cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Headaches and Handbags: A Fragility Theory of Trademark Functionality

A group of test subjects are randomly assigned one of two treatments for their frequent headaches: generic or brand-name ibuprofen. Subjects taking the branded ibuprofen, Nurofen®, report markedly greater pain relief and fewer side effects than the generic group. The experiment is repeated with new subjects, but this time the Nurofen pills are replaced by Nurofen-labeled placebos. The result still holds. A sugar pill with a trademark can outperform genuine, but unbranded, pharmaceuticals. According to functionality doctrine, trademark protection cannot be granted for any feature that is essential to the product’s use or purpose, or affects the product’s cost or quality. But because of the placebo effect, even seemingly inert names and symbols are imbued with precisely this kind of power. In fact, a wide variety of real-world phenomena challenge the prevailing understanding of trademark functionality, from the social uses of high-fashion marks to the cost reductions enabled by certification marks. More fundamentally, a valuable trademark of any kind should act to reduce search costs for consumers and improve quality through the mechanism of reputation. And yet, rather than leading to invalidation, all of these well-documented functionalities are apparently tolerated by trademark law—sometimes merely ignored, but often celebrated explicitly. This article proposes a more unified theory of functionality: fragility. Some product features affect cost, quality, use, and purpose in ways that are non-fragile—the effects would persist even if every producer were to copy the same feature. But some features affect the product in ways that are fragile—the effects would be degraded or broken through unchecked copying. In reality, only non-fragile functionalities are actually prohibited, whereas fragile functionalities are permitted and even encouraged. In a manner surprisingly similar to patent or copyright law, trademark law appears to carefully distinguish between improvements that require its protection in order to manifest, and those that do not. This fragility theory is not only a descriptive improvement in terms of explaining real-world case outcomes and the doctrine’s full history, but also a conceptual improvement that can be applied to all types of trademarks without issue. A generic term, for example, exhibits non-fragile linguistic functionality. Moreover, the idea of fragility suggests consistent answers to divisive boundary issues in trademark law, such as overlapping protection under copyright, anti-dilution rights, and post-sale confusion doctrine. At the same time, recognizing this fragility pattern calls attention to potentially adverse consequences in terms of distributive justice and market competition—consequences that trademark law itself may not be able to remedy.
Current Status of Medical Therapy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease: The Wealth of Medications

Previously, the natural history of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis included significant morbidity due to limited treatment options that were not without serious side effects. Early treatment options included corticosteroids as well as mesalamine, thiopurines, and methotrexate. In 1998, monoclonal antibodies to a key inflammatory cytokine, TNFα, became available. Over the next 22 years, the field of gastroenterology has seen multiple new treatments emerging for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that target different aspects of the inflammatory cascade, significantly changing the therapeutic landscape. Additional monoclonal antibodies are available that target the integrins, which are adhesion proteins that traffic inflammatory leukocytes. Small molecule inhibitors block the inflammatory signals of several cytokines. New therapies that modulate lymphocyte escape from lymphoid tissue are promising. Lastly, stem cell technology has emerged as a platform to successfully treat perianal fistulizing disease. Our aim is to summarize the currently available therapies for IBD beyond steroids, mesalamine, and immune modulators. We highlight the most important clinical trials that have brought these treatments to clinical practice, and we discuss the ongoing clinical trials of novel therapies that have a high probability of eventual regulatory approval.
The Bidirectional Relationship Between Cancer Epigenetics and Metabolism

Metabolic and epigenetic reprogramming are characteristics of cancer cells that, in many cases, are linked. Oncogenic signaling, diet, and tumor microenvironment each influence the availability of metabolites that are substrates or inhibitors of epigenetic enzymes. Reciprocally, altered expression or activity of chromatin-modifying enzymes can exert direct and indirect effects on cellular metabolism. In this article, we discuss the bidirectional relationship between epigenetics and metabolism in cancer. First, we focus on epigenetic control of metabolism, highlighting evidence that alterations in histone modifications, chromatin remodeling, or the enhancer landscape can drive metabolic features that support growth and proliferation. We then discuss metabolic regulation of chromatin-modifying enzymes and roles in tumor growth and progression. Throughout, we highlight proposed therapeutic and dietary interventions that leverage metabolic-epigenetic cross talk and have the potential to improve cancer therapy.
A Mechanical Antenna With Frequency Multiplication and Phase Modulation Capability

This article reports on a novel direct frequency multiplication and phase modulation (PM) scheme for mechanical antennas operating at the very-low-frequency band (3–30 kHz) and lower. This antenna is intended as a transmitter for underwater and underground communication applications. In mechanical antennas, instead of using signal generators to drive the antenna for radiation, the radiation is induced by accelerating (rotating) electric charges or permanent magnets. One important challenge for mechanical antennas is to find an approach to modulate the information signal with sufficient bandwidth. We propose a novel PM scheme by rotating a permanent magnet which is sandwiched between two pairs of orthogonal bow-tie shape high- $\mu $ magnetic material plates. By moving the angular position of the magnetic plates, it is shown that the phase and amplitude of the EM signal can be modulated. The amplitude modulation is significant and this provides an additional important feature, which allows the antenna to generate higher harmonics of the rotation frequency, and thereby it facilitates radiation at a much higher frequency than the rotational frequency of the magnet. Hence, higher range and more radiated power can be achieved. Here, the performance of proposed mechanical antenna with its PM and frequency multiplication capability is first verified analytically and through numerical simulations using ANSYS Maxwell. Then, a prototype of the antenna is fabricated with the aid of low cost 3-D-printing technology and its performance is measured. Measurements are in good agreement with the simulation predictions.
Opioid use in older adults and Medicare Part D

OBJECTIVE To determine whether the introduction of prescription drug coverage under Medicare Part D increased opioid prescriptions, patient care-seeking for pain, and pain diagnoses among elderly Medicare-eligible adults. STUDY SETTING Office visits by adults aged 18 years or older from the 2000-2016 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (12 375 207 253 office visits), and respondents from the 2000-2017 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (4 023 418 681 individuals). STUDY DESIGN We compared care-seeking for pain, provider-assigned pain diagnoses, and opioid prescriptions before and after the Medicare eligibility age of 65, and before and after Part D's implementation using a regression discontinuity, difference-in-differences design. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, race, and year. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Patient care-seeking for pain increased by 11.4 office visits per 100 people (95% confidence interval 2.0-20.8), or 29%, in response to the implementation of Part D. Opioid prescriptions and diagnoses of pain-related conditions did not change significantly, but the financing of opioid prescriptions shifted from private to public payers at age 65. CONCLUSIONS The introduction of Medicare Part D was not associated with increased opioid use among older adults. Rather, opioid use among the elderly has been driven by high levels of opioid use among commercially insured adults who subsequently age into Medicare. Our findings raise the question of whether more judicious prescribing to younger adults coupled with concerted efforts to deprescribe opioids when appropriate may prevent problematic opioid use among the elderly.
Dust Echos from Gamma Ray Bursts

The deviation from the power-law decline of the optical flux observed in GRB 970228 and GRB 980326 has been used recently to argue in favor of the connection between GRBs and supernovae. We consider an alternative explanation for this phenomenon, based on the scattering of a prompt optical burst by 0.1 solar masses of dust located beyond its sublimation radius 0.1-1 pc from the burst. In both cases, the optical energy observed at the time of the first detection of the afterglow suffices to produce an echo after 20-30 days, as observed. Prompt optical monitoring of future bursts and multiband photometry of the afterglows will enable quantitative tests of simple models of dust reprocessing and a prediction of the source redshift.
The Effect of Esophageal Temperature Probes on Postoperative Dysphagia Following Primary Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion: A Randomized Prospective Study.

ABSTRACT Background: The anterior approach to the cervical spine is associated with postoperative dysphagia. It is difficult to predict which patients are most at risk for dysphagia. The objective of this study was to determine if placing an esophageal temperature probe preoperatively would affect the severity and length of postoperative dysphagia. We hypothesize that use of an esophageal temperature probe would result in worse postoperative dysphagia at all measured time points as measured by the Swallowing-Quality of Life (SQAL-QOL) survey after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). Methods: A total of 44 patients were enrolled in a prospective, randomized controlled trial and randomized into groups: 1 with an esophageal temperature probe placed at the time of surgery and 2 without. A total of 39 patients filled out postoperative SWAL-QOL questionnaires at their preoperatives. Using the survey results, the data were analyzed between groups and subanalyzed based on number of operative levels and sex. Results: SWAL-QOL scores for patients undergoing 2-level ACDF with an esophageal temperature probe were significantly better compared with those without a probe at 2 weeks and 6 months postoperatively. These results were not significant at other time points in in the overall analysis, but a trend toward improved dysphagia scores at each time point postoperatively was seen with the probe group. No differences were found between the 2 groups with respect to age at the time of surgery, sex, and preoperative SWAL-QOL score. Conclusions: Placement of an esophageal temperature probe at the time of surgery significantly improved postoperative dysphagia scores in patients undergoing 2-level ACDF at 2 weeks and 6 months postoperatively. Level of Evidence: 2 Clinical Relevance: Placement of a temperature probe is a safe and effective technique that is readily available and easily applicable to the practice of spine surgery and may improve postoperative dysphagia after ACDF.
Ozone Exposure, Outdoor Physical Activity, and Incident Type 2 Diabetes in the SALSA Cohort of Older Mexican Americans.

Background: Type 2 diabetes is a leading contributor to the global burden of morbidity and mortality. Ozone (O3) exposure has previously been linked to diabetes. Objective: We studied the impact of...
Finite Element Method for Interconnect Model Extraction

A 3D finite element method full-wave solver is introduced. It has been successfully applied for the interconnect model extraction for printed circuit boards, packages, and integrated circuits. A massively parallel computational framework is designed to address the issue of capacity and scalability due to the increase in system size and complexity. In addition, the method of field-circuit co-simulation is discussed, and it is critical to real-world signal integrity and power integrity applications.
RADIATION STERILIZATION OF PROTOTYPE MILITARY FOODS. II. CURED HAM.

Abstract Ten lots of diced cured ham, packed in cans, were inoculated with approximately 106Clostridium botulinum spores per can. Each lot was seeded with a different strain (five type A and five type B strains). All cans were irradiated to various dose levels with Co60. Evidence provided by swelling, toxicity, and recoverable C. botulinum with 6,350 cans demonstrated that: (i) 4.5 Mrad was more than adequate as a sterilization dose; (ii) the minimal experimental sterilizing dose (ESD) based on nonswollen nontoxic endpoints was 2.0 < ESD ≤ 2.5 Mrad, and based on non-spoiled sterile cans was 3.0 < ESD ≤ 3.5 Mrad (the latter was supported by the computed theoretical 12D dose); (iii) D values calculated from botulinal survival data indicated that, as a group, the type A strains were more radioresistant than type B strains; strains 12885A and 41B, with respective D values of 0.242 and 0.175, represented the most resistant of each type; (iv) swollen cans did not always contain toxin, nor were toxic cans always swollen; (v) viable C. botulinum can exist for 6 months at 30 C without producing visible or toxic spoilage at doses of 3.0 Mrad and lower, including, in some instances, 0.0 Mrad; and (vi) a phenomenon similar to heat activation of spores occurred at sublethal radiation doses.
The orthorhombic (Al11Mn4)-Pd decagonal approximant

Abstract We present the results of a transmission electron microscopy study of an Al-Mn-Pd orthorhombic crystalline approximant to the decagonal phase that is isostructural to Al11Mn4. Selected area diffraction (SAD) and convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED) are discussed. The stereographic projection of the CBED Kikuchi bands is presented. While this phase exhibits a symmetry similar to the decagonal phase in the same alloy, the decagonal symmetry is broken by a splitting of some prominent Kikuchi bands. The intensity modulations of the SAD patterns strongly resemble those found in the 12 A periodic Al-Mn and Al-Mn-Pd decagonal phases. These observations suggest the existence of clusters of atoms with a distorted icosahedral symmetry within the crystallographic unit cells. Most importantly, these distortions are consistent with the cluster distortions present in the Al-Mn and Al-Mn-Pd decagonal phases.
Tissue-Engineered Cartilage

The goal of cartilage tissue engineering is to recreate functional articular cartilage. The tissue must be able to fill chondral defects while maintaining the unique biomechanical characteristics that make articular cartilage functional. The goal may be accomplished either by inducing native repair cells to regenerate or through ex vivo techniques where cells are obtained from a patient and use to develop cartilage or pre-cartilaginous constructs in the laboratory and then the constructs are surgically implanted back into the patient. As this chapter will demonstrate, extensive research continues to examine nearly every facet of cartilage tissue engineering. Keywords: articular cartilage; chondral defects; ex vivo tissue engineering; chondrocyte regeneration; native chondrocytes
Characterization of two cis-regulatory regions in the murine beta 1,4-galactosyltransferase gene. Evidence for a negative regulatory element that controls initiation at the proximal site.

The beta 1,4-galactosyltransferase (beta 1,4-GT) gene is unusual in that it specifies two mRNAs in somatic cells of 3.9 and 4.1 kilobases (kb). These two transcripts arise as a consequence of initiation at two different sets of start sites that are separated by approximately 200 base pairs. Translation of each mRNA results in the predicted synthesis of two related protein isoforms that differ only in the length of their NH2-terminal cytoplasmic domain (Russo, R.N., Shaper, N. L., and Shaper, J.H. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 3324-3331). In this study we show that the cellular requirements for beta 1,4-GT correlate with the transcriptional start site used. In cells and tissues that express low transcript levels, the 4.1-kb transcriptional start site is apparently used exclusively. Increased transcription from the 4.1-kb start site plus low levels of transcription from the 3.9-kb start site result in the intermediate beta 1,4-GT transcript levels that are found in almost all somatic cell types. However, in mid- to late pregnant and lactating mammary glands very high transcript levels are observed, which correlate with the predominant use of the 3.9-kb transcriptional start site. To identify the cis-acting elements that regulate the use of the two transcriptional start sites, we constructed a series of beta 1,4-GT/CAT hybrids and carried out transient transfection assays using mouse L cells and Drosophila SL2 cells. These studies have delineated both a distal and proximal regulatory region just upstream of the 4.1- and 3.9-kb transcriptional start sites, respectively. In addition, a negative cis-acting regulatory region was identified that represses transcription from the proximal site. These results suggest a model of transcriptional regulation in which the distal region functions as a housekeeping promoter while the proximal region functions as a mammary cell-specific promoter. Differential initiation from the two promoters is a mechanism for regulation of beta 1,4-GT enzyme levels. The predictions from this model are consistent with the conclusion that both protein isoforms are functionally equivalent resident trans-Golgi membrane-bound enzymes.
Segmentation subject to stitching constraints: finding many small structures in a large image

Extracting numerous cells in a large microscopic image is often required in medical research. The challenge is to reduce the segmentation complexity on a large image without losing the fine segmentation granularity of small structures. We propose a constrained spectral graph partitioning approach where the segmentation of the entire image is obtained from a set of patch segmentations, independently derived but subject to stitching constraints between neighboring patches. The constraints come from mutual agreement analysis on patch segmentations from a previous round. Our experimental results demonstrate that the constrained segmentation not only stitches solutions seamlessly along overlapping patch borders but also refines the segmentation in the patch interiors.
Pathophysiology of Stroke

The current understanding of stroke pathophysiology is basically founded on experimental models. Among these, in vitro models with primary cultures of cerebral cells permit stroke pathophysiology to be examined on a molecular level, while animal models (mainly mouse and rat) are used to evaluate medical intervention. There is a highly complex sequence of events leading to the eventual ischemic cerebral damage that follows a well-defined spatiotemporal pattern. Overwhelming excitotoxicity leads to early necrotic cell death in what is to become the core of the infarction, while the tissue damage in the surrounding zone called penumbra happens on a longer timescale. The excitotoxic or inflammatory mechanisms are milder, bearing the biochemical hallmarks of apoptosis. The brain cells, challenged by such a large-scale assault, activate endogenous protective programs. These have been studied by experimentally inducing ischemic tolerance (i.e. ischemic preconditioning). Importantly, cerebral ischemia not only affects the brain but also impacts other systems. For example, stroke induces dramatic immunodepression through overactivation of the sympathetic nervous system. As a result, severe bacterial infections such as pneumonia occur. The complex signaling cascades not only decide over cell survival in the brain and the neurological deficit but also over mortality after stroke from extracerebral complications. Their ability to govern not only the maturation of the eventual infarction but also the immune system make them a promising target for intervention and the development of neuroprotective drugs. Keywords: Agnosia; Amaurosis; Apraxia; Ataxia; Dyslexia; Dysphasia; Excitotoxicity; Hemianopia; Hemiparesis; Ischemic Tolerance; Penumbra; SAGE
Adaptive double self-organizing map and its application in gene expression data

This paper presents a novel clustering technique known as adaptive double self-organizing map (ADSOM). ADSOM has a flexible topology and perform clustering and cluster visualization simultaneously, thereby requiring no a priori knowledge about the number of clusters. ADSOM combines features of the popular self-organizing map (SOM) with two-dimensional position vectors, which serve as a visualization tool to accurately determine the number of clusters present in the data. ADSOM updates its free parameters during training and it allows convergence of its position vectors to a fairly consistent number of clusters provided that its initial number of nodes is greater than the expected number of clusters. A novel index is introduced based on hierarchical clustering of the final locations of position vectors. The index allows automatic detection of the number of clusters, thereby reducing human error that could be incurred from counting cluster visually. The reliance of ADSOM in identifying the number of clusters is proven by applying it to publicly available yeast gene expression data.
Politics and management of the California abalone fishery

product of a political process which is often characterized by a clash between contending attitudes towards the fishery as well as the usually different interests of the affected parties. The authors argue for the importance of examining the way in which the politics of management plan development affect the plan itself. Adoption of a limited entry law for the California abalone fishery is used as a case study to illustrate the interactions between politics and management. Skills traditionally used in politics have an important role to play in fisheries management.
A semantic rules & reasoning based approach for Diet and Exercise management for diabetics

Diabetes is a serious chronic disease and balance diet as well as regular exercise are leading important factors for diabetes control. Management of healthy diet and proper exercise involve many decision variables from different domains such as gender, weight, height, age, needed calories and nutrition values, preferences about food and exercise, clinical guidelines and current vital signs etc. We have implemented a semantic rules and reasoning based approach that generates diet and exercise recommendations for diabetes patients. The developed prototype application is named Semantic Healthcare Assistant for Diet and Exercise (SHADE). Individual ontologies are defined for different domains (person, disease, food and exercise) along with SWRL rules and then imported all into an integrated ontology. The integrated ontology semantically generates the recommendations as inferences based on data and rules by using Pellet reasoner. Each generated meal menu is a list of food items along with portion size such that food items are user's preferred and menu is personalized, healthy and balanced diet. Finally, SHADE recommends user's preferred activities as exercises along with duration and intensity.
Nitrate contamination of groundwater in North America

Abstract Groundwater serves as the primary domestic water supply for over 90% of the rural population and 50% of the total population of North America. Consequently, protection of groundwater from contamination is of major concern. This paper reviews the problem of controlling nitrate pollution of groundwater in North America. Nitrates in groundwater originate from a number of non-point sources, including geological origins, septic tanks, improper use of animal manures, cultivation (especially fallowing) precipitation, and fertilizers. Accumulation of nitrate N in groundwater is probably attributed to different sources for different regions. Major areas of nitrate pollution often occur under irrigation because leaching is required to control salt accumulation in the root zone. In the last few decades, areas under irrigation and the use of N fertilizers have increased greatly, and both of these have probably contributed to groundwater nitrate problems. Use of known best management practices (irrigation scheduling; fertilization based on calibrated soil tests; conservation tillage; acceptable cropping practices; recommended manuring rates) has been demonstrated to be highly effective in controlling leaching of nitrates. Government policies are needed that will encourage and reward the use of the best management practices that help control nitrate accumulations in groundwater.
Seasonal variability in gaseous mercury fluxes measured in a high-elevation meadow

Abstract Seasonal patterns of atmospheric mercury (Hg) fluxes measured over vegetated terrestrial systems can provide insight into the underlying process controlling emission and deposition of Hg to vegetated surfaces. Gaseous elemental Hg fluxes were measured for week-long periods in each season (spring, summer, fall, and winter) over an uncontaminated high-elevation wetland meadow in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia using micrometeorological methods. Mean net deposition was observed in the spring (−4.8 ng m−2 h−1), emission in the summer (2.5 ng m−2 h−1), near zero flux in the fall (0.3 ng m−2 h−1), and emission in the winter (4.1 ng m−2 h−1). Nighttime deposition (when stomata are closed) and the poor correlation between Hg fluxes and canopy conductance during periods of active vegetation growth suggest that stomatal processes are not the dominant mechanism for ecosystem-level GEM exchange at this site. The strong springtime deposition relative to summer implies that young vegetation is better at scavenging Hg, with the highest deposition occurring at night possibly via a cuticular pathway. These results suggest that spring is a period of GEM deposition while other seasons exhibit net emission, emphasizing the importance of capturing GEM flux seasonality when determining total Hg budgets.
Evaluation of Glove Bag Containment and Asbestos Abatement Clearance: Methodologies for Asbestos Removal

Abstract In a study of the effectiveness of glove bags to control asbestos exposures to workers and contamination of the environment, a four-man crew removed asbestos in eight rooms in four schools. The workers had little prior experience using glove bags and received on-the-job training in proper techniques during the early stages of the study. Daily personal breathing zone (PBZ) samples on all workers and short-term (STBZ) and work-area samples for airborne asbestos were collected and analyzed by phase contrast microscopy (PCM). The asbestos fiber concentrations of 67 PBZ samples ranged from 0.002 to 1.41 fibers/cc when asbestos lagging was being removed; 67 percent were greater than 0.2 f/cc. During an accidental release, a short-term (15 minute) concentration of 9.3 f/cc was measured. Asbestos concentrations indicated by 77 area samples were slightly lower, ranging from 0.001 to 0.96 f/cc. For the part of the study that evaluated environmental contamination, various methodologies were used to determin...
234 - Mechanisms of generation of the early receptor potential revisited

Abstract The early receptor potential (ERP) is a fast photoelectric response from visual photoreceptor membranes when light is absorbed. It is a capacitive response with no detectable latency. The ERP is quite distinct from many other bioelectric phenomena, in its characteristics, and possibly also in the mechanism of generation. It has generally been concluded that the ERP is not directly involved in visual excitation, but is merely an epi-phenomenon due to internal charge redistribution accompanying the light-induced conformational change of the visual pigment. This conclusion might be premature at this stage. In this paper, possible mechanisms of generation of the ERP are cast into two fundamentally different models: an oriented dipole model, which seems widely accepted, and an interfacial charge transfer model, which can be demonstrated in an artificial system that is capable of generating a fast photoelectric response with all the major ERP characteristics. These two models are analyzed in terms of the Gouy-Chapman diffuse double layer theory. Pertinent literature is reviewed and the above conclusion is re-evaluated in the light of our conceptual and technical insight acquired from model system studies. An explanation of apparent discrepancy is suggested, whenever possible. Possible roles of the ERP in visual excitation are also discussed.
Nucleosome cores have two specific binding sites for nonhistone chromosomal proteins HMG 14 and HMG 17.

The binding of HMG 14 (or 17) to nucleosome cores produces two major additional bands on nondenaturing polyacrylamide gels. Bound HMG 14 alters the relative densities of the end-labeled DNA fragmen...
Estimating short-period dynamics using an extended Kalman filter

An extended Kalman filter (EKF) is used to estimate the parameters of a low-order model from aircraft transient response data. The low-order model is a state space model derived from the short-period approximation of the longitudinal aircraft dynamics. The model corresponds to the pitch rate to stick force transfer function currently used in flying qualities analysis. Because of the model chosen, handling qualities information is also obtained. The parameters are estimated from flight data as well as from a six-degree-of-freedom, nonlinear simulation of the aircraft. These two estimates are then compared and the discrepancies noted. The low-order model is able to satisfactorily match both flight data and simulation data from a high-order computer simulation. The parameters obtained from the EKF analysis of flight data are compared to those obtained using frequency response analysis of the flight data. Time delays and damping ratios are compared and are in agreement. This technique demonstrates the potential to determine, in near real time, the extent of differences between computer models and the actual aircraft. Precise knowledge of these differences can help to determine the flying qualities of a test aircraft and lead to more efficient envelope expansion.
Derivation of a chronic reference dose and reference concentration for trimethylbenzenes and C9 aromatic hydrocarbon solvents.

Abstract Trimethylbenzenes (TMBs) and C9 aromatic hydrocarbon solvents are structurally similar and have similar toxicity. Based on a review of the entire TMB and C9 aromatic hydrocarbon solvents toxicology database, oral and inhalation studies were identified to serve as the basis for a Reference dose (RfD) and Reference concentrations (RfC). The RfD and RfC were derived using standard USEPA methods and assumptions. The RfD was calculated to be 0.4 mg/kg/day using a 90-day oral study that resulted in a NOAEL of 600 mg/kg/day, based on a lack of adverse effects at the highest dose level (reversible effects such as increased serum phosphorus levels and liver and kidney weights), along with a total uncertainty factor of 1000. For the RfC, three studies were considered based on different study designs and toxicological endpoints, including neurotoxicity, systemic toxicity, and potential developmental and reproductive toxicity. For all three studies, as the calculated RfCs were consistent (3–4 mg/m3), the most conservative RfC, 3 mg/m3, was selected. The C9 aromatic hydrocarbon solvents referred to herein are based on chemistries assessed as part of the TSCA Section 4 Test Rule. These solvents contain primarily ethyl toluene and tri-methyl benzene isomers, but the specific compositions can vary based on feedstock and manufacturing process, thus, it is important to consider the composition of any specific solvent to assess similarity to that assessed in the TSCA Section 4 Test Rule program.
Bilateral Hemicraniectomy in Non-Penetrating Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract Traumatic brain injury is a heterogeneous entity that encompasses both surgical and non-surgical conditions. Surgery may be indicated with traumatic lesions such as hemorrhage, fractures, or malignant cerebral edema. However, the neurological exam may be clouded by the effects of medications administered in the field, systemic injuries, and inaccuracies in hyperacute prognostication. Typically, neurological injury is considered irreversible if diffuse loss of grey/white matter differentiation or if brainstem hemorrhage (Duret hemorrhage) exists. We aim to characterize a cohort of patients undergoing bilateral hemicraniectomy for severe traumatic brain injury. A retrospective consecutive cohort of adult patients undergoing craniectomy for trauma was established between the dates of January 2008 and November 2011. The primary outcome of the study was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes were ICU length of stay, surgical complications, and Glasgow Outcome Score at most recent follow-up. During ...
Assessing the Economics of Industrial Gas Turbine Cogeneration Applications

Gas turbines are often used at industrial plants to generate electricity. However, turbines convert a greater portion of the input fuel into waste heat than into electricity. The degree to which this waste heat can be captured and used to produce steam, hot water, or simply hot air for drying, greatly improves the overall efficiency of the turbine system. This process is called cogeneration. There is no question that cogeneration can improve overall efficiencies. The question is whether cogeneration can be accomplished in an economic manner.This paper presents a straight-forward methodology for comparing the costs and benefits associated with cogeneration. All costs and savings are converted to a consistent before tax cent per kilowatt-hour basis. The inconsistencies encountered with simple payback analysis are avoided, as well as the complexities of discounted cash flow analysis. The effects of income taxes, depreciation, financing, and cogeneration load factor are incorporated.Copyright © 1992 by ASME
CHANGES IN SERUM LYSOSOMAL ENZYMES IN THE VITAMIN B6-DEFICIENT WEANLING RAT

Abstract The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of vitamin B 6 deficiency on the level of a variety of serum lysosomal hydrolases in the rat. Twentyone day old weanling, male Holtzman rats were divided into three groups. Group I was fed ad libitum a diet adequate in vitamin B 6 ; Group II was fed ad libitum a diet deficient in vitamin B 6 ; animals in Group III were matched with Group II animals and pair-fed the control diet. Animals in Group II exhibited evidence of a vitamin B 6 -deficient state: they gained weight at less than half the rate of those in Group I and their serum was characterized by markedly decreased alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities. The activities of a number of serum lysosomal hydrolases were determined at 11, 25, and 47 days following weaning. By the 47th day, with the exception of acid phosphatase activity (which remained unchanged during the course of the experiment), the activities of the following enzymes were increased 1.5–3.0 fold: β-galactosidase, β-glucuronidase, α-fucosidase, and the acid (pH 4.2) and intermediate (pH 5.5) α-mannosidase. Fractionation of sera on DEAE-Sephadex columns prior to assay indicated that the increase in intermediate pH optimum α-mannosidase activity was attributable to an elevation in the activity of only one of the two principal intermediate pH optimum isoenzymes present in rat serum. Although the molecular explanation for the observed alterations in serum lysosomal hydrolases is not apparent, the possibility is discussed that vitamin B 6 could play some critical role in the targeting of lysosomal proteins to that organelle. Specifically, the vitamin in its cofactor form may participate in the synthesis of mannose phosphate marker or receptor protein on lysosomes which dictate the disposition of these proteins.
Non-monotonic set theoretic operations

Abstract We introduce a new operation called the non-monotonic intersection. This operation has significant applications in default and other commonsense reasoning systems. In addition to being non-monotonic this operator is not a pointwise operator. Furthermore it is neither commutative nor associative but rather supports a concept of priority amongst its arguments. We also introduce a related non-monotonic union. We generalize these ideas with the aid of t-norms.
Nomadic computing and smart spaces

Currently, most users think of their computers as associated with their desktop appliances or with a server located in a dungeon in some mysterious basement. However, many of those same users can be considered nomads, in that they carry computers and communication devices with them in their travels between office, home, airport, hotel, automobile, and so on. Access to the Internet is necessary not only from one's "home base", but also while in transit and after reaching one's destination. A number of capabilities must be put in place to support this new paradigm of nomadicity. Among these, we can include independence of location, motion, platform, and, with widespread presence, of access to remote files, systems, and services. Essentially, one seeks to provide the illusion of connectivity even when the nomad is disconnected and to provide seamless access to Internet services wherever the nomad travels. To achieve this, not only must the infrastructure be enhanced to provide these capabilities, but applications must become nomadically enabled as well. These ideas form the essence of the major shift to nomadic computing. But nomadic computing is merely the first step of the vision foreseen by the author. The next step will take us out of the netherworld of cyberspace and into the physical world of smart spaces. Environments will come alive with embedded technology, so that no longer will we see Internet services as coming to us from the screen on a computer, but rather those services will be embedded in the environment.
Disk electrophoresis of isolated rat-serum lipoproteins.

1. 1. Disk electrophoresis was performed in 3.75% polyacrylamide gel with ultra-centrifugally isolated rat-serum lipoprotein fractions. These included the very low density, low density and two high density lipoprotein fractions. 2. 2. Four different stains, namely, sudan black B, amido black 10B, oil red O and iodine were employed and the results indicated the presence of at least seven lipo-protein components among the various fractions. Densitometry has been conducted on the gel patterns and has proved useful in the identification of the several disk-electrophoretic components. 3. 3. By comparison of the rat-serum lipoprotein patterns with those obtained with human-serum lipoproteins, it was concluded that the rat low density lipoproteins contained components which were probably smaller in size than those of the human-serum low density lipoproteins. The possibility that one of these components might represent the rat high density lipoprotein component (HDL1, d = 1.050) has been indicated. 4. 4. The principal component of rat high density lipoprotein (1.125 < d < 1.21) migrated slower than the principal component of the rat high density lipoprotein (1.063 < d < 1.125).
A near-infrared survey of radio-selected ultracompact H II regions

A near-infrared (NIR) survey of 63 radio-selected, ultracompact (UC) H II regions representing 47 different star-forming sites has been completed. The survey was obtained using H-band imaging and moderate-resolution, R = 1200, K-band spectroscopy, centered on the radio emission peak of the UC H II regions. The goal of this survey was to determine the fraction of radio-selected UC H II regions that can be studied with NIR observations and analysis. Approximately 50% of the 63 radio-selected UC H II regions appear to be detected at NIR wavelengths in Brγ emission (107 ergs s-1 cm-2 sr-1). Typical line-of-sight extinction toward the detected UC H II regions ranged from AV = 30 to 50, though one source was measured to have AV = 80. For a few of these UC H II regions, the central ionizing sources are detected through high signal-to-noise ratio NIR spectra of photospheric transitions. This preliminary survey suggests that perhaps 5%-10% of UC H II regions showing NIR counterparts will have directly detectable central ionizing sources. Using the ratio of He I 2.11 to Brγ, the effective temperatures of the central ionizing stars in 25 UC H II regions have been estimated. While He I is not always detected in UC H II regions, when it was found or a meaningful upper limit determined, the spectral type implied by the ratio of He I 2.11 to Brγ closely matched similar estimates of spectral type derived from radio. Model predictions based on mid-infrared measurements appear to underestimate the temperature of the central ionizing stars for which we have directly detected spectral types. The line ratios of H2 2-1 S(1) and 1-0 S(0) relative to the 1-0 S(1) line in our sample of UC H II regions are generally indicative of dense photodissociation regions rather than shocks, similar to what is seen in the Orion Bar. This was true even for UC H II regions showing very weak Brγ emission. While Brγ was generally found to be spatially correlated with the radio emission, H2 showed little correlation with the UC H II regions, typically lying 10'' from the central radio emission. A discussion of each UC H II region studied is included in an extensive appendix.
Synthesis and Hydrogen Bonding Capabilities of Biphenyl-Based Amino Acids Designed To Nucleate beta-Sheet Structure.

The syntheses of 3‘-(aminoethyl)-2-biphenylpropionic acid (1) and 2-amino-3‘-biphenylcarboxylic acid (2) are described. These residues were designed to nucleate β-sheet structure in aqueous solution when incorporated into small, amphiphilic peptides in place of the backbone of the i + 1 and i + 2 residues of the β-turn. N-Benzyl-3‘-(2-(benzylamido)ethyl)-2-biphenylpropamide (3) and N-benzyl-(2-benzylamido)-3‘-biphenylamide (4) were synthesized and studied as model compounds to investigate the hydrogen-bonding capabilities of residues 1 and 2, respectively. The X-ray crystal structure of 3 indicates that a 13-membered intramolecular hydrogen-bonded ring is formed, while the remaining amide proton and carbonyl are involved in intermolecular hydrogen bonding. Infrared and variable-temperature NMR experiments indicate that, in solution (CH2Cl2), 3 exists as an equilibrium mixture of the 13- and the 15-membered intramolecularly hydrogen-bonded conformers with the 15-membered ring conformer being favored. Amide...
Familial and Genetic Risk of Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Urinary Tract

Environmental exposures, including tobacco smoke and occupational exposure to aromatic amines, have been implicated in bladder cancer etiology. However, the pathogenesis of urinary bladder transitional cell carcinoma remains incompletely defined. In epidemiologic studies, family history confers a 2-fold increase in bladder cancer risk, but it is uncertain whether this represents evidence of a genetic and/or a shared environmental basis for familial aggregation. Polymorphisms in genes involved in the metabolism of environmental toxins (e.g., NAT2) clearly modify individual susceptibility to bladder cancer. A genetic predisposition has also been suggested by case reports describing multiple-case families, and the development of bladder cancer in association with several well-described Mendelian disorders (e.g., HNPCC, retinoblastoma). Here we update a previously reported family, report a new multiple-case kindred, critically review previously reported bladder cancer families, and the epidemiologic literature related to family history of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary tract (TCCUT) as a risk factor, as well as provide a brief summary of genetic factors that have been implicated in TCCUT risk. We conclude that familial TCCUT is either very uncommon or significantly under-reported, perhaps on the assumption that this is an environmental rather than a genetic disorder. The interaction between multiple genetic and environmental factors has made it challenging to identify genetic components responsible for many common diseases; therefore, a proposed genome-wide association study (GWAS) for urinary bladder cancer may help to clarify the etiologic role of the candidate genetic pathways reviewed here, as well as characterize gene/environment interactions that contribute to TCCUT carcinogenesis.
The concept of dominant effect in EMC

The net effect one is trying to reduce (crosstalk, conducted emissions, radiated emissions, etc.) generally is the sum of two or more components, one of which is dominant. The circuit elements in the device under test often affect only one component. Changing the circuit element that effects the component which is not dominant will not significantly reduce the overall effect. This simple concept is examined in the context of three common EMC problems: crosstalk, conducted emissions, and radiated emissions. The intent in doing so is to increase the awareness of this concept so that frustrations and delays in reducing the total effect will be avoided. >
Long-range correlations in disordered metals

We address the problem of conductance fluctuations in real space. The nonlocal conductivity tensor and its correlation functions are calculated from the Kubo formula and are shown to exhibit long-ranged behavior. We offer a physical interpretation of our results. The results are used to calculate the long-range spatial correlations in the current density.
Kinetic studies of drug-protein interactions by using peak profiling and high-performance affinity chromatography: examination of multi-site interactions of drugs with human serum albumin columns.

Abstract Carbamazepine and imipramine are drugs that have significant binding to human serum albumin (HSA), the most abundant serum protein in blood and a common transport protein for many drugs in the body. Information on the kinetics of these drug interactions with HSA would be valuable in understanding the pharmacokinetic behavior of these drugs and could provide data that might lead to the creation of improved assays for these analytes in biological samples. In this report, an approach based on peak profiling was used with high-performance affinity chromatography to measure the dissociation rate constants for carbamazepine and imipramine with HSA. This approach compared the elution profiles for each drug and a non-retained species on an HSA column and control column over a board range of flow rates. Various approaches for the corrections of non-specific binding between these drugs and the support were considered and compared in this process. Dissociation rate constants of 1.7 (±0.2) s −1 and 0.67 (±0.04) s −1 at pH 7.4 and 37 °C were estimated by this approach for HSA in its interactions with carbamazepine and imipramine, respectively. These results gave good agreement with rate constants that have determined by other methods or for similar solute interactions with HSA. The approach described in this report for kinetic studies is not limited to these particular drugs or HSA but can also be extended to other drugs and proteins.
Manual Ability Evaluation: Device, Measure, and Reliability:

This paper descirbes the Available Motions Inventory (AMI) as a testing and evaluation system for measuring human physical ability based on components of industrial manual tasks. Using a microcomputer, the AMI subtest scores (71 for each hand) can be transformed into a meaningful design-oriented scoring system for intra-individual and inter-individual comparisons. Also, the AMI was shown to have a high test-retest reliability with a correlation coefficient of 0.85. This system can be used for design and modification of industrial manual tasks based on matching of human abilities with task requirements. Language: en