cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Portable wireless digital detectors: advantages and challenges.

Wireless digital detectors are gaining increased use in mobile unit medical imaging. These detectors allow rapid, high-quality imaging anywhere, anytime in a hospital, allowing physicians in many instances to make fast decisions at the bedside. Medical imaging manufacturers are rolling out wireless digital detectors that are increasingly efficient and rugged. Most wireless digital detectors weigh about 3 to 4 kg and are comparatively heavier than film-screen cassettes or computed radiography cassettes, yet they are increasingly embraced because of efficiency in speed and convenience of delivering images [1]. Portable unit wireless digital detectors that are currently in use are amorphous siliconebased thin-film transistor arrayswith scintillator (mostly cesium iodide or gadolinium oxysulfide) deposited on top that converts x-rays into light photons [1,2]. These detectors have the potential to deliver patient care efficiently and improve workflow. Yet the efficiency and convenience offered by these detectors are introducing new challenges to workflow and to some extent to the radiation dose burden for patients in cases such as central venous catheter (CVC) placement. More than 5 million CVCs or central linesareplacedeachyear in the United States [3]. Most line placements are performed in surgical suites, often fluoroscopic or ultrasound guidance. Often, placement is verified by acquiring a radiograph. Although the need for such postoperative radiography is indebate [4], inmost cases, an image is acquired for verification of position before catheter use. In fact, the FDA recommends obtaining such radiographs
Environmental insights from Langmuir adsorption site capacities

Abstract Adsorption by soil humic acids (HAs) regulates the bioavailability of nutrients and pollutants, and adsorption studies can lead to useful environmental models. Langmuir's model of reversible adsorption of a gas on a solid surface as it applies to adsorption of a dissolved substance B on insoluble adsorbent A to give insoluble state A·B is examined in terms of the measured site capacity vobsd (mmol solute/g adsorbent) at equilibrium concentration [B], adsorbent site capacity v at infinite concentration [B], and the maximum site capacity of the adsorbent, vmax. The relationship v = Smfvmax = S/〈Mw〉, where S is the number of solute entities per adsorbent site, mf is the mass fraction of adsorption sites and 〈Mw〉 is the adsorbent's mass-average molar mass, is discussed. This relationship is applied to analysis of (1) different adsorption sites on a solid, municipal compost-derived HA and on a proposed HA building block, (2) adsorption of herbicide acifluorfen on a solid HA and (3) adsorption of herbicides alachlor and metachlor on activated charcoals. Practical applications of the relationship are listed.
Make Earth science education as dynamic as Earth itself

The images of rivers spilling over their banks and washing away entire towns, buildings decimated to rubble by the violent shaking of the Earth's plates, and molten lava flowing up from inside the Earth's core are constant reminders of the power of the Earth. Humans are simply at the whim of the forces of Mother Nature—or are we? Whether it is from a great natural disaster, a short-term weather event like El Nino, or longer-term processes like plate tectonics, Earth processes affect us all. Yet,we are only beginning to scratch the surface of our understanding of Earth sciences. We believe the day will come when our understanding of these dynamic Earth processes will prompt better policies and decisions about saving lives and property. One key place to start is in America's classrooms.
P-28 Sleeve gastrectomy before laparoscopic ROUX-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) as a staged procedure for super super obese patients-safety and outcomes

scopic Gastric Bypass (LGB) in general and in subgroups of patients with pre-operative BMI less and more than 50 kg/m. Methods: Retrospective study of patients undergoing VSG and LGB for a period of 3 years. Results: In 2007-2010 VSG was performed in 93 and LGB in 860 patients. Mortality was 0% and 0.11%, respectively. Major morbidity was 6.3% and 4.5%. Baseline BMI was 47.5 kg/m and 49.8 kg/m, excess body weight 143.9 lbs and 155.5 lbs. Average length of stay 2 days. There were 3 proximal suture line leaks and one intractable stricture requiring revision to LGB in VSG group. One delayed leak over suture line presenting 6 months post-operatively with abdominal wall abscess. At 1, 2 and 3 year of follow-up %EBWL were 66%, 67% and 65% in VSG group compared to 67%, 69% and 65% in LGB group. Both groups of patients had decreased their BMI by 15-16 kg/m. When stratified by preoperative BMI 50 kg/m and 50 kg/m both VSG and LGB patients continued to demonstrate similar patterns of %EBWL. There is obvious higher percentage %EBWL with both VSG and LGB in patients with BMI 50 kg/m. Conclusion: Preliminary results indicate that VSG is capable of producing weight loss results comparable to gastric bypass with medium length follow-up. While seemingly a technically simple procedure VSG is prone to higher morbidity and requires meticulous execution. Effectiveness of vertical sleeve gastrectomy as a primary procedure in patients with BMI 50 kg/m is actually higher than in insurance mandated coverage group of mega-obese patients.
Free radical production by chlorpromazine sulfoxide, an ESR spin-trapping and flash photolysis study.

— Using the spin-trapping technique we have investigated the photolysis of chlorpromazine sulfoxide and promazine sulfoxide. Photolysis of these sulfoxides in aqueous solution resulted in a species which is capable of oxidizing ascorbate, cysteine, glutathione, NADH, and azide by one electron, in addition to extracting hydrogen atoms from ethyl alcohol and dimethyl sulfoxide. These oxidations were not dependent on the presence of dissolved oxygen. The oxidizing species is proposed to be the hydroxyl free radical arising from the homolytic cleavage of the S-O bond of the sulfoxide. Flash photolysis of the chlorpromazine and promazine sulfoxides demonstrated the formation of cation radicals consistent with the loss of the hydroxyl radical from the sulfoxides. In addition we present a simple direct method for the quantitative synthesis of promazine and chlorpromazine sulfoxides from the parent promazine derivatives.
Dynamics of electron-trapping materials for use in optoelectronic neurocomputing

An analytical model governing the dynamics of the trapped-electron density in electron-trapping materials (ETM’s) under simultaneous blue and near-IR illuminations is developed and studied in detail. Experimental results confirming the theoretical findings based on the model are presented, including a new method for experimentally determining a parameter of ETM’s, β, which describes the rate of decay of electron-trap density under constant IR illumination and which is obtained by measurement of the phase shift of the ETM response to IR illumination containing a sinusoidally modulated temporal component. Issues concerning the use of ETM’s as the synaptic connection weights in an optoelectronic neurocomputer are discussed; in particular, we propose a novel scheme for stabilizing the stored weight information in ETM’s during readout and learning; this scheme is based on the dynamic equilibrium of the trapped-electron density established by simultaneous blue and uniform IR illuminations. It is shown that ETM’s are ideally suited for realizing dense, modifiable synapses that have the wide dynamic range needed in implementing large-scale programmable optoelectronic neural networks of pulsed neurons.
A systematic review of inhaled intranasal therapy for central nervous system neoplasms: an emerging therapeutic option

The intranasal route for drug delivery is rapidly evolving as a viable means for treating selected central nervous system (CNS) conditions. We aimed to identify studies pertaining to the application of intranasal drug administration for the treatment of primary CNS tumors. A systematic literature review was conducted to identify all studies published in the English language pertaining to intranasal therapy for CNS neoplasms, and/or general mechanisms and pharmacokinetics regarding targeted intranasal CNS drug delivery. A total of 194 abstracts were identified and screened. Thirty-seven studies met inclusion criteria. Of these, 21 focused on intranasal treatment of specific primary CNS tumors, including gliomas (11), meningiomas (1), and pituitary adenomas (4). An additional 16 studies focused on general mechanisms of intranasal therapy and drug delivery to the CNS using copolymer micelles, viral vectors, and nanoparticles. Inhaled compounds/substances investigated included perillyl alcohol, vesicular stomatitis virus, parvovirus, telomerase inhibitors, neural stem and progenitor cells, antimetabolites, somatostatin analogues, and dopamine agonists. Radiolabeling, CSF concentration measurement, imaging studies, and histological examination were utilized to clarify the mechanism and distribution by which drugs were delivered to the CNS. Successful drug delivery and tumor/symptom response was reported in all 21 tumor-specific studies. The intranasal route holds tremendous potential as a viable option for drug delivery for CNS neoplasms. A variety of antitumoral agents may be delivered via this route, thereby potentially offering a more direct delivery approach and ameliorating the adverse effects associated with systemic drug delivery.
Declaring war on war: Bertha von Suttner and the peace movement

(1996). Declaring war on war: Bertha von Suttner and the peace movement. The European Legacy: Vol. 1, Fourth International Conference of the International Society for the Study of European Ideas, pp. 926-930.
Ultra-high-sensitive optical micro-angiography provides depth resolved visualization of microcirculations within human skin under psoriatic conditions

Adequate functioning of the peripheral micro vascular in human skin is necessary to maintain optimal tissue perfusion and preserve normal hemodynamic function. There is a growing body of evidence suggests that vascular abnormalities may directly related to several dermatologic diseases, such as psoriasis, port-wine stain, skin cancer, etc. New in vivo imaging modalities to aid volumetric microvascular blood perfusion imaging are there for highly desirable. To address this need, we demonstrate the capability of ultra-high sensitive optical micro angiography to allow blood flow visualization and quantification of vascular densities of lesional psoriasis area in human subject in vivo. The microcirculation networks of lesion and non-lesion skin were obtained after post processing the data sets captured by the system. With our image resolution (~20 μm), we could compare these two types of microcirculation networks both qualitatively and quantitatively. The B-scan (lateral or x direction) cross section images, en-face (x-y plane) images and the volumetric in vivo perfusion map of lesion and non-lesion skin areas were obtained using UHS-OMAG. Characteristic perfusion map features were identified between lesional and non-lesional skin area. A statistically significant difference between vascular densities of lesion and non-lesion skin area was also found using a histogram based analysis. UHS-OMAG has the potential to differentiate the normal skin microcirculation from abnormal human skin microcirculation non-invasively with high speed and sensitivity. The presented data demonstrates the great potential of UHS-OMAG for detecting and diagnosing skin disease such as psoriasis in human subjects.
Runtime tags aren't necessary

Many modern programming environments use tag bits at runtime to distinguish objects of different types. This is particularly common in systems with garbage collection, since the garbage collector must be able to distinguish pointers from non-pointers, and to learn the length of records pointed to.
Immunomicelles for advancing personalized therapy

Personalized medicine, which ultimately seeks to afford tailored therapeutic regimens for individual patients, is quickly emerging as a new paradigm in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. The idea of casting aside generic treatments in favor of patient-centric therapies has become feasible owing to advances in nanotechnology and drug delivery coupled with an enhanced knowledge of genomics and an understanding of disease at the molecular level. This review highlights polymeric immunomicelles as a class of nanocarriers that have the potential to combine diagnosis, targeted drug therapy, as well as imaging and monitoring of therapeutic response, to render a personalized approach to the management of disease. Smart multi-functional immunomicelles, as the next generation of nanocarriers, are poised for facilitating personalized cancer treatment. This review provides an assessment of immunomicelles as tools for advancing personalized therapy of diseases, with cancer being the major focus.
Gain and coherence effects induced by strong cw-laser coupling in potassium-rare-gas mixtures

We describe theoretical and experimental investigations of steady-state gain without population inversion that can occur on the ${\mathit{D}}_{1}$ transition of potassium, upon strong cw-laser excitation of the ${\mathit{D}}_{2}$ transition. A Raman-driven four-level model, in which a noninverted population in the 4${\mathrm{}}^{2}$${\mathit{P}}_{1/2}$ level is established via collisional transfer from the 4${\mathrm{}}^{2}$${\mathit{P}}_{3/2}$ level, is in good qualitative agreement with a variety of experimental results. These results include, among other studies, an examination of the impact of coherence dephasing on the realizable gain, as well as measurements of atomic energy-level populations for a case of line-center pumping that clearly displays gain. The measured relative populations for this case are n(4${\mathit{P}}_{1/2}$)/${\mathit{n}}_{\mathrm{total}}$=0.098\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.034 and n(4${\mathit{P}}_{3/2}$)/${\mathit{n}}_{\mathrm{total}}$=0.19\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.08, where ${\mathit{n}}_{\mathrm{total}}$ is the total population. These measurements indicate that the probed level 4${\mathit{P}}_{1/2}$ population is not inverted with respect to the ground state. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
Necessity of non-stratified and anti-stratified spaces in lattice-valued topology

This paper surveys the necessity of non-stratified spaces from these viewpoints: the characteristic functor, the L-spectrum and L-soberification functors, the upper free functor associated with L-valued frames, and two functorial embeddings associated with topological systems from semantic domains. Interestingly, additional arguments also emerge en route for stratified spaces, so that this paper ultimately argues for the necessity of both stratified and non-stratified spaces in fixed-basis topology (the schemum of L-Top's) and variable-basis topology (e.g., Loc-Top).
Death and dignity

Diane was feeling tired and had a rash. A common scenario, though there was something subliminally worrisome that prompted me to check her blood count. Her hematocrit was 22, and the white-cell count was 4.3 with some metamyelocytes and unusual white cells. I wanted it to be viral, trying to deny what was staring me in the face. Perhaps in a repeated count it would disappear. I called Diane and told her it might be more serious than I had initially thought — that the test needed to be repeated and that if she felt worse, we might have to . . .
On the Prandtl or Schmidt number dependence of the turbulent heat or mass transfer coefficient

Abstract Numerical experiments using a direct numerical simulation (DNS) of turbulent flow between two parallel plates in conjunction with Lagrangian scalar tracking (LST) of trajectories of thermal markers in the flow field are conducted for Prandtl or Schmidt numbers between 0.01 and 50,000. The LST methodology is used to generate mean temperature profiles as a function of the entry distance in the case of a step change in heat or mass flux at the walls of the channel. The heat transfer coefficient and the Nusselt number ratio, Nu(x)/Nu(x→∞), downstream from the step change in the wall flux are determined for the range of Pr or Sc fluids examined. Relations between the heat or mass transfer coefficient at the fully developed part of the channel and Pr or Sc are proposed for low and high Pr or Sc cases. Finally, unified correlations, which provide the heat or mass transfer coefficient for all Pr or Sc, in the Reynolds number range examined, are proposed. Also, the exponent of the asymptotic dependence of the eddy diffusivity close to the wall is obtained.
Cancer treatment outcome prediction by assessing temporal change: application to cervical cancer

In this paper a novel framework is proposed for the classification of cervical tumors as susceptible or resistant to radiation therapy. The classification is based on both small- and large-scale temporal changes in the tumors' magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) response. The dataset consists of 11 patients who underwent radiation therapy for advanced cervical cancer. Each patient had dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI studies before treatment and early into treatment, approximately 2 weeks apart. For each study, a T1-weighted scan was performed before injection of contrast agent and again 75 seconds after injection. Using the two studies and the two series from each study, a set of tumor region of interest (ROI) features were calculated. These features were then exhaustively searched for the most separable set of three features based on a treatment outcome of local control or local recurrence. The dimensionality of the three- feature set was then reduced to two dimensions using principal components analysis (PCA). Finally, the classification performance was tested using three different classification procedures: support vector machines (SVM), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), and k-nearest neighbor (KNN). The most discriminatory features were those of volume, standard deviation, skewness, kurtosis, and fractal dimension. Combinations of these features resulted in 100% classification accuracy using each of the three classifiers.
Pain and Functioning of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients based on Marital Status: Is a Distressed Marriage Preferable to No Marriage?

Relationships may influence adjustment to chronic pain conditions such as rheumatoid ar- thritis (RA). We examined how both marital status and marital adjustment were related to pain, phys- ical disability, and psychological disability in 255 adults with RA. Among married participants (n = 158), better marital adjustment (assessed using the Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Scale) was cor- related with less pain and physical and psychological disability (all P values < .05). Married partici- pants were divided into distressed (n = 44) and nondistressed (n = 114) subgroups and compared with unmarried participants (n = 97). Controlling for demographics and disease severity, unmarried participants had higher affective pain (P = .009) and higher psychological disability (P = .02) than only the nondistressed married participants, but unmarried participants did not differ from distressed married participants. These findings suggest that being married in itself is not associated with better health in RA but that being in a well-adjusted or nondistressed marriage is linked with less pain and better functioning. Perspective: This study examined relationships of marital status and marital adjustment to pain and physical and psychological disability in RA. Findings underscore the importance of considering not only marital status but also degree of marital adjustment in RA and may inform clinical interven- tions in this population. a 2010 by the American Pain Society
Studies on membrane specializations in tentacular retractor muscle of the gastropod, Limax sp.

Abstract Retractor muscle cells of the optic tentacle of Limax sp. occur as a network beneath the epithelium. The cells are spindle-shaped, irregularly cross-striated, and they contain a large number of subsarcolemmal caveolae. Freeze-fracture images of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, caveolae and sarcolemma demonstrate distinct particulate organizations. Membranes of the sarcoplasmic reticulum contain typical 7–9 nm PF-face particles. The caveolae membranes contain linear, sometimes rhombic arrays of 12–15 nm EF-face particles. An extensive area of the sarcolemmal surface is occupied by caveolar invaginations. Other areas of the sarcolemma contain linear arrays of 7–9 nm PF-face particles and a few rhombic ordered, 7–9 nm PF-face particles. The results of this study are discussed relative to previous studies on paniculate arrays in muscle membranes. It is concluded that these highly specialized sarcolemmal and caveolar paniculate organizations may, in some way, reflect the large surface area changes which occur in these muscle cells.
Sulfur incorporation in neural membrane protein involved in Periplaneta americana chemoreception

(35S) cistina injectada en la cavidad sanguinea abdominal fue incorporada en una proteina quemoreceptora aislada de tejido nervioso. La incorporacion empezo durante la primera hora, llego a una maximo a las 24 h, se mantuvo a este nivel por 9 dias y a los 23 dias habia declinado.
Population experiments with the Anolis lizards of St. Maarten and St. Eustatius.

During 1980 and 1981 population experiments were performed with two two-species guilds of Anolis lizards: A. gingivinus and A. wattsi pogus on the island of St. Maarten (Netherlands Antilles) and A. bimaculatus and A. wattsi schwartzi on the island of St. Eustatius (Netherlands Antilles). These experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that the strength of interspecific competition is inversely related to the degree of interspecific resource partitioning. The experimental design consisted of four field-enclosures (12 x 12 m) on St. Maarten and four on St. Eustatius. On each island two enclosures contained only the larger native species (A. gingivinus or A. bimaculatus), and two contained both native species. Resource partitioning was measured inside each of the two- species enclosures. There was more interspecific partitioning of space and prey (arthropods) on St. Eustatius than on St. Maarten. A comparison of the one- and two-species enclosures on St. Maarten revealed five competitive effects of A. wattsi pogus on A. gingivinus. In the presence of A. wattsi pogus, A. gingivinus individuals had lower growth rates and increased perch heights. Also, dissected A. gingivinus from the two-species enclosures contained smaller volumes of developing eggs per female, smaller volumes of insect prey per lizard, and smaller mean prey sizes than A. gingivinus from the single-species enclosures. In contrast, no consistent and significant competitive effects of A. wattsi schwartzi on A. bimaculatus were observed on St. Eustatius. These results support a central assumption of competition theory: the strength of interspecific competition increases as the amount of interspecific resource partitioning decreases.
Aspects of growth in a system of cities

Abstract This paper explores and develops the modeling of growth in a system of cities in two alternative settings. First, we examine a large growing economy with a fully developed system of cities with perfectly malleable private and public capital. Local scale economies in production and diseconomies in consumption in equilibrium offset each other at the margin so that from a national point of view we have a constant returns to scale economy. We show that at the steady state the number of cities grows exponentially at the rate of growth of the population. We then examine the impact of technological change, considering a case where public capital is not perfectly malleable. In the second setting, we consider the problem of growth for a small economy and discuss problems associated with the transition to the steady state. We modify the previous model to describe a system of cities that is just starting to develop. Investment in public infrastructure capital is subject to sharp indivisibilities and as a result new cities are built at discrete points in time.
Validity of the Child Observation Record: An Investigation of the Relationship between Cor Dimensions and Social-Emotional and Cognitive Outcomes for Head Start Children

The study examined the validity of the Child Observation Record (COR). Participants were 242 children, a stratified, random sample of a large, urban Head Start program. Teachers trained to collect COR data provided assessments on the Cognitive, Social Engagement, and Coordinated Movement dimensions of the COR. Outcome data included cognitive and social-emotional outcomes in Head Start and indicators of early literacy in kindergarten. Biunivariate and bi-multivariate analyses were conducted. Convergent and divergent validity was established for the COR dimensions. The Cognitive dimension showed the strongest relationships with early reading and mathematics skills, whereas Social Engagement was most highly correlated with persistence, pro-social interactions, and motivation to learn. Coordinated Movement was positively correlated with play interaction and inversely correlated with withdrawn, low-energy behaviors. The Head Start COR Cognitive dimension was the best predictor of letter-naming proficiency in k...
Gene polymorphisms and prostate cancer: the evidence.

OBJECTIVE Prostate cancer is still the most frequent noncutaneous male malignancy and is the second most common cause of cancer death. Genetic factors have been extensively studied in different countries. In addition, numerous genome–wide association studies have been performed in developed countries. Genetic tests will be applied in the near future for diagnosis, therapeutic, and prognostic significance. Therefore, we reviewed the association of several important pathways and genes with critical functions in prostate cancer development or progression. MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed a PubMed® search using several key words such as prostate cancer, names of important genes with critical function, and polymorphisms. Then, we reviewed retrieved articles as well as relevant articles from 1997 to 2009. RESULTS There are conflicting results of studies on some gene polymorphisms in association with prostate cancer. Most of the inconsistent results have been reported in studies investigating the vitamin D receptor gene polymorphism in association with prostate cancer. Genes related to angiogenesis and cell adhesion genes are more promising. Following results of future studies, the use of antibodies blocking over-expressed genes or proteins may be supported in patients with prostate cancer. CONCLUSIONS The difference between the results of studies on gene polymorphisms in prostate cancer may be explained partly by ethnic differences, limited sample size, and other risk or protective factors modifying these effects. Genome-wide studies are currently performed in developed countries and extensive use of this type of analysis may merit consideration in other countries. Furthermore, future studies are needed to further investigate environmental and diet factors interactions with genetic factors.
Beta-oxidation in rabbit liver in vitro and in the perfused ferret liver contributes to retinoic acid biosynthesis from beta-apocarotenoic acids

The biosynthesis of retinoic acid from beta-apocarotenoic acids was examined for a beta-oxidation-like process using both rabbit liver mitochondrial fractions with various beta-apocarotenoic acids (beta-apo-14'-, beta-apo-12'-, and beta-apo-8'-carotenoic acid) and perfusion in ferret liver through the portal vein with beta-apo-8'-carotenoic acid. The in vitro incubation of beta-apo-8', beta-apo-12'-, and beta-apo-14'-carotenoic acids gave rise to shorter chain beta-apocarotenoic acids as well as retinoic acid. The rate of retinoic acid synthesis from 10 microM beta-apo-8', beta-apo-12'-, and beta-apo-14'-carotenoic acids was 11 +/- 2, 18 +/- 3, and 30 +/- 7 pmol/h/mg of protein, respectively. The stepwise oxidation of beta-apocarotenoic acid in mitochondria was dose-related to both protein concentration and substrate concentration. beta-Apocarotenoic acid oxidation was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner when it was co-incubated with oleoyl-CoA. The in vivo perfusion of ferret liver with beta-apo-8'-carotenoic acid resulted in a linear increase in the retinoic acid concentration of bile, which was completely abolished by co-perfusion of 3-mercaptopropionic acid, an inhibitor of long chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, and partially inhibited by 2-tetradecylglycidic acid, an inhibitor of carnitine-palmitoyl-CoA transferase I. However, the formation of retinoic acid from the beta-apocarotenoic acids was not inhibited, either in vitro or in vivo, by citral, an inhibitor of retinal oxidase. Thus, the formation of retinoic acid was not occurring by the central cleavage pathway. These data suggest that the oxidation of intermediate compounds between beta-carotene and retinoic acid may undergo a type of beta-oxidative process to form retinoic acid, which is reminiscent of mitochondrial fatty acid beta-oxidation. This pathway may play an important role in the biosynthesis of retinoic acid from beta-carotene.
Disruption of the Mouse Protein Tyrosine Kinase 6 Gene Prevents STAT3 Activation and Confers Resistance to Azoxymethane

Background & Aims Protein tyrosine kinase 6 (PTK6) is expressed throughout the gastrointestinal tract and is a negative regulator of proliferation that promotes differentiation and DNA-damage−induced apoptosis in the small intestine. PTK6 is not expressed in normal mammary gland, but is induced in most human breast tumors. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) mediates pathogenesis of colon cancer and is a substrate of PTK6. We investigated the role of PTK6 in colon tumorigenesis. Methods Ptk6 +/+ and Ptk6 −/− mice were injected with azoxymethane alone or in combination with dextran sodium sulfate; formation of aberrant crypt foci and colon tumors was examined. Effects of disruption of Ptk6 on proliferation, apoptosis, and STAT3 activation were examined by immunoblot and immunohistochemical analyses. Regulation of STAT3 activation was examined in the HCT116 colon cancer cell line and young adult mouse colon cells. Results Ptk6 −/− mice developed fewer azoxymethane-induced aberrant crypt foci and tumors. Induction of PTK6 increased apoptosis, proliferation, and STAT3 activation in Ptk6 +/+ mice injected with azoxymethane. Disruption of Ptk6 impaired STAT3 activation following azoxymethane injection, and reduced active STAT3 levels in Ptk6 −/− tumors. Stable knockdown of PTK6 reduced basal levels of active STAT3, as well as activation of STAT3 by epidermal growth factor in HCT116 cells. Disruption of Ptk6 reduced activity of STAT3 in young adult mouse colon cells. Conclusions PTK6 promotes STAT3 activation in the colon following injection of the carcinogen azoxymethane and regulates STAT3 activity in mouse colon tumors and in the HCT116 and young adult mouse colon cell lines. Disruption of Ptk6 decreases azoxymethane-induced colon tumorigenesis in mice.
Psychological vulnerability and stress: the effects of self-affirmation on sympathetic nervous system responses to naturalistic stressors.

Objective: Everyday stressors can threaten valued aspects of the self. Self-affirmation theory posits that this threat could be attenuated if individuals affirm alternative self-resources. The present study examined whether self-affirmation would buffer cumulative stress responses to an ongoing academic stressor. Design: Undergraduate participants provided 15-hr urine samples on the morning of their most stressful examination and baseline samples 14 days prior to the examination. Participants were randomly assigned to the self-affirmation condition where they wrote two essays on important values over the 2-week period prior to exam, or a control condition. Main Outcome Measures: Samples were analyzed for urinary catecholamine excretion (epinephrine, norepinephrine), an indicator of sympathetic nervous system activation. Participants also indicated their appraisals of the examination experience. Results: Participants in the control condition increased in cumulative epinephrine levels from baseline to examination, whereas participants in the self-affirmation condition did not differ from baseline to examination. The buffering effect of self-affirmation was strongest among individuals most concerned about negative college evaluation, those most psychologically vulnerable. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that sympathetic nervous system responses to naturalistic stressors can be attenuated by self-affirmation. Discussion centers on psychological pathways by which affirmation can reduce stress and the implications of the findings for health outcomes among chronically stressed participants.
Responsibilities for Poverty‐Related Ill Health

In a democratic society, the social rules are imposed by all upon each. As “recipients” of the rules, we tend to think that they should be designed to engender the best attainable distribution of goods and ills or quality of life. We are inclined to assess social institutions by how they affect their participants. But there is another, oft-neglected perspective which the topic of health equity raises with special clarity: As imposers of the rules, we are inclined to think that harms we inflict through the rules have greater moral weight than like harms we merely fail to prevent or to mitigate. What matters morally is not merely how we affect people, but how we treat them through the rules we impose. While current (consequentialist and Rawlsian) theorizing is dominated by the first perspective and thus supports purely recipient-oriented moral conceptions, an adequate approach to social justice requires a balancing of both. Such balancing results in a relational conception of justice, which distinguishes various ways in which an institutional scheme may causally affect the quality of life of its participants. This essay argues that the strength of our moral reason to prevent or mitigate particular medical conditions depends not only on what one might call distributional factors, such as how badly off the people affected by these conditions are in absolute and relative terms, how costly prevention or treatment would be, and how much patients would benefit from given treatment. Rather, it depends also on relational factors, that is, on how we are related to the medical conditions they suffer. It then discusses some implications of this view for understanding responsibilities for international health outcomes.
Ambivalence, Autonomy, and Organ Sales

Recent philosophical arguments in favor of legal markets in human organs such as kidneys claim that respect for autonomy justifies such markets. I argue that these arguments fail to establish the moral permissibility of commercialized organ sales because they do not show that those most likely to serve as vendors would choose to sell autonomously. Pro-market views utilize hierarchical theories of autonomy to demonstrate that potential organ vendors may autonomously consent to selling their organs even in the absence of any practical alternative to doing so. But central to hierarchical accounts of autonomy is the idea that persons my experience volitional ambivalence, a condition in which the will is irreconcilably conflicted. Because commercialized organ sales would create volitional ambivalence in many of those who opt to sell an organ, the choice to sell an organ would not be an autonomous one.
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic study of Ca2+ and membrane-induced secondary structural changes in bovine prothrombin and prothrombin fragment 1

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to monitor secondary structural changes associated with binding of bovine prothrombin and prothrombin fragment 1 to acidic lipid membranes. Prothrombin and prothrombin fragment 1 were examined under four different conditions: in the presence of (a) Na2EDTA, (b) 5 mM CaCl2, and in the presence of CaCl2 plus membranes containing 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-3-sn-phosphatidylcholine (POPC) in combination with either (c) bovine brain phosphatidyl-serine (bovPS) or (d) 1,2-dioleoyl-phosphatidylglycerol (DOPG). The widely reported Ca(2+)-induced conformational change in bovine prothrombin fragment 1 was properly detected by our procedures, although Ca(2+)-induced changes in whole prothrombin spectra were too small to be reliably interpreted. Binding of prothrombin in the presence of Ca2+ to procoagulant POPC/bovPS small unilamellar vesicles produced an increase in ordered secondary structures (2% and 3% increases in alpha-helix and beta-sheet, respectively) and a decrease of random structure (5%) as revealed by spectral analysis on both the original and Fourier-self-deconvolved data and by difference spectroscopy with the undeconvolved spectra. Binding to POPC/DOPG membranes, which are less active as procoagulant membranes, produced no detectable changes in secondary structure. In addition, no change in prothrombin fragment 1 secondary structure was detectable upon binding to either POPC/bovPS or POPC/DOPG membranes. This indicates that a membrane-induced conformational change occurs in prothrombin in the nonmembrane-binding portion of the molecule, part of which is activated to form thrombin, rather than in the membrane-binding fragment 1 region. The possible significance of this conformational change is discussed in terms of differences between the procoagulant activities of different acidic lipid membranes.
Analysis of Continuous-Wave Obturation Using a Single-cone and Hybrid Technique

This study analyzed the adaptation of gutta-percha to prepared root canal walls using two obturation techniques and determined the influence of the System-B plugger depth on filling adaptation. Fifty-six extracted human mandibular molars were instrumented using Profile NiTi rotary instruments, stratified based on curvature, then randomly distributed into two groups. Group 1 was obturated using the single-cone continuous-wave technique. Group 2 was obturated with a hybrid technique: lateral condensation followed by a continuous-wave down-pack. Based on System-B plugger penetration, teeth were divided into three subgroups: (a) 4.5 mm. Roots were horizontally sectioned at 1 mm and 3 mm coronal to the apical foramen, stained, and photographed. Four evaluators scored the adaptation of gutta-percha to the prepared canal walls. In 100% ( n = 56) of the samples, no statistically significant difference existed between the two obturation methods at 1-mm (x = 1.80, SD ± 0.69) or 3-mm (x = 1.804, SD ± 0.69) sections. Best results were obtained with a plugger depth 3.5 to 4.5 mm from the working length.
Reflection of a long-period gravity wave observed in the nightglow over Arecibo on May 8–9, 1989?

During the Arecibo Initiative for Dynamics of the Atmosphere (AIDA) campaign in 1989 a characteristic of gravity wave perturbations observed in mesopause region airglow emissions was that airglow brightness fluctuations and airglow-derived temperature fluctuations often occurred either in phase or in antiphase. This stimulated the development of a theory suggesting that such in-phase fluctuations were most probably the result of strong reflections occurring in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere region. Recent examination of a particular wave event and application of simple WKB-type theory has appeared to support this hypothesis. Here we use a full-wave model and a WKB-type model, each coupled with a chemical-airglow fluctuation model describing O2 atmospheric and OH Meinel airglow fluctuations, to assess the strength of wave reflection and also to explicitly calculate the phase difference between the airglow brightness and the temperature fluctuations. Our results suggest that reflection is not strong for the particular wave event, and the model produces fairly large phase differences between the airglow brightness and the temperature fluctuations (∼35° and ∼134°–165° for the O2 atmospheric and OH airglow emissions, respectively). These results are not particularly sensitive to the nominal mean winds used in the simulations. There is an instance when a region of minimum refractive index occurs directly above a region in which reflection is strongest, suggesting that the two are related. However, the reflection does not appear to be strong. Our results suggest that chemical effects can account for the inferred phases of the observed airglow fluctuations and that effects associated with wave reflection appear to play a relatively minor role in the airglow fluctuations.
On advantages of multi-phase machines

In this paper, a literature survey on the work accomplished in the area of multi-phase, split phase and dual stator machines will be presented. Although, reducing torque pulsation caused the early interest in dual stator, split phase and multiphase machines, there are other important features that this kind of machines present to the drive designer. Additional degrees of freedom in multi-phase machines are employed to improve the overall performance of the system. They can be used to improve the reliability of a multiphase system, to enhance the torque production capability of the machine by injecting harmonics of current or to control multi-motors from a single inverter. Also, the presence of more space voltage vectors, allows better adjustment of torque and flux in a direct torque controlled system.
A Flexible Polymer Tactile Sensor: Fabrication and Modular Expandability for Large Area Deployment

In this paper, we propose and demonstrate a modular expandable capacitive tactile sensor using polydimethylsiloxsane (PDMS) elastomer. A sensor module consists of 16times16 tactile cells with 1 mm spatial resolution, similar to that of human skin, and interconnection lines for expandability. The sensor has been fabricated by using five PDMS layers bonded together. In order to customize the sensitivity of a sensor, we cast PDMS by spin coating and cured it on a highly planarized stage for uniform thickness. The cell size is 600times600 mum2 and initial capacitance of each cell is about 180 fF. Tactile response of a cell has been measured using a commercial force gauge having 1 mN resolution and a motorized z-axis precision stage with 100 nm resolution. The fabricated cell shows a sensitivity of 3%/mN within the full scale range of 40 mN (250 kPa). Four tactile modules have been successfully attached by using anisotropic conductive paste to demonstrate expandability of the proposed sensors. Various tactile images have been successfully captured by single sensor module as well as the expanded 32times32 array sensors
LISA phase measurement technique

The LISA mission will form the equivalent of a Michelson interferometric beat signal from the 1064nm laser beams traversing the inter-spacecraft arms. The design gravitational wave sensitivity requires measurement of round trip path differences for each detector to be about 10 pm/square rootHz over a frequency range from 10-4 to 10-1 Hz. Thus LISA's phasemeter must measure the beat signal phase to 10-5 cycle/square rootHz at 1mHz. Doppler shifts between spacecraft in their orbits are expected to range from 1 to 15 MHz. Phase measurement using the digital phase-locked loop approach incorporated in a modified TurboRogue GPS receiver has been investigated in this study. It is found that only resolution in the range of 10-4 to 10-3 cycle/square rootHz at 1 mHz is achievable with this hardware. Abrupt fluctuations in the phase measurement at the millicycle level are responsible for the limitation.
Neural Plasticity of Respiratory Control System: Modeling Perspectives

Classical models of respiratory control assume a hardwired system architecture with reflex regulation of respiratory rhythm and total ventilation. Recent experimental studies, however, reveal a much more pliable architecture with varying forms of neural plasticity in the afferent and efferent pathways. Here, mathematical models of several types of neural plasticity are proposed and their computational roles in respiratory neural processing are discussed
Obesity and upper airway control during sleep

Mechanisms linking obesity with upper airway dysfunction in obstructive sleep apnea are reviewed. Obstructive sleep apnea is due to alterations in upper airway anatomy and neuromuscular control. Upper airway structural alterations in obesity are related to adipose deposition around the pharynx, which can increase its collapsibility or critical pressure (Pcrit). In addition, obesity and, particularly, central adiposity lead to reductions in resting lung volume, resulting in loss of caudal traction on upper airway structures and parallel increases in pharyngeal collapsibility. Metabolic and humoral factors that promote central adiposity may contribute to these alterations in upper airway mechanical function and increase sleep apnea susceptibility. In contrast, neural responses to upper airway obstruction can mitigate these mechanical loads and restore pharyngeal patency during sleep. Current evidence suggests that these responses can improve with weight loss. Improvements in these neural responses with weight loss may be related to a decline in systemic and local pharyngeal concentrations of specific inflammatory mediators with somnogenic effects.
Leverage in real estate investments: an optimization approach

Real estate investments are frequently leveraged. Leverage is an important tool for any real estate investor whose target return exceeds the expected return on core, unleveraged assets, since it can increase potential returns – although at the cost of increasing risk. It therefore competes with other means of raising risk and returns – in particular, buying riskier underlying investments – as a method of improving the performance of a portfolio. From a theoretical perspective, leverage should be preferred so long as the marginal increase in expected return per unit of extra risk from leverage exceeds that obtained from buying riskier assets. Since there are diminishing returns to leverage – primarily because costs rise as borrowing levels rise relative to value – this trade-off will become less attractive as leverage rises, leading to an equilibrium optimal level of leverage. If all investors face the same opportunity set, then, from a theoretical perspective, all investors should leverage core investments up to this level so long as their return target is at least as high as the returns generated at this equilibrium point – a conclusion that is out of line with current practice. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to measure this equilibrium point, since, while it is relatively straightforward to compute the increase in risks and returns deriving from leverage, rather little is known about the risk/return trade-off in real estate space. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Omega-3 fatty acids alter soluble markers of endothelial function in coronary heart disease patients.

Several studies have indicated that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in fish oil have protective effects on cardiovascular disease by reducing vascular endothelial inflammation in atherosclerosis. In a recent study, supplementation of patients with fish oil following coronary angioplasty elevated levels of lipid peroxides and two adhesion molecules in plasma suggesting a proinflammatory action of fish oil. However, decreases in several plasma markers of endothelial hemostatic activity indicated a healthier and better vasculature associated with fish oil supplementation.