cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
NIST switch: a platform for research on quality-of-service routing

We have designed and are implementing a research platform, NIST Switch, for experimenting with novel approaches to routing with quality of service (QoS) guarantees in an IP environment. NIST Switch is based on commodity PC hardware running freely-available operating systems (FreeBSD and Linux). It implements quality of service through label switching over Ethernet (10Mb and 100Mb), using proposed extensions to RSVP and differentiated services to signal QoS requests and distribute labels. In NIST Switch, the labels applied to packets have two fundamental uses in QoS traffic management: Locally, labels select the characteristics of the queueing and traffic shaping measures applied to packets. In the network, labels identify the path segments (sticks or brushes) over which traffic will flow. A label-switched route (for either unicast or multicast traffic) then consists of a bundle (path-connected subset) of these sticks and brushes, chosen so as to achieve the appropriate aggregate behavior. NIST Switch routing algorithms attempt to optimize the set of path segments used, so as to maximize the number of service requests which can be met while bounding the number of labels allocated. As an experimental platform, NIST Switch is designed to be easily altered. Each of its key components (queueing algorithms, label databases and distribution, routing algorithms, device support routines, QoS policies) are independently configurable modules which are readily replaceable.
Direct Displacement-Based Seismic Design of Propped Rocking Walls:

A direct displacement-based design (DDBD) methodology is described for propped rocking walls (PRWs). PRWs represent a novel seismic force-resisting system that combines passive supplemental damping...
NIS03-3: RC4-based Security in Ethernet Passive Optical Networks

This paper identifies the security vulnerabilities in ethernet passive optical networks (EPONs), and proposes a RC4-based encryption and a key distribution scheme based on the Diffie-Hellman key exchange algorithm. The proposed method is expected to provide the benefits of a streaming cipher while at the same time using securely shared secret keys among the OLT and each ONU.
The Janus effect: two faces of aldosterone.

Inhibition of the nitric oxide pathway by Nω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) is well known to produce hypertension and proteinuria, but the mechanisms are less straightforward. Prolonged administration of mineralocorticoids mimics the pathological findings produced by l-NAME. Ikeda and colleagues provide a clue to the mechanism by showing that exposure to l-NAME increases plasma aldosterone 50-fold, and that spironolactone markedly attenuates the renal changes. Thus, chronic l-NAME exposure may turn out to be a model of mineralocorticoid excess.
Molecular neuro-oncology and development of targeted therapeutic strategies for brain tumors. Part 1: Growth factor and Ras signaling pathways.

Brain tumors are a diverse group of malignancies that remain refractory to conventional treatment approaches, including radiotherapy and cytotoxic chemotherapy. Molecular neuro-oncology has now begun to clarify the transformed phenotype of brain tumors and identify oncogenic pathways that may be amenable to targeted therapy. Growth factor signaling pathways are often upregulated in brain tumors and may contribute to oncogenesis through autocrine and paracrine mechanisms. Excessive growth factor receptor stimulation can also lead to overactivity of the Ras signaling pathway, which is frequently aberrant in brain tumors. Receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors, antireceptor monoclonal antibodies and antisense oligonucleotides are targeted approaches under investigation as methods to regulate aberrant growth factor signaling pathways in brain tumors. Several receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors, including imatinib mesylate (Gleevec®), gefitinib (Iressa®) and erlotinib (Tarceva®), have entered clinical trials for ...
Acute and late reactions to radiation therapy in patients with collagen vascular diseases

Background. A commonly held belief is that patients with collagen vascular diseases (CVD) have a greater risk of radiation therapy complications than patients without CVD. This impression is based on anecdotal reports, however, Methods. A group of 61 patients with CVD were compared with a matched control group of 61 patients without CVD. The CVD group included 39 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 13 with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 4 with systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) (SSc), 4 with dermatomyositis, and 1 with polymyositis. The control group was matched with respect to age, sex, tumor site and histologic characteristics, treatment aim, general treatment method, radiation therapy technique, site irradiated, radiation dose, date of treatment, and follow-up
An outpatient Urgent Care Bay within a pediatric cancer and hematology center.

Time-sensitive medical care is essential for pediatric patients undergoing treatment for a hematologic or oncologic condition. Such patients commonly experience acute symptoms related to routine ch...
Toward a contingency theory of compensation strategy

This paper develops several propositions that link compensation strategy and the effectiveness of the compensation systenm. The underlying argument is that effectiveness at realizing intended pay strategies depends significantly on the existence of a match between compensation strategies, organization and environment. These propositions are tested in a samiple of 33 high.tech and 72 non-high tech firms or business units in the Boston Route 128 area. Respondents are nmanagers responsible for compensation policies in these firms or business units. The relationships among compensation strategies, organization characteristics and environment are explored. The findings nmay help researchers conceptualize, and practitioners manage, the relationship between reward processes and strategy in organizations. The consistency with which systematic relationships have been discovered between organizational characteristics and strategy at the overall firm level would lead one to expect the existence of a similar relationship with the organization's compensation system. To date, very little work has been done in developing a contingency theory that ties the pay system to the organization's operating objectives and strategies. This is surprising in view of the fact that labor costs comprise more than half of total costs in most organizations, and that pay systems are pivotal in terms of the motivation, attraction, and retention of human resources (Lawler, 1981). As argued by Milkovich and Newman most compensation research tends to emphasize techniques 'where the mechanics become the focus, ends in themselves . . . the purposes of the pay system are often forgotten . . . to date we really do not know enough to recommend [pay] policies under different conditions' (1984: 11). The purpose of this paper is to take some first steps in the development of a contingency theory of compensation strategy at the orgainizational level. The decision to concentrate on the macro
Ethanol Metabolism in Vitamin Deficiencies. I. Niacin.

SummaryIt has been shown that niacin deficiency in rats has the effect of increasing rate of alcohol metabolism in spite of the fact that DPN is generally conceded to be involved in conversion of alcohol to acetaldehyde.
Interaction of SST Modes in the North Atlantic Ocean

Abstract The spectral origin of the recently discovered multidecadal modes (MMs) and centennial modes (CMs) is explained. These modes appear in the linear stability analysis of thermohaline-driven flows in a single-hemispheric ocean basin. It is shown that both classes of modes arise through interaction of so-called sea surface temperature (SST) modes. These SST modes are damped and nonoscillatory for the unforced (motionless) flow. They become oscillatory under small thermal forcing through mode merging that is induced by the meridional overturning circulation. The type of merger responsible for each class of modes explains many features—for example, why CMs can be found in two-dimensional models whereas MMs cannot—of the patterns of the modes at realistic forcing strength.
Quadratic processing and nonlinear optical phase rectification in noise reduction

Optical spatial phase rectification by limiting quadratic processing in photorefractive two-beam coupling is proposed and demonstrated. We use this limiting quadratic processor to reduce complex multiplicative noise. The principle of compansion (compression and expansion) from serial communication theory is introduced for the first time to our knowledge in parallel optical signal processing. In addition the effect of two-beam coupling compression on the efficiency of beam cleanup is illustrated experimentally and optimized through computer simulation.
The Impact of SFAS No. 157 on Commercial Banks

During 2008, U. S. banks were mired in a credit crisis. According to a group of economists and bankers, one cause of the 2008 credit crisis was an accounting rule termed mark-to-market. This rule required banks to write down large portions of their investment portfolios. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of the mark-to-market model on a sample of banks for the first three quarters of the year 2008. Results indicated that while banks grew by 20% over time, the percentage of assets measured at fair value rose only slightly. Additionally, the results indicated that applying the mark-to-market rule did not reduce the regulatory capital position of banks.
Labels and Language: Implications for Prevention of the DSM Definition of Mental Disorder

From the postmodernist perspective, language and its influence on “reality” are both individually and socially constructed. The language used to define mental disorders, particularly the definition found in the widely used Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of the American Psychiatric Association, has implications for individual and social behavior including decisions regarding the prevention of mental illness. In this paper I examine the definition's implication that disorders are located within the individual and cannot be merely the result of environmental factors. In particular, the impact that these components of the definition have on the labeling of people who suffer from a mental disorder and the associated attributions of responsibility for the disorder (and for its prevention) are discussed.
Rapamycin (Rapa) And Cyclosporin A (Csa) Enhance Transforming Growth Factor Beta (TGF-β1) Expression in Immortalized Rat Proximal Tubules (IRPTC)† 1840

RAPA is a new and potent macrolide immunosuppressant which is now being used in drug combination strategies with CsA. CsA has significantly improved allograft survival. However, it can be associated with nephrotoxicity, characterized by tubulointerstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy, which may be due, in part, to the profibrogenic effect of TGF-β1. Induction of TGF-β1 expression by CsA has been shown in numerous cell lines, and in animal models. We have previously shown that CsA enhances TGF-β1 expression in IRPTC in a dose-dependent manner (100 to 5000 ng/ml). Recently, in a salt-depleted rat model, coadministration of RAPA and CsA appeared to increase CsA-induced nephrotoxicity. The present studies explored whether RAPA potentiates CsA-induced TGF-β1 expression. At confluence, IRPTC were placed in defined serum free media × 24hr and treated with RAPA(10;50;100; or 200 nM) or CsA (500ng/ml), RAPA (200nM) or CsA + RAPA (500ng/ml and 200nM) × 24 hr. Cells were harvested after 24hr for northern blotting (25μg mRNA) and hybridized with a TGF-β1 cDNA probe and then normalized by hyrdization to a cDNA for GAPDH. RAPA, even at a dose of 10 ng/ml increased the expression of TGF-β1 (1.3 fold). RAPA alone or in combination with CsA increased TGFβ1 mRNA expression without apparent synergy at the doses used. Table
Chronic arthritis with splenomegaly and leukopenia

Currently, the adult patient with chronic arthritis, leukopenia, and splenomegaly is classified as having a variant of rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus, or is regarded as having a distinct clinical entity known as Felty's syndrome. Twenty-four such patients were studied with clinical, pathologic and laboratory features to substantiate our hypothesis that these persons have two diseases, one to explain the polyarthritis, and another to explain the hypersplenism. The features of rheumatoid arthritis were present in eighteen patients, while osteoarthritis occurred in five, and gout was found in one. Evaluation of the histopathologic changes in the spleens removed in treatment indicated that most patients had the fibrosis characteristic of systemic lupus erythematosus, while the others had various splenic disorders such as Hodgkin's disease and leukemia. Currentemente le patiente adulte conarthritis chronic, leucopenia, e splenomegalia es classificate como portator de un variante de arthritis rheumatoide o de generalisate lupus erythematose o ille es reguardate como portator de un distincte entitate clinic cognoscite como syndrome de Felty. Vinti-quatrotal patientes esseva studiate in lor characteristicas clinic, pathologic, e laboratorial, con le objectivo de verificar nostre hypothese que iste subjectos ha duo morbos: un que explica le polyarthritis e un altere que explica le hypersplenismo. Le characteristicas de arthritis rheumatoide esseva presente in decaocto patientes; osteoarthritis occurreva in cinque; e gutta esseva trovate in un. Le evalutation del alterationes histopathologic trovate in le splenes que esseva excidite parte del tractamento indicava que le majoritate del patientes habeva le fibrosis characteristic de generalisate lupus erythematose, durante que le remanentes habeva varie disordines splenic, incluse morbo de Hodg kin e leucemia.
The Roots of Rebellion and Rasta Theology in Jamaica

This essay is taken from the text of a public lecture that was given by the author at The Queen's Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education on April 13, 2005. It formed part of an annual "Black Theology Consultation" at Queen's, at which Noel Erskine was the principal speaker that year. This piece builds upon Erskine's groundbreaking research detailed in his seminal Decolonizing Theology, in which he outlined a Jamaican/Caribbean perspective on liberation theology that draws upon the hybridity of Caribbean identities and the plurality of their religious sensibilities; moving from the practices of the Afro-Jamaican Christianity, to Garveyism and, later, Rastafari. This essay outlines the religious dimensions of rebellion against White colonial rule in Jamaica, which provides the antecedents for the religio-cultural doctrines and practices of Rastafari. Further details of this work can be found in From Garvey to Marley.
Pyrolytic carbons deposited in fluidized beds at 1200 to 1400°c from various hydrocarbons☆

Abstract Pyrolytic carbons deposited in fluidized beds at 1200 to 1400°C from various hydrocarbon-helium mixtures using otherwise identical process parameters were compared. The trends of microstructure or density with increasing deposition rate were very similar at a given temperature. For each hydrocarbon investigated at 1400°C there was a minimum in the density vs. deposition rate curve. Pyrolytic carbons deposited at 1200°C at similar initial rates near 10 μ/hr from seven hydrocarbon-helium mixtures (methane, ethane, ethylene, acetylene, propane, cyclohexane and benzene) had very similar microstructures, densities, preferred orientations and apparent crystallite sizes. The results support the view that pyrolysis of hydrocarbons in fluidized beds involves dissociation into small fragments which then take place in polymerization-dehydrogenation reactions and indicate that the general mechanisms of pyrolytic carbon deposition in fluidized beds are independent of the hydrocarbon. The various microstructures were explained in terms of the extent of incorporation of gas-borne droplets or soot particles into the deposits or the variations of coating environment within the fluidized beds. The systematic variations of the properties of the pyrolytic carbons deposited from methanehelium mixtures at 1400, 1300 and 1200°C were investigated in detail and found to be consistent with a published model of pyrolytic carbon deposition in fluidized beds.
Hazardous waste minimization. A strategy for environmental improvement.

Many public and private organizations in the United States are supporting waste minimization as an approach to reducing waste generation. In this article the author provides an overview of waste minimization, and introduces a new series of articles on waste minimization in various U.S industries to be published in JAPCA this year.
What We Think About the Quality of Our Equity Markets

Have the technological and regulatory changes in the U.S. equity markets in recent years improved or impaired market quality? As “market quality” is an ambiguous concept that is neither readily quantifiable nor amenable to straightforward empirical analysis, the authors have surveyed the opinions of sell–side and buy–side participants and academic financial economists. Academic respondents in general, and the microstructure subset in particular, are relatively positive about market quality and the efficacy of regulatory initiatives. The predominant response on both the sell–side and the buy–side is that the quality of the U.S. equity markets has deteriorated in recent years. Technology is broadly thought to be a great tool, but many industry participants believe that market structure regulation is not helping.
Axial heat conduction effects in the entrance region of circular ducts

This paper describes the transport of thermal energy within a small distance after an abrupt wall temperature change in a circular duct. In general, the axial conduction becomes significant when the Peclet number is small. The results indicate that the inclusion of axial conduction in the fluid substantially increases the wall heat flux at near the thermal inlet location. The exact series solution leads to a modified Graetz type problem. This exact solution is augmented by an asymptotic solution describing the wall heat flux near the thermal entrance location.
Precis of perception and basic beliefs

This book is concerned with a cluster of issues: the distinction between perception and inference; the role of nondoxastic experiential states in perceptual belief and perceptual justification; the nature of epistemologically basic beliefs; and a famous class of counterexamples to reliabilism involving agents with clairvoyance or other strange cognitive powers. What these issues have in common, I think, is that the central philosophical problems they generate are all solved by singling out a certain class of cognitive systems, or modules. The outputs of these special modules are epistemologically basic beliefs. Perceptual modules constitute a subset of this special class, and what it is to be a perceptual belief is to be the output of one of these perceptual modules. Thus, all perceptual beliefs are basic, though not all basic beliefs are perceptual. The features that distinguish these modules have nothing to do with conscious experience, so the theory defended here makes room for a kind of ‘‘zombie epistemology’’: even zombies (who are lacking in conscious experiences altogether) can have perceptual beliefs—and justified perceptual beliefs—provided that they have (reliable) perceptual modules. My theory of basicality is an externalist one, and although it could be incorporated into a nonreliabilist epistemology, one selling feature is that it solves a long-standing problem for reliabilism. My ‘‘Inferentialist Reliabilism’’ holds that reliability is sufficient for the prima facie justification of basic beliefs, while nonbasic beliefs must be the result of a reliable inferential process that takes justified beliefs as inputs. Clairvoyance-type objections to reliabilism (BonJour 1985; Lehrer 1990) show that process reliability is not sufficient for justification, but because the kinds of modules that appear in clairvoyance-type cases are not the
Research on the acculturation model for second language acquisition

This paper presents a model of second language acquisition based on the social‐psychology of acculturation. The model maintains that certain social and psychological variables cluster into a single variable, acculturation. The model predicts that learners will acquire the target language to the degree they acculturate to the target language group. Six studies that, in various, ways seek to test the Acculturation Model are reviewed and evaluated. Technical problems that affect such research are discussed, and the current status of the model is assessed.
Locus of control of unemployed people and its relationship to psychological and physical well-being.

Abstract This study examines the relationship between locus of control (general and work) and the psychologcal and physical well-being of 190 unemployed people. Results indicate that an internal locus of control was associated with lower levels of anxiety and depression, and higher levels of self-esteem and life satisfaction than externals. Intenals also tended to report fewer physical symptoms not requiring medical attention. There was no relationship between either measure of locus of control and physical symptoms requiring medical attention. Future research on unemployment is suggested.
Farmer participation in research: A model for adaptive research and education

Many farmers view with skepticism the dominant agricultural research and extension education model, in which new knowledge on f arming practices is developed by researchers and delivered through extension programs. The participatory research and education model is designed to support a shared vision of research and education as a learning process among partners working in community. The participatory model is offered as a way to achieve better communication and enhanced cooperation among farmers, researchers and extension educators.
Using dynamic programming for solving variational problems in vision

Dynamic programming is discussed as an approach to solving variational problems in vision. Dynamic programming ensures global optimality of the solution, is numerically stable, and allows for hard constraints to be enforced on the behavior of the solution within a natural and straightforward structure. As a specific example of the approach's efficacy, applying dynamic programming to the energy-minimizing active contours is described. The optimization problem is set up as a discrete multistage decision process and is solved by a time-delayed discrete dynamic programming algorithm. A parallel procedure for decreasing computational costs is discussed. >
Assessment Lags and Property Tax Impacts

. A major administrative problem of the property tax is the difficulty of maintaining current assessments. If real estate is not reassessed as market values change, then the real tax rates on market value will diverge from the statutory rates. Within any taxing jurisdiction those properties with the highest rate of increase in market value will be taxed at the lowest real rate, while those with the lowest (including negative) rate of increase in market value will be taxed at the highest real rate. This investigation develops a straightforward method for calculating differentials in effective tax rates and describes the economic impacts of these differentials.
Investigations of magnetic amplifiers with feedback

Sine wave carrier excited magnetic amplifiers have been investigated to determine if the figure of merit can be improved through the use of feedback techniques. It is shown that the power gain can be made unlimited but that a finite rise time is preserved. Hence the figure of merit as ordinarily defined becomes meaningless. It is shown, however, that voltage gain divided by rise time remains nearly constant under feedback and is a more suitably defined figure of merit.
Bigram proximity matrix

A transformation of the text stream called a bigram proximitymatrix BPM has been developed. The BPM is used to encode free-form text so computational techniques can be applied to this type of information resource. For example, one could classify the encoded documents using k nearest neighbor k-NN discrimination, group the documents according to their topic, search for latent topics, and more. The hope is that encoding text documents using the BPM will preserve the meaning better than the bag-of-words method commonly used in information retrieval and is easier to execute than other natural language processing applications. In this article, we provide a brief introduction to natural language processing and definitions for some of the concepts. Next, we define the BPM and give some examples of how it has been used. We then provide a weighted variant of the BPM and conclude with extensions to this type of document encoding. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The biological significance of nickel

Abstract The essentiality of Ni has not been established for higher plants, but many beneficial effects of Ni on plant growth have been reported. Evidence from several laboratories suggests that Ni is essential for animals, but its function has not been defined. High levels of Ni in plant growth media are phytotoxic, and possible beneficial effects of Ni on plant growth are poorly defined and not understood. Nickel reportedly is required for growth of a bacterium (Alcaligenes (Hydrogenomonas) eutrophus), a cyanobacterium (Oscillatoria) and a green alga (Chlorella vulgaris), but its function is unknown. In higher plants, Ni is required for optimum growth of certain pine tree species and some Ni accumulator species of Alyssum, but its function is not known. Slight increases in the growth of a number of plant species were attributed to low levels of Ni. Germination of seed of several species was stimulated by treatment with Ni salts. Nickel is an essential component of the enzyme urease isolated from lackbea...
Leveraging human resource development expertise to improve supply chain managers ' skills and competencies

Purpose – There is an ongoing shortage of talented supply chain managers with the necessary skills and business-related competencies to manage increasingly complex and strategically important supply chain processes. The purpose of this paper is to propose that organizations can create and maintain competitive advantage by leveraging the expertise of human resource development (HRD) professionals to provide a range of developmental and change-oriented interventions related to critical supply chain manager skill sets that are currently in short supply. Design/methodology/approach – This is a conceptual paper. Findings – This is a conceptual paper. Practical implications – Supply chain management (SCM) decisions significantly influence financial performance since firms expend up to 75 percent of their revenue on supply chain activities. HRD professionals ' intervention capabilities in training and development, organizational development and change management uniquely equip them to disseminate a deeper and br...
The distant interplanetary wake of Venus: Plasma observations from Pioneer Venus

Observations by the Pioneer Vernus Orbiter plasma analyzer during passages through the Venus solar wind wake in June 1979 are reported. The spacecraft traveled 8-12 Venus radii behind the planet from the sun, detecting frequent, episodic disappearances of the plasma. The disappearance occurred inside the magnetotail, indicating a tattered, filamentary extension of the solar wind cavity. Positive oxygen ions were observed inside and outside of the magnetotail on some days, and were absent on others. The data indicate that the cavity contracts during high solar wind dynamic pressure, although the presence of 0(+) ions is not correlated well with the solar wind dynamic pressure. The most intense bursts originated from a flux of 10 million ions/sq cm per sec, with an 0(+) kinetic energy estimated to be 100,000-1,000,000 K.
The influence of left-ventricular shape on end-diastolic fiber stress and strain

Passive filling is a major determinant for the pump performance of the left ventricle and is determined by the filling pressure and the ventricular compliance. We quantified the influence of left-ventricular shape on the overall compliance and the distribution of passive fiber stress and strain during the filling period in normal myocardium. Hereto, fiber stress and strain were calculated in a finite element analysis during the inflation of left ventricles of different shape, ranging from an elongated ellipsoid to a sphere, but keeping the initial cavity and wall volume constant. The passive myocardium was described by an incompressible hyperelastic material law with transverse isotropic symmetry along the muscle fiber directions. A realistic transmural gradient in fiber orientation was assumed. While compliance was not altered, the transmural distribution of both passive fiber stress and strain was highly dependent on ventricular shape, where more spherical ventricles exhibited a higher subendocardial gradient in both quantities.
A Robotic-Driven Disassembly Sequence Generator for End-Of-Life Electronic Products

In this study, we propose an intelligent automated disassembly cell for online (real time) selective disassembly. The cell is composed of an industrial robotic manipulator, a camera, range sensing and component segmentation visual algorithms. The cell prototype allows for robotic sensory-driven disassembly under uncertainty. An online genetic algorithm model for selective disassembly is also proposed for optimal and near/optimal disassembly sequencing.
Drug therapy of overactive bladder - What is coming next?

After the approval and introduction of mirabegron, tadalafil, and botulinum toxin A for treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms/overactive bladder, focus of interest has been on their place in therapy versus the previous gold standard, antimuscarinics. However, since these agents also have limitations there has been increasing interest in what is coming next - what is in the pipeline? Despite progress in our knowledge of different factors involved in both peripheral and central modulation of lower urinary tract dysfunction, there are few innovations in the pipe-line. Most developments concern modifications of existing principles (antimuscarinics, β3-receptor agonists, botulinum toxin A). However, there are several new and old targets/drugs of potential interest for further development, such as the purinergic and cannabinoid systems and the different members of the transient receptor potential channel family. However, even if there seems to be good rationale for further development of these principles, further exploration of their involvement in lower urinary tract function/dysfunction is necessary.
Neural, Genetic, And Neurogenetic Approaches For Solving The 0-1 Multidimensional Knapsack Problem

The multi-dimensional knapsack problem (MDKP) is a well-studied problem in Decision Sciences. The problem’s NP-Hard nature prevents the successful application of exact procedures such as branch and bound, implicit enumeration and dynamic programming for larger problems. As a result, various approximate solution approaches, such as the relaxation approaches, heuristic and metaheuristic approaches have been developed and applied effectively to this problem. In this study, we propose a Neural approach, a Genetic Algorithms approach and a Neurogenetic approach, which is a hybrid of the Neural and the Genetic Algorithms approach. The Neural approach is essentially a problem-space based non-deterministic local-search algorithm. In the Genetic Algorithms approach we propose a new way of generating initial population. In the Neurogenetic approach, we show that the Neural and Genetic iterations, when interleaved appropriately, can complement each other and provide better solutions than either the Neural or the Genetic approach alone. Within the overall search, the Genetic approach provides diversification while the Neural provides intensification. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approaches through an empirical study performed on several sets of benchmark problems commonly used in the literature.
Alcohol-Mediated Zinc Deficiency Within the Alveolar Space: A Potential Fundamental Mechanism Underlying Oxidative Stress and Cellular Dysfunction in the Alcoholic Lung

Zinc is one of the most abundant trace elements in the human body, and its presence is essential for numerous biological processes including enzymatic activity, immune function, protein synthesis, and wound healing. Given these important roles, zinc has a sophisticated transport system to regulate its homeostasis. Determination of zinc status, however, is difficult to determine as serum levels are closely maintained and are not an accurate reflection of total body zinc or metabolism at the organ level. Fortunately, the discovery of zinc-specific fluorescent dyes has allowed for a much better assessment of zinc status in the respiratory system and has revealed that alcoholism perturbs this highly developed zinc metabolism such that its distribution to the lung and alveolar space is significantly decreased. As a result, this pulmonary zinc deficiency impairs function in the alveolar macrophage, which is the primary host immune cell within the lower airway. Experimental models have demonstrated that correction of this zinc deficiency restores immune function to the alveolar macrophage as best reflected by improved bacterial clearance in response to infection. While the precise mechanisms underlying alcohol-induced zinc deficiency are still under investigation, there is experimental evidence of several important connections with granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor and oxidative stress, suggesting that alteration of zinc homeostasis may be a fundamental mechanism underlying the cellular pathology seen in the alcohol lung phenotype. This chapter reviews zinc homeostasis and offers insight into our understanding of zinc deficiency in the setting of alcoholism and the potential of zinc as a therapeutic modality in the vulnerable alcoholic host.
Efficient Two-Factor Balanced Designs

In agricultural field experiments it is desirable to divide the field into blocks of the same fertility to control soil heterogeneity. In a complete block design each block is split into as many plots as the number of treatments and all the treatments are assigned to the plots of each block. When a large number of treatment combinations are to be tested in a factorial experiment, it is undesirable to use complete blocks because in that case each block may not be homogeneous in their fertility. Therefore incomplete block designs are commonly used in factorial experiments. Balanced factorial designs are incomplete block designs with equal block size and equal number of replicates such that balance is achieved for each main effect and interaction. Bose (1947) used finite Euclidean geometries to construct balanced designs with all the main effects of the treatments unconfounded with the block effects. Nair and Rao (1948) showed that partially balanced incomplete block designs with an association scheme called extended group divisible scheme by Hinkelmann (1964) are balanced factorial designs. They also gave the statistical analysis and some constructions of two-factor balanced designs. Other methods of constructing balanced factorial designs are given by Rao (1956), Kishen and Srivastava (1959), and Kishen and Tyagi (1964). More recently Puri and Nigam (1976, 1978) developed the theory of balanced factorial designs in varying replicates and varying block sizes. Gupta (1983) discussed some methods for constructing block designs having orthogonal factorial structure, i.e., the treatment sum of squares adjusted for blocks can be partitioned orthogonally into sums of squares due to main effects and due to interactions. Most of the designs listed in his table do not achieve balance in main effects or interactions, but the advantage is they only require small number of replications. Kshirsagar (1966) showed that to achieve balance in all the main effects and interactions an incomplete block factorial design is necessarily an extended group divisible partially balanced design. We shall consider only two-factor balanced designs with equal replicate and equal block size. Two-factor balanced designs are called partially balanced incomplete block designs with rectangular association scheme by Vartak (1959). He used the Kronecker product of two
River Quality Model for Urban Stormwater Impacts

A simplified continuous receiving water quality model has been developed as a planning guide to permit preliminary screening of areawide wastewater management strategies. The model simulates the hypothetical response of the stream or tidal river system to the separate and combined effects of waste inputs from upstream sources, dry-weather urban sources and wet-weather urban sources. The total hours of runoff-producing rainfall throughout a year are separated into storm events. For a given storm event, the runoff and pollutant loads are summarized, and critical dissolved oxygen concentrations are estimated as a function of several hydrodynamic and biochemical parameters. An application to the Des Moines River at Des Moines, Iowa, is presented.
Spine radiosurgery in the management of renal cell carcinoma metastases

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) presents an interesting challenge in radiation oncology. Improved systemic therapy has significantly prolonged survival. Modern imaging has allowed practitioners to effectively identify patients with oligometastatic disease. Conventionally fractionated radiation therapy is a first-line treatment option for palliation of bone metastases, including the spine, but has limited efficacy and durability. Conventional treatment may not be sufficient in metastatic RCC because of the disease's relative radioresistance. Improved technology, including custom immobilization and on-board treatment imaging, has allowed ultra-high-dose radiation therapy, or stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), to effectively treat metastatic disease in the spine. Safety and efficacy have already been established for intracranial disease and data are emerging for extracranial metastasis. Spine SRS offers local control rates and durable pain improvement in up to 90% of patients. Many series have already reported its effectiveness, and prospective multi-institutional trials are underway. Spine SRS should be strongly considered in select patients with refractory or oligometastatic disease.
Critical heat flux in spray cooling

Similar to other processes involving boiling/evaporation, spray cooling is also characterized by a critical heat flux. Due to the nature of the liquid supply in spray cooling, the critical heat flux could be an order of magnitude higher than in pool boiling, even for very low liquid flow rates. Hence, spray cooling is one of the best candidates for applications requiring high heat flux removal, e.g., thermal management of high power electronics and electro-optic systems. However, the critical heat flux phenomenon in spray cooling is not well understood. This paper presents a discussion on this topic. A semiempirical correlation was derived recently for sprays produced by pressure-atomizing nozzles based on the macrolayer dryout theory. With modifications to this correlation, a unified correlation is obtained for critical heat flux in spray cooling with both air-atomizing and pressure-atomizing nozzles. The data of various past researchers agree very well with the correlation. (Author)
An Unusual Decay Pattern in Brown-Rotted Wood

Brown rot and white rot are two major types of wood decay caused by Basidiomycetes. Brown rot fungi primarily degrade cellulose and hemicellulose while white rot fungi degrade lignin as well as other wood components (Cowling, 1961; Eriksson, 1981; Nilsson, 1974). Fungi that cause white rots frequently have been separated into two groups: simultaneous rot fungi that degrade cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin at approximately the same rate (Liese, 1970), and white-pocket rot fungi that preferentially degrade lignin leaving appreciable amounts of cellulose (Blanchette, 1980a, b, 1982; Otjen and Blanchette, 1982). Brown rot fungi, when cultured on wood, produce a diffusible factor that results in cellulolytic degradation at considerable distances from fungal hyphae (Cowling, 1961; Liese, 1970; Wilcox, 1970). Although cellulose is degraded in wood, most brown rot fungi cannot degrade pure isolated cellulose (Highley, 1977b; Nilsson, 1974). The presence of lignin and hemicellulose in the wood substrate appears to induce the synthesis of cellulose degrading enzymes (Highley, 1977a; Kirk and Highley, 1973; Nilsson, 1974) or possibly a nonprotein degrading system (Koenigs, 1974), by the majority of wood destroying brown rot fungi. Only a limited number of brown rot fungi, adapted to wood products deterioration, can degrade pure cellulose (Nilsson and Ginns, 1979). White-pocket rot fungi selectively remove lignin from wood leaving substantial amounts of cellulose in isolated areas (Blanchette, 1980a, 1982; Otjen and Blanchette, 1982). Wood surrounding the white pockets is sound (Blanchette, 1980a, b; Otjen and Blanchette, 1982). The formation of white pockets and patterns of selective delignification have been described for Phellinus pini (Thore: Fr.) A. Ames in conifers (Blanchette, 1980a, 1982) and Inonotus dryophilus (Berk.) Murr. in oaks (Otjen and Blanchette, 1982). Brown-rotted wood with white pockets was obtained from a dead Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry) (FIGS. 1, 2) in the Uinta Mountains of Utah, Wasatch National Forest. The white-pocket decay was identical to that caused by P. pini. Apparently, while the tree was standing, P. pini caused a considerable amount of heart rot. After windfall, a brown rot fungus colonized the wood. Since
A 10-Year Cross-Sectional Analysis of Air Force Flight and Operational Medicine Clinic Health Care Services

ABSTRACT Objectives: This study described the patient population and the health care services delivered in the Air Force Flight and Operational Medicine Clinics (FOMCs) over the past 10 years. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was performed on the retrospective cohort of patients who received care at a FOMC from 2003 to 2012. Results: A total of 714,157 individuals, generating 4,829,626 encounters, were included in the cohort. They were predominately male service members under the age of 41. One-fifth of individuals were retirees and family members, with one-third being in the pediatric age range. The cohort accessed health care services for three primary reasons: health examinations (28%), occupational dispositions (18%), and primary care (54%). When primary care was sought, the predominate health conditions were upper respiratory infections, back problems, and nontraumatic joint disorders. When services and procedures were a component of the care, they were predominately associated with health examina...
Iron pyrite and diagnostic confirmation.

Once again we depart from our usual format of presenting case material prospectively, in order to illustrate an important diagnostic point, namely that the final arbiter of diagnosis, the histologic appearance of a tissue or organ, is not always accurate. We present three examples (all real) that illustrate this key diagnostic principle.
Intensive treatment and severe hypoglycemia among adults with type 2 diabetes

Importance Intensive glucose-lowering treatment among patients with non–insulin-requiring type 2 diabetes may increase the risk of hypoglycemia. Objectives To estimate the prevalence of intensive treatment and the association between intensive treatment, clinical complexity, and incidence of severe hypoglycemia among adults with type 2 diabetes who are not using insulin. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective analysis of administrative, pharmacy, and laboratory data from the OptumLabs Data Warehouse from January 1, 2001, through December 31, 2013. The study included nonpregnant adults 18 years or older with type 2 diabetes who achieved and maintained a hemoglobin A 1c (HbA 1c ) level less than 7.0% without use of insulin and had no episodes of severe hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia in the prior 12 months. Main Outcomes and Measures Risk-adjusted probability of intensive treatment and incident severe hypoglycemia, stratified by patient clinical complexity. Intensive treatment was defined as use of more glucose-lowering medications than recommended by practice guidelines at specific index HbA 1c levels. Severe hypoglycemia was ascertained by ambulatory, emergency department, and hospital claims for hypoglycemia during the 2 years after the index HbA 1c test. Patients were categorized as having high vs low clinical complexity if they were 75 years or older, had dementia or end-stage renal disease, or had 3 or more serious chronic conditions. Results Of 31 542 eligible patients (median age, 58 years; interquartile range, 51-65 years; 15 483 women [49.1%]; 18 188 white [57.7%]), 3910 (12.4%) had clinical complexity. The risk-adjusted probability of intensive treatment was 25.7% (95% CI, 25.1%-26.2%) in patients with low clinical complexity and 20.8% (95% CI, 19.4%-22.2%) in patients with high clinical complexity. In patients with low clinical complexity, the risk-adjusted probability of severe hypoglycemia during the subsequent 2 years was 1.02% (95% CI, 0.87%-1.17%) with standard treatment and 1.30% (95% CI, 0.98%-1.62%) with intensive treatment (absolute difference, 0.28%; 95% CI, −0.10% to 0.66%). In patients with high clinical complexity, intensive treatment significantly increased the risk-adjusted probability of severe hypoglycemia from 1.74% (95% CI, 1.28%-2.20%) with standard treatment to 3.04% (95% CI, 1.91%-4.18%) with intensive treatment (absolute difference, 1.30%; 95% CI, 0.10%-2.50%). Conclusions and Relevance More than 20% of patients with type 2 diabetes received intensive treatment that may be unnecessary. Among patients with high clinical complexity, intensive treatment nearly doubles the risk of severe hypoglycemia.
Prospective Study Evaluating Na18F PET/CT in Predicting Clinical Outcomes and Survival in Advanced Prostate Cancer

This prospective pilot study evaluated the ability of Na18F PET/CT to detect and monitor bone metastases over time and its correlation with clinical outcomes and survival in advanced prostate cancer. Methods: Sixty prostate cancer patients, including 30 with and 30 without known bone metastases by conventional imaging, underwent Na18F PET/CT at baseline, 6 mo, and 12 mo. Positive lesions were verified on follow-up scans. Changes in SUVs and lesion number were correlated with prostate-specific antigen change, clinical impression, and overall survival. Results: Significant associations included the following: SUV and prostate-specific antigen percentage change at 6 mo (P = 0.014) and 12 mo (P = 0.0005); SUV maximal percentage change from baseline and clinical impression at 6 mo (P = 0.0147) and 6–12 mo (P = 0.0053); SUV change at 6 mo and overall survival (P = 0.018); number of lesions on Na18F PET/CT and clinical impression at baseline (P