cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Failure of Two Feed Additives (Shell-Developer and Ethacal) to Improve Eggshell Quality

Abstract Two feed additives were tested for their ability to improve eggshell quality. One was Shell-Developer, containing approximately 60% NaHCO3, and the other was Ethacal, a sodium aluminosilicate. Both feed additives were fed to three commercial strains of hens. The first trial began in early summer and lasted 28 days, the hens having been in production for 56 wk at the start of the trial. Ethacal was fed at a rate of .75% of the diet. Shell-Developer was fed at a rate of 1.25% of the diet for 7 days, .625% for the next 7 days, and .3125% for the last 14 days. The second trial ran for 56 days in autumn, utilizing the same hens after a forced rest and approximately 2 mo of production. The addition of Shell-Developer had no positive effects at any time on any of the characteristics measured. Ethacal had a negative effect on the rate of egg production and egg weight during the last 28 days of Trial 2. Ethacal also decreased feed consumption in three of the five data collection periods tested. In Trial 2 Ethacal significantly improved egg specific gravity and also improved the percentage of eggs with a specific gravity of at least 1.08. The negative effect of Ethacal on egg production and egg weight is postulated to be due to its negative effect on phosphorus nutrition.
Coupled Raleigh surface waves in slowly varying elastic waveguide

A combination of the two lowest Rayleigh–Lamb modes, for a waveguide of uniform thickness with traction–free surfaces, can approximate, on one surface, a Rayleigh surface wave. If the guide is one or more shear wavelengths thick, the Rayleigh wave will be weakly coupled to the opposite surface and will transfer to that surface and then back over a distance of several wavelengths. This is caused by the two modes moving into and out of phase. We examine the same phenomenon in a waveguide whose thickness changes slowly with respect to wavelength and we develop a mathematical framework to describe it. Using the variation in thickness over a wavelength as a small parameter, an asymptotic expansion, that represents the lateral propagation with rays, but the transverse variation with local Rayleigh–Lamb modes, is used. In adapting this expansion to in–plane elastic wave propagation, we reformulate the problem for the Rayleigh–Lamb modes as an eigenvalue problem whose eigenvector is comprised of the two displacement components and the two components of the traction acting on a plane perpendicular to the axis of the guide. This enables us to exploit the orthogonality between the modes given by the reciprocity relation. The zero–order analysis indicates that, for waveguides with increasing thickness, the coupling phenomenon endures indefinitely (in the absence of damping) if the rate of growth in thickness is, at most, logarithmic. For a waveguide with a slow sinusoidal thickness variation, the coupling persists more or less as it would in a uniform guide.
Life Cycle Analysis and Green Design: A Context for Teaching Design, Environment, and Ethics

An exercise based on the concepts of green design and life cycle analysis is described. The details of the exercise and references are given to enable its use in classes. The problem provides a useful context in which to teach and discuss design, social relevance, and ethics, as well as to develop group and communication skills.
The Role of Social Support in Breastfeeding Promotion: A Literature Review

The current worldwide decline in the initiation and duration of breastfeeding has increased the need for effective breastfeeding promotion. Promotion policies and programs need to be sensitive to those factors that may help or hinder a mother in her efforts to breastfeed. Such factors include sociodemographic characteristics, maternal employment, and social support. Social support that increases breastfeeding includes emotional, tangible, and educational components from both informal social network members (male partner, mother, family/friends) and professional network members (health care professionals, lactation consultants). Conversely, negative social support may decrease breastfeeding.
Impact of environmental scattering on transmit nulling performance

Promising techniques have recently been developed for creating nulls in the transmit sidelobes of a radar by using the signal from a nearby auxiliary antenna. In operational settings, the performance of these nulling techniques will be sensitive to electromagnetic scattering from objects in the vicinity of the antennas. This paper presents a theoretical analysis of the impact of environmental and multipath scattering on transmit nulling performance for a radar system comprised of a main antenna and an auxiliary. A case study example is described for scattering off the ocean surface.
Estimation of particulate mass and manganese exposure levels among welders.

Background: Welders are frequently exposed to Manganese (Mn), which may increase the risk of neurological impairment. Historical exposure estimates for welding-exposed workers are needed for epidemiological studies evaluating the relationship between welding and neurological or other health outcomes. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a multivariate model to estimate quantitative levels of welding fume exposures based on welding particulate mass and Mn concentrations reported in the published literature. Methods: Articles that described welding particulate and Mn exposures during field welding activities were identified through a comprehensive literature search. Summary measures of exposure and related determinants such as year of sampling, welding process performed, type of ventilation used, degree of enclosure, base metal, and location of sampling filter were extracted from each article. The natural log of the reported arithmetic mean exposure level was used as the dependent variable in model building, while the independent variables included the exposure determinants. Cross-validation was performed to aid in model selection and to evaluate the generalizability of the models. Results: A total of 33 particulate and 27 Mn means were included in the regression analysis. The final model explained 76% of the variability in the mean exposures and included welding process and degree of enclosure as predictors. There was very little change in the explained variability and root mean squared error between the final model and its cross-validation model indicating the final model is robust given the available data. Conclusions: This model may be improved with more detailed exposure determinants; however, the relatively large amount of variance explained by the final model along with the positive generalizability results of the cross-validation increases the confidence that the estimates derived from this model can be used for estimating welder exposures in absence of individual measurement data.
Incorporating a New Hash Function in OpenPGP and SSL/TLS

MD5 and SHA-1 are the most common hash functions used in most security protocols and implementations. However, recent discoveries show that these hash functions are not secure as they should be, which necessitate the need for deploying a new hash function. This implies a number of changes for all major cryptographic protocols. This paper analyzes OpenPGP and SSL/TLS protocols showing all the necessary changes to make the transition to a new hash function
Acute Rheumatic Fever in West Virginia: Not Just a Disease of Children

Rheumatic fever is a poststreptococcal disease that is receiving renewed attention by the medical community. We describe a recent increase in the number of observed cases of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) in West Virginia. This is the fifth report of a recent increase in the incidence of ARF in the Ohio Valley area in the last 4 years. In contrast to the other reports, nearly two thirds of our cases of ARF were in adults, more than half of whom had suffered previous bouts of ARF. In these adults with recurrences, none was taking prophylactic penicillin at the time of presentation. Carditis was present in seven adults, two without a history of carditis. Arthritis was present in all adult patients. These data indicate a possible geographic phenomenon related to the increased number of observed cases of ARF and document that ARF is not simply a disease of childhood. Furthermore, our findings highlight the need for extended penicillin prophylaxis for secondary prevention of ARF, especially for those with an increased risk of acquiring a streptococcal upper respiratory tract infection. (Arch Intern Med. 1991;151:133-136)
On necessary and sufficient conditions for perfect reconstruction multidimensional delay chain systems

We present some necessary and sufficient conditions for a perfect reconstruction (PR) modified multidimensional (MD) delay chain system. With these results, one is able to systematically check if a D-dimensional delay chain system with a D/spl times/D sampling matrix M and a D/spl times/D delay matrix L has a PR property in a simpler way than before, where the matrix module operations are avoided. Moreover, given a D/spl times/D sampling matrix M, in many cases one can determine all possible D/spl times/D delay matrices L so that the delay chain systems with the sampling matrix M have a PR property. Several examples are provided. We also present a method to generate D/spl times/D sampling and delay matrices M and L such that their corresponding traditional MD delay chain systems are PR. >
Higher Dimensional Consensus: Learning in Large-Scale Networks

The paper considers higher dimensional consensus (HDC). HDC is a general class of linear distributed algorithms for large-scale networks that generalizes average-consensus and includes other interesting distributed algorithms, like sensor localization, leader-follower algorithms in multiagent systems, or distributed Jacobi algorithm. In HDC, the network nodes are partitioned into ?anchors?, nodes whose states are fixed over the HDC iterations, and ?sensors?, nodes whose states are updated by the algorithm. The paper starts by briefly considering what we call the forward problem by presenting the conditions for HDC to converge, the limiting state to which it converges, and what is its convergence rate. The main focus of the paper is the inverse or design problem, i.e., learning the weights or parameters of the HDC so that the algorithm converges to a desired prespecified state. This generalizes the well-known problem of designing the weights in average-consensus. We pose learning as a constrained nonconvex optimization problem that we cast in the framework of multiobjective optimization (MOP) and to which we apply Pareto optimality. We derive the solution to the learning problem by proving relevant properties satisfied by the MOP solutions and by the Pareto front. Finally, the paper shows how the MOP approach leads to interesting tradeoffs (speed of convergence versus performance) arising in resource constrained networks. Simulation studies illustrate our approach for a leader-follower architecture in multiagent systems.
Molecular cloning of a human homologue of Drosophila heterochromatin protein HP1 using anti-centromere autoantibodies with anti-chromo specificity

We have identified a novel autoantibody specificity in scleroderma that we term anti-chromo. These antibodies recognize several chromosomal antigens with apparent molecular mass of between 23 and 25 kDa, as determined by immunoblots. Anti-chromo autoantibodies occur in 10–15% of sera from patients with anti-centromere antibodies (ACA). We used anti-chromo antibodies to screen a human expression library and obtained cDNA clones encoding a 25 kDa chromosomal autoantigen. DNA sequence analysis reveals this protein to be a human homologue of HP1, a heterochromatin protein of Drosophila melanogaster. We designate our cloned protein HP1Hs alpha. Epitope mapping experiments using both human and Drosophila HP1 reveal that anti-chromo antibodies target a region at the amino terminus of the protein. This region contains a conserved motif, the chromo domain (or HP1/Pc box), first recognized by comparison of Drosophila HP1 with the Polycomb gene product. Both proteins are thought to play a role in creating chromatin structures in which gene expression is suppressed. Anti-chromo thus defines a novel type of autoantibody that recognizes a conserved structural motif found on a number of chromosomal proteins.
Forearm compartment syndrome in the newborn: report of 24 cases.

Purpose Isolated cases of ischemia, compartment syndrome, or Volkmann's ischemic contracture in the forearm of the newborn infant have been reported in the past. The purpose of this study is to review a large series of patients with neonatal forearm compartment syndrome and to report the important clinical features. Methods A search of medical records from 1980 to 2000 identified 24 children with evidence of ischemia of the forearm at the time of birth. Records and images were reviewed for prenatal and birth history, maternal factors, medical conditions, pattern of involvement, treatment, and outcomes. Patients were grouped according to the extent of initial soft-tissue involvement. Results All patients presented with a sentinel forearm skin lesion. Patterns of involvement ranged from mild skin and subcutaneous lesions to dorsal and volar compartment syndrome with or without distal tissue loss. Early treatment intervention was limited to a single case in which the diagnosis of compartment syndrome was made and an emergency fasciotomy was performed with a good outcome. In other cases tissue loss, compressive neuropathy, muscle loss, and late skeletal changes were responsible for impaired function. Distal bone growth abnormality was common. Conclusions Forearm compartment syndrome in the newborn is not as uncommon as previously thought. The skin lesion was the common, salient, initial diagnostic finding. Early diagnosis and appropriate referral led to the salvage of a functional limb in 1 of the patients in this series. The severity of the initial insult correlated with the degree of impairment in growth and function. The delayed diagnosis and treatment of an evolving compartment syndrome may compromise further final function.
SEPARATION OF FOLLICLE-STIMULATING AND LUTEINIZING HORMONES FROM URINE OF POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN.

A concentrate of human pituitary gonadotropin (HPG) prepared from the urine of postmenopausal women (fraction B) was separated into 2 fractions, one containing most of the urinary follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and the other containing most of the luteinizing hormone (LH). This separation was accomplished by batch adsorption on diethylaminoethylcellulose in 0.5 % ammonium acetate. Under the conditions used, most of the FSH was adsorbed by the cellulose and little of the LH was adsorbed. Removal of the FSH from the cellulose was accomplished by elution with 0.1M NaCl in 0.005N NaOH.
Farmers’ objectives toward their woodlands in the upper Midwest of the United States: implications for woodland volumes and diversity

This paper reports the results of a study that explores the relationship between farm woodland owners’ stated intentions for owning woodland, and the structure and composition of these woodlands in the states of Illinois, Indiana and Iowa in the upper Midwest of the United States. Data from two sample-based inventories conducted by the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program were combined for this analysis—the FIA forest resources inventory and the National Woodland Owner Survey (NWOS). We looked for relationships between product value and investment in woodlands, as reflected in volumes and tree quality. We also examined whether measures of diversity reflected specific management focus. Our results partially supported our hypotheses. Woodland-focused ownership reasons were found to have larger volumes and individual tree sizes. We found that a passive woodland ownership reason—that woods were “part of the farm”—generally had lower volumes per hectare. Although we were not able to differentiate between different forest product classes and measures of volume, we did find that those landowners who harvested veneer had more volume than those who harvested for firewood. Woodland owners who salvage-harvested their woodlands—a harvesting reason that is more reactive than proactive—exhibited lower volumes per hectare than those who harvested for more proactive, product-focused reasons. Biodiversity was also found to be related to the ownership focus and harvest intent. Generally, there was lower diversity in overstory species when the woodland was viewed merely as “part of the farm,” when the product harvested was fence posts and when timber was harvested for salvage or land clearing. The small sample size limits our analysis, but we can conclude that focusing the woodland owners on management of their woodlands—regardless of what the specific management goals might be—should increase productivity and biodiversity of those woodlands.
Genome editing in plant cells by zinc finger nucleases

Gene targeting is a powerful tool for functional gene studies. However, only a handful of reports have been published describing the successful targeting of genome sequences in model and crop plants. Gene targeting can be stimulated by induction of double-strand breaks at specific genomic sites. The expression of zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) can induce genomic double-strand breaks. Indeed, ZFNs have been used to drive the replacement of native DNA sequences with foreign DNA molecules, to mediate the integration of the targeted transgene into native genome sequences, to stimulate the repair of defective transgenes, and as site-specific mutagens in model and crop plant species. This review introduces the principles underlying the use of ZFNs for genome editing, with an emphasis on their recent use for plant research and biotechnology.
Linkage analyses of four regions previously implicated in dyslexia: confirmation of a locus on chromosome 15q.

Dyslexia is a common, complex disorder, which is thought to have a genetic component. There have been numerous reports of linkage to several regions of the genome for dyslexia and continuous dyslexia-related phenotypes. We attempted to confirm linkage of continuous measures of (1) accuracy and efficiency of phonological decoding; and (2) accuracy of single word reading (WID) to regions on chromosomes 2p, 6p, 15q, and 18p, using 111 families with a total of 898 members. We used both single-marker and multipoint variance components linkage analysis and Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) joint segregation and linkage analysis for initial inspection of these regions. Positive results were followed with traditional parametric lod score analysis using a model estimated by MCMC segregation analysis. No positive linkage signals were found on chromosomes 2p, 6p, or 18p. Evidence of linkage of WID to chromosome 15q was found with both methods of analysis. The maximum single-marker parametric lod score of 2.34 was obtained at a distance of 3 cM from D15S143. Multipoint analyses localized the putative susceptibility gene to the interval between markers GATA50C03 and D15S143, which falls between a region implicated in a recent genome screen for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and DYX1C1, a candidate gene for dyslexia. This apparent multiplicity of linkage signals in the region for developmental disorders may be the result of errors in map and/or model specification obscuring the pleiotropic effect of a single gene on different phenotypes, or it may reflect the presence of multiple genes. This article contains supplementary material, which may be viewed at the American Journal of Medical Genetics website at http://www.interscience.wiley.com/jpages/0148-7299:1/suppmat/index.html. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A comparison of wake measurements in motor-driven and flow-driven turbine experiments

We present experimental data to compare and contrast the wake characteristics of a turbine whose rotation is either driven by the oncoming flow or prescribed by a motor. Velocity measurements are collected using two-dimensional particle image velocimetry in the near-wake region of a lift-based, vertical-axis turbine. The wake of this turbine is characterized by a spanwise asymmetric velocity profile which is found to be strongly dependent on the turbine tip speed ratio (TSR), while only weakly dependent on Reynolds number (Re). For a given Re, the TSR is controlled either passively by a mechanical brake or actively by a DC motor. We find that there exists a finite region in TSR versus Re space where the wakes of the motor-driven turbine and flow-driven turbine are indistinguishable to within experimental precision. Outside of this region, the sign of the net circulation in the wake changes as TSR is increased by the motor. Shaft torque measurements show a corresponding sign change above this TSR threshold set by circulation, indicating a transition from net torque due to lift to net torque due to drag produced by the turbine blades, the latter of which can give wake measurements that are inconsistent with a flow-driven turbine. The results support the claim that the turbine kinematics and aerodynamic properties are the sole factors that govern the dynamics of its wake, irrespective of the means to move the turbine blades. This has significance for both experimental and computational studies where it may be necessary, or perhaps more economical, to prescribe the turbine kinematics in order to analyze its aerodynamic characteristics.
Early Career Hire Rapid Training and Development Program: Status Report

The aging of the industrialized workforce, particularly in the aerospace industry, has resulted in a very large generation gap in the workforce. The disproportionate size of Baby Boomers, increasing longevity and declining birth rates has made this phenomenon a reality that no organization can ignore. It is now critical that aerospace organizations prepare themselves for this watershed transformation in the workforce and take the initiative to prepare the incoming workforce with the skills and knowledge necessary to stay at the forefront. Last year the Jet Propulsion Laboratory launched a pioneering training program, known as Phaeton, to provide the knowledge, practice, experience, mentoring opportunities, and project life cycle exposure to our incoming generation of engineers. After 14 months of operation, now is the time to discuss the preliminary results of this new program.
Does proximal tibial osteotomy with a novel osteotomy system obtain coronal plane correction without affecting tibial slope and patellar height

To determine changes in tibial slope, patellar height, and coronal plane alignment after medial opening wedge proximal tibial osteotomy (PTO) using a modern osteotomy system. Patients undergoing medial opening wedge PTO for any indication with follow-up until radiographic union were identified. Pre- and post-operative tibial slope (referenced off the anterior tibial cortex, proximal tibial anatomic axis, and posterior tibial cortex), patellar height (Caton–Deschamps, Blackburne–Peel, and Insall–Salvati indices), and coronal plane [mechanical axis and weight-bearing line (WBL) ratio] measurements were taken by two observers and compared. Review of 27 patients demonstrated unchanged tibial slope and slightly decreased patellar height post-operatively (Caton–Deschamps: −0.10 ± 0.09; Blackburne–Peel: −0.11 ± 0.10). Coronal plane measurements showed 6.4° ± 1.8° mean change in mechanical axis. Mean post-operative WBL ratio was significantly lower (51.6 ± 11.5 %) than mean goal WBL ratio (62.2 ± 2.5 %). Preoperative mechanical axis >6° varus and osteoarthritis alone as the surgical indication were risk factors for undercorrection >10 %. Medial opening wedge PTO using a recently developed instrumentation system was found to have no effect on tibial slope. Patellar height was decreased after osteotomy using this system, although clinical significance of these findings is unknown. Coronal plane undercorrection of 10.6 % of the target WBL ratio was seen in the group as a whole, although secondary analysis of these results indicated that patients with medial compartment osteoarthritis and/or preoperative mechanical axis of >6° varus accounted for the majority of the cases of undercorrection. Retrospective case series, Level IV.
Estimating Surface Water Speeds using Time-Frequency Analysis

Joint Time-Frequency Analysis (JTFA) can estimate the speed of moving targets in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images. These targets are usually solid targets. JTFA estimation of water surface speeds is more difficult since the returns are generated by Bragg scattering epochs that are randomly distributed in the radar's footprint - in both time and space. The spectral characterization of these returns depends strongly on the geometry of the collection, which also affects the techniques needed to estimate the speeds. A novel phase differencing technique is presented to measure the frequency offset caused by the range motion of the surface water. JTFA is applied after extensive filtering to extract the motion induced component of the phase signal.
Extremely High-Density Longitudinal Magnetic Recording Media

▪ Abstract Areal density progress in magnetic recording is largely determined by the ability to fabricate low-noise, granular thin lm media with sufficient stability against thermal agitation to warrant long-term data storage. A key requirement is a medium microstructure with small, magnetically isolated grains to establish optimal macro- and micro-magnetic properties. A lower bound for the minimal average grain diameter, compatible with thermal stability, is imposed by the write field capability of the recording head. It is 10–12 nm assuming maximal writeable coercivities of 400 kA/m (5000 Oe). These are already achieved in today's state-of-the-art CoCr-based thin lm alloy media, leaving little room for further improvements and density gains based on continued grain size reduction. A threefold reduction in grain diameter, however, translating into a tenfold increase in areal density is theoretically possible if write field constraints can be overcome, allowing utilization of magnetically harder alloys. T...
Discovering direct and indirect matches for schema elements

Automating schema matching is challenging. Previous approaches to automating schema matching focus on computing direct element matches between two schemas. Schemas, however rarely match directly. Thus, to complete the task of schema matching, we must also compute indirect element matches. In this paper we present a framework for generating direct as well as many indirect element matches between a source schema and a target schema. Recognizing expected data values associated with schema elements and applying schema-structure heuristics are the key ideas to computing indirect matches. Experiments we have conducted over several real-world application domains show encouraging results, yielding over 90% precision and recall for both direct and indirect element matches.
An energy-aware QoS routing protocol for wireless sensor networks

Recent advances in wireless sensor networks have led to many new routing protocols specifically designed for sensor networks. Almost all of these routing protocols considered energy efficiency as the ultimate objective in order to maximize the whole network lifetime. However, the introduction of video and imaging sensors has posed additional challenges. Transmission of video and imaging data requires both energy and QoS aware routing in order to ensure efficient usage of the sensors and effective access to the gathered measurements. In this paper, we propose an energy-aware QoS routing protocol, which can also run efficiently with best-effort traffic. The protocol finds a least-cost, delay-constrained path for real-time data in terms of link cost that captures nodes' energy reserve, transmission energy, error rate and other communication parameters. Moreover, throughput for non-real-time data is maximized by adjusting the service rate for both real-time and non-realtime data at sensor nodes. Simulation results have demonstrated the effectiveness of our approach.
Social, political and economic constraints on airline fuel optimization

Abstract There are many ways to increase airline fuel efficiency; fly slower, fly more directly, fly at the best altitudes, fly planes fuller, fly fewer larger aircraft, fly lighter, taxi less, train less in aircraft, ferry less and maintain aircraft in more places. However, there are many social, political and economic constraints to implementing all such approaches. To some extent such constraints have broken down under the pressures of recent times. Government approved collusion among competitors, route swapping, greater labor flexibility have all come to pass. However in other areas encompassing management, regulation and economics, the constraints are as intrasigent as ever. A major task of the transportation manager, analyst and technologist is therefore to develop ways of exposing these constraints in realistic ways, without assuming away the significant aspects of the problem, so that their import is clear to decision makers in business, industry and government, especially Congress.
Calorimetric Study of the Energetics and Kinetics of Interdiffusion in Cu/Cu 6 sn 5 Thin Film Diffusion Couples

We find differential scanning calorimetry to be suitable for the characterization of the energetics and kinetics of interdiflusion in solder/metal diffusion couples. Differential scanning calorimetry studies of interdiffusion in Cu/Cu6Sn5 diffusion couples have shown that the driving force for interdiffusion is similar for thin film composites and for bulk diffusion couples. The heat of formation of Cu3Sn from Cu6Sn5 and Cu thin films was found to be ΔHr = −4.3 + 0.3 kJ/mol. Portions of our differential scanning calorimetry scans are identified with diffusion limited growth of Cu3Sn. From these calorimetry data we have estimated D(cm2 / s) = Do exp(−E / kbT), where kb is Boltzmann’s constant, D0 = 3.2 × 10–2 cm2/s, and E=0.87 eV/atom.
Ecodevelopmental HIV Prevention Programs for Hispanic Adolescents

The purpose of this article is to illustrate how an ecodevelopmental perspective on risk and protection can be applied to the study and prevention of unsafe sexual behavior in Hispanic immigrant adolescents. Special attention is given to culturally based ecodevelopmental risk and protective processes that may influence unsafe sexual behavior among Hispanic adolescents. Principles for designing prevention programs to offset these risks are offered on the basis of an ecodevelopmental HIV prevention program that has been developed and is currently being tested.
Mania Due to General Medical Conditions: Frequency, Treatment, and Cost

Objective:Mania due to general medicine conditions may occur in patients in a variety of settings.Methods:We reviewed the charts of patients admitted to an adult psychiatric service over a nine-yea...
Survival Benefit of Surgery after Chemoradiotherapy for Stage III (N0–2) Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Is Dependent on Pathologic Nodal Response

Introduction The benefit of surgery (trimodality therapy [TMT]) after chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for patients with stage III non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is controversial, but nodal pathologic complete response (N-PCR) is accepted as a strong predictor of overall survival (OS). We compared the outcomes of patients treated with TMT versus CRT, focusing on the importance of N-PCR. Methods Patients with stage III NSCLC treated with CRT or TMT from December 2004 through December 2012 were included; patients with N3 disease were excluded. Pathologic nodal response dichotomized surgical patients into N-PCR versus residual nodal disease (RND) groups. Actuarial OS, progression-free survival (PFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were compared between patients treated with CRT and TMT and between CRT and N-PCR/RND. Results The cohort was composed of 138 patients (52% CRT and 48% TMT). The median OS was significantly higher after TMT than after CRT (81 versus 31.8 mo, p = 0.0068). This benefit was restricted to N-PCR (n = 50, 83.2 versus 31.8 mo, p = 0.0004), as RND (n = 19) experienced poor OS (16.1 mo). On multivariable analyses, N-PCR had superior OS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.38; p = 0.0012), PFS (HR, 0.42; p = 0.0005), and DMFS (HR, 0.42; p = 0.0007) compared with CRT. Conversely, there were trends for worse OS and PFS for RND versus CRT, although only inferior DMFS was significant (HR, 1.83; p = 0.04). Conclusions Surgical patients with complete nodal clearance experienced superior survival, but those with RND fared no better than CRT alone. Mediastinal response may play an important role in the decision to proceed with surgical resection after CRT for stage III NSCLC.
Transgender Student in Maine May Use Bathroom that Matches Gender Identity - Are Co-Ed Bathrooms Next?

This is an exciting time for the transgender rights movement. The law is increasingly forbidding discrimination based on gender identity and/or gender expression. As a result, transgender individuals are starting to win the right to use bathrooms that match their gender identity. Last summer, California’s governor signed a law that allows transgender youth to participate in sex-segregated sports, and use sex-segregated locker rooms and bathrooms in accordance with their gender identity. Also last summer, the Colorado Civil Rights Division became the first government body in the country to rule that a six-year-old transgender girl, born a boy, must be allowed to use the girls’ bathroom at her school. In the beginning of 2014, the high court in Maine became the first state court in the country to rule that a transgender student who was born a boy but identifies as a girl has the right to use the girls’ bathroom at school. This Article will examine this new trend and discuss whether it could, and should, lead to co-ed bathrooms throughout the country. The Article will conclude that desegregating bathrooms would significantly alleviate harm currently caused to transgender individuals and others and that, furthermore, desegregated bathrooms are constitutionally required under the Equal Protection Guarantees contained within the United States Constitution.
Between Coastal Marshes and Coastal Waters — A Review of Twenty Years of Speculation and Research on the Role of Salt Marshes in Estuarine Productivity and Water Chemistry

It has been almost 20 years since John Teal (1962) published his well-known paper synthesizing a variety of independent studies of production, respiration, and animal abundances in the salt marsh ecosystem of Sapelo Island, Georgia. Teal’s work brought out a number of interesting points, but I think the reason the paper is most often cited is because of its last sentence. After discussing various trophic relationships in the marsh, the paper ended with the conclusion that “...the tides remove 45% of the production before the marsh consumers have a chance to use it and in so doing permit the estuaries to support an abundance of animals.”
A Stingless Bee Nesting with a Paper Wasp (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Vespidae)

Abstract The tropical stingless bees are known to use diverse nest sites, and some species will nest within the nest of other insects including ants and termites. However, it has not been reported before that a stingless bee, Trigona cilipes (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Apidae), is able to establish its nest within the nest of the social paper wasp Epipona tatua (Cuvier) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) as reported here. The bell-shaped nest with both wasps and bees was found in secondary forest in Peru, and held under observation for several weeks until collection. Description of nest architecture and some behavioral observations are presented. Trigona cilipes is usually found nesting with Azteca ants, and the behavioral flexibility that enables them to also colonize wasp nests results in several advantages that may favor wasp associations as discussed in the text.
Histoplasmosis of the Common Palmar Tendon Sheath

A proved case of histoplasmosis of the common palmar tendon sheath of the long flexors of the fingers at the left wrist is recorded. Apparently total excision of the diseased tendon sheaths was followed by a recurrence of the disease process in about one year. Re-excision, followed by a course of treatment with amphotericin B (1.585 grams) was successful, and there has been no recurrence of the disease process in four years.
Multilevel Probabilistic Morphological Analysis for Facilitating Modeling and Simulation of Notional Scenarios

Despite advances in computational power, simulation-based experiments of complex problems remain time-consuming. Significant efforts are required to define an accurate representation of the problem and draw relevant conclusions about relationships between input parameters and output performance measures. To reduce the computational burden without sacrificing accuracy, it is customary to design a set of relevant scenarios. Doing so necessitates that the problem be decomposed into relevant parameters and that the consistency of these parameters be analyzed. To address this challenge, we propose a multilevel probabilistic morphological analysis. Traditionally, morphological analysis documents the decomposition of a system into its main components, and performs binary compatibility assessments to document relational data between component options. However, this approach leads to a rigid definition of the problem space and a static solution space that does not account for uncertain and dynamic behaviors associated with complex systems-of-systems. This research incorporates two important improvements. First, it explicitly incorporates a multilevel approach accommodating any successive decomposition steps that may be required when dealing with a complex system-of-systems problem. Second, this research introduces probabilistic cross-consistency assessments instead of traditional binary assessments to account for uncertain future states of the world. This probabilistic scheme is used to describe degrees of likelihood that two elements may coexist in a given scenario. This way, more complex interactions may also be captured and more realistic scenarios may be defined. Finally, the proposed method is applied to a problem investigating the design of architectures of detection systems for the protection of homeland critical assets.
Iron nitrosyl "natural" porphyrinates: does the porphyrin matter?

The synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of three five-coordinate nitrosyliron(II) complexes, [Fe(Porph)(NO)], are reported. These three nitrosyl derivatives, where Porph represents protoporphyrin IX dimethyl ester, mesoporphyrin IX dimethyl ester, or deuteroporphyrin IX dimethyl ester, display notable differences in their properties relative to the symmetrical synthetic porphyrins such as OEP and TPP. The N–O stretching frequencies are in the range of 1651–1660 cm–1, frequencies that are lower than those of synthetic porphyrin derivatives. Mossbauer spectra obtained in both zero and applied magnetic field show that the quadrupole splitting values are slightly larger than those of known synthetic porphyrins. The electronic structures of these naturally occurring porphyrin derivatives are thus seen to be consistently different from those of the synthetic derivatives, the presumed consequence of the asymmetric peripheral substituent pattern. The molecular structure of [Fe(PPIX-DME)(NO)] has been det...
Physical activity, serum cholesterol and other lipids in man.

Summary and conclusionsThe effect of increasing the level of daily physical activity on the serum cholesterol concentrtaion was studied in 9 clinically healthy University students. The physical activity was increased by walking on the motor-driven treadmill at a rate which required 1280 cal. for 2 hours. The caloric intake was increased by 900 cal. but the proportion of calories derived from fat was held constant. There was no change in the serum cholesterol concentration. It is concluded that the results are consistent with the hypothesis that the serum cholesterol concentration is related to the proportion of total calories derived from fat.
Fundamentals of particle flocculation and removal from water

The flocculation of polystyrene particles with aluminum sulfate or alum (Al2 (SO4)3) by turbulent shear was studied as a function of the applied shear rates (63-129 s−1) and flocculant concentrations (11 and 32 mg/L) in a stirred tank. Increasing the shear rate increased the floc growth rate but decreased the maximum attainable floc size. Increasing the concentration of alum increased the floc growth rate and the maximum floc size. A steady state between floc growth and breakage was attained after which the floc size distribution no longer changed. The normalized steady state size distributions allowed evaluation of the relative contributions of shear rate and flocculant concentration to the performance of the process.
Photoactivation of an Acid-Sensitive Ion Channel Associated with Vision and Pain.

We describe the reversible photoactivation of the acid sensitive ligand-gated ion channel ASIC2a, a mammalian channel found throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems that is associated with vision and pain. We also show the activation of GLIC, an acid-sensitive prokaryotic homologue of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Photoactivation was achieved by using visible light irradiation of a newly synthesized water-soluble merocyanine photoacid, 1, which was designed to remove adverse channel blocking effects of a related system. Activation of ASIC2a and GLIC occurs reversibly, in a benign manner, and only upon irradiation. Further studies using transient absorption spectroscopy showed that protonation of a colorimetric base occurred rapidly (ca. 100 μs) after excitation of 1. These results demonstrate that irradiation of 1 can induce rapid, local pH changes that can be used to investigate both biological and chemical proton transfer reactions.
Diagnosis of a Capacitor Bank Failure

As for the operating circuit open triangle voltage protection trip,the causes possibly causing the fault is checked item by item according to the current and voltages signal record by the protection device as well as general information,the fault unit is defined as discharge coil.Field test validates discharge coil's primary insulation fault,which results in inaccurate transform ratio and circuit trip.
The Epigenetic and Metabolic Language of the Circadian Clock

The circadian clock controls a large variety of neuronal, endocrine, behavioral and physiological responses in mammals. This control is exerted in large part at the transcriptional level on genes expressed in a cyclic manner. A highly specialized transcriptional machinery based on clock regulatory factors organized in feedback autoregulatory loops governs a significant portion of the genome. These oscillations in gene expression are paralleled by critical events of chromatin remodeling that appear to provide plasticity to circadian regulation. Specifically, the NAD+-dependent deacetylases SIRT1 and SIRT6 have been linked to circadian control of gene expression. This and additional accumulating evidence shows that the circadian epigenome appears to share intimate links with cellular metabolic processes and has remarkable plasticity, showing reprogramming in response to nutritional challenges. In addition to SIRT1 and SIRT6, a number of chromatin remodelers have been implicated in clock control, including the histone H3K4 tri-methyltransferase MLL1. Deciphering the molecular mechanisms that link metabolism, epigenetic control and circadian responses will provide valuable insights towards innovative strategies of therapeutic intervention.
Comparing the effects of two different break strategies on occupational sedentary behavior in a real world setting: A randomized trial

Abstract Developing interventions to reduce sedentary behavior in the workplace is an important public health priority. Furthermore, research is needed to determine whether different approaches to breaking up prolonged sitting during the workday are equally feasible and effective. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine whether varying the frequency and duration of activity breaks during the workday would differentially impact sedentary behavior and health outcomes. Inactive females (N = 49) working full-time sedentary jobs were recruited for this parallel-group randomized trial. Participants were randomly assigned to take short, frequent breaks from sitting (1–2 min every half hour; SB) or longer, planned breaks from sitting (two 15-minute breaks per workday; LB) during each workday across an 8-week intervention. Sedentary time and health outcomes were assessed at baseline and post-intervention. The study ran from March 2014–June 2015. Results showed sedentary time during the workday decreased significantly in the SB group (− 35.6 min; d = − 0.75; p = 0.03), but did not change in the LB group (+ 4.5 min; d = 0.12). Participants in the SB group also demonstrated small-to-moderate declines in total cholesterol (d = − 0.33; p = 0.10), triglycerides (d = − 0.38; p = 0.06) and fasting blood glucose (d = − 0.29; p = 0.01) from pre to post-intervention. Health outcomes did not change in the LB group. This study demonstrated that taking short, frequent breaks from sitting during the workday is a feasible and effective approach for reducing sedentary time at work. These results have implications for the development of public health messages addressing sedentary behavior, and inform future interventions to reduce sedentary time in the workplace. Trial registration This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov : NCT02609438 .
Metabolism and Metabolites

Biotransformation of PCBs represents a small contribution to degradation and advection of total PCB in the accessible global burden. Nevertheless, relative proportions of congeners are changed. Furthermore, for the individual and biota in the immediate area or food web, this will have a substantial impact on body burdens and biological actions. Biotransformation also alters the toxicities of most chemicals, and PCBs are no exception. The biotransformation of several PCBs was determined in the early 1970s and general schemes and rules have been extensively reviewed and rediscovered. At the same time, some of the early observations were neglected in later, more focused, studies and this has led to some erroneous generalizations. Some of the earlier work must be, again, revisited.
PLANNING AND CONTROL IN THE 19th CENTURY ICE TRADE

This paper describes selected accounting records of the Tudor Ice Company which were devised to manage and control the far-flung business activities of Frederic Tudor, a 19th century entrepreneur who has been called America's first monopolist. Tudor's business genius lay in developing methods of harvesting, transporting, storing, and marketing commercial quantities of ice taken from New England ponds and shipped to tropical ports around the world. Frederic Tudor employed relatively sophisticated accounting techniques to analyze and control transportation costs and the costs of product shrinkage. He also routinely analyzed and translated foreign currency transactions for his geographically dispersed operations and evaluated the impact of competition on his operations.
Management of partial anomalous pulmonary venous connections in patients requiring pulmonary resection: a case report and systematic review

Partial anomalous pulmonary venous connections (PAPVCs) are rare congenital anomalies that are frequently asymptomatic in adults. When PAPVCs are encountered in the patient requiring pulmonary resection, improper management can result in fulminant right-heart failure and death. In this report, we note our management of a 70-year-old male who presented with a right upper lobe ground-glass opacity (GGO) and a PAPVC. We also provide a systematic review of all contemporary reports and provide an algorithm for PAPVC management in the adult patient requiring pulmonary resection.