cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Apheresis medicine state of the art in 2010: American Society for Apheresis fifth special edition of the Journal of Clinical Apheresis.

The quality of evidence supporting the use of apheresis in the treatment of individual diseases and disorders is often limited. For most diseases and disorders, randomized controlled trials of the use of apheresis have not been performed and for many, due to rarity of the condition, it is unlikely that they will ever be performed. In keeping with its vision, the American Society for Apheresis (ASFA) has created and regularly updated guidelines on the use of apheresis in the treatment of disease. These guidelines seek to summarize the literature on the use of apheresis in treating diseases, provide a critical review of this literature, and give practical guidance to apheresis practitioners. The most recent ASFA guidelines were published in 2010. This article reviews the history of the ASFA guidelines, the changes that were made in the 2010 guidelines, and future directions and plans for these guidelines. The 2010 ASFA guidelines on the use of therapeutic apheresis in clinical practice represent the state of the art in apheresis medicine in 2010. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Alcohol and Tobacco: How Smoking May Promote Excessive Drinking

Cigarette smokers tend to drink more alcohol than their nonsmoking peers. In this issue of Neuron, Doyon et al. (2013) found that nicotine-induced increases in stress hormones can augment ethanol self-administration in rats, suggesting that a drug interaction may contribute to this phenomenon.
Massive structured data management solution

The need to analyze structured data for various business intelligence applications such as customer churn analysis, social network analysis, etc. is well known. However, the potential size to which such data will scale in future will make solutions that revolve around data warehouses hard to scale. We begin by presenting a business case that prompted us to look at building a distributed analytics platform that is leveraging the MapReduce framework pioneered by Google. We present the results of the study and highlight issues with the current structured data access techniques for MapReduce platforms. Finally, we present a distributed and scalable data platform that leverages Apache Hadoop to enable business analysts to seamlessly query archived data along with data stored in the warehouse.
Evaluation of the genotoxic and embryotoxic potential of chlorpyrifos and its metabolites in vivo and in vitro

The genotoxicity and embryotoxicity of chlorpyrifos (CPF) and two metabolites were evaluated using the chick embryo, Chinese hamster ovary cells, and by examining blastocysts from superovulated cows crossed to chlorpyrifos-treated bulls. Chlorpyrifos and metabolites were dissolved in acetone and administered to 3-day embryos by the air cell method. The LD50 was 1,500 micrograms/embryo when mortality was checked through and including 17 days of development. The metabolites were more embryotoxic than the parent compound, CPF. Chlorpyrifos and metabolites did not increase the sister chromatid exchange (SCE) frequency above background at any dosage in the 3-day chick embryo assay. Similarly, none of these compounds increased SCE frequencies in three-point dosage tests (1, 10, 100 micrograms/ml) using Chinese hamster ovary cells. Controls in these assays consisted of the solvent carrier acetone (7.0 +/- 2.5 SCE/cell) and 8.6 micrograms/ml methyl methane sulfonate (30.5 +/- 7.4 SCE/cell). Studies of bovine blastocysts obtained from superovulated cows crossed with Dursban 44 treated bulls did not reveal evidence of chromosome aberrations or developmental anomalies associated with pesticide application. However, reproductive performance of breeders may be subnormal as a result of severe poisoning. This underscores the limitations of short-term assays and emphasizes the need to perform thorough toxicological assays of a chemical according to actual usage patterns in the species of concern.
The role of calcium in pentylenetetrazol-induced bursting

Abstract 1. 1. Lymnaea neurons exhibit convulsive bursting behavior in solutions of Pentylenetetrazol (PTZ). 2. 2. Intracellular injection of Ca2+ chelator, EGTA, causes bursting cells to return to more regular firing patterns. 3. 3. Experiments with calcium current blockers and 0 Ca-EGTA solution suggest that extracellular calcium is not necessary for the maintenance of PTZ-induced bursting. 4. 4. Experiments with CCmP, which causes release of mitochondrial calcium; and with taurine, which increases mitochondrial calcium binding, suggest that Ca2+ from intracellular stores plays a role in PTZ-induced bursting.
Sensor reduction technique using Bellman optimal estimates of target agent dynamics

A generalized sensor reduction technique is developed for a sensor network used in surveillance and target tracking operations. Reducing the number of sensors in the network leads to addressing immediate threats more quickly and lowering costs for acquiring and processing data. The methods in this work use Bellman optimality principles to estimate possible paths of an agent given an assumed environment model. These paths are then used to determine causal relationships between states in a surveillance field. By using this approach, a capture set is defined where the final states of trajectories are known using information from sensors located in other states. Sensors can then be removed from the network based on this capture set. This method is applied to a crowded hallway surveillance scenario where an agent may choose between two possible exits. The sensor network in this scenario determines if a target deviates from the crowd and moves toward an alternate exit. A proximity sensor grid is placed above the crowd to record the number of people that pass through the hallway. Our result shows that the Bellman optimal approximation of the capture set for the alternate exit identifies the region of the surveillance field where sensors are needed, allowing the others to be removed. Using the reduced sensor network, results are given that show the probability of a deviating agent becoming more distinct with respect to normal motion of the crowd. Therefore, we conclude that by incorporating a dynamic model of the agents' motion into the sensor network, sensors can be reduced, and increased detectability is noticed when sensors are removed early in a trajectory of interest.
Stability analysis of human rider's balance control of stationary bicycles

Understanding human/bicycle interactions is crucial not only for enhancing bicycle (motorcycle) safety but also for designing new bicycle-based rehabilitation devices. In this paper, we present stability analysis of a human neurological control of stationary bicycles. The stability results are obtained through using the sweeping frequency method and the stability charts for time-delay dynamical systems. The results show that through only human rider's upper body movement, it is impossible to stabilize the stationary bicycle; however, with additional bicycle steering control, the riders can balance the bicycle under three delays in the neurological system. We present and illustrate these stability conditions for the systems with a set of model parameters of typical healthy riders.
Improving the computational performance of ILP-based problems

Many interesting problems in VLSI design are computationally extremely difficult, and as such, there exist no efficient (read polynomial time) algorithms for these problems. Such problems include placement, routing, scheduling and partitioning. A commonly used technique for solving these problems is to model them as an integer linear programming (ILP) problem, and to then solve the resulting model using a generic ILP solver. So far, improving the computational efficiency of these problems was considered equivalent to improving the model. We show that large performance improvements can be achieved by incorporating problem specific information into the ILP solver itself. While the techniques that we present are general in nature, for the sake of concreteness, we illustrate them by applying them to scheduling problems in high level synthesis. It is shown that there is a lot of problem specific information that can be incorporated into the model solver, and that doing so actually improves the performance considerably. We present experimental results to show that the problem specific ILP solver is considerably faster, often showing improvements by a factor of 1000 in execution time.
Preparation of coupled mitochondria and microsomes from liver biopsy samples of African green monkeys.

Abstract A differential centrifugation method is described for isolating mitochondria and microsomes from monkey liver biopsy samples (∼30 mg wet weight). Comparison of the biopsy sample preparation with organelles isolated from 10 g of the same liver revealed that the small-scale procedure yields mitochondria of comparable purity, and microsomes slightly more contaminated with mitochondria. The mitochondria retained respiratory control and demonstrated succinate oxidase activity at a level 65% that of the large-scale preparations. The specific activity for NADPH-cytochrome c reductase in biopsy sample microsomes was equivalent to that of organelles isolated from liver sections.
Women, Power and Society in Pre-colonial Africa

The article, surveying social, political and economic conditions in pre-colonial Africa argues that contemporary gender relations in Africa is not a true reflection of women\'s exercise of power and influence on the continent in the past. Today the marginalized status of women gives the impression that African women have always been oppressed by their male counterparts. The article also argues that where women have exercised a degree of independence in the past, males have responded to such independence in different ways and manners, ranging from acceptance to accusing women of practicing witchcraft. The article furthermore points to evidence from pre-colonial African societies that does not support the assumption that the myth of matriarchy indicated failure of women in the past. Rather it emphasizes the significant roles they played. Frequently, the pantheons are mixed and the task of research involves analyzing the power structure among the deities. By this technique the researcher may penetrate an era before either Islam or Christianity as organised religions appeared on the continent to foster patriarchal domination in many societies. Lagos Historical Review , vol. 5 (2005), 49-74
Prolonged lymphatic leak after retroperitoneal lymph node dissection: a case report

Persistent lymphatic drainage following retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for testicular tumor is an uncommon complication.
20. Parents' “Focus” on Flu Immunization in Schools

exams (79% vs. 67%; p .001), school physicals (81% vs. 65%; p .001), and sports physicals (60% vs. 50%; p .01). In contrast, PEDs were less likely than FPs to discuss sexual health during visits for chronic conditions (percent saying “never” or “rarely”: 69%vs. 58%; p .001). Therewerenodifferences related to acute care visits. Overall, physicians assigned a lower priority for vaccinating males “well before” sexual activity (M 7.3) than for males considering sexual activity (M 9.1) or already sexually active (M 9.1); p .001. History of any STDwas prioritized the ighest (M 9.2) compared to no history of STDs (M 8.4), istory of genital or anal warts (M 8.5), or history of anal or penile dysplasia/cancer (M 8.3); p .001. PEDs and FPs did not iffer in prioritization scores. onclusions: Among physicians in this study, those who disussed sexual health with male adolescents often did so during outine examinations and school/sports physicals. Although EDs were more likely than FPs to have these conversations at ost visit types, FPsweremore inclined to discuss sexual health uring visits for chronic conditions. Intent to vaccinate against PV was higher when the physician believed the male patient as considering sexual activity, was sexually active, or had a istory of STDs. This is consistent with findings that physicians re less likely to discuss HPV vaccination or vaccinate younger dolescent females. Self-reported anticipated HPV vaccination racticesmayvary fromactual practice. However, it is important orhealth careproviders tovaccinateearly inadolescence, before ither males or females consider engaging in sexual activity. ources of Support:Merck and Co., Inc.
The link between allergic rhinitis and otitis media.

Past studies implicated allergy in the pathogenesis of otitis media. However, definitive proof of the assertion is lacking. Epidemiologic studies, including one recently published by Rylander and Megevand, consistently identify allergy as a risk factor for otitis media. Also, higher than expected fr
Some topological and combinatorial properties ofc-component (c + 4)-phase multisystem nets

Multisystem nets are topological analogs of real and potentially real phase diagrams which can be constructed given only the chemography of phases of interest. Combinatorial analysis of c-component (c + 4)-phase multisystems suggests the existence of [(c + 4)!/2] [2(c +4) − 2 (c + 4)] distinct nets. (c + 4)-phase multisystem nets are characterized by three different invariant point stability levels, four different reaction stability levels, and three invariant points along each univariant reaction. Invariant points at the intermediate stability level occur in two disjoint networks. Unlike (c + 3)-phase multisystems, in which all nets are related by transposition, (c + 4)-phase nets form distinct equivalence classes under transposition based on identities of those invariant points at the intermediate stability level. A position matrix is introduced to denote adjacency/connectivity relationships, and a relationship is suggested between the number of nets in each equivalence class under transposition and the number of ways of assigning stability levels to invariant points of an arbitrary position matrix.
Enhanced Processing of APP Induced by IL-1β Can Be Reduced by Indomethacin and Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid

Abstract Abnormal processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) is thought to contribute to the formation of amyloid plaques in Alzheimer′s disease. Several studies suggest that inflammation, and possibly the cytokines released during the inflammatory process, may participate in the plaque formation. We have utilized a cell culture system to examine the effects of the cytokine interleukin-1β (IL-1β) on the processing of APP. We present data to show that IL-1β increases the maturation of APP and causes enhanced processing of the full length APP isoforms. In addition, as reported previously in HUVEC cells, IL-1β increases the secretion of APP in PC12 cells. Indomethacin and NDGA, reported inhibitors of the cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase pathways, respectively, block these effects,suggesting the involvement of prostaglandins and leukotrienes in IL-1β mediated APP processing.
Production of insoluble dextran using cell-bound dextransucrase of Leuconostoc mesenteroides NRRL B-523

Abstract Water-insoluble, cell-free dextran biosynthesis from Leuconostoc mesenteroides NRRL B-523 has been examined. Cell-bound dextransucrase is used to produce cell-free dextran in a sucrose-rich acetate buffer medium. A comparison between the soluble and insoluble dextrans is made for various sucrose concentrations, and 15% sucrose gave the highest amount of cell-free dextran for a given time. L. mesenteroides B-523 produces more insoluble dextran than soluble dextran. The near cell-free synthesis was validated in a batch reactor, by monitoring the cell growth which is a small (10 6 –10 7 CFU/mL) and constant value throughout the synthesis.
The Influence of Ambient Nitrate, Temperature, and Light on Nitrate Assimilation in Sudangrass Seedlings

Seedlings of Sundangrass (Sorghum Sudanese [Piper] Stapf.) were grown 10 to 13 days of age in a nutrient solution containing nitrate and then placed under treatment conditions for 24 h before assays of nitrate assimilation were begun. Nitrate uptake was determined by its disappearance from the ambient solution. In vivo reduction of nitrate was determined by the overall balance between the amount taken up and the change in tissue concentration of nitrate during the experiments. Nitrate reductase activity was determined from tissue slices. In vivo reduction was strongly regulated by uptake in response to time and ambient nitrate concentration, temperature and light. Nitrate reduction responded to the concentration of nitrate supplied by uptake and by a storage pool, since reduction often exceeded uptake. Nitrate reductase activity in tissue slices was exponential in initial response to increasing temperature. After a 24-h equilibration period at each temperature, the activity was lower at higher temperatures. In contrast, actual reduction of nitrate increased linearly with increasing temperature between 15 and 24°C in the plants equilibrated 24 h at each temperature. Nitrate uptake and reduction were greatly inhibited under low light conditions, with reduction inhibited more than uptake., The effect of ambient nitrate, temperature, and light on the nitrate assimilatory processes help to explain observations reported on nitrate accumulation by Sudangrass forage.
A screening assay for the tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin receptor using the [125I]iodovaleramide derivative of trichlorodibenzo-p-dioxin as the binding ligand.

Abstract A relatively simple assay method for the putative cytosolic ‘receptor’ that binds 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and related compounds is described. The assay is based on specific binding of [125I]dioxin to cytosol ‘receptor’ protein. Saturation is ensured by competition experiments in which unlabeled TCDD and other competitors displace the radiolabeled ligand from specific binding sites. This assay has been applied to estimation of levels of ‘receptor’ in cytosol.
PKA-induced Receptor Activator of NF-κB Ligand (RANKL) Expression in Vascular Cells Mediates Osteoclastogenesis but Not Matrix Calcification

Vascular calcification is a predictor of cardiovascular mortality and is prevalent in patients with atherosclerosis and chronic renal disease. It resembles skeletal osteogenesis, and many bone cells as well as bone-related factors involved in both formation and resorption have been localized in calcified arteries. Previously, we showed that aortic medial cells undergo osteoblastic differentiation and matrix calcification both spontaneously and in response to PKA agonists. The PKA signaling pathway is also involved in regulating bone resorption in skeletal tissue by stimulating osteoblast-production of osteoclast regulating cytokines, including receptor-activator of nuclear κB ligand (RANKL) and interleukins. Therefore, we investigated whether PKA activators regulate osteoclastogenesis in aortic smooth muscle cells (SMC). Treatment of murine SMC with the PKA agonist forskolin stimulated RANKL expression at both mRNA and protein levels. Forskolin also stimulated expression of interleukin-6 but not osteoprotegerin (OPG), an inhibitor of RANKL. Consistent with these results, osteoclastic differentiation was induced when monocytic preosteoclasts (RAW264.7) were cocultured with forskolin-treated aortic SMC. Oxidized phospholipids also slightly induced RANKL expression in T lymphocytes, another potential source of RANKL in the vasculature. Because previous studies have shown that RANKL treatment alone induces matrix calcification of valvular and vascular cells, we next examined whether RANKL mediates forskolin-induced matrix calcification by aortic SMC. RANKL inhibition with OPG had little or no effect on osteoblastic differentiation and matrix calcification of aortic SMC. These findings suggest that, as in skeletal tissues, PKA activation induces bone resorptive factors in the vasculature and that aortic SMC calcification specifically induced by PKA, is not mediated by RANKL.
Current efficiency and polarization behavior of trivalent chromium electrodeposition process

Abstract The influence of bath composition, mass transfer and applied potential on the trivalent chromium electrodeposition from a bath containing ammonium formate and sodium acetate as the complexing agents was studied by the potentiostatic current efficiency and rotating disk electrode experiments. The results indicate that the chromium electrodeposition process involved two consecutive reduction steps. The first step was the reduction of a trivalent-Cr complex ion to a divalent-Cr complex ion: [ Cr ( H 2 O ) 5 L ] 2+ + e − →[ Cr ( H 2 O ) 5 L ] + where L− represents the complexing [formate]− or [acetate]− ligand. This was followed by the reduction of the divalent-Cr complex ion to metallic Cr(s): [ Cr ( H 2 O ) 5 L ] + +2 e − → Cr ( s )+5 H 2 O + L − The rate of Cr deposition process was controlled by the transport of the trivalent-Cr complex ion, [Cr(H2O)5L]2+, to the cathode surface.
Binding of IgG to amyloid βA4 peptide via the heavy-chain hinge region with preservation of antigen binding

Abstract Amyloid βA4 peptide is found in the extracellular region of the senile plaque and in the angiopathy of Alzheimer's disease. Several other proteins, including IgG, also reside in these abnormal structures. In an attempt to understand how these structures are assembled and to determine how proteins are recruited, interactions of various proteins with synthetic βA4 peptide have been examined in vitro. Purified IgG binds directly ti synthetic βA4 peptide with high avilidity. The domain between amino acids 12–28 of βA4 peptide binds the hinge region of the immunoglobulin heavy chain, and preserves the ability of the immunoglobulin to bind antigen. A protein which does not bind directly to βA4 peptide can be targetted tot he senile plaque and angiopathy by binding to IgG, which avidly binds βA4 peptide.
Predictors of mortality after prostate-specific antigen failure

Purpose: We identified factors associated with the length of survival after prostate-specific antigen (PSA) failure. Methods and Materials: The study cohort comprised 81 of 206 men enrolled on a randomized trial evaluating external-beam radiation therapy (RT) with or without androgen suppression therapy (AST) and who experienced PSA failure. Salvage AST was administered at a PSA level of ∼10 ng/mL as per protocol. Cox regression was used to determine factors associated with length of survival after PSA failure. Results: A PSA DT (doubling time) p = 0.04) and age at the time of PSA failure ( p = 0.009) were significantly associated with length of survival. By 5 years, 35% and 65% of all-cause mortality was from prostate cancer in men whose age at PSA failure was 75 or higher vs. 12, 6–12, or Conclusions: Advanced age and a PSA DT
Racial treatment trends in localized/regional prostate carcinoma: 1992-1999.

BACKGROUND African-American men have a greater incidence of and mortality from prostate carcinoma compared with white men, and they are less likely to receive definitive therapy (radical prostatectomy or external beam radiation therapy). During the 1990s, the use of brachytherapy increased; however, its influence on racial and ethnic prostate carcinoma treatment trends remains unclear. The objective of this study was to describe treatment trends over the period 1992–1999 for localized/regional prostate carcinoma among white, Hispanic, and African-American men. METHODS Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry data from 1992 through 1999, logistic regression models were used to determine whether the odds of receiving a specific treatment modality differed by racial and ethnic group and whether the differences changed over time when the models were adjusted for age, marital status, tumor grade, and SEER site (geography). RESULTS The authors identified 142,340 men, including white men (81.6%), Hispanic men (6.4%), and African-American men (12.0%). Racial and ethnic differences in the rates of use of androgen-deprivation therapy/expectant management were noted; however, these differences appeared to lessen over time (P < 0.001). The rate of utilization of radical prostatectomy increased for Hispanic men, remained flat for African-American men, and decreased for white men. The utilization of brachytherapy and combination therapy increased for all three groups; however, the greatest increase in utilization was among white men. CONCLUSIONS Further research will be required to determine the patient-level and provider-level variables that influence racial and ethnic treatment differences in localized/regional prostate cancer. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.
Fusion Of Vision And Touch For Spatio-Temporal Reasoning In Learning Manipulation Tasks

This paper presents a framework for the fusion of vision and touch, useful in learning various manipulation tasks by a robot arm. Initially the robot has poor knowledge of the laws that govern the behavior of objects, and incomplete knowledge about physical features of individual objects. We analyse the fusion of vision and touch for learning object manipulation tasks, various methods of features acquisition, and an architecture of the system that provides feedback between sensing, manipulating and learning. Simple control loops allow the system to execute the manipulation tasks and to learn such a selection of the values of control parameters that prevents faults and object damage. The main emphasis is on learning. In sections 5 and 6 we demonstrate how the system discovers new regularities, how it recognizes new and useful object properties, and how the performance on similar tasks can be improved by application of newly acquired knowledge. Sections 1-4 describe a preliminary design of an architecture that allows for application of sensor fusion and for learning by improving manipulation skills by a robot arm.
Remote sensing of mesospheric winds with the high-resolution doppler imager

Observations of the winds in the upper atmosphere obtained with the High-Resolution Doppler Imager (HRDI) on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) are discussed. This instrument is a very stable high-resolution triple-etalon Fabry-Perot interferometer, which is used to observe the slight Doppler shifts of absorption and emission lines in the O2 Atmospheric bands induced by atmospheric motions. Preliminary observations indicate that the winds in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere are a mixture of migrating and non-migrating tides, and planetary-scale waves. The mean meridional winds are dominated by the 1,1 diurnal tide which is easily extracted from the daily zonal means of the satellite observations. The daily mean zonal winds are a mixture of the diurnal tide and a zonal flow which is consistent with theoretical expectations.
Unfolding and breakdown of insulin in the presence of endogenous thiols

Native insulin denatures and unfolds in the presence of thiol catalyst via disulfide scrambling (isomerization). It undergoes two transient non-native conformational isomers, followed by an irreversible breakdown of the protein to form oxidized A- and B-chain. Denaturation and breakdown of native insulin may occur under physiological conditions. At 37 °C, pH 7.4, and in the presence of cysteine (0.2 mM), native insulin decomposes with a pseudo first order kinetic of 0.075 h−1. At 50 °C, the rate increases by 5-fold. GdnCl and urea induced denaturation of insulin follows the same mechanism. These results demonstrate that stability and unfolding pathway of insulin in the presence of endogenous thiol differ fundamentally from its reversible denaturation observed in the absence of thiol, in which native disulfide bonds of insulin were kept intact during the process of denaturation.
Inhibition of Spermatogenesis and Ovulation in Rabbits with Antiovine LH Rabbit Serum.

The effect of active immunization of adult rabbits to NIH-LH-S8 and S10 on libido and testes function the neutralization of endogenous luteinizing hormone (LH) and exogenous ovine LH in female rabbits given antiovine LH rabbit serum and the diration of antibody persistence in female rabbits following passive immunization is presented. Antiovine LH rabbit serum neutralized endogenous gonadotropins and exogenous LH in rabbits. Testes from immunized males showed marked degeneration of spermatocytes interstitial cell damage and absence of spermiogensis; loss of libido also occurred. Endogenous LH suppresssion also occurred in female rabbits; ovulation was suppressed in mated and exogenous treated females. The minimum dose required to inhibit ovulation was .075 cc antiserum. 1-2 cc antiserum permitted persistence of antibodies in effective amounts to inhibit ovulation on the seventh day following either mating or 25 or 75 mcg exogenous LH.
Three-dimensional Neumann-series approach to model light transport in nonuniform media

We present the implementation, validation, and performance of a three-dimensional (3D) Neumann-series approach to model photon propagation in nonuniform media using the radiative transport equation (RTE). The RTE is implemented for nonuniform scattering media in a spherical harmonic basis for a diffuse-optical-imaging setup. The method is parallelizable and implemented on a computing system consisting of NVIDIA Tesla C2050 graphics processing units (GPUs). The GPU implementation provides a speedup of up to two orders of magnitude over non-GPU implementation, which leads to good computational efficiency for the Neumann-series method. The results using the method are compared with the results obtained using the Monte Carlo simulations for various small-geometry phantoms, and good agreement is observed. We observe that the Neumann-series approach gives accurate results in many cases where the diffusion approximation is not accurate.
Micropatterning of Conducting Polymer Thin Films on Reactive Self-assembled Monolayers

When a combination of microcontact printing and chemical coupling reaction is used, well-defined and robust micropatterns of poly(phenylene vinylene) are fabricated. This approach provides a simple and convenient route to pattern many other types of conducting polymers with a wide range of organic functionalities.
Imaging Centrosomes in Fly Testes

Centrosomes are conserved microtubule-based organelles whose structure and function change dramatically throughout the cell cycle and cell differentiation. Centrosomes are essential to determine the cell division axis during mitosis and to nucleate cilia during interphase. The identity of the proteins that mediate these dynamic changes remains only partially known, and the function of many of the proteins that have been implicated in these processes is still rudimentary. Recent work has shown that Drosophila spermatogenesis provides a powerful system to identify new proteins critical for centrosome function and formation as well as to gain insight into the particular function of known players in centrosome-related processes. Drosophila is an established genetic model organism where mutants in centrosomal genes can be readily obtained and easily analyzed. Furthermore, recent advances in the sensitivity and resolution of light microscopy and the development of robust genetically tagged centrosomal markers have transformed the ability to use Drosophila testes as a simple and accessible model system to study centrosomes. This paper describes the use of genetically-tagged centrosomal markers to perform genetic screens for new centrosomal mutants and to gain insight into the specific function of newly identified genes.
Numerical study of two-bucket Savonius wind turbine cluster

Abstract The performance of a single Savonius turbine depends on the interaction between the buckets of its rotor. Recent studies also show that interactions between Savonius turbines in a cluster enhance the output power of individual rotors. The purpose of this study is the development of a multi-turbine cluster for construction of efficient patterned vertical axis wind turbine farms. Numerical solutions are performed for a single Savonius turbine, clusters of two turbines in parallel and oblique positions, and triangular clusters of three turbines facing the wind forward and backward. The commercial CFD software FLUENT 14.5 is used for the numerical simulation. The numerical results of the single Savonius turbine are validated against experimental data. Parametric studies are performed to determine the solution domain size, the grid density, and the turbulence model. The two parallel and oblique turbine clusters are simulated to determine the optimum gap distances and setting angles between adjacent turbines for the maximum power coefficient. The numerical results of the two turbine oblique clusters are used to develop an efficient triangular shaped three turbine cluster. The developed three turbine cluster has an average power coefficient up to 34% higher than that of an isolated turbine.
On mathematical modeling of critical variables in cancer treatment (goals: Better understanding of the past and better planning in the future)

Over the past 25 years stepwise improvement in the cure of disseminated cancers has been good, fair or very poor depending on the particular cancer one is discussing. “Cancer chemotherapy provides variably effective treatment for the majority of forms of human cancer and curative treatment for some 12 categories.” We have been slow to gain and learn how to apply quantitative information on the biologic phenomena that underlie the responsiveness, or lack of responsiveness, of many different cancers to single drugs and combinations of drugs delivered in different ways. I am of the opinion that continuing development and integration of rational biomathematical models based on principles already identified, and testing them for compatibility with much already available experimental and clinical data, will lead to models that will help in planning more effective treatment regimens for cancers now classified as moderately refractory or very refractory to chemotherapy. Some of the critical variables are considered briefly. My advice, for what it is worth, is “try to be sure that the biologic concepts that you use in modeling are almost as good as the arithmetic.”
Molecular Architecture of Synaptic Actin Cytoskeleton in Hippocampal Neurons Reveals a Mechanism of Dendritic Spine Morphogenesis

The high resolution structure of the cytoskeleton in dendritic spines and their precursors, dendritic filopodia, was characterized by platinum replica electron microscopy. The unexpected features o...
Social Isolation and Lethal Violence Across the Metro/Nonmetro Divide: The Effects of Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Poverty Concentration on Homicide*

This study extends the macro-level criminological research tradition by examining the links between socioeconomic disadvantage, poverty concentration, and homicide in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan U.S. counties. Most research in this tradition has tested structural theories using urban areas as the unit of analysis. This “urban bias” has resulted in a limited understanding of the social forces driving violence in nonmetropolitan areas. To partially address this problem, we link the literature on the spatial and social organization of nonmetropolitan communities with the social isolation perspective from the urban poverty literature. We hypothesize that the spatial concentration of poverty drives up rates of homicide in both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas regardless of levels of socioeconomic disadvantage. Negative binomial regression for 1,746 nonmetropolitan and 778 metropolitan counties suggest that both socioeconomic disadvantage and poverty concentration elevate homicide in metropolitan areas. However, in nonmetropolitan counties only socioeconomic disadvantage has a significant impact. We conclude by discussing the implications of these differential findings for the social isolation perspective.
Lineage for Markovian stream event queries

Imprecise, sequential data, such as location sequences inferred from RFID/GPS, are often represented as Markovian (probabilistic, temporally-correlated) streams. Event queries, which detect instances of specific patterns in these streams, have become the standard tool for analysis of these streams; however, many data mining applications require richer information such as how a pattern is matched, how long the match is, or what stream elements matched specific pattern predicates. Such queries can dramatically increase the power of applications, but they cannot be answered by existing tools.In this paper, we present novel techniques for processing the above queries on Markovian streams. Central to our approach are algorithms for computing and manipulating the lineage of Markovian stream event queries. We provide formal definitions and linear-time algorithms for computing lineage, which may be exponentially-sized in the length of the input stream. We additionally demonstrate the importance of flexible lineage projections, and provide definitions of, and two efficient algorithms for, these projections. We evaluate all algorithms on two real-world data sets (location from RFID and words from spoken audio), and demonstrate that lineage can greatly increase the analytical power of applications while incurring small processing overhead.
Human organic anion-transporting polypeptide OATP-A (SLC21A3) acts in concert with P-glycoprotein and multidrug resistance protein 2 in the vectorial transport of Saquinavir in Hep G2 cells.

Saquinavir mesylate (SQV) is the first-in-class and prototypical HIV protease inhibitor (PI) used in the treatment of HIV infection. SQV undergoes extensive hepatic metabolism and intestinal and bile secretion, and has poor and variable oral bioavailability. In previous studies, our group and others have described the interactions between SQV and absorptive and secretory efflux transporters such as MRP1, MRP2, and P-gp. However, the potential role of absorptive influx transporters such as OATP-A (SLC21A3) has not yet been reported for SQV. In the study presented here, the role of OATP-A in the influx transport of SQV was studied using a hepatic cell model, Hep G2, and Xenopus laevis oocytes overexpressing human OATP-A. In Hep G2 cells, SQV transport was found to be (i) concentration-dependent and saturable, (ii) temperature-sensitive, and (iii) proton (pH)- and sodium-independent. While GF120918, a specific inhibitor of P-gp, and MK571, a MRP transporter family inhibitor, significantly enhanced SQV uptake...
Electrophoretic Determination of Charge on Carrier-Free 99mTc-Labeled Complexes

A new method for determining the charge on carrier-free 99mTc-labeled complexes is described. This method and mixed-ligand experiments were used to determine if the charge on the technetium 99m complex of N-(2,6-dimethylphenylcarbamoylmethyl)iminodiacetic acid (I) is -1 and if the ligand to technetium ratio in the complex is 2:1. The preparation of an iodinated analog (II) of I and its 99mTc-labeled complex is described, as is the biodistribution of the 99mTc-labeled complex in mice. The syntheses of the 51Cr(III)- and 57Co(III)-labeled complexes also are described. The net biliary excretion in mice of both the 99mTc- and 51Cr-labeled complexes of II was significantly greater than that of the 99mTc-labeled complex of I.
Space charge waves on an unfocused cylindrical electron beam

The effect of including the magnetic force in the dynamics of a cylindrical electron beam without the focusing magnetostatic field is discussed.
Imbalanced learning for pattern recognition: an empirical study

The imbalanced learning problem (learning from imbalanced data) presents a significant new challenge to the pattern recognition and machine learning society because in most instances real-world data is imbalanced. When considering military applications, the imbalanced learning problem becomes much more critical because such skewed distributions normally carry the most interesting and critical information. This critical information is necessary to support the decision-making process in battlefield scenarios, such as anomaly or intrusion detection. The fundamental issue with imbalanced learning is the ability of imbalanced data to compromise the performance of standard learning algorithms, which assume balanced class distributions or equal misclassification penalty costs. Therefore, when presented with complex imbalanced data sets these algorithms may not be able to properly represent the distributive characteristics of the data. In this paper we present an empirical study of several popular imbalanced learning algorithms on an army relevant data set. Specifically we will conduct various experiments with SMOTE (Synthetic Minority Over-Sampling Technique), ADASYN (Adaptive Synthetic Sampling), SMOTEBoost (Synthetic Minority Over-Sampling in Boosting), and AdaCost (Misclassification Cost-Sensitive Boosting method) schemes. Detailed experimental settings and simulation results are presented in this work, and a brief discussion of future research opportunities/challenges is also presented.
Investigation of the origin of the empirical relationship between refractive index and density on the basis of first principles calculations for the refractive indices of various TiO2 phases.

On the basis of first principles electronic structure calculations, we determined the dielectric functions, the refractive indices, and the extinction coefficients of the seven different phases of TiO 2 and then examined why the refractive index is related to the density by the empirical Glastone-Dale equation. The zero frequency limit of the refractive index, n 0 , is found to be a good approximation for the refractive index n determined around 2 eV. Our study indicates that the major factor influencing n in a series of closely related systems is the structure compactness. This finding suggests a way of preparing new UV absorbers with low refractive index.
Insect yolk protein precursor, a juvenile hormone induced phosphoprotein.

Abstract The juvenile hormone induced vitellogenic female-specific protein of Leucophaea maderae was isolated from hemolymph of egg maturing females on DEAE or QAE anion-exchange columns. Minor contaminants could be removed by centrifugation to equilibrium on CsCl gradients. The buoyant density of this purified protein is 1.344 g/ml. It is a lipophosphoprotein of low phosphorus (0.14%) content. Essentially all 32 P label from in vivo labelled protein was recovered in phosphoserine. The amino acid residues of the vitellogenic protein compare well with the purified yolk protein.
Psychostimulant use among college students during periods of high and low stress: an interdisciplinary approach utilizing both self-report and unobtrusive chemical sample data

This study quantified psychostimulant use patterns over periods of high and low stress from both self-report measures and chemical wastewater analyses and identified possible predictors of psychostimulant abuse on a college campus. Self-report data were collected at three times of varying stress levels throughout one college semester: during the first week of school (N=676), midterms (N=468), and shortly before final exams (N=400). Campus wastewater samples were collected over 72-hour periods during the same time frames as the surveys. The metabolites of Adderall and Ritalin were quantified through solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Samples were normalized with creatinine. Evidence was found to suggest an increase in psychostimulant use during periods of stress, with significant differences found from self-report data between the first week and midterms and from chemical data between these same two assessment periods as well as between the first week of classes and finals. Key predictors of lifetime non-prescriptive psychostimulant use included self-reported procrastination and poor time-management, use of other substances (especially nicotine/tobacco, alcohol, and cocaine), and students' perception of non-prescriptive psychostimulant use as normative on campus. The findings shed further light on psychostimulant use patterns among college students, particularly as a function of stress; the study also highlights the benefit of utilizing an interdisciplinary approach that uses both subjective and objective empirical data. The results have implications for prevention/intervention programs on college campuses designed to reduce stress and facilitate healthier coping.
MELODY: a completely decentralized adaptive file system for handling real-time tasks in unpredictable environments

We describe the major features of the completely decentralized adaptive file system MELODY which was designed for realizing anintegrated system design for a distributed real-time system working in a hazardous and unpredictable environment. MELODY's adaptivity mechanisms are based on novel services rendered by the distributed operating system DRAGON SLAYER. The file system, in order to both meet real-time constraints and provide for high availability, allows for replicating, relocating, or deleting file copies. Such copies may also bepublic orprivate. At every site aLocal Task Scheduler tries to schedule the arriving critical tasks, based on the availability of resources at this site such that deadline failures are minimized. Depending on the deadline failure history, status changes as well as file replication, deletion, or relocation are analyzed and managed by the cooperatingLocal File Assigners. In order to analyze MELODY's real-time performance we report on simulation experiments in which its capability of minimizing deadline failures of time-critical tasks was compared to other file system models: an idealbest-case model, abaseline model with no file replication, a file system allowingonly for replication ofprivate copies, and a model which allows forreplication and relocation of public copies only. While the best-case is unrealistic for a distributed implementation, the other models embody only part of MELODY's mechanisms yet have the benefit of a considerably smaller communication overhead. We report on the distributed simulation results which unambiguously show MELODY's superior performance, in addition to the built-in sensitivity to changes in the environment. A DRAGON SLAYER/MELODY prototype has been completed in our labs in order to serve as a distributed real-time testbed in our future work with MELODY.
Thin films and nanolaminates incorporating organic/inorganic interfaces

Abstract Recent research on the solution-based fabrication of inorganic thin films and organic/inorganic nanolaminates has ranged from fundamental studies of biomineralization to the synthesis of novel materials and devices. Highlights include the elucidation of how biogenics and model organic nucleants affect the form of the biomineral; synthesis of mesoscale nanocomposite films by surfactant templating at interfaces; and fabrication of heterostructures with enhanced electronic and mechanical properties.
Experimental off-pump coronary bypass using a robotic telemanipulation system.

We hypothesized that a high-quality anastomosis between the left internal thoracic artery and the left anterior descending coronary artery could be constructed off-pump using a 4-degrees-of-freedom robotic telemanipulation system, endoscopic myocardial stabilization, and two-dimensional visualization. Nine swine were used. Three ports were created on the left chest for the endoscope and the two robotic arms, and another port was created on the right chest for the endostabilizer. Quality of anastomosis was assessed by angiography, analysis of flow, survival after proximal coronary ligation, and histopathology. All nine anastomoses were completed successfully in 22 ± 3.6 minutes without the need for repair stitches. Left internal thoracic artery flow was 21.6 ± 2.5 ml/min with diastolic dominant pattern. Eight animals (89%) survived for 60 minutes with the proximal left anterior descending coronary ligated. Angiographic patency was 100% with Fitzgibbon grade A in all. Histopathology of the anastomosis demon...