cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
American Clinical Magnetoencephalography Society Clinical Practice Guideline 2: Presurgical Functional Brain Mapping Using Magnetic Evoked Fields

The following are “minimum standards” for the routine clinical recording of magnetic evoked fields (MEFs) in all age-groups. Practicing at minimum standards should not be the goal of a magnetoencephalography (MEG) center but rather a starting level for continued improvement. Minimum standards meet only the most basic responsibilities to the patient and the referring physician. These minimum standards have been put forth to improve standardization of procedures, to facilitate interchange of recordings and reports among laboratories in the United States, and to confirm the expectations of referring physicians. Recommendations regarding Laboratory (Center) Environment and Preparation for MEG Recordings are detailed in the American Clinical Magnetoencephalography Society Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) 1 : Recording and Analysis of Spontaneous Cerebral Activity, except for its EEG aspect that is not considered necessary (although may be helpful in trained hands) for MEFs (presurgical functional brain mapping).
System Integration and Operation of a Research Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Published in Journal of Aerospace Computing, Information, and Communication, Vol. 1, Issue 1, January 2004.
Clinical trial of corynebacterium parvum (intra‐lymph‐node and intravenous) and radiation therapy in the treatment of head and neck carcinoma

Fifty-seven patients with previously untreated squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck region of all clinical stages were entered a trial to evaluate the effectiveness of Corynebacterium parvum combined with radiation therapy in improving local and survival results. Twenty-nine patients were randomized to receive radiation therapy alone, and 28 patients were randomized to receive radiation therapy combined with C. parvum. The C. parvum was administered into the tumor-bearing lymph nodes of the neck or into the cervical node region in non-node-positive patients (4 mg/m2) and by intravenous routes (at 2, 2, 4, 4 and 4 mg/M2) at days -10, -7, and -3 before, and at +7 and +14 days after the start of radiation therapy. The study began in July 1975 and was terminated after 2 1/2 years of patient accession. The statistical analysis showed that those receiving C. parvum were not doing better than controls and, in fact, in some subgroups there was concern that they might be doing less well. Pertinently, analysis showed that those receiving C. parvum would not experience the 25% point improvement in disease-free survival frequency which had been stipulated in the design of the protocol.
Efficient cooling of superconducting fiber core via holey cladding

Abstract Superconductivity has the potential to alter the entire landscape of technological advancement and innovation. Unfortunately, its true potential has been limited, in part, by the lack of conventional geometries, adequate stability, cooling efficiencies and in turn, cost. In this study, we demonstrate an optical fiber design with a superconducting core that is cooled via the flow of liquid helium in holes disposed in the fused silica cladding. The efficiently micro cooled superconducting fiber lends itself to low current electronic applications such as ultrasensitive sensing and imaging, quantum measurement instrumentation and supercomputing. Although not presently applicable for large scale applications such as high current transmission lines or motors, the basic approach may be combined with other traditional technologies to improve cooling efficiency and reliability.
Chester Finn and the Future of Whole Language—and Schooling

Abstract This article aims to clarify concerns regarding what constitutes acceptable scholarship in education at a time when such scholarship is under challenge from publications and institutions with a strong bias toward policy advocacy. This is accomplished by examining the Fordham Foundation–supported publication “Whole-Language High Jinks” and the accompanying promotional literature. In order to do so, use is made of discourse analysis as a method of inquiry—an approach that facilitates examining the manner in which Fordham and its president, Chester Finn, endeavor to shape the debate and determine the parameters of the public discussion of school reform.
Cardiac catheterization of patients supported by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

OBJECTIVES The goal of this study was to describe the clinical outcomes of patients undergoing cardiac catheterization while supported with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). BACKGROUND Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is an important mechanical support for the failing circulation. There are diagnostic and therapeutic indications for cardiac catheterization in patients on ECMO, but no large series has been reported. METHODS We performed a retrospective review of the indications and outcomes of patients catheterized on ECMO from a single, large pediatric tertiary care center. RESULTS At our institution, 192 patients with cardiac disease have undergone a total of 216 courses of ECMO; 60 catheterizations were performed on 54 patients (28%). Indications for catheterization included assessment of surgical repair (21 patients), left heart decompression (12 patients), myocarditis/cardiomyopathy assessment (10 patients), non-post-operative hemodynamic assessment (8 patients), planned catheter-based interventions (6 patients), and arrhythmia ablation (3 patients). An intervention was undertaken either during or after 50 of the catheterizations (83%); 29 occurred at catheterization, 17 in the operating room (OR), and 4 both during catheterization and in the OR. Complications during catheterization were two myocardial perforations that were treated with pericardial drains (3%). Overall outcomes included successful decannulation of 39 patients, survival to hospital discharge of 26 (48%) patients, and longer-term survival of 23 (43%) patients (median follow-up, 35 months; range, 1 to 180 months). Fifteen patients were withdrawn from ECMO support due to severe neurologic impairment or lack of myocardial recovery. CONCLUSIONS Cardiac catheterization can be performed safely on patients supported with ECMO. Catheterization during ECMO enables the diagnosis of residual lesions and can facilitate important therapeutic interventions.
Pressure-Viscosity Relationships for Elastohydrodynamics

The numerical simulation of elastohydrodynamic lubrication has evolved in terms of solution detail, speed and robustness. However, if EHL is to begin to solve practical quantitative problems involving differences among lubricants, practitioners must begin to utilize pressure-viscosity relationships in their numerical schemes that can describe real liquid response. The authors begin with the simple empiricisms that can be used to describe the pressure-viscosity response piecewise over the entire range from ambient to glass transition. Then various free volume formulations are introduced and compared. Finally, empirical expressions that can describe some essential features over the entire pressure range are presented. An example of the utility of one empirical equation is offered. Scheduled for Presentation at the 58th Annual Meeting in New York City April 28–May 1, 2003
Role of arachidonic acid metabolism in human platelet activation and irreversible aggregation

Previous studies from our laboratory have demonstrated that the aggregation response of platelets inhibited by agents blocking cyclooxygenase activity could be restored to a normal state of sensitivity by prior stimulation of alpha-adrenergic receptors. Since cyclooxygenase activity and thromboxane synthesis are not absolutely required for irreversible platelet aggregation, it is important to define precisely what role this pathway serves in platelet physiology. The present study has evaluated the influence of agents that selectively block arachidonic acid conversion at different steps of synthesis. Inhibition of peroxidase, cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase, and thromboxane synthetase blocked the second wave response of platelets to several agonists, but did not cause dissociation of aggregates preformed by prior exposure to arachidonate (AA) or adenosine diphosphate. Phospholipase (A2/C) inhibitors, similar to prostaglandin inhibitors, blocked the second wave response of platelets to the action of agonists and, in addition, caused dissociation of aggregates induced by aggregating agents. Results of our study demonstrate that when single agonists are tested at threshold concentrations, products of arachidonate metabolism may play a role in the activation process. However, continued generation of these metabolites does not appear to be essential for the maintenance of irreversible aggregation. When a combination of agents or high concentration of physiological agonists are used, both activation and irreversible aggregation can be secured independent of prostaglandin synthesis or the release reaction.
Refinement of long-term toxicity and carcinogenesis studies☆

Abstract The chance that alternatives will completely replace animals for toxicology research in the foreseeable future is nil. Continual refinement of animal toxicity and carcinogenesis studies, however, can be an effective means of reducing the numbers of animals used and conserving time and resources without compromising scientific quality. We must continue to strive to find species and strains that can metabolize chemicals similar to humans, are small enough to be housed in large numbers, and have low prevalence of spontaneous lesions with sufficient life span to express the toxic and carcinogenic potential of chemicals. Adequate care of animals with control of variables such as light, temperature, diet, bedding, diseases, and genetic characters of laboratory animals will decrease the variability. Humane considerations and euthanasia of animals with large masses and other conditions interfering with eating and drinking, major injuries and ulcers related to husbandry and treatment, and diseases indicating pain and suffering will help not only to alleviate further pain and distress but also to facilitate collection of tissues without secondary complications for detection of chemical treatment-related lesions. Limiting the duration of studies to decrease the variability due to ageassociated changes will also refine long-term studies. Other considerations for refinement of carcinogenesis studies include selection of the most sensitive sex of one or more species for evaluation of selected chemicals in a class where toxic and carcinogenic potential of other representative chemicals are known. Genetically engineered animal models with known oncogenes may reduce the duration and increase the sensitivity of carcinogenesis studies with a reduction in the use of animals.
On Wigner's directed arrival-time distributions for Dirac electrons

Abstract Wigner presented, without derivation or discussion, intriguing expressions for the directed arrival-time distributions of Dirac electrons. Two simple routes to these expressions are given, one based on the `velocity' v ≡ J /ρ (probability current density/probability density) and the other on Feynman's “checkerboard” path integrals for the 1+1 dimensional free-electron Dirac equation.
Mental disorders and drug abuse in persons living with HIV/AIDS

This article reviews the literature on the prevalence of mental and substance use disorders among persons living with HIV/AIDS. Drug use, both injection and non-injection, substantially increases the risk for HIV infection. While injection drug users have the highest prevalence rates for HIV, substantially elevated rates of HIV infection are also present among crack cocaine users and individuals with substance use disorders generally. Persons with HIV/AIDS and a mental and/or substance use disorder have highly variable patterns of accessing services. Persons with HIV/AIDS who have a serious mental illness are more highly involved with services than other groups. Most individuals with co-occurring disorders report some involvement with outpatient primary medical care, although ancillary services such as mental health and substance abuse treatment, transportation assistance, and case management improve involvement in medical care. Women with HIV/AIDS and co-occurring mental and substance use disorders experience unique vulnerabilities, particularly those related to exposure to traumatic events. Given the complexity of needs with which triply or multiply diagnosed individuals present, effective treatment programmes are likely to be those that provide some degree of integrated care.
Necessary conditions for some typical fuzzy systems as universal approximators

Abstract We investigate necessary conditions for general single-input single-output fuzzy systems and a class of typical multiple-input single-output fuzzy systems as universal approximators for continuous functions defined on compact domains with arbitrarily small uniform approximation error bounds. Considering the case where the only available data about the continuous function to be approximated are a finite set of its extrema, we have established some necessary conditions for the fuzzy systems to be universal approximators of the function. The conditions can be used practically to determine input fuzzy sets, output fuzzy sets and fuzzy rules of the fuzzy systems. Furthermore, these necessary conditions provide a basis for insightful analysis of the strengths as well as the limitations of the fuzzy systems. The main strength is that only a small number of fuzzy rules may be needed to uniformly approximate continuous functions that have a complicated formulation but a relatively small number of extrema. The limitation is that, in order to approximate highly oscillatory continuous functions, the number of fuzzy rules must be large. © 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.
The unit dielectric strength of oil

IN DESIGNING FOR optimum dimensions and shapes in oil circuit breakers and other oil-insulated equipment, it has been found advantageous to determine, by means of the electrolytic field analyzer, the distribution and magnitudes of the electrical stresses which exist as a result of the application of high voltage. To make use of this information, the designer must know with engineering accuracy the unit dielectric strength of the oil; that is, the maximum electrical stress that the oil will withstand anywhere in the gap without puncture. The best generally available data on this subject have consisted of a set of empirical curves published by F. W. Peek in 1915 for oil adjacent to spheres and cylinders of different radii. The fundamental reason that oil would withstand much higher unit electrical stress when adjacent to some shapes than to others has not been understood. As a consequence, when faced with a practical shape which was neither a precise sphere nor a precise cylinder, one has not known what value of dielectric strength to use, within a range of two or three to one.
Freshwater control of ice-rafted debris in the last glacial period at Mono Lake, California, USA

Abstract The type section silts of the late Pleistocene Wilson Creek Formation at Mono Lake contain outsized clasts, dominantly well-rounded pebbles and cobbles of Sierran lithologies. Lithic grains > 425 μm show a similar pattern of variability as the > 10 mm clasts visible in the type section, with decreasing absolute abundance in southern and eastern outcrops. The largest concentrations of ice-rafted debris (IRD) occur at 67–57 ka and 46–32 ka, with strong millennial-scale variability, while little IRD is found during the last glacial maximum and deglaciation. Stratigraphic evidence for high lake level during high IRD intervals, and a lack of geomorphic evidence for coincidence of lake and glaciers, strongly suggests that rafting was by shore ice rather than icebergs. Correspondence of carbonate flux and IRD implies that both were mainly controlled by freshwater input, rather than disparate non-climatic controls. Conversely, the lack of IRD during the last glacial maximum and deglacial highstands may relate to secondary controls such as perennial ice cover or sediment supply. High IRD at Mono Lake corresponds to low glacial flour flux in Owens Lake, both correlative to high warm-season insolation. High-resolution, extra-basinal correlation of the millennial peaks awaits greatly improved age models for both records.
Classifying non-gaussian and mixed data sets in their natural parameter space

We consider the problem of both supervised and unsupervised classification for multidimensional data that are non-gaussian and of mixed types (continuous and/or discrete). An important subclass of graphical model techniques called Generalized Linear Statistics (GLS) is used to capture the underlying statistical structure of these complex data. GLS exploits the properties of exponential family distributions, which are assumed to describe the data components, and constrains latent variables to a lower dimensional parameter subspace. Based on the latent variable information, classification is performed in the natural parameter subspace with classical statistical techniques. The benefits of decision making in parameter space is illustrated with examples of categorical data text categorization and mixed-type data classification. As a text document preprocessing tool, an extension from binary to categorical data of the conditional mutual information maximization based feature selection algorithm is presented.
Fish predation on Notonecta (Hemiptera): relationship between prey risk and habitat utilization

Prey risk was examined in the laboratory to compare the ability of 6 Notonecta species to coexist with insectivorous fishes (Lepomis cyanellus, L. gibbosus). Because of their smaller size, lighter color, greater tendency to remain motionless in the presence of the predator, greater ability to avoid capture when attacked, and predicted lower profitability as prey, N. lunata and N. petrunkevitchi were estimated to have the lowest prey risk and greatest chance of coexisting with insectivorous fishes in nature. The 2 largest notonectids, N. irrorata and N. insulata, both highly melanistic and rapidly discovered by foraging sunfishes, were judged to be the most susceptible to predation by large fishes. The presence of vegetation as a potential refuge tended to decrease prey risk but did not significantly alter the relative risk among the prey species. Finally, the relative prey risk measured in the laboratory was consistent with the general distribution of these species in relation to fishes in local habitats. We suggest that fish predation is an important determinant of Notonecta habitat utilization patterns.
Subcellular localization of triphenylethylene antiestrogen binding sites (TABS) in rat liver

Abstract The subcellular distribution of triphenylethylene anti-estrogen binding sites (TABS) was examined in the rat liver. Nuclear, mitochondrial and microsomal fractions were prepared by differential centrifugation, extracted with 0.5 M KCl and bound [ 3 H]tamoxifen was determined by the dextran coated charcoal method. The relative concentration of TABS in each fractions were: nuclear 30.2; mitochondrial, 14.8 and microsomal, 10.2 pmol/g tissues. No TABS were detected in the high speed cytosol. The dissociation constants of nuclear and mitochondrial TABS were similar (1–2 nM); however, a higher number was obtained for microsomal TABS (5–6 mM). The ability of other triphenylethylene drugs to compete for [ 3 H]tamoxifen binding to TABS was similar to tamoxifen for mitochondrial and microsomal sites. In contrast, nafoxidine was a more potent inhibitory for nuclear TABS. Exposure of high salt nuclear extracts to charcoal prior to assay did not reveal any evidence for an endogenous ligand of high affinity. We conclude that TABS are present in nuclear, mitochondrial and microsomal fractions of rat liver and that the nuclear fraction contains the highest concentration of these sites.
Memory enhancement induced in chicks by anesthetic doses of chlorpromazine.

Three experiments describe retroactive memory enhancement in chicks by chlorpromazine (CPZ), a potent membrane stabilizer at anesthetic doses. First, chicks trained on a one-trial peck suppression task under moderate aversant conditions and given 60–144 mg CPZ/kg, intraperitoneally, displayed increased memory retention 24 h later when compared with chicks given saline or 15–36 CPZ/kg. The second experiment confirmed the memory enhancement using a different moderate aversant on a different peck target and extended the effect to 48 h. The third experiment demonstrated the CPZ effect to be retrograde because the enhancement observed when CPZ was injected 1 min or 3 min after training did not occur when injection was delayed 4 h. One speculative interpretation of retrograde enhancement with CPZ includes the stabilization of swollen dendritic spines, which may facilitate neuronal pathways.
Prostatic growth effects of rat urogenital sinus and human prostatic tissue in the rat

It is known that fetal urogenital sinus (UGS) implanted into one ventral lobe of an adult mouse prostate produces a significantly increased DNA content in that lobe. In our study, we attempted to determine whether that growth was of host or of graft tissue. UGS from fetal rats and ventral prostate from adult rats were implanted in various sites in syngeneic Fischer rats, alone or as a recombinant tissue complex. Human benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) tissue was implanted into the ventral prostate of adult, male, hooded nude rats to determine whether it stimulated prostatic growth. All UGS-implanted in situ ventral lobes enlarged. Mean DNA content of UGS and ventral prostate implanted together in the flank was not different from the mean DNA content of UGS and ventral prostate implanted separately in the flank (P = 0.69). Mean DNA content of in situ control ventral lobe and of UGS grown singly in the flank was less than that of a UGS-implanted in situ ventral lobe (P less than 0.01). Thus overgrowth in the UGS-implanted in situ ventral prostate was location-dependent, but which tissue(s) enlarged remains unclear. Implanted human BPH tissue did not stimulate rat prostatic growth.
Splenic penetration by a benign gastric ulcer: Preoperative computed tomographic diagnosis

Penetration of the spleen is a rare complication of benign gastric ulcers, with fewer than 10 cases reported. The rareness is most likely due to the uncommon occurrence of benign ulcers in the areas of the stomach contiguous with the spleen, the fundus, and the proximal portion of the greater curvature. In none of the reported cases was the preoperative diagnosis of splenic penetration made on radiologic studies. We present a case of a benign gastric ulcer penetrating into the spleen which was diagnosed preoperatively on the basis of a computed tomographic (CT) examination supplemented with prone scanning.
SU‐DD‐A4‐06: Instrumentation Noise Equivalent Exposure (INEE): An Investigation of Spatial Frequency Effects

Purpose: To expand on previous development of the instrumentation‐noise equivalent exposure (INEE) metric which directly quantifies the quantum‐limited performance range of a detector in terms of entrance exposure, by investigating spatial frequency dependence. Method and Materials: The INEE formalism assumes the total noise of an x‐ray detector is proportional to the incident number of quanta, with an additive term representing contributions resulting from instrumentation‐noise sources. The INEE then represents the threshold exposure below which the detector's performance is no longer driven by quantum statistics, becoming instrumentation‐noise‐limited and is measured using output signal variance plot versus exposure, fitted to σ 2 = k ( Exposure + INEE ) . Similarly, to provide a spatial frequency dependent INEE, INEE(u,v), the two‐dimensional NPS (i.e. the variance of image intensity divided among the various frequency components of the image) was measured and plot as a function of exposure at each spatial‐frequency and fit with NPS(u,v)=k(u,v)(Exposure+INEE(u,v)). Output signal variance and NPS were measured using 90 flat‐field images on a digital x‐ray detector according to IEC guidelines and using the RQA 5 spectrum. Results: The measured INEE(u,v) was radially symmetric with the lowest INEE values at low spatial‐frequencies with an increasing INEE at higher spatial‐frequencies. The frequency behavior was determined to be largely dependent on the blur and scattering of the phosphor as described by the detectorMTF. Frequency independent INEE was determined to be the weighted mean of INEE(u,v) with k(u,v), over all spatial frequencies. Conclusion: The INEE metric addresses the need for a direct, quantitative measure of the quantum‐noise‐limited exposure range of x‐ray detectors by providing the threshold exposure at which the detector instrumentation‐noise exceeds the quantum‐noise. Frequency dependence was investigated to provide a greater understanding of this promising new metric. (Support: NIH Grants R01‐NS43924, R01‐EB002873, Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation).
Identification of a HoxA10 Activation Domain Necessary for Transcription of the Gene Encoding β3 Integrin during Myeloid Differentiation

Transcription of the ITGB3 gene, which encodes beta3 integrin, increases during myeloid differentiation. alphavbeta3 integrin mediates adhesion to fibronectin or vitronectin and regulates various aspects of the inflammatory response in mature phagocytes. In these studies, we found that the homeodomain transcription factor HoxA10 interacted with a specific ITGB3 cis element and activated transcription of this gene during myeloid differentiation. We also found that increased fibronectin adhesion in differentiating myeloid cells was dependent upon this HoxA10-induced increase in beta3 integrin expression. We determined that activation of ITGB3 transcription required a HoxA10 domain that was not identical to the "hexapeptide" that mediates interaction of Hox and Pbx proteins. This activation domain was also not identical to a previously identified HoxA10 repression domain that mediates interaction with transcriptional co-repressors. Instead, this HoxA10 activation domain had homology to "PQ" protein-protein interaction domains that have been described previously in other transcription factors. Consistent with this, we found that the HoxA10 PQ-like domain recruited the CREB-binding protein (CBP) to the ITGB3 promoter. This was associated with an increase in local histone acetylation in vivo. In immature myeloid cells, we previously determined that HoxA10 repressed transcription of the CYBB and NCF2 genes, which encode the phagocyte oxidase proteins gp91(PHOX) and p67(PHOX), respectively. Therefore, our studies indicated that HoxA10 either activates or represses gene transcription at various points during myelopoiesis. Our studies also suggested that HoxA10 is a bifunctional protein that is involved in dynamic regulation of multiple aspects of phagocyte phenotype and function.
Adjustment of a STEM instrument by use of shadow images

The shadow image formed in a scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) instrument when no objective aperture is used may provide a convenient means for the alignment of the instrument column, for the correction of astigmatism, for focussing and for calibration of the various instrumental parameters including defocus and spherical aberration. The procedures are illustrated by shadow images recorded from a fluorescent screen in an HB5 instrument, viewed by means of a television camera.
Quantum transport for Bloch electrons in homogeneous time dependent electric fields

Abstract Quantum Transport Equations for Bloch electrons interacting with randomly distributed impurities in the presence of a homogeneous electric field of arbitrary strength and time dependence are derived. The equations account for all possible quantum effects to lowest nonzero order in the scattering strength, including intra and interband scattering, interband Zener tunneling and non-linear transient transport, and contain effects previously not anticipated, such as coherent impurity scattering, and field and time dependent scattering matrix elements.
Structure/activity relationships in the arginine taste pathway of the channel catfish

To characterize the molecular/structural requirements for activation or antagonism of the arginine taste pathways in catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, structure/activity studies were performed using integrated multi-unit responses and cross-adaptation. Of all the guanidinium-containing compounds tested, only L-arginine, L-α-amino-β-guanidino propionic acid (L-AGPA) and L-arginine methyl and ethyl esters were strong stimuli
Differential Heparanase-1 Expression in Malignant and Benign Pheochromocytomas☆

Abstract Introduction. Extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation is an essential step that allows tumor cells to penetrate a tissue barrier and become metastatic. Heparanase-1 (HPR) is an endoglycosidase that specifically degrades heparan sulfate proteoglycans, a chief component of the ECM. Previous studies have demonstrated HPR expression in various malignancies and that there is differential HPR expression between benign and malignant tumors. Currently, there is no technique that can reliably predict the malignant behavior of some pheochromocytomas. This study tests whether HPR is differentially expressed in malignant and benign pheochromocytomas Methods. Paraffin-embedded specimens from 29 pheochromocytomas were evaluated. The tissues were collected from surgical specimens over a 10-year period from 26 patients (8 males, 18 females) with a mean age of 47 years (range 19–78 years, median 47 years). One female patient underwent 3 separate operations for malignant pheochromocytoma and thus provided 3 specimens. Another female patient had both the primary tumor and a liver metastasis processed, and therefore provided 2 specimens. Patient charts and pathology reports were reviewed to classify the pheochromocytomas as either benign or malignant. Based on clinical behavior and/or pathological evidence of metastasis or invasion into surrounding tissues, 10 specimens were malignant and 19 had benign behavior. As a control, normal adrenal tissue from 3 nephrectomy specimens was included in the study, as was tissue from 1 adrenocortical adenoma. All 33 specimens were tested for HPR gene expression by in situ hybridization (ISH) with an antisense RNA probe and immunohistochemistry (IHC) with an anti-HPR antibody. Statistical analysis was done using the χ2 test of proportions to determine if HPR expression correlated with malignancy using ISH, IHC, or both tests together. Results. Using ISH, the percentage of HPR expression in the malignant pheochromocytomas was 50% while HPR expression in the benign tumors was 21% (P = 0.11). Using IHC, the percentage of HPR expression in the malignant pheochromocytomas was 80% while HPR expression in the benign tumors was 32% (P = 0.01). Considering both tests cumulatively, all 10 malignant pheochromocytomas stained positive for HPR by ISH and IHC, while only 37% of the benign tumors were positive for HPR expression (P = 0.001). The one adrenal adenoma and the 3 normal adrenal glands processed stained negative for HPR expression by both ISH and IHC. Conclusion. HPR expression is higher in malignant pheochromocytomas than in benign pheochromocytomas or normal tissue. HPR may contribute to the invasive characteristics of malignant pheochromocytomas and might be used as a marker to distinguish malignant from benign pheochromocytomas. HPR expression might also be used as a prognostic tool in guiding long-term patient follow-up.
An Overview of Molecular and Genetic Alterations in Selected Benign Odontogenic Disorders

Context.— Some dental abnormalities have environmental causes. Other odontogenic alterations are idiopathic and may have hereditary etiologies. Investigations of these conditions are ongoing. Objective.— —To provide a discussion of developmental odontogenic abnormalities and benign odontogenic overgrowths and neoplasms for which genetic alterations have been well demonstrated and well documented. Data Sources.— Relevant peer-reviewed literature. Conclusions.— —The understanding of benign odontogenic lesions at a molecular level is rather well developed for some lesions and at the initial stages for many others. Further characterization of the molecular underpinnings of these and other odontogenic lesions would result in an enhanced comprehension of odontogenesis and the pathogenesis of a variety of odontogenic aberrations. These advancements may lead to better prevention and treatment paradigms and improved patient outcomes.
Stable Isotope Analyses and the Evolution of Human Diets

Stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen has revolutionized anthropology's approach and understanding of the evolution of human diet. A baseline comparison across extant nonhuman primates reveals that they all depend on C3 plants in forests, forest patches, and woodlands except during rare seasonal intake, in marginal regions, or where maize fields exist. Even large-bodied hominoids that could theoretically rely on hard-to-digest C4 plants do not do so. Some Plio-Pleistocene hominins, however, apparently relied heavily on C4 and/or CAM plants, which suggests that they relied extensively on cecal-colon microbial fermentation. Neanderthals seem less carnivorous than is often assumed when we compare their δ15Nbone collagen values with those of recent human populations, including recent human foragers who also fall at or near the top of their local trophic system. Finally, the introduction of maize into North America is shown to have been more sporadic and temporally variable than previously assumed.
Divisible Load Scheduling inWireless Sensor Networks with Information Utility

Optimal data scheduling strategies in a hierarchical wireless sensor network (WSN) are considered. Data aggregation in clusterheads is considered to find a closed form solution for the optimal amount of data that is to be reported by each sensor node using a newly introduced parameter, information utility. The optimal conditions for the feasible measurement instruction assignment time and for the minimum round time are derived and examined. Based on the optimal conditions, a performance evaluation is demonstrated via simulation study.
The influence of environmental, soil carbon, root, and stand characteristics on soil CO2 efflux in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations located on the South Carolina Coastal Plain

Abstract While the effect of soil temperature and moisture on soil CO 2 efflux ( E c ) has been widely investigated, the relationship between E c and soil carbon (C), root, and stand parameters has not been comprehensively examined or quantified across extensive spatial and temporal scales. We measured E c in loblolly pine ( Pinus taeda L.) stands located on the South Carolina Coastal Plain across sites, seasons, and ages. Concurrent with E c measurements, we monitored soil temperature (top 10 cm) and soil moisture (top 10 cm) along with mineral soil C concentration [C], coarse woody debris (CWD), root surface area, and root volume in the top 20 cm of the mineral soil below the measurement chamber. We also examined the effects of stand age, stand volume, and site quality on E c . Using linear regression analysis, we determined that E c was most highly correlated with soil temperature alone ( R 2 =0.263). Mineral soil [C] alone explained a small, but significant amount of E c variance ( R 2 =0.026). When all variables were considered simultaneously, only soil temperature ( R 2 =0.249), mineral soil C ( R 2 =0.0378), and root surface area ( R 2 =0.0149) explained a significant amount of variance in E c . Other variables tested were not significantly correlated with E c . Mineral soil C concentration was greater in samples taken directly adjacent to trees (on beds) compared with samples between rows (interbeds), which partially explained why we observed greater E c rates next to trees. With increasing stand age, CWD decreased and root surface area increased suggesting that opposite shifts in total root and microbial respiration over time are responsible for the lack of correlation between E c and stand age.
Traditional fermented foods

For centuries, diverse plant and animal materials have been fermented by various bacteria, yeasts, and fungi to make excellent foods. The kinds of micro organisms used in traditional fermentation are restricted to a relatively few genera, including Aspergillus, Rhizopus, Mucor, Actinomucor, Monascus, Saccharomyces, Neurospora, Acetobacler, Bacillus, and Lactobacillus. The two principal advantages of food fermentations over other processes are to add flavor and to prevent spoilage. Fermented fish is a common food in the Orient and may have been the first product made by fermentation. Flavor is especially important in vegetable diets based on bland foods such as rice. Shoyu is the best, known oriental food fermentation, and it is very widely used as a flavoring agent. Be sides this fermentation, there are a large number of additional ones not so well known outside the Orient, whose products serve as seasoning or flavoring agents. Miso and natto are prepared from soybeans in Japan. Sufu is a cheese like product made from soybean milk in China. Tempeh and ontjom are Indonesian foods prepared from soybeans and peanuts, respectively. These food fermentations are discussed with emphasis on how they are produced and the flavor formed.
Imaging heterogeneity in the mitochondrial redox state of premalignant pancreas in the pancreas-specific PTEN-null transgenic mouse model

Metabolic alteration is one of the hallmarks of carcinogenesis. We aimed to identify certain metabolic biomarkers for the early detection of pancreatic cancer (PC) using the transgenic PTEN-null mouse model. Pancreas-specific deletion of PTEN in mouse caused progressive premalignant lesions such as highly proliferative ductal metaplasia. We imaged the mitochondrial redox state of the pancreases of the transgenic mice approximately eight months old using the redox scanner, i.e., the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide/oxidized flavoproteins (NADH/Fp) fluorescence imager at low temperature. Two different approaches, the global averaging of the redox indices without considering tissue heterogeneity along tissue depth and the univariate analysis of multi-section data using tissue depth as a covariate were adopted for the statistical analysis of the multi-section imaging data. The standard deviations of the redox indices and the histogram analysis with Gaussian fit were used to determine the tissue heterogeneity. All methods show consistently that the PTEN deficient pancreases (Pdx1-Cre;PTENlox/lox) were significantly more heterogeneous in their mitochondrial redox state compared to the controls (PTENlox/lox). Statistical analysis taking into account the variations of the redox state with tissue depth further shows that PTEN deletion significantly shifted the pancreatic tissue to an overall more oxidized state. Oxidization of the PTEN-null group was not seen when the imaging data were analyzed by global averaging without considering the variation of the redox indices along tissue depth, indicating the importance of taking tissue heterogeneity into account for the statistical analysis of the multi-section imaging data. This study reveals a possible link between the mitochondrial redox state alteration of the pancreas and its malignant transformation and may be further developed for establishing potential metabolic biomarkers for the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
Hedgehog-Mediated Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition and Fibrogenic Repair in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Background & Aims Repair responses define the ultimate outcomes of liver disease. This study evaluated the hypothesis that fibrogenic repair in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is mediated by Hedgehog (Hh) pathway activation and consequent induction of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions (EMT) in ductular-type progenitors. Methods Immature ductular cells were exposed to Sonic hedgehog (Shh) in the presence or absence of the Hh inhibitor cyclopamine to determine whether Hh-pathway activation directly modulates EMT in liver progenitors. Potential biologic correlates of progenitor cell EMT were assessed using mice fed methionine-choline-deficient + ethionine (MCDE) diets with or without cyclopamine. The effects of increased Hh signaling on EMT and fibrogenic repair during diet-induced NAFLD were also compared in wild-type (WT) and Patched haplo-insufficient (Ptc +/− ) mice. Finally, evidence of Hh-pathway activation and EMT was examined in liver sections from patients with NAFLD. Results In cultured progenitors, Shh repressed expression of epithelial genes and EMT inhibitors but induced genes that are expressed by myofibroblasts. Cyclopamine reversed these effects. In mouse NAFLD models, Hh-pathway activation, EMT, expansion of myofibroblastic populations, and liver fibrosis occurred. Cyclopamine inhibited Hh-pathway activation and induction of EMT. Ptc +/− mice, which have an overactive Hh pathway, exhibited sustained overinduction of Hh target genes and more EMT, myofibroblast accumulation, and fibrosis than WT mice. Numbers of Shh-producing cells and Hh-responsive ductular cells that expressed EMT markers increased in parallel with liver fibrosis in patients with NAFLD. Conclusions Hh-mediated EMT in ductular cells contributes to the pathogenesis of cirrhosis in NAFLD.
Laboratory Evaluation of the Inflammatory Myopathies

The laboratory plays an important role in the diagnosis, evaluation, and classification of the heterogeneous group of diseases known as the IIM, which are characterized by chronic muscle inflammation. Serial measurements of the levels of muscle-derived enzymes in serum are the traditional laboratory studies used to follow the clinical course of patients with IIM, although other laboratory tests can also be useful in assessing myositis disease activity. Several markers of immune system activation, including cytokines and lymphocyte markers, show promise as possibly more sensitive measures of myositis disease activity. Discovery of a unique group of MSAs over the past decade has provided an immunologic basis for defining relatively homogeneous subsets of patients who share similar clinical features, disease courses, and responses to therapy. Future investigations of novel immunologic activation markers, as well as the cloning and expression of target autoantigens of the MSAs, should allow better diagnostic assays, enhanced prognosis, and a better understanding of the pathogenesis of these disorders.
Putting aquifers into atmospheric simulation models: an example from the Mill Creek Watershed, northeastern Kansas

Aquifer–atmosphere interactions can be important in regions where the water table is shallow (<2 m). A shallow water table provides moisture for the soil and vegetation and thus acts as a source term for evapotranspiration to the atmosphere. A coupled aquifer–land surface–atmosphere model has been developed to study aquifer–atmosphere interactions in watersheds, on decadal timescales. A single column vertically discretized atmospheric model is linked to a distributed soil-vegetation–aquifer model. This physically based model was able to reproduce monthly and yearly trends in precipitation, stream discharge, and evapotranspiration, for a catchment in northeastern Kansas. However, the calculated soil moisture tended to drop to levels lower than were observed in drier years. The evapotranspiration varies spatially and seasonally and was highest in cells situated in topographic depressions where the water table is in the root zone. Annually, simulation results indicate that from 5–20% of groundwater supported evapotranspiration is drawn from the aquifer. The groundwater supported fraction of evapotranspiration is higher in drier years, when evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation. A long-term (40 year) simulation of extended drought conditions indicated that water table position is a function of groundwater hydrodynamics and cannot be predicted solely on the basis of topography. The response time of the aquifer to drought conditions was on the order of 200 years indicating that feedbacks between these two water reservoirs act on disparate time scales. With recent advances in the computational power of massively parallel supercomputers, it may soon become possible to incorporate physically based representations of aquifer hydrodynamics into general circulation models (GCM) land surface parameterization schemes. 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Interactions between the root pathogen Rhizoctonia solani AG-8 and acetolactate-synthase-inhibiting herbicides in barley.

BACKGROUND: The widespread acceptance of reduced-tillage farming in cereal cropping systems in the Pacific Northwest of the United States has resulted in increased use of herbicides for weed control. However, soil residual concentrations of widely used imidazalone herbicides limit the cultivation of barley, which is more sensitive than wheat. In addition, increased severity of the root rot disease caused by Rhizoctonia solani is associated with reduction in tillage. Many crops exhibit altered disease responses after application of registered herbicides. In this study, the injury symptoms in barley caused by sublethal rates of two acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicides, imazamox and propoxycarbazone-sodium, were assessed in factorial combinations with a range of inoculum concentrations of the root rot pathogen Rhizoctonia solani AG-8. RESULTS: Both herbicides and pathogen had negative impacts on plant growth parameters such as root and shoot dry weight, shoot height and first leaf length, and interactions between pathogen and herbicide were detected. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that sublethal rates of herbicides and R. solani could alter severity of injury symptoms, possibly owing to the herbicide predisposing the plant to the pathogen. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry
Flow and Congestion Control for Internet Media Streaming Applications

This paper proposes a new flow and congestion control scheme, SCP (Streaming Control Protocol), for real-time streaming of continuous multimedia data across the Internet. The design of SCP arose from our long-time experience in building and using an adaptive real-time streaming video player. The proposed scheme is designed to allow SCP-based streaming traffic to live in harmony with each other, and with TCP-based traffic. At the same time, it improves smoothness in streaming, and ensures low, predictable latency and effective use of network bandwidth. SCP also incorporates mobility awareness and supports limited data rates and possible pauses in streaming. In this paper, we present a description and analysis of SCP, and an evaluation of it through Internet-based experiments.
Features Resembling Tourette's Syndrome in Developmental Stutterers

Developmental stuttering (DS) may be related to the extrapyramidal motor system and shares many clinical similarities with Tourette's syndrome (TS), which is widely believed to be associated with extrapyramidal dysfunction. Twenty-two stutterers were examined for neuropsychiatric features commonly seen in TS, including tics, obsessive-compulsive behaviors (OCB), and attention deficit disorders. Eleven stutterers displayed motor tics, and symptoms of OCB were observed at rates similar to those seen in persons with TS. Few stutterers demonstrated significant attentional deficits. Findings are consistent with models suggesting extrapyramidal involvement in DS and raise the possibility that DS and TS are pathogenetically related.