. If a source IP address is invalid, we can only black-list and block it. Otherwise, we propose a new technique called Pebble-Trace to uncover the attack original source by probing packets. While a probing packet from the validation server traverses through stepping stones to the attacker it spreads tracing packets on its way, which "report" the IP address of the machine that it traverses (or its payload passes) through back to the validation server. All the trace operations are done automatically and secretly to prevent the attacker from detecting and evading the process.
Was a ‘hyperdisease’ responsible for the late Pleistocene megafaunal extinction?

Numerous hypotheses have been proposed to explain the end Pleistocene extinction of large bodied mammals. The disease hypothesis attributes the extinction to the arrival of a novel hyperdisease brought by immigrating aboriginal humans. However, until West Nile virus (WNV) invaded the United States, no known disease met the criteria of a hyperdisease. We evaluate the disease hypothesis using WNV in the United States as a model system. We show that WNV is size-biased in its infection of North America birds, but is unlikely to result in an extinction similar to that of the end Pleistocene. WNV infects birds more uniformly across the body size spectrum than extinctions did across mammals and is not size-biased within orders. Our study explores the potential impact of WNV on bird populations and provides no support for disease as a causal mechanism for the end Pleistocene megafaunal extinction.
Physician advice on avoiding secondhand smoke exposure and referrals for smoking cessation services

Background Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure causes premature death and disease. Eliminating smoking in indoor spaces is the only way to fully protect nonsmokers from SHS exposure, and also contributes to helping smokers quit smoking. Primary health care providers can play an important role in advising nonsmoking patients to avoid SHS exposure, cautioning current smokers against exposing others to SHS, and referring tobacco users to cessation programs.
Brain Hemispheric Differences in the Neurochemical Effects of Lead, Prenatal Stress and the Combination and Their Amelioration by Behavioral Experience

Brain lateralization, critical to mediation of cognitive functions and to “multitasking,” is disrupted in conditions such as attention deficit disorder and schizophrenia. Both low-level lead (Pb) exposure and prenatal stress (PS) have been associated with mesocorticolimbic system–mediated executive-function cognitive and attention deficits. Mesocorticolimbic systems demonstrate significant laterality. Thus, altered brain lateralization could play a role in this behavioral toxicity. This study examined laterality of mesocorticolimbic monoamines (frontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, striatum, midbrain) and amino acids (frontal cortex) in male and female rats subjected to lifetime Pb exposure (0 or 50 ppm in drinking water), PS (restraint stress on gestational days 16–17), or the combination with and without repeated learning behavioral experience. Control males exhibited prominent laterality, particularly in midbrain and also in frontal cortex and striatum; females exhibited less laterality, and this was primarily striatal. Lateralized Pb ± PS induced neurotransmitter changes
An Engineering View of Public Transit

Description of five divergent views of public transit; only comprehensive plans developed by civil engineers, firmly grounded in planning, offer hope for effective use of mass transportation in modern urban evolution.
PEM Fuel Cell Durability With Transportation Transient Operation

PEM fuel cell durability testing is performed with tests conducted using steady-state conditions, with dynamic conditions using power cycling simulating a vehicle drive cycle and by accelerated testing methods. The long-term performance characteristics of MEAs, Electrocatalysts and Gas Diffusion Layers (GDLs) and their impact on PEMFC durability are evaluated in terms of their associated degradation mechanisms. Testing simulating automotive drive cycles show a greater rate of particle growth than do tests in which the cell potential is held constant. The loss of electroactive Pt surface area is shown to be due primarily to the growth in platinum particle size; particle growth appears to have multiple growth mechanisms. Cathode particle size growth is dependent on temperature, relative humidity and potential. Cell performance degradation due to mass transport limitations correlates with changing hydrophobicity of GDL materials.
Abstract 2174: Differential gene overexpression in highly malignanterbB2/neutransformed rat BDE1 cholangiocytes versus less aggressive spontaneously transformed BDE1 cholangiocytes

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is a highly malignant primary hepatobiliary cancer often presenting as advanced disease with a dismal prognosis. Despite advances, the molecular pathogenesis of cholangiocarcinoma progression is still poorly understood. Previously, we described a unique “patient-like” animal model of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma based on bile duct inoculation of highly malignant erbB2/neu transformed rat BDE1 cholangiocytes (BDEneu cells) compared to less malignant spontaneously transformed BDE1 cholangiocytes (BDEsp cells) into the livers of syngeneic rats (Sirica, A.E., et al. 2008; 47:1178-1190). The aim of this study was to use gene expression microarray analysis, validated with quantitative real-time RT-PCR, to provide a profile of significantly overexpressed gene targets in highly tumorigenic BDEneu cells and resultant tumors compared to less malignant BDEsp cells and tumors. Our microarray analysis identified 4,711 probe sets that were significantly (q 600-fold and >100-fold, respectively, in the BDE liver tumors when compared to the cultured BDE cell lines, supporting their tumor stromal origin. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis of BDEneu tumors further demonstrated a strong positive correlation between increased levels of mRNA transcripts for selected genes (i.e., Sox 17, keratin 20, sphingosine kinase 1, and amphiregulin) and progressively increased liver tumor size. Interestingly, amphiregulin mRNA, which was determined to be underexpressed in cultured BDEneu cells compared to BDEsp cells, was significantly increased in the BDEneu tumors over that expressed in the BDEsp tumors, and appeared to correlate with progression in BDEneu cholangiocarcinoma. (Supported by R01 CA 39225 and R01 CA 83650 to A.E.S). Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2174.
The analysis of the operated temporal bone injuries

An analysis of temporal bone injuries operated on in our hospital is reported. Twenty-one cases with traumatized middle and inner ears were operated on at the Division of Otolaryngology, Mitsui Memorial Hospital from January 1993 to September 2006. Causes of the trauma were self-inflicted injury (28%) and assault (24%). Sixteen cases (76%) of the patients had disruption of the tympanic membrane without ossicular damage. Ten percent of the patients had inner ear damage and 14% had disruption of the tympanic membrane with ossicular damage. The frequent cause of tympanic membrane disruption was assault (32%). The mean period from the trauma to the operation was 5 months.
Development of a 96-microwell plate DNA chip for detection of foodborne bacteria

Objective:To develop a 96-microwell plate DNA chip for simultaneous detection of 12 major foodborne bacteria.Methods: Specific PCR primers and oligonucleotide probes were designed according to the conservative genes of 12 major foodborne bacteria,the DNA probes were spotted and immobilized in the wells of the plate in 5×5 array format.Stable hybridization system between PCR products and oligonucleotide probes in the microwell was established.Alkaline phosphatase-conjugated streptavidin and NBT/BCIP were used to detect the hybridized PCR products.Results: Standard bacteria strains were used to validate the novel DNA chip and highly sensitive,specific and stable experiment results were obtained.Using this diagnostic system,the causal pathogen that identified from an incident of food poisoning was consistent with that obtained using conventional bacterial culture and biochemical identification.Conclusion: The novel diagnostic system allows rapid,accurate,automated and high-throughput bacterial detection and is especially valuable for quick response to such public health emergencies like food poisoning.
A Case Study in Using Discrete-Event Simulation to Improve the Scalability of MG-RAST

As the cost of DNA sequencing has decreased, computational biology data processing platforms are experiencing an increasingly large volume of data analysis requests. The metagenomics analysis server MG-RAST at Argonne National Laboratory, a computational biology data processing platform, is receiving several terabytes of data submissions per month. However, MG-RAST currently relies on a central object-based data store, Shock, for data access and storage that can become a bottleneck under high data transfer loads, adversely affecting the job response time for end users. In this work, we use a discrete-event simulation approach to explore the use of data proxies and an enhanced, proxy-aware scheduling methodology designed to reduce the movement of the intermediate data generated during workflow processing. In this approach, Shock is supplemented with proxy storage servers, employing solid state drives, to decentralize the management and hence reduce the movement of intermediate workflow results. Discrete-event simulation provides a way to evaluate the performance of MG-RAST with increased workloads without disrupting the production system. For our case study, we extrapolate scientific workflows obtained from MG-RAST to represent future usage trends. We demonstrate that the addition of proxies and the proxy-aware scheduling methodology significantly reduces the data movement overhead by distributing the data plane, leading to substantial improvement in end-user job response time.
Single-dose efficacy of ofloxacin in uncomplicated gonorrhea

Two multicenter trials compared single-dose oral therapy with 400 mg of ofloxacin or 3 g of amoxicillin plus 1 g of probenecid in the treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea in 160 men and 102 women. Patients with a known diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis infection were excluded. All pretreatment isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae were susceptible to ofloxacin (minimal inhibitory concentration less than or equal to 2 micrograms/ml), whereas roughly 50 percent exhibited intermediate susceptibility to ampicillin (minimal inhibitory concentration, 0.125 to 2.0 micrograms/ml). Post-treatment culture results showed that ofloxacin had eradicated N. gonorrhoeae in 97.5 percent (41 men) of 42 men and all 28 women evaluated. Amoxicillin-probenecid achieved microbiologic cures in 92.7 percent (51 men) of 55 men and 92.6 percent (25 women) of 27 women evaluated. Clinical cure rates among initially symptomatic patients were 84.6 percent (33 men) of 39 men and 81.8 percent (nine women) of 11 women with ofloxacin and 83.0 percent (44 men) of 53 men and 66.7 percent (10 women) of 15 women with amoxicillin-probenecid. No drug-related adverse effects were noted in ofloxacin-treated patients. One patient each in the amoxicillin-probenecid group reported nausea, diarrhea, and vaginitis. These results demonstrate that single-dose ofloxacin is as effective as amoxicillin-probenecid in eradicating N. gonorrhoeae and relieving clinical signs and symptoms of gonococcal infections in both men and women.
Energy from the electromagnetic spectrum: the future in orthopedic surgery.

The electromagnetic spectrum contains a tremendous amount of energy, which is now being increasingly explored. Lasers of various wavelengths are being and will be developed in the future to treat specific disease conditions. These lasers also will be smaller and cheaper. Radiothermal and electrocautery devices will be developed for other specific purposes. With all of the ablation devices, however, one must remember that there are energy effects that occur deep to the superficial surface, which must be studied and known. Improper use of these strong energies can cause irreversible iatrogenic damage to tissues. Perhaps the greatest potential of electromagnetic (light) energy is the potential to repair rather than resect tissues-in conjunction with different photoactive chemicals. The future is truly exciting, and as Whipple once said, "Developed as a science, applied as a science, and monitored as a science, lasers will serve us extremely well."
A 3,4-diaminopyridine-insensitive, Ca(2+)-independent transient outward K+ current in cardiac ventricular myocytes

A previously unrecognized current that initially is not present and requires at least 25 min of intracellular access to develop can be found in approximately 75% of cardiac myocytes isolated from cat ventricle within 90 min after intracellular access is obtained with conventional suction patch pipette electrodes. We refer to this patch-duration-dependent (PDD) current as IK(PDD). IK(PDD) can be elicited with depolarizing test steps (Vt) ranging between -40 and +60 mV applied after a hyperpolarizing conditioning step to -140 mV for 200 ms from a holding potential of -40 mV. It shows an ohmic voltage dependence and appears to be an essentially pure K+ current. At Vt = 30 mV, the current is a time-dependent, transient current with a time to peak of 1.06 +/- 0.10 ms (n = 5) and a decay phase that can be fit to the sum of two decaying exponentials (tau f = 3.30 +/- 0.51 ms and tau s = 2.48 +/- 5.6 ms; n = 5). The voltage dependence of the steady-state inactivation can be fit to a single exponential Boltzmann distribution with a slope factor of 8.97 mV, and the voltage at which 50% of the channels are inactivated is -78 mV. The current can be blocked by 0.2 mM Ba2+ extracellularly applied or Cs+ intracellularly applied but is insensitive to 0.5 mM 3,4-diaminopyridine. These characteristics are unlike those for other known K+ currents. The lack of similarity between IK(PDD) and any currently documented cardiac K+ current suggests that IK(PDD) is either a previously undescribed K+ current or a modification of IK1 that makes it adopt an ohmic nature transiently, even in the presence of millimolar internal Mg2+.
Breaking our password hash habit: Why the sharing of users’ password choices for defensive analysis is an underprovisioned social good, and what we can do to encourage it.

Attackers only get better at guessing the passwords users will create under a given set of password composition constraints. They learn more about users’ password-selection behaviors each time they compromise a passsword, regardless of whether they obtain the password by breaching a password database, installing a key logger, phishing, or by guessing. Defensive analysis of user-chosen passwords could similarly identify predictable password-selection behaviors and help us to prevent users from choosing predictable passwords. Alas, attempts to perform such analysis have been stunted by requirements to encrypt passwords irreversibly and by the indignation shown for those who would try to analyze the passwords their users choose. We argue that encrypting passwords irreversibly has done more harm than good, providing a minimal short-term reduction in risk as opposed to reversible encryption, but imposing a severe cost on our ability to improve password defenses for the long term. As encrypting passwords is of little value if users continue to choose passwords that are easily guessed, our collective choice to blind ourselves to our users’ passwords has made us collectively less secure. We argue that passwords should be encrypted so as to allow for oﬄine defensive analysis. While we believe there’s a strong case to be made that the social beneﬁts of defensive password analysis outweigh the risks, the individual cost/beneﬁt tradeoﬀ discourages users and ﬁrms from contributing passwords for defensive analysis. When choosing a password, an individual may beneﬁt from analyses based on others’ prior contributions, but does not beneﬁt from contributing the password she chooses. However, she bears the risk should the password she has chosen is compromised as a result of contributing. This makes making free-riding on others’ password contributions the security-optimizing strategy for her as an individual. To solve this free rider problem, we propose that systems that help to prevent users from choosing weak passwords (informed by prior users’ passwords choices), require that those using the system contribute their newly-chosen passwords in return.
Discrepancies in PET-CT for staging bone marrow in HIV positive patients with lymphoma.

e23126Background: In non-HIV related non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), PET-CT is part of initial staging for FDG-avid lymphomas; Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL), Diffuse Large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL) and othe...