cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Association Between Extent of Thiazolidinedione Exposure and Risk of Acute Myocardial Infarction

The United States Food and Drug Administration recently expanded the black-box warning for rosiglitazone to include a potential for ischemic cardiac adverse effects.1 Studies have revealed conflicting results about the cardiovascular safety of thiazolidinediones, a class of drugs that includes rosiglitazone and pioglitazone. Outcomes have ranged from estimates of no effect in two epidemiologic studies2,3 to an estimated 43% increase in the rate of acute myocardial infarction in a meta-analysis of randomized trials of rosiglitazone.4 Another meta-analysis showed that pioglitazone lowered the risk of acute myocardial infarction by 18%,5 which was similar to the estimate derived from the Prospective Pioglitazone Clinical Trial in Macrovascular Events (PROACTIVE) trial.6 The Rosiglitazone Evaluated for Cardiac Outcomes and Regulation of Glycemia in Diabetes (RECORD) study, a randomized trial of rosiglitazone that focused on cardiovascular outcomes, uncovered no increased risk of cardiovascular events among users of rosiglitazone after a mean follow-up of 3.75 years.7 The mechanism by which thiazolidinediones could increase cardiovascular risk is uncertain. One hypothesis is that thiazolidinediones adversely affect serum lipid levels.8 The drugs cause an increase in intravascular volume and body mass, which may raise myocardial oxygen demand.4,8 Each potential causal mechanism is likely related to a specific time frame of increased risk. If thiazolidinediones cause acute myocardial infarction by expanding intravascular volume, the effect would appear quickly (e.g., within 60–90 days) because this physiologic effect occurs rapidly after the start of therapy.8,9 We hypothesized that the delayed consequences of weight gain and adverse effects on serum lipid levels would likely require more time than this (e.g., up to 180 days) to induce acute myocardial infarction. Previous studies showed slight weight gain at 12 weeks, which persisted to 1 year after the start of thiazolidinedione therapy.10,11 The purpose of this nested case-control study was to determine if an association exists between thiazolidinedione (rosiglitazone or pioglitazone) use and the frequency of acute myocardial infarction. We evaluated patients in a Medicaid population starting rosiglitazone or pioglitazone versus those receiving metformin plus a sulfonylurea. We also assessed if the time interval between starting thiazolidinedione therapy and onset of the acute myocardial infarction had any effect on the frequency of the event. We evaluated the timing to further our understanding of the potential mechanism by which thiazolidinediones may exacerbate acute cardiovascular events.
Computer use by the visually impaired

Several recent developments have made computers accessible to the blind and partially sighted: hard-copy (paper) and softcopy (raised-pin) braille output, magnified high-resolution characters, and synthetic speech. We report survey data on these users’ computer education, tasks, and goals; their hardware uses and preferences, particularly for special-purpose I/O devices; and seven classes of human-factors problems that affect the use of these I/O devices by the visually impaired.
Melatonin and estrogen in breast cyst fluids

Increased breast cancer risks have been reported among women with gross cystic breast disease (GCBD), although the mechanism for this increase remains unexplained. Relationships between GCBD characteristics, breast cancer risk factors, and the biochemical composition and growth properties of 142 breast cyst fluid (BCF) samples were studied among 93 women with GCBD. Concentrations of melatonin, estrogen (17-beta-estradiol), dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S), epidermal growth factor (EGF), transforming growth factor beta (TGF-B1 and TGF-B2), sodium (Na), and potassium (K) were quantified in BCF samples, and human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) were treated with BCF in vitro. Patients were grouped according to BCF Na:K ratios previously linked with increased breast cancer risks (Na:K 3, Type 2) and mixed cyst groups. Women with larger and more frequently occurring cysts had higher BCF estrogen and DHEA-S, and lower TGF-B1 levels. Women with Type 1 cysts had elevated BCF melatonin, estrogen, DHEA-S, and EGF, and lower concentrations of TGF-B2 compared to women with Type 2 cysts. BCF generally inhibited cell growth relative to serum-treated controls, consistent with previous studies. Melatonin and estrogen in BCF independently predicted growth inhibition and stimulation, respectively. Biological monitoring of BCF may help identify women with GCBD at greatest risk for breast cancer development.
The effect of tempo and tone duration on rhythm discrimination

Rhythm constancy was investigated in two experiments. In Experiment 1, the first rhythm was presented at one tempo, the second rhythm was presented at a different tempo, and subjects judged whether the relative timing structures were identical (i.e., was the first rhythm merely sped up or slowed down to generate the second rhythm?). For the nonmetric rhythms used here, subjects perceived the rhythm in terms of the figural grouping of the tones, and rhythm constancy broke down between slower and faster tempos. In Experiment 2, the first rhythm was presented in tones of one duration; the second rhythm was presented in tones of a different duration; and subjects judged whether the timing structures of the tone onsets were identical (the two rhythms were presented at the same tempo). These results indicated a high degree of constancy; subjects found it easy to discriminate the timing structures. These results confirm that the onset timing is critical to rhythm perception and suggest that rhythm perception at slower rates (2 elements/sec) differs from rhythm perception at faster rates (3–4 elements/sec).
Adrenocortical metabolism and plasma corticosterone in soman intoxicated rabbits

The organophosphate neurotoxin soman produced impairments in adrenocortical RNA and protein metabolism. Fasciculate and reticular cell RNA and protein contents were supporessed with sublethal to acutely lethal dosages (20, 30 and 40 μg/kg, s.c.) during the acute excitatory phase of intoxication and at 6–8 h post injection. All three dosages produced ca 90% inactivation of plasma cholinesterase. A transient elevation of plasma corticosterone occurred with 20 μg/kg soman whereas there was a protracted increase with 30 μg/kg. Corticosterone was not significantly elevated with 40 μg/kg, but death occurred at 13±4 min. Thus, the magnitude and/or nature of soman-induced metabolic impairments does not appear to prevent adrenal activation.
Projecting Patients' Preferences from Living Wills: An Invalid Strategy for Management of Dementia with Life‐Threatening Illness

OBJECTIVE: To examine variation in elders' choices of therapies in different clinical scenarios and to assess the validity of extending preferences expressed in scenarios of usual health, terminal illness, and coma to preferences in a scenario of moderately advanced Alzheimer disease. DESIGN: Questionnaire study of community-dwelling elders. SETTING: Houston metropolitan area. PARTICIPANTS: 218 community-dwellers age 60 years and older. MEASUREMENTS: Responses regarding choices of 10 interventions in 4 scenarios. Interventions were: cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), ventilator, total parenteral nutrition (TPN), IV medication and hydration, any medication, enteral feeding, dialysis, ICU admission, hospitalization, and antibiotics. Interventions were selected “never,” “always,” or a “trial of intervention to assess efficacy.” Independent variables were responses in scenarios of usual state of health with a life-threatening illness, irreversible coma, and terminal illness causing pain. Dependent variables were responses in a scenario of moderately advanced Alzheimer disease with a life-threatening illness. Frequencies of responses were calculated using “never,” “trial,” and “always.” Subsequently “trial” and “always” were collapsed into a category of “accepting intervention” for dichotomous analysis with “refusing intervention” (the “never” category). Logistic regression was used to assess validity of predicting responses in one scenario from the others. MAIN RESULTS: Preferences regarding medical therapies varied across scenarios (P < 0.01). In the Usual Health scenario, all interventions were accepted more frequently than refused. In Terminal Illness and Coma scenarios, CPR, ventilator, TPN, enteral feedings and dialysis were refused more frequently than accepted. In the Alzheimer scenario, medications, ICU admission, hospitalization, and antibiotics were accepted more often than rejected. Trial was preferred to always in 90% of all choices across all scenarios. Preferences expressed in Terminal Illness, Coma, and Usual Health scenarios predicted choices in the Alzheimer disease scenario poorly. CONCLUSIONS: (1) Use of a scenario-based advance directive may be limited to the precise scenario described. (2) The common acceptance of interventions in the Alzheimer disease scenario differs from findings in earlier studies, possibly because of differences in populations surveyed or the stage of the disease described, highlighting the variability of preferences in this scenario. (3) Trial of intervention is attractive to many respondents, perhaps because it allows the advantage of potentially beneficial therapies without commitment to a course of therapy not leading to cure. (4) Results of this study should be interpreted in light of the study population, consisting largely of well educated, healthy Caucasians. Findings are likely not to be generalizable to other populations.
Empathy and sympathy: The important difference

Contrairement a la sympathie, l'empathie est une forme de partage de la situation et du sentiment d'autrui qui n'implique pas la benevolence
Supramolecular chemistry: Thinking inside and outside the box

Molecular 'boxes' can hold other molecules and often serve as the moving parts in molecular switches. The latest addition to this class of compounds is a simple-to-prepare positively charged macrocycle that can encircle molecular guests of appropriate size and charge — and offers new opportunities for assembling stimuli-responsive structures.
Canine role in dental wear patterns: Macaca nemestrina.

A study of variables and patterns in dental wear among 30 individuals in a colony of Macaca nemestrina shows that consideration of age and sex are crucial for understanding differential wear degrees on molar occlusal planes. With advanced age, this species of non-human primate undergoes obliteration of initial morphological characteristics through the gradual erosion of enamel. Wear gradients are differential from PM1-M3 in both sexes. It appears that there is a functional relationship between degrees of occlusal plane wear and the degree of wear on the canines, and that females show a greater degree of wear changes relative to males of equivalent age because of initial differences in canine length and robusticity due to sexual dimorphism. It appears that there is a direct relationship between occlusal wear plane changes and the degree of wear on the canines, with advanced differential wear showing up in individuals in whom years of maxillary canine honing, canine damage, and the normal wear of mastication has reduced dimensions of unworn permanent canines. Other considerations included in this study are the honing functions of the deciduous first mandibular molars and molar cusp height relative to canine function.
Effect of the finite boundary on potential distributions in volume conductors.

A fieldplotting tank which has a negligible boundary error is described. A comparison between measurements made in this tank and a conventional tank shows graphically the effect of a finite boundary. It is shown that the field of two halfshells is identical to a source-sink field at remote points. The method of electrical images for solving boundary-value problems is presented.
Trauma, PTSD, and binge and hazardous drinking among women and men: findings from a national study.

Objective To examine whether trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are differentially associated with binge and hazardous patterns of drinking among women and men.
Relationship between rapid maxillary expansion and nasal cavity size and airway resistance: Short- and long-term effects

Introduction: The availability of new, reliable, objective, and 3-dimensional techniques to assess the effects of rapid maxillary expansion on the morphology of the maxillary dental arch, nasal cavity dimensions, and nasal airway resistance led to the development of this research. Methods: Thirty-eight subjects participated in this study (mean age, 13 years). Data were collected before expansion, when the expander was stabilized, when the expander was removed, and 9 to 12 months after the expander was removed. Subjective assessment of improvement in nasal respiration was obtained when the expander was stabilized. Three-dimensional imaging and acoustic rhinometry were used to assess the virtual cast and the nasal cavity, respectively. Results and Conclusions: The statistically significant short-term effects of RME were (1) mean increases in palatal area, volume, and intermolar distance; (2) a mean reduction of nasal airway resistance; and (3) mean increases in total nasal volume and nasal valve area. Our long-term findings were the following: (1) mean palatal area and intermolar distance were reduced, while palatal volume was stable, and (2) nasal airway resistance was stable, whereas mean nasal cavity volume and minimal cross-sectional area increased. Additionally, 61.3% of our subjects reported subjective improvement in nasal respiration. Weak correlations were found between all variables analyzed.
High molecular mass amino acyl-tRNA synthetase complexes in eukaryotes.

Aminoacyl-t RNA synthetases (AARS) are enzymes which play an indispensable role in protein biosynthe- sis by catalyzing the formation of aminoacyl-tRNA from amino acid, the cognate tRNA, and ATP by highly selective intermolecular interactions [57]. Joachimiak and Barciszewski [41] have provided an extensive compilation of the properties of the amino- acyl-tRNA synthetases; however, information on the eukaryotic highM r (HMr) complexes of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases was lacking. Here, we intend to fill this void by providing a summary of the properties of the eukaryotic aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase complexes. Eukaryotic aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases may occur as complexes with Mr-values of >106 in contrast to the prokaryotic counterparts which have Mr-values of <250 000. These eukaryotic HMr--AARS complexes appear ubiquitous in a wide spectrum of cell types from yeast to human placenta as shown in table 1. Although not all 20 aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases were examined in each case shown in table 1, it appears that the AARS commonly associated with M r complexes are those specific for Arg, Gin, Glu, fie, Leu, Lys and Met. The properties of these HMr-AARS complexes are most consistent with multienzyme complexes of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases [ 19,20,43, 46]. The physicochemical properties, composition, and stoichiometry of the more rigorously character- ized complexes are shown in table 2. The mechanism(s) of intermolecular interaction between the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases is not known, but the putative interactions of aminoacyl- tRNA synthetases with a variety of biomolecules have been suggested to play a role in complex formation as shown in table 3. Our present knowledge of the func- * To whom correspondences should be addressed tional significance of HMr--AARS is profoundly lack- ing; however, interactions of the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases with other components of the protein biosynthetic machinery and other enzymes suggest the intriguing possibility of higher organization of eukaryotic protein biosynthesis. Table 4 is a summary of the possible interactions of the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases with subcellular components and other enzymes. This presentation is a brief summary of the prop- erties of the high molecular weight eukaryotic amino- acyl-tRNA synthetase complexes. We hope that this compilation will complement that presented in [41 ] and will provide useful information for workers in this and other related fields.
Low-level response of phototransistors operating in the charge storage mode

A formula is derived relating the peak output voltage of the phototransistor operating in the charge storage mode to the average illumination current for low signal levels. This formula reveals the non-linearity in response apparent at low signal levels caused by the presence of the base-emitter junction. Sensitivity formulas are derived which enable the calculation of uniformity in response from device to device in an image sensing array.
Heat Sealing measurement by an innovative technique

To obtain a proper heat seal is an important requirement in packaging, since seal failure is a more frequent cause of product deterioration than the package itself. Different kinds of seal, such as peelable or non-peelable, can be obtained by changing the conditions under which a material is sealed. Therefore, identifying these conditions is very important. A new technique, the method for measuring temperature of melting surface (MTMS), was used to predict the strongest peelable seal on various packaging commercial films. The temperature of the seal interface was measured using a thermocouple. The time–temperature profile, which was obtained by means of a thermocouple, was electronically processed so as to obtain the derivatives of the profile. The inflection point, also called the fusion point, was located on these profiles. This inflection point is associated with the physical change of the state of the material being sealed. The inflection point analysis was done using two different methods: (a) the MTMS method, based on the second derivative of temperature data with time; (b) ‘Table Curve’ software, based on non-linear regression. This technique was successfully used to evaluate widely used packaging films such as LDPE, HDPE, LLDPE and CPP. The inflection point for these films was identified and the seal strength was verified using a universal testing machine. This method appears to be applicable to design the strongest peelable heat seals for many packaging materials. It also seems to have promise as a method of process measurement and validation for heat seal processes. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Some consequences of analyticity and unitarity conditions in scattering problems II

Abstract Some consequences based upon the Mandelstam representation and the unitarity condition are examined. Conditions for the validity of the Mandelstam representation are given, and the question of the analytic continuation of the scattering phase-shifts into the complex angular momentum are investigated. As an application, a theorem which is an obvious generalization of results of Froissart and of Goebel about the high-energy behavior of the total cross section is given.
Language recognition by marking automata

An off-line, memory-restricted Turing machine model, the marking automaton (MA) is presented here as a device strictly intermediate between finite and linear bounded automata. Although much more restricted than the latter, MA are shown capable of recognizing, deterministically, various kinds of context-free (CF) languages and an important related class, as well as such non-CF languages as {xx}. It is not known whether all CF languages are recognizable by MA; however, among the familiar subclasses shown to consist of MA recognizable languages are the Dyck, standard, and bounded CF languages. More importantly, each member of the class of structured CF languages, consisting of all structural descriptions (Phrase-markers) of the sentences in a CF language, is shown to be MA recognizable. The closure of the MA recognizable languages under various set (e.g., boolean) operations is revealed in the proof that all bounded CF languages are MA recognizable.
Novel TRIM5 Isoforms Expressed by Macaca nemestrina

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pandemic is the result of cross-species transmissions of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) from non-human primates to humans (28). The recent discovery of human T-cell leukemia virus types 3 and 4 suggests that cross-species transmission of retroviruses is not an infrequent occurrence (33). However, to establish a productive infection in a new species, it is necessary for retroviruses to evade host-specific restriction factors. A broad range of antiretroviral host restriction factors has been identified in mammalian species. The best-described primate host restriction factors are APOBEC3F/G and TRIM5α. APOBEC3F/G are cytidine deaminases which exert a late block to retroviral replication, inhibiting the virus in target cells rather than producer cells (29), whereas TRIM5α exerts a dominant block to infection immediately after viral entry into the cell through the inhibition of reverse transcription (30). TRIM5α is a member of the tripartite motif family of proteins, also called RBCC proteins, because of the presence of a RING domain (C3HC4 type), one or two B boxes, and a coiled-coil region in an ordered arrangement from N terminus to C terminus (23). Six isoforms of TRIM5 have been identified in mammals (26). These proteins have been shown to form homo- and heteromultimers, although only homomultimers of TRIM5α have been shown to restrict lentiviruses (3, 8, 15, 30, 37). The antiretroviral activity of TRIM5α is mediated through an interaction between the viral capsid and the B30.2(SPRY) domain (12, 20, 21, 31). The B30.2(SPRY) domain is the primary determinant of species-specific differences in the breadth and potency of TRIM5α antiretroviral activity. For instance, changing the arginine found in human TRIM5α at position 332 to the proline residue found in rhesus TRIM5α enables human TRIM5α to restrict HIV type 1 (HIV-1) nearly as efficiently as rhesus TRIM5α. Additionally, the ability of African green monkeys to restrict SIVmac has been mapped to a 37-amino-acid insertion in the B30.2(SPRY) domain (16, 36). Efficient binding of capsid-nucleocapsid complexes by TRIM5α requires coiled-coil-mediated trimerization, presumably to increase the avidity between the B30.2(SPRY) domain and capsid (10). Disruptions to the RING and B-box domains can also inhibit the antiviral activity of TRIM5α through currently undefined mechanisms (15, 22, 27). Our laboratory has shown that Macaca nemestrina animals are susceptible to infection with a primary HIV-2 isolate, HIV-2/EHO (14, 25). M. nemestrina macaques have also been reported to be susceptible to some HIV-1 isolates (1, 4-7, 19) although this idea remains controversial. These observations led us to examine the TRIM5 gene of M. nemestrina for species-specific differences that may explain the apparent susceptibility of this macaque species to infection with HIV.
UWM: Applying an Existing Trainable Semantic Parser to Parse Robotic Spatial Commands

This paper describes Team UWM’s system for the Task 6 of SemEval 2014 for doing supervised semantic parsing of robotic spatial commands. An existing semantic parser, KRISP, was trained using the provided training data of natural language robotic spatial commands paired with their meaning representations in the formal robot command language. The entire process required very little manual effort. Without using the additional annotations of word-aligned semantic trees, the trained parser was able to exactly parse new commands into their meaning representations with 51.18% best F-measure at 72.67% precision and 39.49% recall. Results show that the parser was particularly accurate for short sentences.
Analysis of thermal contact resistance between polymer and mold in injection molding

Abstract The objective of this work is to combine experimental and numerical approaches to evaluate the nature of thermal contact between polymer and mold through the different phases of a typical injection cycle. The key idea of this analysis is the simultaneous use for the first time of an infrared hollow waveguide pyrometer and a two-thermocouple probe specially devised for this study. The infrared waveguide pyrometer is used for the on-line monitoring of the temperature at the surface of the polymer within the cavity, while the two-thermocouple probe is used to determine via an inverse problem the local heat flux crossing the polymer–mold interface and the temperature at the cavity surface. Subsequently, a second inverse algorithm, which combines the latter estimated data and the temperature at the polymer surface measured with the infrared waveguide device, allows the determination of the thermal contact resistance. The results show that the thermal contact resistance between polymer and mold is not negligible, not constant with time, and strongly correlated with process conditions.
CCl4−induced toxicity in isolated hepatocytes: The importance of direct solvent injury

CCl4 is proposed to induce cellular injury through its metabolites that are generated by a cytochrome P-450 dependent step. These free radical products can interact with membrane structures, thereby generating lipid peroxides. The latter process has been implicated as a major mechanism of CCl4 hepatoxicity, although this relationship has been difficult to demonstrate when using isolated hepatocyte preparations. This report demonstrates that there are at least two mechanisms by which CCl4 induces injury in isolated hepatocytes. One occurs within minutes of exposure to CCl4 and is characterized by modest malondialdehyde formation and no decline in cellular-reduced glutathione. SKF 525A, metyrapone and promethazine did not protect against this early damage. A second phase of damage, evident particularly after 3 hr, is characterized by a marked increase in malondialdehyde formation, a fall in cellular glutathione and substantial further cellular damage. These changes could be moderated by the cytochrome P-450 inhibitors and promethazine, and antioxidant. Further examination of the initial phase of damage reveals an immediate dose-related inhibition of O2 consumption. This could not be prevented by SKF 525A or metyrapone and was associated with loss of ability to stimulate mitochondrial respiration with dinitrophenol. Rapid recovery to initial O2 consumption rates occurred with time as CCl4 evaporated from the incubation system. This was associated with a partial return of dinitrophenol stimulation of mitochondrial O2 consumption despite significant glutamate dehydrogenase release. A portion of this recovery could be inhibited by SKF 525A, suggesting that some O2 consumption was due to CCl4 metabolism and ensuing lipid peroxidation. These data suggest that early CCl4 toxicity is a direct consequence of its solvent properties and is partially reversible; subsequent damage may be mediated by lipid peroxidation. This solvent injury has not been previously recognized and may have relevance not only to a reversible toxicity as demonstrated with isolated hepatocytes but also in vivo as well.
Comparison of myocardial washout rate of thallium-201 between rest, dipyridamole with and without aminophylline, and exercise states in normal subjects

The myocardial washout rate of thallium-201 was studied in 85 subjects with a less than 5% likelihood of coronary artery disease undergoing rest (group I, n = 12), dipyridamole (group II, n = 24) and exercise (group III, n = 49) stress thallium-201 scintigraphy. Subjects receiving dipyridamole were subdivided into group IIA (n = 11), who received an aminophylline injection 10 minutes after dipyridamole infusion, and group IIB (n = 13), who did not. The mean and highest washout rate values in each of 3 segments in the anterior, 45 degrees and 85 degrees left anterior oblique views were calculated. In group II the mean washout rate of thallium-201 was similar in all segments of each view and the overall mean washout rate did not differ between the 3 views studied. There was a good correlation between the mean and highest washout rate values in individual subjects (r = 0.98, p less than 0.001). The mean +/- standard deviation myocardial 4-hour washout rate of thallium-201 (anterior view) was 10 +/- 6% in group I compared with 40 +/- 14% in group IIA (p less than 0.05 vs group I), 31 +/- 13% in group IIB (p less than 0.05 vs group I) and 54 +/- 11% in group III (p less than 0.05 each vs group IIA and group IIB, respectively). There was a wide variation in mean washout rate values in group II (range 12 to 58%), and this variation was not altered by aminophylline administration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
ALGAL COMPETITION IN AN EPILITHIC RIVER FLORA1

SUMMARY Field and laboratory procedures demonstrate that the effluent from the Willimantic, Connecticut, sewage treatment plant changes the numerical composition of the dominant epilithic algae in the Shetucket River. This effect is due to the effluent altering the competitive balance between chlorella sp. and Achnanthes deflexa Reim. The chlorella completely dominates highly polluted stretches of the river, and shares dominance with A. deflexa in other areas. The degree of river pollution can be estimated by enumerating the natural standing crops of these 2 algae. A 2-membered assay utilizing these organisms is a sensitive laboratory pollution monitor and a useful predictive tool. Dominant stands of these epilithic species develop in polluted and unpolluted zones in this river due to competition for the limited area on the cobbles.
PS1-24: Validation of AJCC TNM Staging for Breast Tumors Diagnosed Before 2004 in Cancer Registries

Purpose American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Tumor (T), Nodal (N), and Metastatic (M) staging is commonly used in clinical practice for treatment decisions, yet before 2004, Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-affiliated cancer registries did not routinely include TNM staging defined by AJCC criteria, reporting instead SEER Summary Staging.
Animal Models for Studying the Pathophysiology of Ceramide

Bioactive sphingolipids play key roles in the regulation of several fundamental biological processes such as proliferation, apoptosis and transformation. The recent development of genetically engineered mouse (GEM) models has enabled the study of functional roles of sphingolipids in normal development and disease. In this chapter, we review the phenotypes of GEM models (knockout mice) that lack sphingolipid metabolism-related enzymes, discuss what we have learned from animal models and describe future directions of animal models in sphingolipid research.
Interleaving 3D model feature prediction and matching to support multi-sensor object recognition

The object recognition, system presented combines on-line feature prediction with an iterative multisensor matching algorithm. Matching begins with an initial object type and pose hypothesis. An iterative generate-and-test procedure then refines the pose as well as the sensor-to-sensor registration for separate range and electro optical sensors. During matching, object features predicted to be visible are updated to reflect changes in hypothesized object pose and sensor registration. The match found is locally optimal in terms of the complete space of possible matches and globally consistent in the sense of preserving the 3D constraints implied by sensor and object geometry. Results on real data are presented which demonstrate the algorithm correcting for up to 30/spl deg/ errors in initial orientation and 5 m errors in initial translation.
Mechanisms of Marsh Habitat Alteration Due to Phragmites: Response of Young-of-the-year Mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) to Treatment for Phragmites Removal

In recent decades, marshes naturally dominated bySpartina spp. have been replaced byPhragmites australis throughout the northeastern United States. We suggest that early in this invasion there was little effect on the fish fauna. As the invasion proceeds, the marsh surface habitat became more altered (i.e., elevated, flattened, reduced water-filled depressions, and reduced standing water), which resulted in a reduction of feeding, reproduction, and nursery function for fishes, especiallyFundulus spp. These potential changes in marsh habitat and function have resulted in numerous attempts to removePhragmites and restoreSpartina spp. To evaluate the response of marsh surface fishes toPhragmites treatment, we examined fish use in the brackish water reaches of Alloway Creek in the Delaware Bay estuary. ReferencePhragmites habitats were compared with referenceSpartina alterniflora-dominated habitats and sites treated (1996–1998) to removePhragmites to restore former vegetation (i.e., restored, now comprised of 100%Spartina). Fish were sampled with an array (n=9 at each site) of shallow pit traps (rectangular glass dishes, 27.5×17.5×3.7 cm). Small individuals (mean=17.5, 5–45 mm TL) dominated all pit trap collections. Fish abundance was highest at the restored (catch per unit effort [CPUE]=2.16) andSpartina (CPUE=0.81) sites with significantly lower values atPhragmites (CPUE=0.05) habitats. Samples were dominated by young-of-the-year mummichog,Fundulus heteroclitus (98% of total fish, n=631). The only other fish species collected was spotfin killifish,Fundulus luciae (2% of total catch, n=14), which was only present in restored andSpartina habitats. These observations suggest that the restored marsh is providing habitat (water-filled depressions on the marsh surface) for young-of-the-yearFundulus spp. These marshes are responding favorably to the restoration based on the much greater abundance of fish in restored versusPhragmites habitats and the overall similarity between restored andSpartina habitats.
Ventriculoperitoneal shunt catheter protrusion through the anus: case report of an uncommon complication and literature review

Mechanical shunting of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is an effective treatment for hydrocephalus. Although ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunting is the most common treatment [1], there are a number of complications associated with this technique [1] including obstruction, mechanical shunt failure and infection and, in 10–30% of patients, abdominal complications. Reported abdominal complications include CSF ascites, peritoneal cyst, pseudotumor of the mesentery, inguinal hernia, volvulus, peritonitis, intestinal obstruction, as well as migration of the catheter through the vagina, scrotum, umbilicus, and intestinal tract [2]. Bowel perforation following VP shunting is extremely rare, accounting for only 0.01–0.07% of abdominal complications, but carrying a mortality rate of approximately 15% [3]. The most common site of bowel perforation is the colon [4], and more than 50% of these patients are asymptomatic with the most common presentation being protrusion of the shunt catheter through the anus [5]. We report an 11year-old girl who had anal VP shunt protrusion 12 days following surgery, without any signs of peritonitis, bowel obstruction, and ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) malfunction or infection, and review the literature on this rare, but serious complication.
Vehicle LATCH System Features Associated with Correct Child Restraint Installations

Objective: Lower anchors and tethers for children (LATCH) was intended to standardize the attachment between child restraints and vehicle seats. However, LATCH implementations vary, resulting in differences in ease of attachment of child restraint connectors. Identifying vehicle characteristics associated with correct child restraint installations can provide guidance for designing vehicle LATCH systems that increase correct child restraint installations. Methods: The LATCH system and other relevant vehicle characteristics were documented in 98 top-selling 2010–2011 vehicles. These features, together with proposed LATCH usability recommendations from the International Organization for Standardization and Society of Automotive Engineers, were used to select 12 vehicles for volunteer testing with a range of LATCH system characteristics. Thirty-six volunteers were assigned to 4 groups; each group tested 3 vehicles, 4 child restraints (infant, rear-facing convertible, forward-facing convertible, and combinati...
Second-order neutron optics of three-axis spectrometers. I. Quasielastic scattering

The basics of second-order neutron optics for bent-crystal three-axis spectrometers are presented. Energy-transfer resolution for quasielastic scattering is examined in detail. Experimental data illustrating the effect of second-order aberrations are presented. The resolution of energy transfer at 5 meV neutron energy with bent monochromators made from commercial thin silicon wafers was improved to 8 µeV from a previous record of 16 µeV.
Linguistically Aware Coreference Evaluation Metrics

Virtually all the commonly-used evaluation metrics for entity coreference resolution are linguistically agnostic, treating the mentions to be clustered as generic rather than linguistic objects. We argue that the performance of an entity coreference resolver cannot be accurately reflected when it is evaluated using linguistically agnostic metrics. Consequently, we propose a framework for incorporating linguistic awareness into commonly-used coreference evaluation metrics.
A CaMK IV responsive RNA element mediates depolarization-induced alternative splicing of ion channels

Calcium regulation of gene expression is critical for the long-lasting activity-dependent changes in cellular electrical properties that underlie important physiological functions such as learning and memory. Cellular electrical properties are diversified through the extensive alternative splicing of ion channel pre-messenger RNAs; however, the regulation of splicing by cell signalling pathways has not been well explored. Here we show that depolarization of GH3 pituitary cells represses splicing of the STREX exon in BK potassium channel transcripts through the action of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases (CaMKs). Overexpressing constitutively active CaMK IV, but not CaMK I or II, specifically decreases STREX inclusion in the mRNA. This decrease is prevented by mutations in particular RNA repressor sequences. Transferring 54 nucleotides from the 3' splice site upstream of STREX to a heterologous gene is sufficient to confer CaMK IV repression on an otherwise constitutive exon. These experiments define a CaMK IV-responsive RNA element (CaRRE), which mediates the alternative splicing of ion channel pre-mRNAs. The CaRRE presents a unique molecular target for inducing long-term adaptive changes in cellular electrical properties. It also provides a model system for dissecting the effect of signal transduction pathways on alternative splicing.
Sensitivity and scattering in a monolithic heterodyned laser biochemical sensor

We discuss the sensitivity of a novel biochemical sensor based on the heterodyne detection of the optical frequency shift between two monolithically integrated frequency-tunable lasers. A hundred-fold improvement may be obtained by replacing the traditional ridge waveguide structure with a quasisymmetrically clad channel waveguide, which we demonstrate in a simple coupled-cavity sensor. In most cases, the optical scattering from biomolecules bound to such a waveguide will be negligible.
Variations in upstream vane loading with changes in back pressure in a transonic compressor

Dynamic loading of an inlet guide vane (IGV) in a transonic compressor is characterized by unsteady IGV surface pressures. These pressure data were acquired for two spanwise locations at a 105 percent speed operating condition, which produces supersonic relative Mach numbers over the majority of the rotor blade span. The back pressure of the compressor was varied to determine the effects from such changes. Strong bow shock interaction was evident in both experimental and computational results. Variations in the back pressure have significant influence on the magnitude and phase of the upstream pressure fluctuations. The largest unsteady surface pressure magnitude, 40 kPa, was obtained for the near-stall mass flow condition at 75 percent span and 95 percent chord. Radial variation effects caused by the spanwise variation in relative Mach number were measured. Comparisons to a two-dimensional nonlinear unsteady blade/vane Navier-Stokes analysis show good agreement for the 50 percent span results in terms of IGV unsteady surface pressure. The results of the study indicate that significant nonlinear bow shock influences exist on the IGV trailing edge due to the downstream rotor shock system.
Microscale Chemistry in the USA

Microscale Chemistry has become the method of choice for the teaching laboratories in the United States. This introspective look at the development of microscale Chemistry details the advantages prorn- ised by microscale Chemistry during the early devel- opmental phase of microscale in the United States. These advantages are then compared to the current usage of microscale. This comparison is designed to highlight areas for potential development of the field. Resumen La quimica en microescala se ha convertido en el metodo seleccionado para la ensenanza de laborato- rios en los Estados Unidos. Esta mirada introspectiva al desarrollo de la quimica en microescala detalla las ventajas prometidas por la Quimica en Microescala durante la fase de desarrollo inicial en los Estados Unidos. Estas ventajas se comparan entonces con la utilizacion actual de la microescala. Esta compa- racion trata de subrayar las areas potenciales para el desarrollo de este campo.
Comparison of efficiency measurements and simulation results for automotive traction drives

Mechanical Efficiency of toroidal traction drives is the key parameter for transmission engineers worldwide to accept their use in continuously variable transmissions. In this work, the traction drive efficiencies are investigated analytically as well as experimentally as a function of speed, torque, speed ratio and temperature for two different CVU's. In addition, creep at the traction contact is measured and compared with the prediction of the simulation model. In a stand-alone test rig, the drag torque associated with the power-roller thrust bearing is also measured.
The burden of embodied cognition.

The thesis of embodied cognition has developed as an alternative to the view that cognition is mediated, at least in part, by symbolic representations. A useful testing ground for the embodied cognition hypothesis is the representation of concepts. An embodied view of concept representation argues that concepts are represented in a modality-specific format. I argue that questions about representational format are tractable only in the context of explicit hypotheses about how information spreads among conceptual representations and sensorimotor systems. When reasonable alternatives to the embodied cognition hypothesis are clearly defined, the available evidence does not distinguish between the embodied cognition hypothesis and those alternatives. Furthermore, I argue, the available data that are theoretically constraining indicate that concepts are more than just sensory and motor content. As such, the embodied/nonembodied debate is either largely resolved or at a point where the embodied and nonembodied approaches are no longer coherently distinct theories. This situation merits a reconsideration of what the available evidence can tell us about the structure of the conceptual system. I suggest that it is the independence of thought from perception and action that makes human cognition special— and that independence is made possible by the representational distinction between concepts and sensorimotor representations.
Nonlinear Analysis of Pulsating Instabilities in Diffusion Flames

Recent experiments of diffusion flames have identified fascinating nonlinear behavior, especially near the extinction limit. In this work, we carry out a systematic analysis of pulsating instabilities in diffusion flames. We consider the simple geometric configuration of a planar diffusion flame situated in a channel at the interface between a fuel being supplied from below, and oxidant diffusing in from a stream above. Lewis numbers are assumed greater than unity in order to focus on pulsating instabilities. We employ the asymptotic theory of Cheatham and Matalon, and carry out a bifurcation analysis to derive a nonlinear evolution equation for the amplitude of the perturbation. Our analysis predicts three possible flame responses. The planar flame may be stable, such that perturbations decay to zero. Second, the amplitude of a perturbation can eventually become unbounded in finite time, indicating flame quenching. And finally, our amplitude equation possesses timeperiodic (limit cycle) solutions, although we find that this regime cannot be realized for parameter values typical of combustion systems. The various possible burning regimes are mapped out in parameter space, and our results are consistent with available experimental and numerical data.
Testing the Effectiveness of Alternative Foot-in-the-Door Manipulations:

Recently the foot-in-the-door principle was applied in a typical business research setting by Reingen and Kernan. Results of this single-contact or nondelay foot application were mixed; compliance ...
Development of a novel task trainer for second trimester ultrasound-guided uterine evacuation.

INTRODUCTION Second trimester surgical termination of pregnancy by dilation and evacuation (D&E) is a procedure that the Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) Residency Review Committee requires training programs to offer to their residents and that many residents desire to learn. However, because of limited numbers of credentialed providers, clinical training opportunities may be limited or not available at their training institutions. Simulated procedures may allow for residents and other learners to be more prepared and capable at the time of their first clinical procedures or advanced skill acquisition. METHODS We describe the construction of a low-cost task trainer for simulation of ultrasound-guided second trimester uterine evacuation procedures using a preserved pig heart and fetal pig. Residents of OB/GYN used the task trainer and completed a survey to determine its effectiveness as a teaching tool. RESULTS With the use of a 5-point Likert scale survey (1 inferior, 5 superior), 13 OB/GYN trainees felt that the task trainer reliably reproduced fetal extraction (4.08), would improve their clinical skills (4.46), and would allow them to obtain the skills required to perform the task in real life (4.38). The similarity of ultrasound images to real-life images had a mean score of 3.69. Additional comments about the usefulness of this task trainer in learning the skills necessary for D&E procedures from the participants were overall positive. CONCLUSIONS The task trainer for ultrasound-guided second trimester uterine evacuation showed excellent face validity. This low-cost task trainer provides residents and other trainees with a tool to practice ultrasound-guided fetal extraction skills and improve proficiency with D&E outside the operating room. In addition, it increases their confidence in being able to perform the procedure on patients.