cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vaping Perpetuates Cardiac Electrical Instability

ABSTRACT Background Tobacco cigarette smoking is on the decline, but the usage of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) is gaining popularity, specifically in the teen and young adult age groups. While the cardiac toxicity of tobacco cigarette smoking has been widely studied and is well established, the possible cardiac toxicity of ENDS products and their design characteristics, such as added flavorings, are largely underexplored. Vaping, a form of electronic nicotine delivery, uses “e-liquid” to generate “e-vapor”, a smoke-like aerosolized mixture of nicotine and flavors. Here, we tested the hypothesis that vaping results in cardiac electrophysiological instability and arrhythmogenesis. We thus investigated how e-liquids with different flavors affect cardiac in-vitro and in-vivo toxicity, in cell culture and in animals. Methods Three e-liquids with vanilla, cinnamon or fruit flavors were studied. We quantified apoptosis and oxygen consumption rate in HL-1 cells cultured with e-vapors extracts. In human iPSC derived ventricular cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CM) cultured with e-vapor extract, beating frequency and repolarization duration were measured using multiple electrode arrays (MEA). Mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to analyze the composition of the e-vapors. Telemetric ECGs were obtained in freely moving C57BL/6J mice exposed to vanilla flavored e-vapor for 10 weeks and heart rate variability was analyzed (HRV). In-vivo inducibility of ventricular tachycardia as well as optical mapping of voltage in isolated Langendorff-perfused hearts were also carried out. Results E-vapor caused a dose dependent increase in toxicity in Hl-1 myocytes and e-vapors containing vanilla and cinnamon flavorings, as indicated by GC-MS, were more toxic, and inhibited cellular respiration more than the fruit flavored e-vapor. In hiPSC-CM cultured with 25% cinnamon flavored e-vapor for 24 hours, beating frequency increased, and the field potential duration significantly increased compared to air control. Inhalation exposure to vanilla flavored e-vapor for 10 weeks caused significant effects on HRV. Additionally, inducible VT was significantly longer, and in optical mapping, the magnitude of ventricular action potential duration alternans was significantly larger in the exposed mice compared to control Conclusion The widely popular flavored ENDS are not harm free, and they show potential toxicity to the heart, in-vitro, and in vivo. Further studies are needed to further assess their cardiac safety profile, and long-term health effects.
Decreasing Ambiguity in Ohio: A Value Based Sentencing Structure for Possession of a Controlled Substance

Theft and possession of a controlled substance are similar in that both fall into the narrow category of crimes which can be quantified through an objective monetary metric. The value of the goods or services stolen for theft and the value of the controlled substance possessed for possession. Ohio uses the value metric to define their theft sentencing structure but ignores it for purposes of their possession structure. The possession structure instead utilizes a complicated system comprised of controlled substance categorization followed by a weight and unit dose metric to output punishment severity. This complicated structure inherently leads to decreased consistency which is unnecessary given the availability of a value metric, like the one used for the analogous crime of theft. This paper argues that Ohio should take an Occam’s razor approach to possession by utilizing the value-based structure of theft to create a similar structure for possession in order to decrease ambiguity and promote greater consistency in sentencing.
Effect of precise linker length, bond density, and broad temperature window on the rheological properties of ethylene vitrimers

Dynamic networks which undergo topology conserving exchange reactions, sometimes called vitrimers, show properties intermediate to thermosets and thermoplastics. The dynamic nature of the networks results in complex rheological properties and has attracted much attention in the past decade for self-healing, malleable and recyclable polymers. Here, we investigate a series of precise, high crosslink density telechelic ethylene vitrimers as a function of temperature and crosslink density. The networks show a rubbery plateau at high frequencies and a terminal flow regime at lower frequencies. With increasing crosslink density, the rubbery plateau modulus shows a monotonic increase and the terminal flow shifts to lower frequencies. The plateau modulus at high frequency increases as a function of temperature, as expected for a conserved network topology. When plotted against inverse temperature, the zero shear viscosities show a characteristic Arrhenius behavior, and the activation energy monotonically increases with crosslink density. Crossover frequency and shift factors (from time temperature superposition) also show Arrhenius behavior with activation energies in good agreement with those determined from zero shear viscosity. A positive deviation from this Arrhenius trend is observed beginning as high as 100 K above the glass transition temperature for C6 and C8 networks. Further investigations of such networks are critical for the development of sustainable and recyclable replacements for commercial plastics.
Reduction of the 6 × 6 TD Vector Wave Equation into a 3 × 3 Complex Set on a Single FD Grid

The six scalar components of the Maxwell's real time domain equations are reduced in this work into two decoupled sets of 3 × 3 complex equations. Each set consolidated the entire information into three new complex field constituents. Contrary to the conventional staggered grid, all field samples reside on a single finite difference grid. The total number of unknowns is thus reduced, and interpolations are eliminated.
The Natural Physical System of Chino Basin

The Chino Basin in Southern California is part of the Santa Ana River watershed. This chapter describes the groundwater basin itself, which is fed by precipitation runoff from the adjacent mountains and overlying stream channels and contributes outflow to the Santa Ana River. The chapter also describes the river system, including areas upstream and downstream of Chino Basin. Although human activity has altered the natural physical system, especially during the past century, the fundamental elements of the basin’s inflow and outflow, its storage capacity, and its location within the river system and its relationship to the other streams and groundwater basins within the watershed, are essential to understanding the resource management opportunities and constraints of Chino Basin.
Evaluation of Serum Sodium Correction Rates for Management of Hyponatremia in Hospitalized Patients.

Background:Appropriate correction of hyponatremia can reduce complications such as osmotic demyelination syndrome (ODS).Objective:To evaluate rates of serum sodium correction in hyponatremic hospit...
Unravelling the unmet needs of patients with severe dyspnoea: a case for palliative oxygen.

There is a great unmet need for palliative oxygen in patients with refractory dyspnoea from advanced non-malignant diseases, which requires further work in the management of this disabling symptomhttps://bit.ly/2RAcIdn
Understanding Extremely Elevated Dizziness Handicap Inventory Scores: An Analysis of Predictive Factors.

BACKGROUND The Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) measures impairment in quality of life due to dizziness, with higher scores indicating greater impairment. Little is known about the clinical features that predict extremely elevated DHI scores (eeDHI). OBJECTIVE To identify clinical features associated with eeDHI. METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted of 217 patients with dizziness between October 2016 and April 2019. Patients with eeDHI had DHI scores 1 standard deviation higher than the mean. Analyses were performed to generate odds ratios (OR) for having eeDHI based on clinical features and exam findings. RESULTS The cut-off for eeDHI scores was 71. In total, 20.7% had eeDHI. Logistic regression identified 6 independent predictors for eeDHI scores: numbness in the face or body during dizziness (OR = 5.99, 95% CI 1.77-20.30), history of falls (OR = 4.37, 95% CI 1.74-10.97), female sex (OR = 2.81, 95% CI 1.18-6.66), caloric weakness (OR = 2.61, 95% CI 1.36-5.01), total number of diagnoses associated with dizziness (OR = 2.17, 95% CI 1.11-4.28), and total number of symptoms during dizziness (OR = 1.25, 95% CI 1.07-1.45). CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that patients with eeDHI have severe disease and should be screened for falls. By understanding the drivers of high DHI scores, we can alleviate disease related suffering for vestibular disorders.
Gallbladder carcinoma and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

Gallbladder carcinoma and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma Abstract. In this article, we focus on three entities of malignant biliary tumors: gallbladder carcinoma, distal and perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. Those are rare malignant tumors which require an extensive interdisciplinary expertise in the treatment of hepato-pancreato-biliary conditions in order to provide an appropriate diagnostic work-up, correctly assess resectability and come up with a clear-cut multimodal treatment plan. Perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (Klatskin-tumour) usually requires the most complex evaluation of resectability, which involves not only the assessment of vascular in- and outflow and an adequate biliary drainage, but also aims to ensure that enough functional liver tissue is left after resection. To this end, preoperative portal vein embolization may be used to increase the size the future liver remnant. In highly selected, unresectable cases of perihilar cholangiocarinoma, or if a primary sclerosing cholangitis is present, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by liver transplantation can be evaluated as a curative option. Distal cholangiocarcinomas usually are treated by a partial pancreaticoduodenectomy (Whipple operation). The surgical treatment of gallbladder cancer ranges from simple cholecystectomy to major liver resection with complex biliary and vascular reconstruction, dependent on tumour stage. The surgical treatment is usually followed by an adjuvant regimen of Capecitabine which can significantly improve survival, while a combination Cisplatin and Gemcitabine is used in the palliative setting.
State Feedback Designs for State Tracking

In this chapter, we solve the adaptive actuator failure compensation problems for linear time-invariant systems with unknown actuator failures and unknown dynamics, using state feedback for state tracking. In Section 2.1, the plant-model state matching conditions, controller structure, and adaptive designs are presented for a linear time-invariant system with up to m − 1 (where m is the total number of actuators) actuator failures characterized by some of the plant inputs being stuck at some unknown fixed or varying values that cannot be influenced by control action, for example, the “lock-inplace” type of actuator failures. Adaptive actuator failure designs for systems with up to m − 1 parametrizable time-varying failures and up to m − 1 unparametrizable time-varying failures are developed in Section 2.2 and Section 2.3, respectively. In Section 2.4, parametrization and design results such as plant-model matching and adaptive controller structure are extended to the case when the state reference model system has multiple inputs, which allows more freedom in characterizing desired system behavior. In Section 2.5, necessary and sufficient plant-model matching conditions, and adaptive control designs for systems with up to m − q, 1 ≤ q ≤ m − 1, lock-in-place actuator failures are derived and the effectiveness of adaptive compensation is verified by simulation results from Boeing 747 lateral control.
The Pharmaceutical Industry

The pharmaceutical industry is an important segment of the chemical industry not because of its volume of chemicals, which is usually small, but because these chemicals are high priced per volume and because it employs about 30% of all technical personnel in Chemical Manufacturing. The pharmaceutical industry is a technologically intensive industry; it is not uncommon for drug companies to spend 10% of their sales on research expenditures. A typical new drug might take 15 years and $500 million R & D. Only 3 out of 15,000 developmental drugs make it to full market. This includes discovery, animal trials, limited human trials, patent applications, process development, large-scale clinical trials, regulatory approval, and marketing.
A simple device and procedure for successful freezing of cells in liquid nitrogen vapor.

Publisher Summary Cell preservation at low temperatures has become an essential practice in cell biology, particularly in laboratories working with tissue cultures. Sufficient experience has been gained in the practical technology of cryobiology to permit highly successful preservation of cell suspensions. Some of the freezing equipment that has been used for cell freezing includes sophisticated controllers. For the laboratory that only occasionally is required to freeze cells, the use of elaborate and expensive equipment would likely not be justified. Alternative approaches involve the placing of ampoules for timed periods in Dry-Ice chests or Dry-Ice-ethanol mixtures. Other freezing methods involve direct cooling in vapor or liquid nitrogen. In another approach, a mechanical freezer or liquid nitrogen is used to cool an ethanol bath containing the ampoules. While many of the various methods mentioned are reasonably effective, the recovery rate varies largely, according to the rate of initial freezing. The methods also differ in cost, sophistication and automation, amount of handling, and reproducibility of results. The cell freezer to be described has a number of attractive features that appeal to cell biologists and others working with isolated cell suspensions, especially where there is an infrequent need to freeze cells.
Individual differences in first and fourth year college women’s short term mating strategy preferences and perceptions

th , 2012; revised August 21 st , 2012; accepted September 22 nd , 2012 Using survey methodology, a cross sectional study was undertaken to ascertain whether first and fourth year college women have different perceptions and behavior associated with short term mating preferences. It was hypothesized that after incurring significant negative or costly experiences associated with hooking up, fourth year women would prefer men who had qualities associated with a desired long term partner as opposed to characteristics associated with short term mating partners. The results were partially consistent with the hypothesis. Reported preferences in a desired partner and perspective on hooking up differ between first and fourth year groups. No difference was found between frequency and willingness to hookup between the two groups. The findings are explained in terms of evolutionary theory, social exchange theory, and sexual script concepts.
Forward and reverse transmission loss measurements

The main methods for measuring sound transmission loss using the two-roo method ASTM E90 1 and ISO 140∓3 2 are discussed. Changing the direction of a transmission loss test leads to a change in the STC and other ratings generated. The standard test methods 1,2 require measurements in both directions as a means of improving reproducibility for the test methods. The number of microphone position required for a test in a direction can be reduced to avoid doubling the time for testing.
Improving a patient appointment call center at Mayo Clinic

Purpose – Contact centers for patient and referring physician are important to large medical-centers such as the Mayo Clinic's Central Appointment Office (CAO). The aim of this case study is to report the process and results of a major process improvement effort, designed to simultaneously improve service quality and efficiency. Design/methodology/approach – Discrete-event simulation and optimization are used and linked to significant service improvements. Findings – The process improvement efforts led to about a 70 percent improvement in patient service performance as measured by average answering-speed (ASA) and average abandonment rate (AAR). This was achieved without adding additional staff, despite call volume increasing by 12 percent. Evaluating process improvement projects is difficult owing to the “phased” implementation of changes. Thus, there is no true control against which to compare. Additionally, the results are based on a single case study. Research limitations/implications – Evaluation of ...
The ATLaS system and its powerful database language based on simple extensions of SQL

A lack of power and extensibility in their query languages has seriously limited the generality of DBMSs and hampered their ability to support new applications domains, such as data mining. In this paper, we solve this problem by stream-oriented aggregate functions and generalized table functions which are definable by users in the SQL language itself, rather than in an external programming language. These simple extensions turn SQL into a powerful database language, which can express a wide range of applications, including recursive queries, ROLAP (relational online analytical processing) aggregates, time-series queries, stream-oriented processing and data-mining functions. The SQL extensions are implemented in ATLaS (Aggregate and Table Language and System).
A Software Development Platform for Wearable Medical Applications

Wearable medical devices have become a leading trend in healthcare industry. Microcontrollers are computers on a chip with sufficient processing power and preferred embedded computing units in those devices. We have developed a software platform specifically for the design of the wearable medical applications with a small code footprint on the microcontrollers. It is supported by the open source real time operating system FreeRTOS and supplemented with a set of standard APIs for the architectural specific hardware interfaces on the microcontrollers for data acquisition and wireless communication. We modified the tick counter routine in FreeRTOS to include a real time soft clock. When combined with the multitasking features in the FreeRTOS, the platform offers the quick development of wearable applications and easy porting of the application code to different microprocessors. Test results have demonstrated that the application software developed using this platform are highly efficient in CPU usage while maintaining a small code foot print to accommodate the limited memory space in microcontrollers.
PERITHECIAL ONTOGENY IN THE FUNGAL GENUS EPICHLOE : AN EXAMINATION OF THE CLAVICIPITALEAN CENTRUM

The structure and development of perithecia in five collections of Epichloefrom Europe and North America were studied. Perithecia in early stages of development are oblong to ovate in overall shape. Dichotomously branched paraphyses form on the bottom and sides of the inner walls of the perithecial primordium. As the ovate primordium expands, a mound of ascogenous mycelium develops in its base. As asci develop from the ascogenous mound, paraphyses proximal to asci evanesce and no paraphyses are observable within the cluster of asci. In E. amarillans and E. baconii paraphyses are converted into pseudoparenchyma-like tissues, while in E. typhina paraphyses remain filamentous until they evanesce. Ascospore development is seen to differ among all three species of Epichloe ¨.The development and structure of the Epichloe ¨ centrum are compared to those of the Nectria and Xylaria types. It is apparent that a distinct type of centrum is present in Epichloe ¨,and perhaps all of the Clavicipitaceae. It is proposed that the Epichloetype centrum may represent a key feature for distinguishing the Clavicipitaceae from the Hypocreaceae or other groups of pyrenomycetes.
Research Discontinuity and the Development of Hyper-Short Chronology in Middle Atlantic Archaeology, 1920–1950

Research discontinuity is problematic for many disciplines, but has posed severe challenges for archaeology practically from its inception. The Middle Atlantic region provides good examples of how archaeologists working for different institutions in the area have either met or failed to meet the omnipresent challenge of research discontinuity in the discipline. Once a line of research inquiry is dropped, it can be very difficult to revive. Even if this is the case, the earlier research conclusions can be disarticulated, reinterpreted, or treated as insignificant within new research frameworks. New archaeological approaches or findings are not necessarily undesirable in and of themselves, but scientific frameworks require continuity to build cumulative knowledge and can be easily broken and replaced by substituting alternative and competing non-scientific explanatory frameworks. New York archaeology in the early 20th century maintained scientific research continuity; archaeology in New Jersey and the Chesa...
Microbiologic aspects of papillary hyperplasia.

Abstract Fifty-four specimens from forty-one patients were studied to explore the relation of the residual microbial flora and papillary hyperplasia. The total aerobic and anaerobic microbial counts of tissues from PEH lesions were significantly higher than the comparable counts from nonpathologic palatal tissues adjacent to the lesions and from nonpathologic palatal tissue from other denture and nondenture patients. No significant differences were found in the frequency of isolation of any specific type of microorganism differentiated among the palatal tissues studied (PEH pathologic tissue, PEH control tissue, denture control tissue, and nondenture control tissue).
Effect of different phospholipids on the reconstitution of two functions of the lactose carrier of Escherichia coli.

The lactose carrier was extracted from membranes ofEscherichia coli and transport activity reconstituted in proteoliposomes containing different phospholipids. Two different assays f for carrier activity were utilized: counterflow and membrane potential-driven uptake. Proteoliposomes composed ofE. coli lipid or of 50% phosphatidylethanolamine−50% phosphatidylcholine showed very high transport activity with both assays. On the other hand, proteoliposomes containing asolectin, phosphatilcholine or 25% cholesterol/75% phosphatidylcholine showed good counterflow activity but poor membrane potentialdriven uptake. The discrepancy between the two types of transport activity in the latter group of three lipids is not due to leakiness to protons, size of proteoliposomes, or carrier protein content per proteoliposome. Apparently one function of the carrier molecule shows a broad tolerance for various phospholipids, while a second facet of the membrane protein activity requires very restricted lipid enviroment.
TU-A-12A-10: Robust Radiomics Feature Quantification Using Semiautomatic Volumetric Segmentation

Purpose: Recent advances in medical imaging technologies provide opportunities to quantify the tumor phenotype throughout the course of treatment non-invasively. The emerging field of Radiomics addresses this by converting medical images into minable data by applying a large number of quantitative imaging algorithms. Accurate tumor segmentation is one of the main challenges of Radiomics. It has been shown that semiautomatic segmentation approaches efficiently reduce inter-observer variability as compared to the time consuming manual delineations. In this study, a semiautomatic volumetric segmentation algorithm, implemented in the free and publicly available 3D-Slicer platform, was investigated in terms of its robustness for Radiomics features quantification. Methods: Fifty-six 3D-Radiomics features, quantifying phenotypic differences based on the tumor intensity, shape and texture, were extracted from the computed tomography images of twenty lung cancer patients. These Radiomics features were derived from the 3D-tumor volumes defined by three independent observers twice using 3D-Slicer, and compared to manual slice-by-slice delineations of five independent physicians in terms of intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and feature range. Results: Radiomics features extracted from 3D-Slicer segmentations had significantly higher reproducibility (ICC= 0.85 0.15, p=0.0009) compared to the features extracted from the manual segmentations (ICC= 0.77 0.17). Furthermore, the features extracted from 3D-Slicer based segmentations, spread over significantly smaller range across observers as compared to those of the manual delineations (p= 3.819e-07). Moreover, the features derived from 3D-Slicer segmentations overlapped in range with those of the manual delineations, as the lower(higher) limit(s) being significantly higher(lower) for the 3D-Slicer features (p= 0.007, p= 5.863e-06). Conclusion: 3D-Slicer based semiautomatic segmentation significantly improves the robustness of radiomics features and thus could serve as a potential alternative to the time consuming manual segmentation process. So 3D-Slicer can have a large application in Radiomics, and be employed for high-throughput data mining research of medical imaging in clinical oncology.
He Said, She Said: Gender and Angling Specialization, Motivations, Ethics, and Behaviors∗

This article compares male and female anglers' motivations and ethics for recreational fishing. Results are derived from a 2000–2001 survey of Minnesota anglers. Men reported higher involvement in fishing than women did. Women rated motivations related to catching fish for food higher than men did. Men rated developing skills and catching trophy fish higher than women did. Men agreed more with ethics related to catch-and-release fishing. Opinions about regulations and actual fishing behavior reflected each gender's motivations and ethics. Men were more supportive of regulations like lower bag limits, fees for catching more fish, and catch-and-release fishing. Women more frequently kept all the legal fish that they caught and kept larger fish over smaller fish. Men more frequently released all the fish that they caught and kept smaller fish over larger fish. These findings can help managers understand gender differences in recreational fishing.
Antisense sequencing improves the accuracy and precision of A-to-I editing measurements using the peak height ratio method

A-to-I RNA editing is found in all phyla of animals and contributes to transcript diversity that may have profound impacts on behavior and physiology. Many transcripts of genes involved in axonal conductance, synaptic transmission and modulation are the targets of A-to-I RNA editing. There are a number of methods to measure the extent of A-to-I RNA editing, but they are generally costly and time consuming. One way to determine the frequency of A-to-I RNA editing is the peak height ratio method, which compares the size of peaks on electropherograms that represent unedited and edited sites. Sequencing of 4 editing sites of the Dα6 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit with an antisense primer (which uses T/C peaks to measure unedited and edited sites, respectively) showed very accurate and precise measurements of A-to-I RNA editing. The accuracy and precision were excellent for all editing sites, including those edited with high or low frequencies. The frequency of A-to-I RNA editing was comparable to the editing frequency as measured by clone counting from the same sample. Sequencing these same sites with the sense primer (which uses A/G peaks) yielded inaccurate and imprecise measurements. We have validated and improved the accuracy and precision of the peak height ratio method to measure the frequency of A-to-I RNA editing, and shown that results are primer specific. Thus, the correct sequencing primer must be utilized for the most dependable data. When compared to other methods used to measure the frequency of A-to-I RNA editing, the major benefits of the peak height ratio are that this method is inexpensive, fast, non-labor intensive and easily adaptable to many laboratory and field settings.
Beyond everyday life: information seeking behavior in deeply meaningful and profoundly personal contexts

Information seeking behavior research is traditionally partitioned into two realms of life experiences: 1) work or job related; 2) everyday life information seeking (Savolainen, 2010). These two spheres encompass a significant share if not majority of life's time and effort at the universal level. This paper examines information seeking behavior within two specific contexts far outside the realm of everyday life. Characterized as deeply meaningful and intensely personal with life-long impacts, these contexts may not easily fit within existing information seeking behavior framework. We use examples from lived experiences in two deeply meaningful contexts to explore the scope of everyday life information seeking (ELIS), through women who relinquished a child for adoption and from sperm donor offspring who have tried to uncover the identity of their donor. Situations like these have profound impact on the focal person; perceived information needs and search strategies directly affect processes of decision making, coping, and understanding of one's self. Continuing the shift toward a more person centric approach, we suggest information seeking behavior within some contexts should be explored as a third facet of life experience: the deeply meaningful and profoundly personal.
The interplay between autophagy and ROS in tumorigenesis

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) at physiological levels are important cell signaling molecules. However, aberrantly high ROS are intimately associated with disease and commonly observed in cancer. Mitochondria are primary sources of intracellular ROS, and their maintenance is essential to cellular health. Autophagy, an evolutionarily conserved process whereby cytoplasmic components are delivered to lysosomes for degradation, is responsible for mitochondrial turnover and removal of damaged mitochondria. Impaired autophagy is implicated in many pathological conditions, including neurological disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, aging, and cancer. The first reports connecting autophagy to cancer showed that allelic loss of the essential autophagy gene BECLIN1 (BECN1) is prevalent in human breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers and that Becn1(+) (/) (-) mice develop mammary gland hyperplasias, lymphomas, lung and liver tumors. Subsequent studies demonstrated that Atg5(-/-) and Atg7(-/-) livers give rise to adenomas, Atg4C(-/-) mice are susceptible to chemical carcinogenesis, and Bif1(-/-) mice are prone to spontaneous tumors, indicating that autophagy defects promote tumorigenesis. Due to defective mitophagy, autophagy-deficient cells accumulate damaged mitochondria and deregulated ROS levels, which likely contribute to their tumor-initiating capacity. However, the role of autophagy in tumorigenesis is complex, as more recent work also revealed tumor dependence on autophagy: autophagy-competent mutant-Ras-expressing cells form tumors more efficiently than their autophagy-deficient counterparts; similarly, FIP200 deficiency suppresses PyMT-driven mammary tumorigenesis. These latter findings are attributed to the fact that tumors driven by powerful oncogenes have high metabolic demands catered to by autophagy. In this review, we discuss the relationship between ROS and autophagy and summarize our current knowledge on their functional interactions in tumorigenesis.
THE COEFFICIENT OF VARIATION AS A FACTOR IN MRP RESEARCH

This paper investigates the use of the coefficient of variation (CV) as a measure of requirements lumpiness (the amount of variation in requirements from period to period) in material requirements planning (MRP) research. CV is used as a factor in MRP research even though it is limited as a measure. Any sequence of requirements will have a unique CV, but any CV can represent a variety of requirements sequences. This limitation raises questions concerning the robustness of CV as a measure. In this paper, two other aspects of the requirements sequence for a given CV are investigated: the procedure used to generate the requirements and the manner in which the requirements are grouped. A simulation comparison of selected lot-sizing techniques is used to conduct the investigation. With respect to these two (new) aspects of the requirements sequence, CV appears to be a robust measure.
Fluid flow stimulates tissue plasminogen activator secretion by cultured human endothelial cells

Wall shear stress generated by blood flow may regulate the expression of fibrinolytic proteins by endothelial cells. Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor, type 1 (PAI-1) secretion by cultured human endothelial cells were not affected by exposure to venous shear stress (4 dynes/cm2). However, at arterial shear stresses of 15 and 25 dynes/cm2, the tPA secretion rate was 2.1 and 3.0 times greater, respectively, than the basal tPA secretion rate. PAI-1 secretion was unaffected by shear stress over the entire physiological range.
Using moment invariants for the registration and recognition of hyperspectral image regions

We show that moment invariants of spectral distributions provide region descriptors that are independent of changes in the illumination and atmospheric conditions. These invariants can be computed efficiently for band subsets of hyperspectral data. Moment invariants have several applications in hyperspectral data processing. They can be used for the registration of image regions acquired at different times and for the transformation of images acquired at different times to a canonical invariant representation for comparison. Moment invariants can also be used for the recognition of image regions under unknown conditions. We demonstrate the properties of moment invariants using hyperspectral images synthesized using DIRSIG.
Prospective Evaluation of Emergency Medicine Instruction for Rotating First–postgraduate–year Residents

Objective:To determine whether either bedside teaching alone (group A) or bedside teaching with written course materials (group B) improved written examination scores, satisfaction with the rotation, or clinical grades of rotating PGY1 residents. Methods: A prospective, controlled educational trial was conducted. Sixty–five PGY1 residents from diverse specialties rotated in the ED for one month over a ten–month study period, and were included in the study. The PGY1 residents were assigned to group by month of rotation. All the PGY1 residents received unstructured bedside teaching by emergency medicine (EM) residents and faculty. In addition, group B received written course materials on day 1. Results: Mean posttest scores were higher than mean pretest scores for the interns considered as a whole (p < 0.0001), but mean pretest, posttest, and clinical grades were comparable across instructional groups. Mean satisfaction ratings were higher for group A than for group B (p < 0.015). The interns specializing in EM achieved higher mean test scores (p < 0.013) and clinical grades (p < 0.003) than did the interns specializing in another medical specialty. Conclusion: Both instructional methods were associated with improved written test performance. Written course materials did not augment bedside teaching in terms of test scores, clinical grades, or satisfaction. with the rotation. At a university–based, high–volume ED, bedside teaching offers educational benefit to rotating PGY1 residents that may not be augmented by written course materials.
Improved CNS tolerability following conversion from immediate- to extended-release carbamazepine

Objectives – Tolerability of ‘narrow therapeutic ratio’ (NTR) antiepileptic drugs may improve with uniform drug delivery. We determined whether conversion from immediate-release carbamazepine (IR-CBZ) to extended-release carbamazepine (ER-CBZ) decreased the incidence of CNS side-effects associated with drug concentration oscillations. Methods – We compared CNS side effects and seizure frequency for patients with partial-onset seizures (n = 61) treated with IR-CBZ for ≥1 year with conversion to ER-CBZ for ≥1 year. We compared tolerability findings with absorption variability of the formulations. Results – Incidence of CNS side-effects decreased from 49% during IR-CBZ treatment to 20% following conversion to ER-CBZ. Patients also had improved tolerability of high doses (≥1200 mg/day) during ER-CBZ treatment. Pharmacokinetic analysis showed absorption and drug concentration were much more variable for the immediate-release formulation. Conclusions – This study suggests that ER-CBZ formulations, with smoother drug delivery and less variable absorption, provide improved CNS tolerability compared with immediate-release formulations.
The dust coma of periodic comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko (1982 VIII)

IR emission from the dust comet of Comet C-G was monitored at 1-20 microns with the 3-m NASA Infrared Telescope Facility at Mauna Kea, Hawaii during its perihelion passage from September 1982 to March 1983. The maximum dust production rate of approximately 200,000 g/sec was found to occur approximately one month after perihelion. It was also found that no obvious 1-micron silicate feature was present at 1.33 AU preperihelion, and that the ratio of dust/gas production was higher in other short-period comets observed in the infrared, particularly preperihelion. The low albedos derived for the dust grains (less than 0.05 micron) are noted to be plausible for mineral mixtures expected in cometary grains.
Noise-induced dispersion and breakup of clusters in cell cycle dynamics

Abstract We study the effects of random perturbations on collective dynamics of a large ensemble of interacting cells in a model of the cell division cycle. We consider a parameter region for which the unperturbed model possesses asymptotically stable two-cluster periodic solutions. Two biologically motivated forms of random perturbations are considered: bounded variations in growth rate and asymmetric division. We compare the effects of these two dispersive mechanisms with additive Gaussian white noise perturbations. We observe three distinct phases of the response to noise in the model. First, for weak noise there is a linear relationship between the applied noise strength and the dispersion of the clusters. Second, for moderate noise strengths the clusters begin to mix, i.e. individual cells move between clusters, yet the population distribution clearly continues to maintain a two-cluster structure. Third, for strong noise the clusters are destroyed and the population is characterized by a uniform distribution. The second and third phases are separated by an order–disorder phase transition that has the characteristics of a Hopf bifurcation. Furthermore, we show that for the cell cycle model studied, the effects of bounded random perturbations are virtually indistinguishable from those induced by additive Gaussian noise, after appropriate scaling of the variance of noise strength. We then use the model to predict the strength of coupling among the cells from experimental data. In particular, we show that coupling must be rather strong to account for the observed clustering of cells given experimentally estimated noise variance.
Fundamental dimensions of the bases in nucleic acids.

Abstract Revised dimensions, together with their standard errors, for the purine and pyrimidine bases of DNA and RNA have been derived from the results of 21 recent crystal structure determinations. These new dimensions are more precise than those which have been published previously. It is pointed out that the two purines do not have identical dimensions in their rings, nor do the two pyrimidines. It is also pointed out that in many of the pairs of external bond angles the two are not equal, contrary to previous assumptions.
How Well Do Various Health Outcome Definitions Identify Appropriate Cases in Observational Studies

Background Observational data can be useful for drug safety research, but accurate measurement of adverse health outcomes is paramount. Best practices for identifying important health outcomes of interest (HOI) are needed.
A regional analysis of milk supply response in the United States.

A regional model of U.S. milk supply response is specified and estimated. The results suggest that, while being very inelastic in the short run, milk supply tends to be elastic in the longer-run. Also, the effects of milk price or feed price on milk production are found to vary across regions. This indicates that dairy pricing policy and feed grain policy do affect the regional evolution of U.S. dairy production.
Small charged rings. XIV. Dimer formation through 2‐arylaziridinium salts

2,5-Diary 1-substituted N,N,.N',N' -lelramethylpiperazinium diperchlorates have been synthesized in two steps: condensation of an aromatic aldehyde with dimethylamine perchlorate to give the corresponding N,N-dimelhylaralkylideneiminium perehlorate, followed by reaction with diazo-methane. Nmr evidence was obtained for the intermediate in the second step being the corresponding 2-aryl-1, 1-dimethylaziridinium perchlorate.
The metric of space-time and the weak interactions: a brief note

The use of massive fields to measure the interval between events in space-time is addressed, and the fact that such intervals cannot be invariant within the context of conventional relativity theory is discussed. A simple five-dimensional model is suggested wherein the field rest mass is equivalent to the momentum in the fifth dimension. According to this model, only the weak interactions would be able to probe position in the fifth dimension with finite uncertainty.
Fatal aortic pseudoaneurysm from disseminated Mycobacterium kansasii infection: case report

Mycobacterium kansasii is a photochromogenic, slow-growing mycobacterium species that can cause pulmonary infection in patients with predisposing lung diseases, as well as extrapulmonary or disseminated disease in immunosuppressed patients. We describe a patient with a myelodysplastic syndrome, disseminated M kansasii infection, and ruptured aortic aneurysm. He had a recent diagnosis of mycobacterium cavitary lung lesions and was transferred to our facility for possible surgical intervention of an aortic aneurysm. Few hours after admission, the patient suddenly collapsed and died despite resuscitation efforts. A complete autopsy was performed and showed ruptured ascending aortic pseudoaneurysm with hemopericardium, disseminated necrotizing and nonnecrotizing granulomas with acid-fast bacilli in the aortic wall, lungs, heart, liver, spleen, and kidneys. Further genetic studies were consistent with monocytopenia and mycobacterial infection syndrome.
Assessment of Pharmacokinetic Constants from Postinfusion Blood Curves Obtained after I.V. Infusion

Pharmacokinetic constants have usually been derived from the parameters of the exponential equation which describe the blood curve after a single bolus i.v. injection. Occasionally, due to potential toxicity, irritation, or limited solubility, it is not possible to inject a drug by a single bolus; it may be feasible to circumvent these difficulties by administering the drug intravenously at a slower rate of infusion. A mathematical equation is presented which enables one to determine the parameters identical to an i.v. bolus injection curve by utilizing the postinfusion blood curve. The equation is applicable to all compartmental models that may be described by linear first-order differential equations with constant coefficients. Experimental data are presented whereby drugs were administered by very rapid and prolonged i.v. infusion with blood sampling at appropriate intervals. The experimentally estimated parameters calculated from the postinfusion blood curves were in agreement with those obtained from the rapid infusion blood curves.
Spatial sharpening by second-order trigeminal neurons in crotaline infrared system

Abstract Neural responses in the nucleus of the lateral descending tract of the trigeminal nerve (LTTD) of the rattlesnake Crotalus viridis were recorded. Neurons in the LTTD respond phasically to infrared stimulation of the pit organ, in contrast to the tonic responses that have been reported for the primary afferents. The receptive field dimensions of LTTD neurons are smaller than those of the primary afferents; some LTTD neurons have inhibitory regions within their receptive fields. The smaller receptive fields of neurons in the LTTD, as well as the phasic responses of these cells, might be a result of this inhibition. This is an instance of spatial sharpening and possibly enhancement of responses to time-changing stimuli due to excitory and inhibitory neural interactions in a primary trigeminal nucleus.
Gender differences in responding to open-ended problem-solving questions

Abstract We reanalyzed data from published studies (Harp & Mayer, 1997, 1998; Mayer & Moreno, 1998, Mayer et al., 1995, 1996) in which college students learned about the formation of lightning, and were then given open-ended problem-solving question. When asked, “What could you do to decrease the intensity of lightning?,” females were approximately eight times more likely than males to refuse to answer on the grounds that nature cannot be altered. The pattern persisted across four data sets involving 810 participants. The results have practical implications for the design of alternative assessment instruments involving open-ended questions and theoretical implications for gender-based differences in verbal communication styles.
Stem and CTEM observations of interference between Laue- and Bragg-diffracted electrons in images of polyhedral crystals

Abstract Interference effects have been observed, using both TEM and high resolution STEM, at the edges of images of cubic MgO crystals oriented so that one {100} face is almost parallel to the electron beam. Electron waves entering or leaving this face at a glancing angle will be refracted through a small angle. They thus provide sets of waves, slightly inclined to both the directly transmitted waves and the waves diffracted in the crystal, giving sets of interference fringes in the out-offocus images, parallel to the crystal edges. In the simplest cases, the fringe pattern is sinusoidal and may be simply related to the relative angle of deviation between the waves, and hence to the crystal inner potential. In general, the phenomena axe very sensitive to the degree of perfection and cleanliness of the crystal surfaces. They are especially so when a wave strikes a crystal face at a glancing angle from within the crystal and undergoes total internal reflection.
Hexanethiolate monolayer protected 38 gold atom cluster.

The nucleation−growth−passivation Brust reaction has been modified so as to enrich the product in useful quantities of a 38-atom gold nanoparticle coated with a hexanethiolate monolayer. Two modifi...
Adsorption of Cesium, Strontium, and Cobalt Ions on Magnetite and a Magnetite−Silica Composite

Constant pH adsorption isotherms for nonradioactive Cs+, Sr2+, and Co2+ on pure magnetite and a 80% (w/w) magnetite−silica composite were measured at 25 °C over a wide range of metal ion concentrations. The adsorption studies were carried out at four different pH's: 6, 7, 8, and 9 for Cs+ and Sr2+ and 5, 6, 7, and 8 for Co2+. All of the constant pH isotherms exhibited type I behavior with a saturation capacity that was pH-dependent and increased with increasing pH. The corresponding distribution coefficients increased with increasing pH but decreased with increasing metal ion concentration; they were also 10−1000 times lower than those reported in the literature for more selective but more expensive adsorbents. These two magnetite-based adsorbents also exhibited moderate regeneration conditions, with nearly 90−100% regeneration achieved in most cases at pH values between 1 and 3. A Langmuir model with pH-dependent parameters was also fitted successfully to all of the constant pH adsorption isotherms. Thi...