cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Access Control for Distributed Processing Systems: Use Cases and General Considerations

Access control (AC) is critical for preventing sensitive information from unauthorized access. Various AC systems have been proposed and enforced in different types of information systems (e.g., bank and military). However, existing AC systems cannot thoroughly address the challenges in emerging distributed processing systems (DPS), such as Big Data (BD) and Cloud, due to their dynamic and complex architecture. Generally, AC for DPS needs to consider the protection for collaboration among distributed processing domains. Even though some DPS architectures were proposed to address DPS challenges, most of them only focus on processing capabilities without consideration of AC. Even with some inclusion of security in recent DPS, they are mostly ad hoc and patch efforts. In this paper, we analyze the general features and use cases of BD and Cloud, which are two of most widely applied DPS applications, and propose a set of general and comprehensive considerations for AC in DPS, which can provide a guideline for designing AC systems for DPS.
Factors Affecting Perceptions of Disability and Self-Rated Health Among Older Adult, Long-Term Cancer Survivors.

Objective: This article examines the relative importance of cancer-related and noncancer illness factors as they predict the health quality of life among older adult, long-term cancer survivors. Sp...
Minimum reaction network necessary to describe Ar/CF4 plasma etch

Predicting the etch and deposition profiles created using plasma processes is challenging due to the complexity of plasma discharges and plasma-surface interactions. Volume-averaged global models allow for efficient prediction of important processing parameters and provide a means to quickly determine the effect of a variety of process inputs on the plasma discharge. However, global models are limited based on simplifying assumptions to describe the chemical reaction network. Here a database of 128 reactions is compiled and their corresponding rate constants collected from 24 sources for an Ar/CF4 plasma using the platform RODEo (Recipe Optimization for Deposition and Etching). Six different reaction sets were tested which employed anywhere from 12 to all 128 reactions to evaluate the impact of the reaction database on particle species densities and electron temperature. Because many the reactions used in our database had conflicting rate constants as reported in literature, we also present a method to deal with those uncertainties when constructing the model which includes weighting each reaction rate and filtering outliers. By analyzing the link between a reaction’s rate constant and its impact on the predicted plasma densities and electron temperatures, we determine the conditions at which a reaction is deemed necessary to the plasma model. The results of this study provide a foundation for determining which minimal set of reactions must be included in the reaction set of the plasma model.
Singly-Terminated LC Ladders

We are now in a position to realize a very useful configuration, one of the simplest arrangements in filter applications. We shall deal with the situation where the source is an ideal one - either a voltage or a current source. The filter itself is an LC ladder. The load is a pure resistance.
Geometric, osmotic, and membrane mechanical properties of density- separated human red cells

Although there is evidence that the deformability of the entire red blood cell (RBC) decreases during aging, reports on changes in relevant specific properties associated with the aging process are limited and not in total agreement. The purpose of this study was to evaluate some of the factors that might contribute to this decreased deformability. Geometric, osmotic, and membrane mechanical properties of unfractionated, top ("young") and bottom ("old") RBC from 5 healthy adult donors were measured using micropipette techniques. Surface area, volume, and diameter of RBC were measured at osmolalities of 297, 254, 202, and 153 mosm/kg. Two membrane mechanical properties, surface shear modulus of elasticity (mu) and time constant (tc) of viscoelastic recovery, were studied only in isotonic media. At each of the osmolalities, volume and surface area of the bottom cells were about 25% lower than those of the top cells. Bottom cells showed smaller increases in volume with decreasing osmolality than top cells; the surface area remained constant with changing osmolality for all three groups. The surface area-to-volume ratio and the minimum cylindrical diameter of the bottom cells were essentially identical to the top cells. However, both the surface area index (actual are of RBC divided by area of a sphere of same volume) and the swelling index (maximal volume divided by actual volume) of the bottom cells were significantly lower than top RBC. The shear modules of elasticity (mu) was about 0.006 dyne/cm in all 3 RBC populations, indicating that the forces necessary to deform a portion of the membrane did not change with RBC aging. The viscoelastic time constant (tc) was 0.148 +/- 0.020 (SD) sec for the bottom RBC and 0.099 +/- 0.017 sec for the top cells. This difference indicates that shape recovery following membrane deformation is delayed in old RBC. The membrane surface viscosity (eta), calculated as the product of tc times mu was 0.95 +/- 0.22 x 10(-3) dyne-sec/cm for the bottom cells and 0.54 +/- 0.15 x 10(-3) for the top RBC. These data indicate that the relative deficit in membrane surface area and the increased membrane viscosity of old RBC may be important determinants for their decreased deformability and their eventual removal from the circulation.
Diastolic blood pressure predicts coronary plaque volume in patients with coronary artery disease.

Abstract Background and aims Hypertension is associated with increased clinical and subclinical coronary artery disease (CAD); however, the relationship between blood pressure and coronary plaque volume is unclear. We examined the effect of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) on coronary artery plaque volume. Methods 285 subjects with stable CAD on statin therapy underwent coronary computed tomographic angiography to measure volume of fatty, fibrous, noncalcified, calcified and total coronary plaque. Results Mean (SD) age was 63.1 (7.7); mean (SD) LDL-C, 78.7 mg/dL (28.5). Compared to the highest DBP tertile (>76 mmHg), those in the lowest DBP tertile (≤68 mmHg) had lower volumes of fatty: 10.0 vs. 7.7 mm3/mm, (p trend = 0.042), fibrous: 19.6 vs. 13.8 mm3/mm (p trend = 0.011), non-calcified: 29.7 vs. 22.5 mm3/mm (p trend = 0.017) and total plaque: 37.8 vs. 25.1 mm3/mm (p trend = 0.010) whereas there was no relationship with SBP tertiles. Similarly, when examined as a continuous variable, higher DBP was a significant independent predictor of higher plaque volume after multivariate adjustment: for every 1 mmHg increase in DBP, fibrous plaque increased 0.128 mm3/mm (p = 0.022), noncalcified plaque increased 0.176 mm3/mm (p = 0.045), calcified plaque increased 0.096 mm3/mm (p = 0.001) and total plaque increased 0.249 mm3/mm (p = 0.019) whereas SBP ranging from 95 to 154 mmHg did not predict plaque volume. Conclusions Level of DBP predicts coronary plaque with a DBP tertile ≤68 mmHg associated with the least amount of coronary plaque in subjects with LDL-C
End-to-end compromised account detection

Social media, e.g. Twitter, has become a widely used medium for the exchange of information, but it has also become a valuable tool for hackers to spread misinformation through compromised accounts. Hence, detecting compromised accounts is a necessary step toward a safe and secure social media environment. Nevertheless, detecting compromised accounts faces several challenges. First, social media activities of users are temporally correlated which plays an important role in compromised account detection. Second, data associated with social media accounts is inherently sparse. Finally, social contagions where multiple accounts become compromised, take advantage of the user connectivity to propagate their attack. Thus how to represent each user's network features for compromised account detection is an additional challenge. To address these challenges, we propose an End-to-End Compromised Account Detection framework (E2ECAD). E2ECAD effectively captures temporal correlations via an LSTM (Long Short-Term Memory) network. Further, it addresses the sparsity problem by defining and employing a user context representation. Meanwhile, informative network-related features are modeled efficiently. To verify the working of the framework, we construct a real-world dataset of compromised accounts on Twitter and conduct extensive experiments. The results of experiments show that E2ECAD outperforms the state of the art compromised account detection algorithms.
Adaptive Independent Component Analysis-Based Clutter Filtering for Improved Non-Contrast Perfusion Ultrasound Imaging

Tissue motion makes perfusion ultrasound imaging without contrast difficult. We previously developed an adaptive demodulation (AD) method to correct for this motion prior to tissue filtering. Additionally, 2D space and time eigen-based clutter filtering has been shown to be superior to conventional frequency domain filtering performed only in the slow-time dimension, especially when long ensembles are used. We have shown that combining AD with singular value decomposition (SVD) filtering can improve slow blood flow detection. Here, we aim to develop and evaluate an adaptive independent component analysis (ICA) approach to clutter filtering and compare it to adaptive SVD filtering with and without AD using simulations and a single vessel phantom. We show that AD+ICA and ICA produce the highest blood-to-background signal-to-noise ratios in simulations and in the phantom, respectively.
The Use of Veteran-Centric Simulations in a Nursing Program

Abstract Background Veterans and their families seek care in all health care settings; therefore, it is imperative for nurses to understand the unique needs of this population to effectively provide care. Sample The research was conducted at a U.S. Midwestern University that uses Veteran-centric simulations throughout their baccalaureate nursing program with 41% of the simulations during the first semester being Veteran centric. A convenience sample of first semester nursing students participated in this study. Methods A descriptive-comparative research design was used to compare students' perception of confidence and comfort in caring for Veterans at the beginning and end of the first semester. Results Findings from this study indicate a significant improvement in students' perceptions from the beginning to the end of the first semester (p Conclusion This study adds to the body of literature using empirical research to evaluate the effectiveness of simulation in increasing students' awareness of Veteran's health care needs.
Multi-Level Diffractive Lenses for Real-Time Long-Wave IR Imaging

Recently the field of metalenses has experienced an upsurge as evidenced by the growing number of publications in the area with each passing year. In-turn diffractive lenses have been used as thin-lenses since the late 19th century. Here, we show that multi-level diffractive lenses (MDLs), when appropriately designed, can perform comparably to metalenses. Furthermore, MDLs can be designed and fabricated with larger constituent features, making them accessible to low-cost, large area / volume manufacturing, which is generally challenging for metalenses in particular at IR and visible wavelengths. Based on this approach, we demonstrate computationally designed MDLs in real-time still and video imaging in the long-wave infrared regime (8 - 12 μm).
The Measurement of the Internal Relative Humidity of Concrete at Early Ages

Measurement of the internal relative humidity (RH) in concrete can be used to describe the availability of water, which has implications on several properties including shrinkage and hydration rate. However, accurate measurement of the internal RH of concrete is challenging, especially at early ages. This article examines different methods of using capacitive sensors for measuring the internal RH of concrete. The capacitive RH sensors are typically placed inside a void that enables the RH of the air within the void to be measured. Condensation of water vapor (caused by variation in temperature of the sample) has been observed to result in unreliable measurements, calibration issues, sensor malfunction, and sensor damage. Sensors may be heated cyclically to evaporate the condensed water vapor; however, many of these sensors failed to operate properly. Continuously heated sensors maintain the sensor at a higher temperature than the ambient concrete to reduce the potential for the formation of condensation. The continuously heated sensor provided the best results and is a good candidate for future testing. Suggestions for the measurement of internal concrete RH and calibration of the sensors are provided.
Examining the impact of a Healing Touch intervention to reduce posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in combat veterans.

Objective This study examined the use of Healing Touch (HT), a biofield therapy, as an intervention in treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It exemplifies the upswing of biofield (energy field) therapies that have been taking place recently for a number of clinical conditions, including cancer, pain, arthritis, movement restriction, and energy psychology. Theoretically, the human body is the physical aspect of an individualized field of energy (biofield) in which electrical activity functions as a complex, organized whole or system. Hypothetically, this system plays a critical role in the effective treatment of PTSD. Trauma-induced congested energy in vital areas of the human body, particularly the chakras and the funnel-shaped crown-to-transpersonal channel, impedes the natural release of unwanted energy of emotions, thereby becoming a major obstacle to treatment. This qualitative and quantitative study examined the use of HT as an effective intervention to break up and clear away congested energy, promote a strong energy flow, and allow the natural release of unwanted energy of emotions to normalize. The test group would average a mean reduction of symptom severity of at least 18 points after 10 treatments, as measured by the psychometrically sound self report measure of PTSD symptom severity for military use. Method In a 2-armed randomized crossover waitlist controlled trial, combat veterans experienced the impact of HT techniques complementing standard care on the severity of their PTSD symptoms. Results The test group's mean reduction of symptom severity was a clinically significant 18.11 points, along with a reliable change of 5.57 points for the control group. Overall, subjects reported a range of positive physical and psychological effects. Conclusion Although continued research using larger samples is needed, it may be concluded that HT is a low-risk, low-cost intervention for PTSD that should be implemented as a treatment option, especially in combination with "gold-standard" therapies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Discrete Finite-time Stable Attitude Tracking Control of Unmanned Vehicles on SO(3)

This paper presents a finite-time stable (FTS) attitude tracking control scheme in discrete time for an unmanned vehicle. The attitude tracking control scheme guarantees discrete-time stability of the feedback system in finite time. This scheme is developed in discrete time as it is more convenient for onboard computer implementation and guarantees stability irrespective of sampling period. Finite-time stability analysis of the discrete-time tracking control is carried out using discrete Lyapunov analysis. This tracking control scheme ensures stable convergence of attitude tracking errors to the desired trajectory in finite time. The advantages of finite-time stabilization in discrete time over finite-time stabilization of a sampled continuous time tracking control system is addressed in this paper through a numerical comparison. This comparison is performed using numerical simulations on continuous and discrete FTS tracking control schemes applied to an unmanned vehicle model.
A comprehensive guide to studying inflammasome activation and cell death.

Inflammasomes are multimeric heterogeneous mega-Dalton protein complexes that play key roles in the host innate immune response to infection and sterile insults. Assembly of the inflammasome complex following infection or injury begins with the oligomerization of the upstream inflammasome-forming sensor and proceeds through a multistep process of well-coordinated events and downstream effector functions. Together, these steps enable elegant experimental readouts with which to reliably assess the successful activation of the inflammasome complex and cell death. Here, we describe a comprehensive protocol that details several in vitro (in bone marrow–derived macrophages) and in vivo (in mice) strategies for activating the inflammasome and explain how to subsequently assess multiple downstream effects in parallel to unequivocally establish the activation status of the inflammasome and cell death pathways. Our workflow assesses inflammasome activation via the formation of the apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC) speck; cleavage of caspase-1 and gasdermin D; release of IL-1β, IL-18, caspase-1, and lactate dehydrogenase from the cell; and real-time analysis of cell death by imaging. Analyses take up to ~24 h to complete. Overall, our multifaceted approach provides a comprehensive and consistent protocol for assessing inflammasome activation and cell death. This protocol describes a toolbox for comprehensive characterization of inflammasome activation and cell death in response to both in vivo (in mice) and in vitro (using bone marrow–derived macrophages) models of infection, sterile insults, and cancer.
Daily Life Experiences: Challenges, Strategies, and Implications for Therapy in Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)

Postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a condition of orthostatic intolerance which often leads to significant functional deficits. This study explores narrative responses from a large cohort (n =...
Nurses’ Perceptions of Telemedicine Adoption in the Intensive Care Unit

Background With telemedicine technology, off-site expert clinicians can consult in real time with bedside nurses and providers. The success of telemedicine may depend on its acceptance by bedside nurses and providers. Objectives To compare nurses' perceptions of telemedicine in 2 intensive care units (ICUs) at Emory University Hospital, an academic medical center, and to determine the relation between nurses' years of ICU experience and their perceptions of telemedicine in the hospital's ICUs (Emory e-ICU Center). Methods This study used a descriptive correlational design. Nurses in the 2 units completed a demographic form and a questionnaire about their perceptions of the Emory e-ICU Center. Results A total of 60 participants completed the study (30 nurses from each unit). Among the entire sample, the perception scores ranged from 2.4 to 5.0, with a mean score of 3.8 (SD, 0.6). Perception scores were significantly higher for nurses in the acute respiratory ICU than for those in the cardiovascular ICU; nurses in the acute respiratory ICU had spent less time working in an ICU. No statistically significant correlation was found between nurses' years of experience in an ICU and their perception scores. This correlation was also not significant within each unit. Nurses' experience with telemedicine in the ICU also did not correlate significantly with perception scores. Conclusions Despite differences in nurses' years of experience, the perceptions of the Emory e-ICU Center did not differ significantly among nurses.
Design of the control structure for two-mass system with help of the D-decomposition technique

The paper presents the application of the D-decomposition method to the selection of parameters of the speed control structure of the drive system with an elastic coupling. After an introduction where the issue of control structures of drive systems with an elastic joint is briefly presented, the main point of the paper is described. Then the mathematical model of the two-mass drive system is demonstrated. Next, the control structure with PI controller and additional feedback from the shaft torque is shown. Next, the idea of a D-decomposition is discussed. Then the simulation and experimental results showing the properties of the presented methodology are demonstrated.
Acute thromboembolic events (TE) within 30 days of COVID-19 infection in cancer patients

e18691Background: Increased rates of TE have been reported in patients (pts) with coronavirus disease (COVID-19), even without prior predisposition to thrombosis. Patients with cancer are already p...
Designing stable bimetallic nanoclusters via an iterative two-step optimization approach

Determining the energetically most favorable structure of nanoparticles is a fundamentally important task towards understanding their stability. In the case of bimetallic nanoclusters, their vast configurational space makes it especially challenging to find the global energy optimum via experimental or computational screening. To that end, this work proposes a two-step optimization-based design framework to address this hard combinatorial problem. Given a nanocluster of fixed shape, a rigorous mixed-integer linear programming model is formulated based on a bond-centric cohesive energy function to identify the most cohesive bimetallic configuration for a given composition. This capability is coupled with a metaheuristic strategy that searches over the space of nanocluster shapes to obtain optimal structures. We apply our proposed methodology on AgCu, AuAg and CuAu systems, quantifying how the size and composition of a nanocluster influences its overall cohesion. Furthermore, we observe various synergistic effects between Cu and Au in promoting cohesive energy, while multiple segregation patterns are identified in all three studied binary systems. Our methodology serves as an efficient computational tool for investigating bimetallic nanoclusters stability properties as well as provides model nanoclusters for further investigations.
Quality Improvement Project: Improving the Time To Treatment in Inpatient Acute Ischemic Stroke (P7.130)

Objective: To reduce the time to treament of acute ischemic strokes in the inpatient setting Background: Urgent assessment and management of acute stroke is critical. A shorter time to treatment is directly associated with better patient outcomes. Studies have shown that management is prolonged in the inpatient setting compared to the emergency department (ED). Design/Methods: We did a retrospective cohort study of strokes ending in t-PA administration or endovascular intervention between 2010-2013. ED and inpatient data were compared. Variables assessed were time to neurological evaluation, time to CT-scan, time to t-PA, time from CT-scan to t-PA and time to endovascular intervention. The variables were compared using a one-tailed Student’s t-test. Once areas of delay were identified, procedure modifications were proposed. Results: 122 stroke codes included (ED=106, Inpatient=16). There was no difference in time to neurological evaluation (ED=2.80 minutes, inpatient=4.43 minutes; p=0.19). Time to CT-scan was significantly increased in the inpatient group (32.25 versus 14.93 minutes, p=<0.001). Time to t-PA was significantly prolonged in the inpatient group (80.3 versus 59.32 minutes, p=0.01). There was no difference in the time from CT-head to t-PA (p=0.09) or in the time to endovascular intervention (p=0.21). Conclusion/Proposal: In the inpatient setting there was a significant delay in the time to CT-scan and to t-PA; the main source of delay was time to CT-scan. There are many possible reasons for the delay: location of the CT-scanner, unfamiliarity with strokes by non-neurology staff, ready availability of t-PA. We proposed to target house staff education and t-PA availability. We developed a “stroke-code” checklist to be distributed to house staff from different services after a small explanatory lecture. We also developed an order form to create a zero wait time for t-PA, allowing the RN/PCA to be the first one served in the pharmacy. Once these interventions take place, we will assess if treatment times were reduced. Disclosure: Dr. Liang has nothing to disclose. Dr. Garcia Santibanez has nothing to disclose. Dr. Walker has nothing to disclose. Dr. Boniece has nothing to disclose.
The Kinetics and Inhibition of the Adenosine Diphosphate-Adenosine Triphosphate Exchange Catalyzed by a Purified Mitochondrial Nucleoside Diphosphokinase

Abstract The kinetic behaviour of a highly purified nucleoside diphosphokinase of bovine liver mitochondria was found to be a very complex function of the concentrations of adenosine di- and triphosphate and Mg++, as well as the pH. At low ADP and excess Mg++ concentrations, the kinetic behavior is consistent with an ordered bimolecular "ping-pong" mechanism in which the true substrates are MgATP and either free MgADP or ADP. The enzyme is inhibited by higher concentrations of MgADP to an extent which depends on the concentration of MgATP. The enzyme is also inhibited by high concentrations of MgATP; however, MgADP is about 50 times more inhibitory than MgATP. At high levels of MgADP, the saturation curve for MgATP becomes sigmoid, with Hill interaction coefficients approaching the integral value 2.0. It has also been found that the affinity for ADP (or MgADP) as substrate and the inhibitory activity of MgADP may vary independently with pH. Furthermore, the molecular specificity of the different nucleoside 5'-diphosphates (NDP) for maximum inhibition differs from the nucleotide specificity for the catalytic event; inhibition by any given MgNDP is also dependent on the identity of the MgNTP partner. These results indicate that the mitochondrial nucleoside diphosphokinase has certain of the properties of a regulatory enzyme and that it contains two or more binding sites for the substrates, which can function either as substrates or as inhibitors, depending on the relative concentrations of ATP, ADP, and Mg++.
Anticipatory Grief, Stress, and the Surrogate Griever

There is nothing like a little stress to enhance our well-being. Stress can serve as a force for growth, or if nothing else it can clear the air. Permit me to respond to the somewhat contending points of view expressed by Dr. Mount and Dr. Luthe.
Neutrino Democratic Masses, Mixing and Incoherence

It is shown that the well established and confirmed neutrino experimental results, such as atmospheric neutrino oscillations and solar neutrino deficit, can be easily explained for "democratic" left-handed Majorana neutrinos, taking into account the effect of incoherence. In this model the absolute values of the neutrino masses can be extracted from the atmospheric neutrino oscillation data, which gives the mass spectrum close to {0.03 eV, 0.03 eV, 0.06 eV}. The predictions of the considered model and its further testing are discussed.
Structural and functional roles of highly conserved serines in human lipoprotein lipase. Evidence that serine 132 is essential for enzyme catalysis.

Abstract The structure of human lipoprotein lipase was recently deduced from its cDNA sequence. It contains 8 serine residues (residues 45, 132, 143, 172, 193, 244, 251, and 363) that are absolutely conserved in both lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase across all species studied. The high homology between lipoprotein lipase, hepatic lipase, and pancreatic lipase suggests that the catalytic functions of these enzymes share a common mechanism and that one of the 8 conserved serines in human lipoprotein lipase must play a catalytic role as does serine 152 in the case of pancreatic lipase (Winkler, F. K., D'Arcy, A., and Hunziker, W. Nature 343, 771-774). We expressed wild-type and site-specific mutants of human lipoprotein lipase in COS cells in vitro. We produced two to four substitution mutants involving each of the 8 serines and assayed a total of 22 mutants for both enzyme activity and the amount of immunoreactive enzyme mass produced. Immunoreactive lipase was detected in all cases. With the exception of Ser132, for each of the 8 serine mutants we studied, at least one of several mutants at each position showed detectable enzyme activity. All three substitution mutants at Ser132, Ser----Thr, Ser----Ala, and Ser----Asp, were totally inactive. Ser132 occurs in the consensus sequence Gly-Xaa-Ser-Xaa-Gly present in all serine proteinases and in human pancreatic lipase. The x-ray crystallography structure of human pancreatic lipase suggests that the analogous serine residue in human pancreatic lipase, Ser152, is the nucleophilic residue essential for catalysis. Our biochemical data strongly support the conclusion that Ser132 in human lipoprotein lipase is the crucial residue required for enzyme catalysis. The observed specific activities of the variants involving the other seven highly conserved serines in human lipoprotein lipase are consistent with the interpretation that this enzyme has a three-dimensional structure very similar to that of human pancreatic lipase.
Serum free light chains in myeloma patients with an intact M-protein by immunofixation: potential roles for response assessment and prognosis during induction therapy with novel agents

The ascertainment of serum free light chain (sFLC) levels has been shown to be valuable in screening for the presence of plasma cell dyscrasia as well as for baseline prognosis in newly diagnosed patients. For patients with amyloidosis and those with oligo-secretory or non-secretory multiple myeloma (MM), serial measurement of sFLC has also been shown to be valuable in monitoring disease status. However, in patients with a measureable, intact monoclonal protein by immunofixation (M protein), the serial measurement of sFLC remains undefined and is currently not recommended in professional guidelines. Herein, we provide data comparing sFLC with M protein as biomarkers of response in newly diagnosed patients with MM undergoing induction therapy with the novel agents thalidomide, lenalidomide and/or bortezomib. We show that although M protein appears to outperform sFLC comparatively over the course of induction therapy, the addition of FLC to M protein further informs the characterization of residual disease status post-induction. Moreover, sFLC at the time of stem cell mobilization appears to hold prognostic power for survival endpoints following high-dose chemotherapy/autologous stem cell transplant (HDC/SCT). These findings suggest potentially novel roles for sFLC in patients with MM with an intact M protein receiving novel agent-based induction strategies followed by HDC/SCT.
Magnetospheric substorms: An inner-magnetospheric modeling perspective

Abstract Kilovolt electrons cause satellite anomalies through surface charging and frequently interfere with the operation of geosynchronous spacecraft. The Magnetospheric Specification Model was designed to specify kilovolt electron fluxes at and near synchronous orbit, and while it has seen limited operational use, its accuracy is not high. One promising approach to improving the accuracy lies in assimilation of real-time-measured geosynchronous fluxes. An initial effort in that direction showed significant, though undramatic, improvements in accuracy. Since major changes in geosynchronous electrons are typically associated with magnetospheric substorms, accurate specification and forecast of geosynchronous electrons is likely to require understanding of the substorm phenomenon, particularly as it impacts the inner magnetosphere. Coupling of the Rice Convection Model (RCM) to a friction-code equilibrium solver now allows solution of a complete set of physical equations for the inner magnetosphere and inner plasma sheet, assuming adiabatic drift and isotropic pressure. In this formulation, the plasma is characterized by the distribution function f (λ,α,β), where λ= W k V 2/3 is the isotropic invariant, V is the flux-tube volume, and α and β are Euler potentials. Initial application of this coupled model to the substorm problem has produced the following results: o 1. More realistic calculation has verified the standard picture of the substorm growth phase. Enforcing a strong convection electric field across the magnetotail and assuming adiabatic convection (specifically conservation of f (λ,α,β) along a drift path) leads to storage of magnetic flux in the tail, development of a magnetic-field minimum in the inner plasma sheet, and a thinning and intensification of the current sheet there. Adiabatic convection by itself does not lead to injection of plasma into the inner magnetosphere. 2. From the viewpoint of the inner magnetosphere, the main effect of the substorm expansion phase is the creation of new closed plasma-sheet flux tubes having lower values of f (λ,α,β) and pV 5/3 than ordinary plasma-sheet flux tubes. These lower content flux tubes can more easily be injected into the geosynchronous-orbit region and inner magnetosphere. 3. Since the RCM is based on the assumption of adiabatic drift, it does not directly describe the nonadiabatic processes that are essential to the substorm expansion phase, but those processes can be parameterized in the RCM. Different assumptions about the non-adiabatic reduction of f on different flux tubes in the substorm expansion phase lead to different predicted ionospheric electric field patterns. These different patterns, along with differences in the particle distribution functions during injections, may prove useful in clarifying the physics of the expansion phase and choosing between competing substorm scenarios.
βl-Glucuronidase activity in the urine, serum, kidney and bladderof rats fed 2-chloro-4-nitrobenzamide, 3,5-dinitrobenzamide or 3,5-dinitro-o-toluamide

Abstract Groups of rats of both sexes were fed diets containing one of three coccidiostats.2-Chloro-4-nitrobenzamide (Novastat®) and 3,5-dinitrobenzamide (Tristat®) were fed at dietary levels of 1000 and 2000 ppm and 3,5-dinitro- o -toluamide (Zoalene®) at 125 and 500 ppm for 2 yr. After this time, urinary β -glucuronidase activity was decreased in females given either level of Novastat or Tristat or 500 ppm Zoalene. In males, this urinary enzyme was decreased with both levels of Novastat and with the 1000 ppm level of Tristat, but remained unchanged with both levels of Zoalene. β -Glucuronidase activities in serum and in kidney and bladder homogenates from the coccidiostat-fedrats were the same as those from control rats. Pathological changes in the kidney and urinary bladder occurred only in the rats fed 3,5-dinitrobenzamide. The three coccidiostats had no in vitro action upon the β -glucuronidase activity of normal rat urine or rat kidney.
The Social History of Satan, the “Intimate Enemy”: A Preliminary Sketch

The figure of Satan has been a standing puzzle in the history of religion. Where did this figure originate, and what is its role? Satan is scarcely present in traditional Judaism to this day and is not present at all in classical Jewish sources—at least not in the form that later Western Christendom knew him, as the leader of an “evil empire,” of an army of hostile spirits who take pleasure in destroying human beings. Yet images of such spirits did develop and proliferate in certain late antique Jewish sources, from ca. 165 BCE to 100 CE. Specifically, they developed among groups I shall call “dissident Jews,” which included the early followers of Jesus; within decades, the figure of Satan and his demons became central to Christian (and later to Islamic) teaching. How did this occur?
Ensuring Research Competency in Psychiatric Residency Training

Objective This article discusses the importance of research training in psychiatric residency programs and makes recommendations for enhancement.
New developments in osteoarthritis. Sex differences in magnetic resonance imaging-based biomarkers and in those of joint metabolism

Sex differences in the prevalence, incidence, and severity of osteoarthritis (OA) have long been known. Some differences in the evaluation of this issue across studies may be related to differences in study design, sampling, study size, study populations, targeted joint sites, and definitions of OA. This report highlights recent studies of sex differences in individual joint components imaged by magnetic resonance imaging and in systemic biomarkers of joint metabolism. Particularly important are those studies that examine this issue in young unaffected adults and children before the development of disease. Despite some variation across studies, women appear for the most part to have a thinner and more reduced volume of cartilage in the knee than men, and this may occur from early childhood. It is not clear whether women have a more accelerated rate of cartilage volume loss than men. Few data exist on sex differences in systemic biomarkers of joint metabolism. In these studies, it is critically important to characterize the total body burden of OA and the presence of comorbid conditions likely to influence a given biomarker. Lastly, future research should dovetail studies of sex differences in imaging and biochemical biomarkers with genetics to maximize insight into the mechanisms behind observed sex differences.
Separable-pair method calculation using Morse potentials

A schematic separable-pair calculation using Morse potentials gives improved values for internal pair energies (e.g. no $^{4}\mathrm{He}$ bound state, $^{6}\mathrm{Li}$ excited states in close agreement with experiment). The mean square nuclear radius is related to the mean square nucleon separations as well as the external (pair c.m.) mean square radii; this provides the constraint on the external kinetic energy, which in principle allows the structure of a nucleus to be determined from the nucleon-nucleon potential. A calculation of nuclear radii from experimental binding energies and internal radii renormalized to a neutron-proton separation of 3.7 fm yields radii in qualitative agreement with experiment and provides a test of the "realism" of the potential used.
U.S. Real Product and Real Factor Input, 1929-1967

The objective of this paper is to provide a conceptual basis for separating social product and social factor input accounts into price and quantity components. Despite the essential similarity between concepts of real product and real factor input, the measurement of social factor outlay in constant prices is not well established in social accounting practice. Production accounts are constructed for the United States in current and constant prices, including social product and social factor outlay, for the period 1929–1967. The resulting estimates are applied to the measurement of total factor productivity and the study of the responsiveness of product and factor intensities to price changes.
Protection after transient focal cerebral ischemia by the N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist dextrorphan is dependent upon plasma and brain levels.

Dextrorphan is a dextrorotatory morphinan and a noncompetitive N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist. We studied the dose response characteristics of dextrorphan's neuroprotective efficacy and side effects, correlating these beneficial and adverse responses with plasma and brain levels in a rabbit model of transient focal cerebral ischemia. Thirty-three rabbits, anesthetized with halothane, underwent occlusion of the left internal carotid and anterior cerebral arteries for 1 h, followed by 4.5 h of reperfusion. One hour after the onset of ischemia, they were treated with an i.v. infusion of varying dextrorphan doses or normal saline. After killing, the brains were analyzed for ischemic high signal intensity using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and for ischemic neuronal damage with histopathology. A separate group of 12 anesthetized ischemic rabbits received similar doses of dextrorphan, correlating plasma with brain dextrorphan levels. Twenty-six additional dextrorphan unanesthetized, nonische...
Numerical Modeling and Analysis of Drainage Patterns of Saltcake in a Column

Saltcake, previously dissolved salts, such as sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite that crystallize out of solution, is a kind of porous media and an important component in many nuclear waste tanks. In this paper both one-dimensional single-phase and multi-phase flow model was employed to simulate unsaturated drainage of saltcake in a column caused by gravity or external forces under given initial and boundary conditions. Porous media properties used in the modeling was determined from our previous experimental data by inverse modeling method. Good agreement was found between the drainage result from available experiments and that from the numerical simulation using multiphase flow model. The impact on drainage by external pressure applying at the top of column and the influence of the height of column were also be investigated and presented in this study.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
The Effect of Training on Length on the Performance of Kindergarten Children on Nonstandard but Related Tasks.

Young children with their immature perceptual abilities have many misconceptions about the world around them. Children often do not understand that certain attributes of an object remain unchanged when certain other attributes are varied. (For example, number or color or length does not change with changes in position.) Such perceptual misconceptions must be overcome by those developing instructional programs. This study was undertaken from a process-by-attribute instructional approach (Romberg, Fletcher, & Scott, 1968). This approach asks the child to focus on relevant attributes of objects and has the child practice on the processes used to make comparison decisions. Kindergarten children were taught the concept of length as an attribute or property of objects. That is, just as objects can be described in terms of color or shape or size, so they can also be discussed in terms of the attribute length. Length implies several characteristics, all of which must be considered when making a comparison. And "to compare" implies that a child can correctly decide whether two objects (or sets) are or are not the same with respect to a particular attribute. Would an explanation of the characteristics of length develop children's understanding of the term and increase performance on tasks involving length? To examine this question was the purpose of
Nonorthogonal configuration-interaction calculations of molecular states: The low-lying molecular states of ArHsup+ and two-electron charge exchange in Ar-H+ collisions.

A nonorthogonal configuration-interaction procedure has been used to calculate adiabatic energy curves of ArH/sup +/. The basis functions are a mixture of typical molecular-orbital configurations and typical valence-bond (Heitler-London) configurations. This gives an economical description of the wave functions, allowing an easy tracing of various diabatic states through the adiabatic states and a clear identification of the asymptotic states. The results are used to rationalize the unexpectedly large production of Ar/sup 2+/+H/sup -/ from collisions of H/sup +/ with Ar.
Decentralized adaptive tracking control of robot manipulators

An asymptotically stable decentralized adaptive control scheme is presented to enable accurate trajectory tracking without requiring specific knowledge about the robot dynamics. The scheme is based on expressing the robot dynamics as the product of individual joint quantities, and bounds on certain robot parameters. Parameter adaptation laws are derived using the Lyapunov theory, and asymptotic stability of tracking errors, and boundedness of parameter estimates are established. The control system is shown to be robust to torque disturbances affecting the system and to a class of unmodeled dynamics. The structure of the controller and the performance of the closed-loop system are analyzed. Simulations results using the complete dynamic model of a six degree of freedom industrial robot are presented to demonstrate the excellent tracking performance of the proposed adaptive control scheme.
Fine Needle Aspiration for Clinical Triage of Extremity Soft Tissue Masses

Background Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is a rapid and low-morbid alternative to open biopsy or needle core biopsy for soft tissue masses. Numerous reports describe its use with metastatic or recurrent lesions, but FNAC is less accepted for primary lesions.
Photon migration imaging using multipixel measurements

In order to reconstruct images of heterogeneities embedded deep within tissues, multiple-pixel measurements of frequency domain photon migration are necessary. Typically, these measurements are performed at multiple locations on the periphery of the sample using individual fiber optics. However, measurements using multiple fiber optics are both tedious and time consuming, especially as one increases spatial measurement resolution. In our research, we acquire multi-pixel measurements by employing a gain-modulated image intensified CCD camera and near infrared milliwatt laser diodes to monitor the propagation characteristics of sinusoidally modulated light as it passes through tissue-like phantoms containing 0.5% intralipid solutions. Our results show that images of millimeter sized absorbing objects located greater than 1 cm inside an ideal tissue phantom an be successfully obtained. In addition, we have been able to generate fluorescent images locating portions of micromolar concentrations of indocyanine green embedded within an intralipid solution contained within a glass cylindrical vessel (10 mm by 4 mm diameter).© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Eucapsitrione, an anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis anthraquinone derivative from the cultured freshwater cyanobacterium Eucapsis sp.

Eucapsitrione (1), an anthraquinone derivative with an indeno-anthracene-trione skeleton, was isolated from the cyanobacterium Eucapsis sp. (UTEX 1519) by bioassay-guided fractionation. The chemical structure was determined by analyzing MS and 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data. Eucapsitrione (1) showed anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis activity in the microplate Alamar blue assay and low-oxygen-recovery assay with MIC values of 3.1 and 6.4 μM, respectively.
Nigrostriatal dopamine neurons are required to maintain basal levels of substance P in the rat substantia nigra

Abstract Striatal dopamine was depleted in adult rats by unilateral infusion of 6-hydroxydopamine near the dopamine neurons of the pars compacta of the substantia nigra. Following survival periods of 1, 3, 4, 6 or 12 weeks, changes in levels of the tachykinin neuropeptide, substance P, in striatonigral axon terminals were assessed by quantitative radioimmunocytochemistry. Substance P levels in the ipsilateral substantia nigra were consistently lower than levels on the control (non-lesion) side at every time point examined, reaching a maximum decline of about 30% at 3 weeks after the lesion. These data show that there is no recovery of nigral substance P content to basal levels up to 3 months post-lesion, and suggest strongly that intact striatal dopamine innervation is required for the maintenance of basal substance P levels in the terminals of striatonigral substance P neurons.