cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ALTERING CADENCE OR VERTICAL OSCILLATION DURING RUNNING: EFFECTS ON RUNNING RELATED INJURY FACTORS.

Background Wearable devices validly assess spatiotemporal running parameters (cadence, vertical oscillation and ground contact time), but the relationship between these parameters and lower limb loading parameters (loading rate, peak vertical ground reaction force [vGRF] and braking impulse) is unknown. Purpose To characterize changes in lower limb loading parameters in runners instructed to run with increased cadence or low vertical oscillation, and to determine whether the change in spatiotemporal parameters predicted the changes in lower limb loading parameters. Study Design Cross Sectional Cohort Study. Methods Twenty healthy runners completed three running trials in three conditions: baseline, high cadence, and low vertical oscillation. Spatiotemporal parameters were measured with a wearable device and lower limb loading was measured using an instrumented treadmill. Spatiotemporal and loading parameters were analyzed between running conditions via a repeated measure ANOVA. A hierarchical regression model was used to determine if changes in spatiotemporal parameters predicted the change of loading parameters during conditions. Results High cadence and low oscillation conditions reduced average vertical loading rate (p = 0.013 and p = 0.002, respectively), instantaneous vertical loading rate (p = 0.022 and p = 0.001, respectively), and peak vGRF (p = 0.025 and p < 0.001, respectively). Braking impulse was significantly lower in the high cadence condition compared to baseline (p < 0.001), but not during the low oscillation (p = 1.000). The increase in cadence during the high cadence condition predicted the reduction of instantaneous vertical loading rate (r2 = 0.213, p = 0.041) and braking impulse (r2 = 0.279, p = 0.017). The reduction in vertical oscillation was more predictive of the change of peak vGRF in both running conditions (high cadence, r2 = 0.436, p = 0.009; low oscillation r2 = 0.748, p < 0.001). Conclusion While both higher cadence and lower vertical oscillation resulted in reduced loading rates during running, cueing to reduce vertical oscillation was more successful in reducing peak vGRF and only the higher cadence condition reduced braking impulse. These findings will inform clinicians who wish to use wearable devices for running gait modification to select injury-specific gait retraining cues. Level of Evidence Level 3.
Control of Size and Composition of Colloidal Nanocrystals of Manganese Oxide

A comprehensive study on the effects of experimental parameters on the composition and size of manganese oxide nanocrystals was completed using colloidal chemistry. The reactions studied involved the thermolysis of Mn2+ acetate and Mn3+ acetylacetonate in oleylamine. Temperature was found to be the dominant factor affecting the composition and size of the products. Reactions completed below 200 °C favored the formation of nanocrystals smaller than 20 nm, with the presence of even impurity amounts of oxidizing agents leading to the formation of Mn3O4. Nanocrystals of MnO could only be synthesized below 200 °C if Mn2+ acetate was used, and the reaction was carefully controlled to have no O2 and H2O contamination. In turn, particle growth was rapid above this temperature. In this case, regardless of the oxidizing agents used or oxidation state of the Mn precursor, nanocrystals of MnO formed after annealing for at least 1 h at temperatures higher than 200 °C. This finding suggests the role of oleylamine as solvent, surfactant, and reducing agent at sufficiently high annealing temperatures. These results increase the understanding of redox stability of manganese during the colloidal synthesis of semiconductor metal oxide nanocrystals.
Curcumin and Quercetin as Potential Radioprotectors and/or Radiosensitizers for X-ray-based Sterilization of Male Navel Orangeworm Larvae.

Two natural compounds (quercetin and curcumin) were tested as sensitizing or protecting agents for Navel Orangeworm (NOW) larvae under x-ray sterilization, with the aim to reduce required doses and thus facilitate the substitution of x-ray for radioisotopes. The compounds were added to NOW diet at concentrations between 0 and 1.0 mmol kg−1 and subsequent reared male larvae were subjected to x-ray irradiation (90 keV, 9 mA) to doses up to 15 Gy. Upon emergence as adults, surviving male NOW were paired with colony virgin females and placed in isolation for observation of deformity, mortality, and fertility. Treatments included rearing larvae on infused diet before irradiation, after irradiation, and both. Results were tabulated as percentage of insects that were dead/deformed, infertile, or fertile and subjected to chi-squared analysis. While insect populations subjected to quercetin treatments were not found to be significantly different from control at any x-ray dose, all curcumin treatments yielded significant differences at an absorbed dose of 10 Gy, both in terms of decreased mortality and fertility. While none of the treatments resulted in acceptable mortality/deformity rates, the observed effects strongly support the need for continued testing of natural compounds for their efficacy to reduce required dose levels for sterilization.
Characteristics and Components of Medical Group Visits for Chronic Health Conditions: A Systematic Scoping Review.

Abstract Objectives: Chronic health conditions are a major challenge to the health care system. Medical Group Visits (MGVs) are a valuable health care delivery model used in a variety of medical se...
Patterns and characteristics associated with surface contamination of hazardous drugs in hospital pharmacies.

PURPOSE The surface contamination levels of 5 commonly used hazardous drugs in hospital pharmacies are summarized, identifying practice patterns associated with contamination. METHODS Contamination testing data were compiled to evaluate surface contaminants of 5 hazardous drugs (docetaxel, paclitaxel, cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, and 5-fluorourcil). Data from 5,842 wipes over 6 years were collected from 338 hospital pharmacies. The contamination level for each drug was categorized as nondetectable (ND; ≤10 ng/ft2), low (between 10 and ≤100 ng/ft2), medium (between 100 and ≤1,000 ng/ft2) or high (>1,000 ng/ft2). Surface exposures for each drug were summarized based on location, contamination at first and subsequent wipe events, and the use of a closed system transfer device (CSTD). RESULTS The majority of contamination results corresponded to locations at or near hazardous drug preparation, but also occurred in areas where hazardous drugs were not prepared. There was a higher incidence of contamination levels (high, medium, and low, respectively) at first wipe event (10.2%, 17.4%, and 17.7%) compared to subsequent wipe events (5.8%, 12.2%, and 13.6%) (p < 0.0001). There was a lower incidence of contamination levels at institutions that used CSTDs (6.3%, 12.8%, and 14.4%) compared to institutions that did not use CSTDs (14.2%, 17.9%, and 17.3%) (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS The majority of highest contamination levels corresponded to locations where hazardous drugs were prepared. While the rate of contamination was lower at subsequent wipe events and at institutions that used CSTDs, contamination was not completely eliminated in either scenario.
Do parents care about TV? how parent factors mediate US children’s media exposure and receptive vocabulary

Media exposure has the potential to impact young children’s language development, and both parents’ education level and parents’ attitudes about screen media has related to their preschool-aged chi...
Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Related Precursor Neoplasms

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), myelodysplastic synrome (MDS), and myeloproliferative neoplasia (MPN)
Size-dependent yielding and strain-hardening of compositionally-enriched body-centered cubic VNbTaMoW alloy

Abstract We investigated the size-dependent mechanical responses of a polycrystalline body-centered cubic bulk VNbTaMoW alloy compositionally-enriched with carbon and nitrogen. Uniaxial compression of cylindrical pillars revealed that they deform plastically with size-dependent increases in yield strengths and displacement bursts and decrease in strain hardening with decreasing diameter. We suggest that the increase in yield strengths with decreasing diameter is likely due to a change in dislocation density and attribute the observed size-dependence in strain hardening to dislocation generation and pile-up at grain boundaries, intrinsic to polycrystalline samples.
Controlled Release of Hydrogen Isotopes from Hydride-Magnetic Nanomaterials

In this work, hydrogen isotopes in the form of protium and deuterium were rapidly desorbed from magnetic-hydride iron oxide-palladium (Fe2O3-Pd) hybrid nanomaterials using an alternating magnetic f...
Joint hypermobility and musculoskeletal injuries in a university-aged population.

Abstract Objective To explore the correlation between joint hypermobility and risk of musculoskeletal injuries in a university-aged population. Design Cross-sectional study using an anonymous survey. Setting Anatomy & Physiology lab. Participants 816 undergraduate Anatomy & Physiology students at a university in the United States. Main outcome measures Beighton score, self-reported musculoskeletal injuries. Results Athletically active study respondents reported more musculoskeletal injuries than respondents who indicated not being athletically active. Female respondents had lower rates of self-reported injuries than male respondents (55.4% vs. 65.5%; p = 0.0099; odds ratio: 1.53). The most commonly reported injury type for both women and men were quadriceps, groin and hamstring injuries. Neither male nor female respondents with generalized joint hypermobility (GJH) or localized joint hypermobility (LJH) reported higher rates of musculoskeletal injuries. Conclusions Athletically active young adults are at greater risk for sustaining musculoskeletal injuries; however, there is no additional increase in injury risk for young people with GJH or LJH.
Exploring graduate students’ collaborative problem-solving in engineering design tasks

This study explored seven engineering graduate students’ collaborative problem-solving (CPS) skills while working in interdisciplinary teams. Students worked in two different teams, in face-to-face...
Fabricating Multi-Component Lipid Nanotube Networks using the Gliding Kinesin Motility Assay.

Lipid nanotube (LNT) networks represent an in vitro model system for studying molecular transport and lipid biophysics with relevance to the ubiquitous lipid tubules found in eukaryotic cells. However, in vivo LNTs are highly non-equilibrium structures that require chemical energy and molecular motors to be assembled, maintained, and reorganized. Furthermore, the composition of in vivo LNTs is complex, comprising of multiple different lipid species. Typical methods to extrude LNTs are both time- and labor-intensive, and they require optical tweezers, microbeads, and micropipettes to forcibly pull nanotubes from giant lipid vesicles. Presented here is a protocol for the gliding motility assay (GMA), in which large scale LNT networks are rapidly generated from giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) using kinesin-powered microtubule motility. Using this method, LNT networks are formed from a wide array of lipid formulations that mimic the complexity of biological LNTs, making them increasingly useful for in vitro studies of lipid biophysics and membrane-associated transport. Additionally, this method is capable of reliably producing LNT networks in a short time (<30 min) using commonly used laboratory equipment. LNT network characteristics such as length, width, and lipid partitioning are also tunable by altering the lipid composition of the GUVs used for fabricating the networks.
Immigration Law’s Looming Fourth Amendment Problem

In 2014, a wave of federal court decisions found that local police violate the Fourth Amendment when they rely on requests from the Department of Homeland Security to detain people suspected of being deportable immigrants. The problem with these requests, known as “detainers,” was that they were not based on any neutral finding of probable cause. But this infirmity is not unique to DHS requests to local police. It is characteristic of the normal means by which Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests people and detains them at the outset of deportation proceedings. These decisions thus signal a glaring constitutional problem with the way America’s immigration enforcement apparatus has been constructed. This problem developed because for more than a century the plenary power doctrine permitted immigration law to exist in a parallel constitutional universe. But recent Supreme Court jurisprudence has substantially reduced the power of the plenary power doctrine to shield immigration enforcement from constitutional scrutiny. This article traces how immigration arrests have suddenly become vulnerable to challenge, and how the problem may be remedied by reinterpreting the Immigration and Nationality Act according to the doctrine of constitutional avoidance.
Getting Substance Abusers to Talk

The aim of this study was to examine the perceptions of those individuals who participated in a prison-based therapeutic community and their experiences of recovery, reintegration, and reentry back home. In other words, the study seeks to describe the challenges faced by recovered addicts who are released from a prison-based therapeutic community and their journey to freedom, freedom from drugs and further criminal involvement. Consequently, the focus of the study is on the rehabilitation, reintegration, and reentry process of addicted male offenders who participated in a prison-based therapeutic community.
What Problem Solvers Know: Cognitive Readiness for Adaptive Problem Solving

This chapter examines cognitive readiness for adaptive problem solving. First, from the perspective of the science of learning, the chapter addresses, “What is cognitive readiness for adaptive problem solving?” A major contribution of the science of learning is that cognitive readiness for adaptive problem solving depends on the learner’s knowledge (i.e., facts, concepts, procedures, strategies, and beliefs). Second, from the perspective of the science of assessment, the chapter addresses, “How can we measure cognitive readiness for adaptive problem solving?” A major contribution of the science of assessment is that adaptive problem solving is evidenced by problem-solving transfer performance. Third, from the perspective of the science of instruction, the chapter addresses, “How can we teach cognitive readiness for adaptive problem solving?” A major contribution of the science of instruction is that cognitive readiness for adaptive problem solving is promoted by instruction that primes appropriate cognitive processing during learning (e.g., selecting, organizing, and integrating).
Philosophy and Practice of Biophysical Study

As a field, biophysical chemistry is an interdisciplinary area of study in which biological systems are regarded with the somewhat quantitative and concrete eye of the physical scientist. In using the intellectual paradigm of biophysical chemistry, we attempt to understand a biological phenomenon by carefully describing the essentials of its physical nature. This gives us the advantage of using the tools of the physical scientist to explore the complexities of biological systems. These tools are essentially the language and formalisms of mathematics, physics, and chemistry. The underlying philosophical foundation of biophysical chemistry is that application of the principles of these fields to biological systems will lead to meaningful and useful knowledge. Although it is impossible to advance understanding of biological problems using a biophysical paradigm without being knowledgeable about the underlying physical and chemical principles, when teaching and presenting these fundamentals, both the instructor and the student tend to get lost in the physical details and forget the overall purpose for the investigation. In this volume we will endeavor to find the proper balance.
Adenocarcinoma of an Ileostomy Site With Skin Invasion: A Case Report

A case is reported of an adenocarcinoma arising in an ileostomy site 32 yr after a staged proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis. As in 2 of the 3 previously reported cases of Ileostomy carcinoma, a locally invasive tumor produced Ileostomy retraction and stenosis with peristomal pain and ulceration but no intestinal obstruction or metastatic spread. When an ileostomy requires late revision for inflammatory changes, careful pathologic examination of the entire resected stoma and surrounding skin is essential.
Almost unique determination of neutral-current couplings in neutrino-hadron interactions

Simultaneous analyses of inclusive and semi-inclusive reactionns in neutrino-nucleon collisions and elastic neutrino-proton scattering uniquely determine the neutral-current couplings between neutrinos and hadrons up to a two-fold “vector-axial-vector ambiguity”. One of the preferred solutions coincides with the Salam-Weinberg model within errors while the other solution, also compatible with SU(2) ⊗ U(1) models with the simplest Higgs mechanism, may be helpful in understanding the bismuth puzzle.
Optical spectroscopy in semiconductors in high magnetic fields using polarization modulation

Abstract Differential magneto-reflection spectra in the 1.8 to 5 eV energy range are presented for GaP, Ge, GaAs, InSb, and Si. These spectra were obtained using polarization-modulated light from [111] faces of samples in the Faraday configuration. In medium strength magnetic fields, the results are similar to those obtained using other techniques, such as electric field modulation and wavelength derivative spectroscopy in the same energy range. In higher magnetic fields (B of 50 kG or larger) more detailed structure is resolved. Oscillations attributed to Landau level transitions have been seen at critical points in the visible in InSb and in GaSb in fields up to 100 kG. At the E1 edge an unexpected anomaly has been observed in InSb. Within experimental error, the Landau levels are equally spaced for n 5 but at n = 5 there is an abrupt change in the cyclotron energy. Here n is the usual magnetic quantum number. The transverse masses are measured as m μ 1 = 18.9 ± 0.9 (n , and m μ 2 = 16.0 ± 0.9 (n > 5) . Possible causes of this effect are discussed. In GaSb at the corresponding threshold. Landau level observations give a mass value of m μt = 21.4 ± 1.5 .
A Self-Authenticating Chip Architecture Using an Intrinsic Fingerprint of Embedded DRAM

An architecture for enabling self-authenticating chips uses 4 Kb electrically programmable fuses (eFUSE) to store bit strings representing encrypted intrinsic fingerprints obtained by offset-superimposing six out of one thousand 4 Kb domains randomly chosen in 4 Mb embedded DRAM. Authentication is accomplished by regenerating various encrypted intrinsic fingerprints, which are then compared with the bit strings in the eFUSE. Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate that, targeting an average of 32 retention fails per domain, the strings are unique and authentication is statistically guaranteed without bit correction even when unstable bits are introduced. The preliminary results are confirmed in > 50 parts containing 4 Mb memory implemented in 22-nm SOI hardware under the target voltage ±10% conditions. The analytical model predicts > 10 20 years to crack the encryption by brute force, while satisfying > 99.9999% successful authentication for one million parts.
Treatment effects of selection behavior in managed care plans: evidence from Medicaid

This paper tests whether capitated payments to Medicaid managed care plans induce to plans’ strategic undercutting of treatment for specific diagnostic groups. I focus on treatment (measured by length of stay and cost) in acute care hospitals in Massachusetts. I use a “differences-in-differences-in-differences” approach, where the third differences compare treatment patterns between managed care plans that receive capitated payments with those that do not. I find that the first reduce treatment significantly more to mental health patients than to patients in other disease groups, whereas the latter reduce hospital resource use more uniformly across disease groups. These results highlight the importance of using payment mechanisms in public programs that reflect the variability in costs of beneficiaries.
Discrete-time control of continuous-time non-linear systems

A rigorous gain scheduling approach is developed to design non-linear state-feedback controllers for sampled continuous-time non-linear systems. All the information needed in the design can be obtained from measurements of the continuous-time plant about selected equilibrium points. The performance of the resulting controllers is explored using two examples
An Argon-Sheathed Premixed Oxygen-Hydrogen Burner for Fundamental Studies

A laminar flow premixed oxygen-hydrogen slot burner has been designed and constructed. The design allows operation over a wide variety of oxygen-hydrogen mixtures without flashback. One of the key design criteria was ease of machining, a feature that has resulted in considerable flexibility in the dimensions of the slots and the positioning of the sheath slots relative to the flame slot. The flame produced shows high stability and distinct regions which make it ideal for fundamental combustion diagnostic studies.
Basal Dynamics of p53 Reveal Transcriptionally Attenuated Pulses in Cycling Cells

The tumor suppressor p53 is activated by stress and leads to cellular outcomes such as apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest. Its activation must be highly sensitive to ensure that cells react appropriately to damage. However, proliferating cells often encounter transient damage during normal growth, where cell-cycle arrest or apoptosis may be unfavorable. How does the p53 pathway achieve the right balance between high sensitivity and tolerance to intrinsic damage? Using quantitative time-lapse microscopy of individual human cells, we found that proliferating cells show spontaneous pulses of p53, which are triggered by an excitable mechanism during cell-cycle phases associated with intrinsic DNA damage. However, in the absence of sustained damage, posttranslational modifications keep p53 inactive, preventing it from inducing p21 expression and cell-cycle arrest. Our approach of quantifying basal dynamics in individual cells can now be used to study how other pathways in human cells achieve sensitivity in noisy environments.
84: Maternal Phenylketonuria

Six PKU mothers and their 14 children will be described, with details of their health and intelligence. Three mothers were detected during pregnancy, one woman on two occasions, the first pregnancy being terminated at 18 weeks; dietary treatment was introduced in the other instances. Plasma from mother and foetus, and foetal brain and liver were studied. Full details of the diet will be given with i nformation concerning the increased PHE requirement as pregnancy progresses and the need for careful monitoring of the plasma tyrosine levels. The plasma amino acid levels during the pregnancy were maintained within normal levels and nutrition as exemplified by normal weight gain, haemoglobin and plasma-protein levela together with the general condition of the patient was good. Information concerning the amniotic fluid amino acid concentrations and the plasma phenylalanine and tyrosine levels of the mother and baby at birth will be given. The subsequent progress of the babies born varied, but it is evident that with good motivation, satisfactory dietary control of the pregnant PKU mother is possible and that this has great relevance now many well-treated PKU girls are reaching adolescence and marriageable age.
Contact of Oil with Solid Surfaces in Aqueous Media Probed Using Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy

We have studied the interface between hexadecane droplets and sapphire substrates in water using infrared-visible sum frequency generation spectroscopy (SFG). At high pH and above the isoelectric point of the sapphire substrate, the hexadecane drop is repelled due to electrostatic forces. The SFG measurements are consistent with the observation that a thick layer of water is present between the oil and the sapphire substrate. Below the isoelectric point of the sapphire substrate, the hexadecane drops stick to the sapphire surface. Surprisingly, the SFG results show the presence of a thin layer of water between hexadecane drop and the sapphire substrate. At this contact interface, we observe contributions to the SFG signal from both the hexadecane/water and water/sapphire interfaces. The reasons for the presence of a thin water layer with adhesive contact can be explained due to weaker repulsive double layer and the attractive van der Waals interactions.
An Evaluation of Developmental Outcomes at a Free-Choice Oriented Girls Summer Camp

Research indicates that outdoor education environments are effective in facilitating positive developmental outcomes for participants; yet understanding of how outcomes are afforded remains elusive. Evidence-based evaluations of existing programs have the potential to provide insight into the process participants undergo in outdoor settings and to assess the outcomes that the environment yields for development. Free-choice has been shown to facilitate positive developmental outcomes for youth; unfortunately, today's youth have little exposure to environments in which they are free to explore, make decisions, and set goals for themselves. This manuscript is an evaluation of Brown Ledge Camp, a residential girls camp with a free-choice program philosophy. Interviews were conducted to evaluate the developmental outcomes campers gain at camp. Results indicate that outcomes are congruent with the outcomes identified in other outdoor environments (e.g., self-development and interpersonal skills) and the free-choice program is integral to the process.
Die Superposition von künstlicher Parthenogenese und Samenbefruchtung in demselben Ei

Es gibt zwei Variationen des Themas der Befruchtung: Einmal die Befruchtung von Eiern mit gewohnlichen Korperflussigkeiten statt mit Samen. In einem fruheren Abschnitt haben wir die Losung dieses Problems kennen gelernt. Die zweite Variation ist die Befruchtung durch Samen, nicht von Eiern, sondern von Korperzellen. Zu dem letzteren Thema kann ich nur Ansatze bieten, die vor 5 Jahren begonnen wurden, die ich aber noch nicht systematisch habe weiterfuhren konnen. Diese Ansatze bestehen in der erfolgreichen Befruchtung von einzelnen Zellen eines in parthenogenetischer Entwicklung begriffenen Eies durch Spermatozoen. Man findet allgemein die Behauptung, das es nicht gelinge, bereits befruchtete Eier noch einmal zu befruchten. Das ist insofern ganz richtig, als die Bildung der Befruchtungsmembran, welche nach dem Eindringen eines Spermatozoons erfolgt, das Eindringen von weiteren Spermatozoen unmoglich macht. Man kann sich hiervon leicht uberzeugen, wenn man die kunstliche Membranbildung durch Buttersaure hervorruft und hinterher Samen zusetzt. Solche Eier konnen nicht durch Samen befruchtet werden, sondern gehen zugrunde; vorausgesetzt, das sie nicht hinterher mit hypertonischem Seewasser oder mit Zyankalium behandelt, oder einige Stunden ohne Sauerstoff gehalten werden.
Self-Awareness and the Veracity Hypothesis

Self-awareness has been shown to reduce an individual's susceptibility to bogus bodily state information (that is, the veracity hypothesis). It is not clear, however, whether this effect is mediated by internal cue information or by external demands. In the present study, which minimized the operation of external demand, no support was found for the veracity hypothesis; in fact, self-aware individuals were somewhat less accurate regarding their bodily state than were those not self-aware.
Burden of illness associated with metastatic melanoma: an audit of 100 consecutive referral center cases.

BACKGROUND Although long-term survival in patients with metastatic melanoma (MM) is infrequent, response to a variety of cytotoxic and immunotherapies occurs and survival varies based on the site of metastases. Because different patterns of care of MM are likely to vary substantially in their intensity and resource use, the authors audited care at a regional referral center. METHODS The records of 100 consecutive new patients with MM who presented at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) after January 1997 were audited. Demographics, disease sites, and treatment prior to presentation at UPCI as well as the diagnostic and therapeutic methods undertaken at UPCI were tracked monthly with regard to inpatient and outpatient activity. RESULTS The median age of the patient cohort was 51 years was a median 2.2 years after the time of initial diagnosis. Eighty-two percent of the patients had died and only 8% had been lost to long-term follow-up. Eighty-seven percent of patients had been referred to UPCI and 28% had received some treatment prior to presenting at UPCI. The median survival was 9.0 months. The lung was the most common symptomatic site and 38% of patients developed central nervous system (CNS) metastases. Eighty-four percent of patients initially were treated on a research protocol 30% of whom were part of a Phase III study. Twenty-nine percent of the patients were never hospitalized. The most common reason for hospitalization was elective treatment with high-dose interleukin-2. Lifetime hospital days averaged only 7.3 days. Therapeutic actions (if ever given) by category type were surgery in 23% of patients, radiation therapy in 44%, immunotherapy in 75%, and chemotherapy in 51%. Using assigned values for the identified resources used, the approximate cost per patient averaged $59,400. CONCLUSIONS The current audit of MM patients demonstrated that lung and CNS metastases dominate a broad variety of complications, that clinical trial participation was the norm, that hospitalizations occurred relatively infrequently, and that the direct health care costs of current treatment patterns are among the highest for all malignancies. Medical auditing of contemporary American cancer care provides meaningful insights into its patterns of care. Cancer 2001;91:1814–21. © 2001 American Cancer Society.
Kinetics of appearance and disappearance of light-induced EPR signals of P700+ and iron-sulfur protein(s) at low temperature

Abstract Light-induced changes of EPR signals in Photosystem-I subchloroplast particles at temperatures between 225 and 13 °K showed that the rates of onset of photooxidation of P700 and photoreduction of iron-sulfur protein(s) are identical and instantaneous within the limits of resolution of our instruments. The fraction of the P700+ EPR signal that appears reversibly decreased with decreasing temperature down to 13 °K when the photoreaction was completely irreversible. At temperatures below 225 °K, the reversible fraction consists of two approximately equal portions with decay halftimes of approx. 3 and 75 s, respectively. Light-induced absorption changes due to P700 photooxidation at low temperatures monitored at 700 nm showed a similar kinetic pattern. Since the reduced iron-sulfur protein signals can only be detected at very low temperature, their decay kinetics cannot be continuously monitored at higher temperatures. Therefore, exposure at appropriate temperatures and reaction times were selected according to the decay kinetics of P700+, after which decay was stopped by lowering the temperature to 13 °K and the P700+ and reduced iron-sulfur protein signals were recorded and compared. In the temperature range (225-13 °K) studied, the decay of P700+ and reduced iron-sulfur protein signals appears identical, suggesting that the two oppositely charged species recombine in the dark. These experiments support the view that iron-sulfur protein(s) is the reaction partner of P700 in the primary photochemical act of Photosystem I.
Neuroendocrine (Merkel cell) carcinoma of the vulva: a case report and review of the literature

The clinical and pathologic features of a vulvar neuroendocrine (Merkel cell) neoplasm are presented. Cytologic studies of material obtained from needle aspiration suggested that the tumor was a small cell neoplasm possibly of neuroendocrine derivation. The light-microscopic findings of sheets of small, uniform cells were consistent with a diagnosis of neuroendocrine tumor. The electron-microscopic characteristics, including the presence of neurosecretory granules, confirmed the diagnosis of a neuroendocrine (Merkel cell) carcinoma. Regional lymph node metastases were present at the time of initial surgery, and both local and distant metastases developed 8 months later. A comprehensive pretreatment metastatic evaluation is recommended. The role of chemotherapy for primary therapy is considered.
Cytokeratin 14 expression in rat liver cells in culture and localization in vivo.

Abstract Rat liver epithelial cells (LECs) are non-parenchymal proliferating cells that readily emerge in primary culture and can be established as cell lines, but their in vivo cell(s) of origin is unclear. We reported recently some evidence indicating that the LEC line, T51B, contains two cytokeratins (CKs) equivalent to human CK8 and CK14 respectively. T51B cells also contain vimentin assembled as a network of intermediate filaments distinct from that of the CKs. In the present study, we examined the expression of CK14 gene in various LEC preparations and a Triton-resistant rat skin cytoskeletal fraction, and then assessed its usefulness as an LEC specific marker in the liver. Northern and Western blot analyses with cDNAs and antibodies for CK8, CK14, CK18 and vimentin confirmed that rat hepatocytes express CK8 and CK18 genes only, whereas T51B cells express CK8, CK14 and vimentin genes in the absence of CK18. CK14 was also present in LECs derived as primary from embryonic-day 12 rat liver and secondary cultures from 4-day-old rat liver. Primary cultures of oval cells isolated from 3′-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene (3′-Me-DAB) treated rat liver (an enriched source of biliary epithelial cells) contained CK14 mRNAs which were slightly shorter than those in LECs. The analyses of CK5 (the usual partner of CK14) gene expression using specific cDNA and antibody clearly demonstrated its absence in LECs. In situ double immunolocalization analyses by laser scanning confocal microscopy showed that CK14 was not present in hepatocytes (HES + 6 cells) and was expressed in some biliary epithelial (BDS 7 + cells). CK14-positive cells were also found in the Glisson's capsule. However, CK14-positive cells of the portal region were vimentin negative, whereas those of the Glisson's capsule were vimentin positive. Our results suggest that CK14 gene expression is part of the differentiation program of two types of LECs and that this differential CK14 gene expression can be used as a new means to type LECs in culture and in vivo.
A fast computation algorithm for the decision feedback equalizer

A novel fast algorithm for computing the minimum MSE decision feedback equalizer settings is proposed. The equalizer filters are computed indirectly, first by estimating the channel, and then by computing the coefficients in the frequency domain with the discrete Fourier transform (DFT). Approximating the correlation matrices by circulant matrices facilitates the whole computation with very small performance loss. The fractionally spaced equalizer settings are derived. The performance of the fast algorithm is evaluated through simulation. The effects of the channel estimation error and finite precision arithmetic are briefly analyzed. Results of simulation show the superiority of the proposed scheme.
Alternative splicing of Drosophila calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II regulates substrate specificity and activation.

Abstract Drosophila calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II is alternatively spliced to generate multiple isoforms that vary only in a region between the calmodulin-binding domain and the association domain. This variation has been shown to modulate activation of the enzyme by calmodulin. In this study we examine the ability of seven of the Drosophila isoforms to phosphorylate purified protein substrates and to be inhibited by a substrate analog, and the response of six of the isoforms to a mutant form of calmodulin (V91G) that was isolated in a genetic screen. Significant variation in K m s for Eag, a potassium channel, and Adf-1, a transcription factor, were found. In the case of the a peptide inhibitor, AC3I, there were significant variations in K i between isoforms. K act for V91G calmodulin was increased for all of the isoforms. In addition, one isoform, R1, exhibited a lower V max when assayed with this mutant CaM. These results indicate that the variable domain of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II is capable of altering the substrate specificity of the catalytic domain and the activation response to calmodulin.
Evaluation of hindpaw position in rats during chronic constriction injury (CCI) produced with different suture materials.

Bennett and Xie (1988) described an experimental peripheral neuropathy that is produced by loosely ligating a rat's left sciatic nerve with chromic gut suture. Four ligations, which are tied tightly enough to constrict the nerve and retard epineurial blood flow, produce a chronic constriction injury (CCI). Maves et al. (1993) reported that if the ligations are tied more loosely (i.e., no retardation of blood flow) than those that produce the CCI, rats exhibit postural changes only when the ligations are of chromic gut. We decided to evaluate effects of different suture materials on the abnormalities in paw position associated with the CCI (Attal et al., 1990). Five groups of rats were included in this study. In three of the groups, the CCI was produced with chromic gut, plain gut, or polyglactin (Vicryl) suture. Rats in the fourth group served as sham injury control animals, and rats in the fifth group served as unoperated control animals. Our results indicate that the position in which the rats held the affected hindpaw varied significantly among treatment groups. Rats whose CCI was induced with chromic gut suture spent more time with the hindpaw in an abnormal position than rats in the other treatment groups. And as compared to rats in the unoperated control group, rats whose CCI was induced with either plain gut or polyglactin suture also spent more time with the hindpaw in an abnormal position. Though these different suture materials produced similar degrees of nerve constriction, the effects on paw position were greater with chromic gut suture. These results suggest that chromic gut suture, when used to produce the CCI, may have more than just a constrictive effect on the sciatic nerve. However, since all suture materials produced changes in paw position, constriction is likely to play an important role in the development of abnormalities in paw position observed in rats with the CCI.
Numerics of the lattice boltzmann method on nonuniform grids: Standard LBM and finite-difference LBM

Abstract The present study is focused on the comparison between the standard “collide-and-stream” lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) and the Lax-Wendroff-based finite-difference LBM (FDLBM) on block-structured nonuniform grids with an adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) strategy. While the standard LBM (SLBM) is found to be slightly faster than the FDLBM, the latter is shown to be more stable at higher Reynolds numbers. Although both approaches are as accurate in simulation of fluid flow problems, the SLBM has a more complicated algorithm and its implementation is more involved; this is mainly because, in applying SLBM, the AMR blocks at different refinement levels do not advance in time simultaneously. On the other hand, the underlying differences between the cell-center and cell-vertex data structures are explained and their advantages and disadvantages are highlighted. In general, the cell-center data structure is favorable because it is more efficient in terms of computational time and memory. The effect of the interpolation schemes on the order of accuracy of the LBM is also investigated. It is reestablished that the popular linear interpolation degrades the order of accuracy of LBM to first order. A variety of benchmark studies, including Taylor–Green decaying vortex, gravity-driven Poiseuille flow, thin shear layer instability, and unsteady flow past a square cylinder, are carried out to assess SLMB and FDLBM with a multiple-relaxation-time collision operator.
Manufacturing: workers, technology, and management

Manufacturing is a challenging activity. One must coordinate many activities to achieve success. There appears to be no magic formula which ensure quality. Simple prescriptions for all of manufacturing ills have been suggested, but the theory works better than the practice. This paper explores manufacturing from the standpoint of the interactions of workers, management, and the technology they use in their jobs. These three factors form a complex system, and to optimize the system is virtually impossible without a greater level of understanding. Technology is clearly one factor which makes a company excel, but it is not the only factor. Technology cannot be looked upon as the savior of manufacturing, but as one component of a complex system.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
High productivity of northern Bering Sea benthic amphipods

POLAR regions, particularly Arctic seas covered by ice for a significant portion of the year, have been considered to be relatively unproductive1–4. In the western Arctic, including the northern Bering Sea, high water column productivity5,6, and well developed benthic communities7–9 have recently been reported. Ampeliscid amphipod crustaceans are the benthic community dominants in vast areas of the northern Bering Sea and are the major prey of the migratory California grey whale, Eschrichtius robustus10,11. Our study indicates that productivity of the benthic amphipods is remarkably high, given the latitude. The dominant species, Ampelisca macrocephala, is the most productive benthic marine amphipod ever reported and the amphipod community is more productive then entire benthic communities investigated elsewhere. biomassPolar marine ecosystems clearly have the potential to be highly productive
Enduring prevention and transient reduction of postoperative pain by intrathecal resolvin D1.

Postoperative pain slows surgical recovery, impacting the return of normal function for weeks, months, or longer. Here we report the antihyperalgesic actions of a new compound, resolvin D1 (RvD1), known to reduce inflammation and to suppress pain after peripheral nerve injury, on the acute pain occurring after paw incision and the prolonged pain after skin-muscle retraction. Injection of RvD1 (20–40 ng) into the L5–L6 intrathecal space 30 minutes before surgery reduces the postincisional primary mechanical hypersensitivity, lowering the peak change by approximately 70% (with 40 ng) and reducing the area under the curve (AUC) for the entire 10-day postincisional course by approximately 60%. Intrathecal injection of RvD1 on postoperative day (POD) 1 reduces the hyperalgesia to the same level as that from preoperative injection within a few hours, an effect that persists for the remaining PODs. Tactile allodynia and hyperalgesia following the skin/muscle incision retraction procedure, measured at the maximum values 12 to 14 days, is totally prevented by intrathecal RvD1 (40 ng) given at POD 2. However, delaying the injection until POD 9 or POD 17 results in RvD1 causing only transient and incomplete reversal of hyperalgesia, lasting for <1 day. These findings demonstrate the potent, effective reduction of postoperative pain by intrathecal RvD1 given before or shortly after surgery. The much more limited effect of this compound on retraction-induced pain, when given 1 to 2 weeks later, suggests that the receptors or pathways for resolvins are more important in the early than the later stages of postoperative pain.
BOLUS TRACKING USING LOCAL DENSITY INFORMATION

Abstract In this paper, a bolus tracking algorithm was proposed for the Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) under a realistic constraint, bolus density is monitored through a narrow temporal window. The objective of the control is to predict the bolus peak position so the synchronization of temporal window and bolus peak position can be obtained.
Selected equation of state in the acentric factor system

A new equation of state in the acentric factor system is developed on the basis of high-precision data. The region inTr,ρr space where there is good agreement is identified, as well as the regions of significant departures. The equation fits very well in the critical region.
Classical particle-like behavior of Sine--Gordon solitons in scattering potentials and applied fields

We show that classical Sine-Gordon solitons maintain their integrity to a high degree in the presence of external perturbations. Two examples, of particular importance in condensed matter, are described in detail: (i) a model impurity is found to bind low-velocity solitons but merely phase-shift those with high-velocities, (ii) external static driving terms with damping accelerate the soliton to a terminal velocity. The importance of a translation mode is emphasized and it is concluded that the soliton behaves as a classical particle in all essential respects.
Fluvial valleys and martian palaeoclimates

Theoretical models of early Martian atmospheric evolution describe the maintenance of a dense CO2 atmosphere and a warm, wet climate until the end of the heavy-bombardment phase of impacting. However, the presence of very young, earthlike fluvial valleys on the northern flank of Alba Patera conflicts with this scenario. Whereas the widespread ancient Martian valleys generally have morphologies indicative of sapping erosion by the slow outflow of subsurface water, the local Alba valleys were probably formed by surface-runoff processes. Because subsurface water flow might be maintained by hydrothermal energy inputs and because surface-runoff valleys developed late in Martian history, it is not necessary to invoke drastically different planet-wide climatic conditions to explain valley development on Mars. The Alba fluvial valleys can be explained by hydrothermal activity or outflow-channel discharges that locally modified the atmosphere, including precipitation and local overland flow on low-permeability volcanic ash.
GABA-related drugs modulate the behavioral effects of lorazepam.

The behavioral effects of the GABA-related drugs SL 75102 (4-{[(4-chlorophenyl)-(5-fluoro-2-hydroxyphenyl)-methylene]amino}butyric acid) and THIP (4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoxazolo[5,4-c]pyrindin-3-ol) were studied alone and in combination with lorazepam. Two groups of squirrel monkeys responded under a fixed-interval schedule of food presentation. In one group, responding was suppressed by superimposing a fixed-ratio schedule of response-produced electric shock; responding was not suppressed in the second group. Dose-response curves were determined by administering cumulative doses IV during timeout periods that preceded sequential components of the fixed-interval schedule. Neither SL 75102 (1.0–30.0 mg/kg) nor THIP (0.1–3.0 mg/kg) significantly altered rates of either suppressed or nonsuppressed responding, whereas lorazepam (0.01–0.3 mg/kg) produced dose-related increases in response rate under both schedules. Pretreatment with 1.0 mg/kg SL 75102 significantly enhanced the rate-increasing effects of lorazepam on suppressed responding. Pretreatment with 10.0 mg/kg SL 75102 also enhanced the rate-increasing effects of lorazepam on nonsuppressed responding. In contrast, the rate-increasing effects of lorazepam were not enhanced by pretreatment with 0.3 or 1.0 mg/kg THIP under either schedule. Moreover, pretreatment with 1.0 mg/kg THIP attenuated the rate-increasing effects of lorazepam on nonsuppressed responding. Enhancement of the behavioral effects of lorazepam by SL 75102 may reflect positive allosteric interactions between the two drugs at the benzodiazepine-GABA receptor complex.