cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Concurrent Case of Ménétrier's Disease and Signet Ring Carcinoma.

Menetrier's disease, also known as hyperplastic protein-losing gastropathy, is a rare, idiopathic, acquired, premalignant condition associated with gastric carcinoma. Its association with signet ring cell cancer of the stomach has been previously reported only twice. We present the third case of histologically confirmed concurrent Menetrier's disease with signet ring carcinoma of the stomach, interrogated by esophagogastroduodenoscopy and endoscopic ultrasound.
On The Decomposition and Deformation of Kleinian Groups

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the local deformations and algorithmic construction of finitely generated Kleinian groups of the second kind. The major new topic in the discussion of Klien groups is the class called web groups, which occur in Abikoff as a technical tool for studying the residual limit set. Web groups are essentially nonplanar in nature, as on each component, they act simply as quasi-Fuchsian groups; in some fashion yet to be explained, they carry most of the internal structure of the 3-manifold. The decomposition theorem described in the chapter shows that each finitely generated Kleinian group of the second kind can be constructed geometrically from knowledge of a finite number of its cyclic, totally degenerate, and web subgroups.
Association of pathologic complete response following neoadjuvant chemotherapy with survival among young women with breast cancer.

1122 Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is increasingly being used in the treatment of breast cancer, yet data on efficacy and significance of pathologic complete response (pCR) is limited among ...
Beyond intuitive anthropomorphic control: recent achievements using brain computer interface technologies

Brain-computer interface (BCI) research has progressed rapidly, with BCIs shifting from animal tests to human demonstrations of controlling computer cursors and even advanced prosthetic limbs, the latter having been the goal of the Revolutionizing Prosthetics (RP) program. These achievements now include direct electrical intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) of the brain to provide human BCI users feedback information from the sensors of prosthetic limbs. These successes raise the question of how well people would be able to use BCIs to interact with systems that are not based directly on the body (e.g., prosthetic arms), and how well BCI users could interpret ICMS information from such devices. If paralyzed individuals could use BCIs to effectively interact with such non-anthropomorphic systems, it would offer them numerous new opportunities to control novel assistive devices. Here we explore how well a participant with tetraplegia can detect infrared (IR) sources in the environment using a prosthetic arm mounted camera that encodes IR information via ICMS. We also investigate how well a BCI user could transition from controlling a BCI based on prosthetic arm movements to controlling a flight simulator, a system with different physical dynamics than the arm. In that test, the BCI participant used environmental information encoded via ICMS to identify which of several upcoming flight routes was the best option. For both tasks, the BCI user was able to quickly learn how to interpret the ICMSprovided information to achieve the task goals.
Ethical social justice: Do the ends justify the means?

This article offers an ethical decision-making model, informed by community psychology values, as a means for guiding psychologists when engaging in social justice-oriented work. The applicability of this model is demonstrated through a case analysis elucidating how America's psychologists individually and collectively arrived at the decision to endorse torture—ostensibly as a means for preventing terrorism. Critics have wondered how the American Psychological Association succumbed to these involvements, and how to prevent such ethical lapses in the future. Unfortunately, the American Psychological Association's ethical codes fail to provide explicit guidance for psychologists' involvement in social justice work that impacts communities and systems. To address this gap, we present a values-driven, ethical decision-making framework that may be used to guide psychologists' future practices. This framework infuses fundamental community psychology values (i.e., caring and compassion; health; self-determination and participation, human diversity, social justice; and critical reflexivity) into a 9-step model.
Toward a Molecular Understanding of Synaptic Transmitter Release: Physiological Clues from the Squid Giant Synapse

Although it has been known for more than 30 years that Ca ions trigger the release of neurotransmitters at chemical synapses (Katz, 1969), the molecular basis for this important physiological event is unclear. While biochemical and theoretical studies have proposed a number of models to account for this presynaptic triggering action of Ca, none has emerged as a consensus favorite (Augustine, Charlton and Smith, 1987). This problem arises, in part, because there have been few attempts to test or evaluate these hypotheses.
The Impact of the Shia-Sunni Political Struggle and Future Strategies for Christians and Other Vulnerable Communities in the Middle East

Katulis provides a strategic assessment of the security and political dynamics reshaping the Middle East and their impact on Christian communities across the Middle East. He argues that the continued presence of Christians and other vulnerable groups in the region will require a shift in policy planning on the part of the United States, Europe, and Russia that involves working with regional partners to develop a positive agenda that supports religious freedom, equality, and basic rights for all its people. Finally, Katulis analyzes the impact of U.S. foreign policy on these dynamics during the past few years and concludes with a preliminary analysis on the impact of President Donald Trump and his new administration on these same dynamics.
Detection of rare events in multidimensional financial datasets with zonoid depth functions

The analysis of occurrence of rare events along with their significant negative economic impacts has been a challenging topic in recent years. In this study, we construct a framework around the development of new techniques that extracts information out of big datasets that spans the areas of data science and financial model analysis. In particular, we investigate methods to reduce the complexity of the analysis, map large amounts of data and construct a model to detect rare events on multivariate financial datasets. Zonoid depth functions are implemented and classification criteria based on convex hulls are constructed. The results identify rare events in high-frequency transaction level data and the distribution of these rare events for the period investigated indicates a significant higher concentration of rare events in the first trading hours of each trading day.
Efficient parallel determinacy race detection for two-dimensional dags

A program is said to have a determinacy race if logically parallel parts of a program access the same memory location and one of the accesses is a write. These races are generally bugs in the program since they lead to non-deterministic program behavior --- different schedules of the program can lead to different results. Most prior work on detecting these races focuses on a subclass of programs with fork-join parallelism. This paper presents a race-detection algorithm, 2D-Order, for detecting races in a more general class of programs, namely programs whose dependence structure can be represented as planar dags embedded in 2D grids. Such dependence structures arise from programs that use pipelined parallelism or dynamic programming recurrences. Given a computation with T1 work and T∞ span, 2D-Order executes it while also detecting races in O(T1/P + T∞) time on P processors, which is asymptotically optimal. We also implemented PRacer, a race-detection algorithm based on 2D-Order for Cilk-P, which is a language for expressing pipeline parallelism. Empirical results demonstrate that PRacer incurs reasonable overhead and exhibits scalability similar to the baseline (executions without race detection) when running on multiple cores.
Data reduction: sampling

Beginning with the fundamental concept of simple random sampling, we describe the main uses and types of classical sampling techniques. Issues that arise include stratification, clustering, and sample size. We briefly mention how these issues are relevant and are being addressed in the context of data mining.
Decreased extrapyramidal symptoms with intravenous haloperidol.

In a preliminary, prospective study, the intensity of extrapyramidal symptoms was rated in four patients receiving intravenous haloperidol and six patients receiving oral haloperidol. The raters were blind to the route of administration. In this pilot study, the first systematic evaluation of intravenous haloperidol and extrapyramidal symptoms, the patients receiving intravenous haloperidol experienced significantly (p less than .01) less intense extrapyramidal symptoms than did the patients receiving oral haloperidol. The literature on intravenous haloperidol is briefly reviewed, and possible explanations of the lower intensity of extrapyramidal symptoms with intravenous haloperidol in the patients studied are discussed.
High Resolution Penning Trap as a Precision Mass-Ratio Spectrometer

The compensated Penning trap1 with characteristic dimensions RO and ZO is a D.C. electric potential cage located in a strong axial magnetic field and as such is an ideal apparatus for isolating long lived charged particles, nearly at rest (thermalized by a cryogenic environment) and essentially free of other-particle interactions (due to the ultra-high vacuum used, ≪10-10 Torr). The ability to determine mass arises from the inverse mass dependence of the various motions in the trap. The first such motion is the axial electric resonance (motion along axis of symmetry) at $${v_{z}} = (1/2\pi ){(e{V_{0}}/mZ_{0}^{2})^{{\frac{1}{2}}}}$$ which is often used to monitor the presence of the trapped charge, but is only appropriate for very low precision mass measurements since the effective applied D.C. potential, VO will often depend on parameters which are difficult to control (i.e. thermal emf’, contact potentials, patch effects, time varying dimensions, dielectric polarization, unstable power supply, etc.). In contrast to the axial resonance, the magnetic cyclotron frequency at $${v_{c}} = (1/2\pi )(e{B_{0}}/mc)$$
Nietzsche: Truth and Knowledge

Perhaps no part of Nietzsche’s philosophical thinking has been the occasion of more confusion, misunderstanding and mischief among his readers and interpreters — both friendly and hostile — than his treatment of knowledge, truth, and certain matters relating to them (although his treatments of value and morality and of what might loosely be called our human nature and differences are also contenders for this distinction). I consider this doubly unfortunate, not only owing to the consequences of the flames he has been used to fan and fuel, but also because of the importance of the contribution his thinking on these matters (as I understand it) might have made to subsequent inquiry. It is my hope that this contribution might yet be made.1
Studies of the physics and engineering of deuterium-deuterium barrier tandem mirror reactors

A study of barrier tandem mirrors as deuterium-deuterium (D-D) cycle reactors shows that high central cell beta and axisymmetry are crucial to even a moderate Q reactor. The SATYR system is large, with low-power density, and Q about 5 to 6. A specialized axisymmetric configuration involving a plugbarrier cell with a levitated internal ring has been developed, though overall results are independent of the specific axisymmetric end plug configuration. The internal ring thermal analysis, including both surface and neutron volumetric heating, revealed unexpectedly that the operating time between recooling periods is limited by the time to reach the temperature limit of the superinsulator rather than the time for the superconductor to reach some predetermined level (e.g., 12 K for Nb-Ti). Further, it is found that a melt-layer within the ring is not required. A new pressure-vessel-type blanket design with pebble beds of ferritic steel produces high blanket multiplication and has long life (exceeding plant life). Specific subjects analyzed include reactor plasma performance, magnetic configuration development, coil design, blanket nuclear analysis and thermal hydraulics, blanket materials, structural analyses, and lifetime. A detailed comparison of economic, environmental, and safety scaling factors for D-D and deuterium-tritium (D-T) reactors reveals few incentives for aimingmore » at D-D devices. It is concluded that the linearity of tandem mirrors, their inherent modularity and potential for steady-state operation, their predicted high-power density and high Q value, suggest that optimized D-T-cycle barrier tandem mirror reactors with axisymmetry and high ..beta.. /SUB c/ have the potential to be economic reactor systems and should remain the major goal of mirror fusion research.« less
Confronting History and Security Through Territorial Claims

This chapter addresses what it sees as the Abe administration’s resolve to enhance a “patriotic love of nation” among Japan’s citizens by whitewashing the history and legacy of prewar Japanese expansion and in the process denying the legitimacy of territorial boundaries established following World War II. Its central focus is on the 2014 publication of a map by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs that claims “inherent sovereignty” over all maritime areas to which Japan continues to exert claims, disregarding counterclaims by other states, and the divergent understandings of the pre-1945 histories that made them Japanese territory in the first place.
Familial colloid cyst of the third ventricle

Abstract Colloid cysts of the third ventricle are rare benign lesions. They can present as incidental finding on imaging or with symptoms of obstructive hydrocephalus. To date, 18 familial cases of colloid cyst have been reported. Due to the extreme rarity of these cysts, it has been suggested that there is a genetic component involved. This report presents a familial colloid cyst in non-twin brothers who both presented in their early twenties. In addition, both of them had congenital inguinal hernia. This may represent a potential association between familial colloid cysts and congenital inguinal hernia that could provide us with insight into the genetic mechanism involved.
2089. Dwindling Utilization of Central Venous Catheter Tip Cultures: An Analysis of Sampling Trends and Clinical Utility at 128 U.S. Hospitals 2009–2014

Background The 2009 Infectious Diseases Society of America management guidelines for catheter-related bloodstream infection (CR-BSI) recommend the use of central venous catheter (CVC) tip cultures (TC) to aid in diagnosing CR-BSI. However, reimbursement penalties for CR-BSI and emerging evidence supporting watchful waiting rather than removing CVCs may have impacted sampling tendencies, and as such, the uptake of this recommendation and its clinical utility remain unknown.
Oxylipid profiles of dairy cattle vary throughout the transition into early mammary gland involution

Successful lactation in multiparous dairy cattle relies on a well-managed dry period that allows the mammary gland to remodel and regenerate between lactations. Oxylipids are potent inflammatory mediators that are capable of regulating all aspects of inflammation. Although an oxylipid profile has been documented for periparturient and lactating cattle, little work has been done to define the profile of cows in the early dry period. Therefore, our group aimed to characterize the oxylipid profile in healthy cows during the transition into early mammary gland involution. Plasma samples were collected from 10 healthy Holstein dairy cows via coccygeal venipuncture 6 d before dry-off (d -6), at dry-off (d 0), and 1 (d +1), 2 (d +2), 6 (d +6), and 12 (d +12) d after the dry-off date. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to quantify select monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and saturated fatty acids, whereas oxylipids were quantified using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The results of this study revealed a unique profile of pro- and anti-inflammatory oxylipids throughout the transition from late lactation into the dry period. Many compounds reached the highest concentrations of the study at d +1, d +2, or d +12, whereas others reached the lowest concentrations at d +12. The characterization of this profile allows for further understanding of the physiology of early mammary involution. Future studies should investigate how the oxylipid profile of early mammary involution may affect the health and productivity of dairy cows.
Sleep Quality and Quantity of Occupational Therapy and Other Allied Health Students

We examined sleep behaviors in allied health students (N = 77) with the following questionnaires: Caffeine Consumption, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Profile of Mood States, and Mental and...
Adipose Tissue: A Tertiary Lymphoid Organ: Does It Change with Age?

In this manuscript, we summarize published results showing that obesity and aging are inflammatory conditions associated with serious health problems, increased risk for disease and death. We show that fat mass increases with age and represents a major contributor to insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome. We summarize the effects of age on the adipose tissue (AT), related to the abundance, distribution, cellular composition, endocrine signaling and function of the tissue. The AT is an immunological tissue, with several hallmarks of innate and adaptive immune responses. We show that in both mice and humans, the AT is heavily infiltrated by immune cells that have receptors for pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines secreted by the adipocytes and also by the immune cells that have infiltrated the AT. We also show that the AT provides an environment for the secretion of IgG antibodies with anti-self (autoimmune) reactivity. As we have previously shown, this is due to the release of self antigens following cell death due to hypoxia, as well as to the expression of activation-induced cytidine deaminase, the enzyme of class switch recombination, and the transcription factor T-bet by the resident B cells, which also express the membrane marker CD11c, both involved in the production of autoimmune IgG antibodies. We show data in support of the AT as a tertiary lymphoid organ (TLO), showing the examples of TLOs that develop within the AT, such as fat-associated lymphoid clusters and milky spots, as well as artery TLOs that develop in the adventitia areas of the aorta.
Facial Recognition System Employing Transform Implementations of Sparse Representation Method

A new discriminative sparse representation approach for robust face recognition via l 2 regularization (SRFR) was recently published. In this paper, a face recognition system implementation employing coefficients from two non-orthogonal transform domains, namely, Two-Dimensional Discrete Wavelet Transform (2D DWT) and 2D Discrete Cosine Transform (2D DCT), is presented. The use of these coefficients in this Mixed Wavelet Cosine Sparse Representation for Face Recognition (MWCSRFR) system as features shown to appreciably lower the computational complexity and the final storage size while maintaining the high recognition rate of the SRFR. Extensive simulations were carried out on five face databases, namely, ORL, YALE, FERET, Cropped AR, and Georgia Tech. The improved properties of the MWCSRFR are proved as shown in the given sample results.
Hydrocracking of hydrotreated light cycle oil to mono aromatics over non-noble bi-functional (ni-w supported) zeolite catalysts

Abstract The bi-functional catalysts comprising non-noble metals such as Ni-W supported on zeolites were prepared to study hydrocracking of hydrotreated Light Cycle Oil (LCO) conversion into mono-aromatics. The three Ni-W supported zeolite catalysts with mixture of Y and Beta (Catalyst-A), Y (Catalyst-B), and Beta zeolites (Catalyst-C) were prepared by wetness impregnation method and characterized by using different techniques to understand the physico-chemical properties. The characterization results indicated that Ni-W supported on Beta zeolite catalyst has higher overall acidity and strong interaction between the H2W12O40 and Ni2+ ions than Ni-W supported on mixture of Y & Beta, and Y zeolites. Furthermore, Beta zeolite catalyst exhibited tetrahedral tungstate species, which are due to strong interaction between support and metal ions. Among these catalysts, Ni-W supported on Beta zeolite catalyst showed high conversion for mono-aromatic 2 ring, and di-aromatics and selectivity towards mono-aromatics (43.5%). The high conversion of this catalyst could be due to higher total acidity and the presence of tetragonal tungsten species. High selectivity of mono-aromatics may be due to larger average pore diameter of the Beta zeolite.
Meerkat: multicore-scalable replicated transactions following the zero-coordination principle

Traditionally, the high cost of network communication between servers has hidden the impact of cross-core coordination in replicated systems. However, new technologies, like kernel-bypass networking and faster network links, have exposed hidden bottlenecks in distributed systems. This paper explores how to build multicore-scalable, replicated storage systems. We introduce a new guideline for their design, called the Zero-Coordination Principle. We use this principle to design a new multicore-scalable, in-memory, replicated, key-value store, called Meerkat. Unlike existing systems, Meerkat eliminates all cross-core and cross-replica coordination, both of which pose a scalability bottleneck. Our experiments found that Meerkat is able to scale up to 80 hyper-threads and execute 8.3 million transactions per second. Meerkat represents an improvement of 12X on state-of-the-art, fault-tolerant, in-memory, transactional storage systems built using leader-based replication and a shared transaction log.
Management of Regional Nodal Melanoma.

Regional nodal melanoma management has changed substantially over the past 2 decades alongside advances in systemic therapy. Significant data from retrospective studies and from 2 randomized controlled trials show no survival benefit to completion lymph node dissection compared with observation in sentinel lymph node-positive melanoma patients. Observation is becoming the standard recommendation in these patients, whereas patients with clinically detected lymph nodes are still recommended to undergo lymph node dissection. Promising early results from a neoadjuvant approach inform the ongoing evolution of melanoma management. Recruiting patients to clinical trials is paramount to attaining evidence-based practice changes in melanoma.
A Partial-Volume Correction for Quantitative Spectral X-Ray Radiography

The technique of spectral radiography has been shown to accurately discriminate a material’s elemental composition by using known X-ray physics. In previous work, we presented a system for determining the total compositional mass of UO2 powder. This is achieved with a state-of-the-art pixelated spectrometer and a high-fidelity physical model. Similar to other radiographs, the system suffers from partial-volume attenuation where the sample projection onto a pixel is only a fraction of the pixel area, leaving the rest unattenuated. This study updates the physical model to account for fractional area which challenges the existing algorithm. We present how this update is made and explore approaches to stabilize the algorithm through parameter scaling, constrained optimization, and hyperparameter selection. We applied the updated algorithm to calculate the total uranium and oxygen mass of UO2 powder simulations. The average relative error on total uranium mass was reduced from 1.4% to 0.068% and on total oxygen mass from 122.2% to 4.2%.
Structural and aeroelastic modeling of general planform UCAV wings with morphing airfoils

By use of equivalent plate modeling, an efe cient method has been developed to study the structural behavior and static aeroelastic response of general builtup wing structures composed of skins, spars, and ribs. The model includestransversesheareffectsby treating the wing as a plate, following the e rst-order sheardeformation theory. The equations ofmotion arederived using theRitz method with Legendrepolynomials as trial functions. To model arbitrary wing planforms, the wing is composed of two plates, connected by distributed translatory and rotary springsofveryhighstiffness.Thestructuralmodelhasbeenvalidatedforasetofexamplesbycomparingtheresults withtheonesobtained fromMSC/NASTRAN.Adistributedactuationschemeallowsthemodie cationofwingtwist and camber for maneuver control of the vehicle. The model has been applied to study the roll performance of a e apless smart wing with morphing airfoils. It has been shown that a wing without conventional, hinged control surfaces can exhibit improved roll performance and an increased roll reversal speed due to both aerodynamic and structural advantages.
When and Why a Model Fails? A Human-in-the-loop Error Detection Framework for Sentiment Analysis

Although deep neural networks have been widely employed and proven effective in sentiment analysis tasks, it remains challenging for model developers to assess their models for erroneous predictions that might exist prior to deployment. Once deployed, emergent errors can be hard to identify in prediction run-time and impossible to trace back to their sources. To address such gaps, in this paper we propose an error detection framework for sentiment analysis based on explainable features. We perform global-level feature validation with human-in-the-loop assessment, followed by an integration of global and local-level feature contribution analysis. Experimental results show that, given limited human-in-the-loop intervention, our method is able to identify erroneous model predictions on unseen data with high precision.
Acetic acid and the skin: a review of vinegar in dermatology

Vinegar is commonly used as a home remedy for many skin problems. It is important for dermatologists to understand the evidence supporting its use in skin disease, as well as potential adverse effects, so they can properly counsel patients on the safe use of this widely available treatment. Vinegar possesses antimicrobial and antioxidant properties that provide utility in wound care as well as bacterial and fungal infections. There is also evidence to support its use in pruritus, head lice removal, and treatment of striae gravidarum. While generally safe, inappropriate use can result in damage to the skin. In this review, we discuss the evidence supporting vinegar as a treatment for skin disease, as well as adverse events reported from misuse, to provide dermatologists the knowledge to counsel patients on the safe and appropriate use of vinegar.
Electrochemical measurement and analysis of YCl3, ScCl3, GdCl3 and MgCl2 in molten eutectic LiCl-KCl

Abstract Electrochemical measurements of YCl3, ScCl3, GdCl3 and MgCl2 were obtained in molten LiCl-KCl eutectic at 773 K using a three-electrode configuration. Tungsten rods were used as the working and counter electrodes. Two quasi- and one reference electrode(s) (glassy carbon, nickel wire, and Ni/NiO) were used to collect electrochemical measurements of the analyte salts. Cyclic voltammetry data were analyzed to calculate values of diffusion coefficient, exchange current density, and charge transfer resistance and were determined to be on the order of 10−5 cm2 s−1, 10−2 A cm−2, and 100 Ω; respectively. In general, the values of diffusion coefficients were found to be consistent with those reported of high-temperature molten salts. Relatively large values of exchange current density corresponded with smaller values of charge transfer resistance. These values were found to be reasonable in comparison to results available in the literature. The measured cyclic voltammograms were normalized with respect to both lithium reduction and chloride ion oxidation potentials. Such a normalization technique is effective for comparing experimentally obtained cyclic voltammetry data to those that have been published. An analysis of experimentally obtained results indicates the relation of electrode reactions (e.g., differences of reduction potentials) are independent of the choice of reference electrode. Additionally, the choice of reference electrode did not affect the electrochemical window, exchange current density, or diffusion coefficient values.
Rapid In Vivo Quantification of Creatine Kinase Activity by Phosphorous-31 Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Fingerprinting ( 31 P-MRSF)

Creatine kinase (CK) plays an important role in tissue metabolism by providing a buffering mechanism for maintaining a constant supply of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) during metabolic perturbations. Phosphorous-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-MRS) employing magnetization transfer techniques is the only noninvasive method for measuring the rate of ATP synthesis via creatine kinase. However, due to the low concentrations of phosphate metabolites, current 31P-MRS methods require long acquisition time to achieve adequate measurement accuracy. In this chapter, we present a new framework of data acquisition and parameter estimation, the 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopic fingerprinting (31P-MRSF) method, for rapid quantification of CK reaction rate constant in the hindlimb of small laboratory animals.
Integral Equations With Separable Kernels

In Chapter 1, we have defined a degenerate or a separable kernel K(s, t) as $$K\left( {s,t} \right) = \sum\limits_{i = 1}^n {a_i (s)} b_i (t),$$ (2.1.1) where the functions a 1(s),..., a n (s) and the functions b 1(t),..., b n (t) are linearly independent.
A paraboloidal lens made of double-negative material

[1] A metamaterial lens consisting of a paraboloid of revolution that separates two portions of space having real and opposite refractive indexes but the same intrinsic impedance is considered, as well as a lens consisting of a paraboloidal double-negative radome. For both lenses, geometrical optics yields the exact electromagnetic field for an axially incident plane wave.
Molecular physiology and regulation of catecholamine transporters.

Publisher Summary Two distinct carrier subtypes, the dopamine and norepinephrine transporers (DAT and NET), are responsible for the reaccumulation of catcholamines into dopaminergic and noradrenergic neurons, respectively. These carriers, together with the serotonin transporter, are the primary targets for a wide variety of clinically important antidepressants, antihypertensives, stimulants, and stimulant drugs of abuse. Electrophysiological analyses of the currents associated with transporters have provided insights into the electrical properties and the pathways of ion permeation of the carrier proteins. Recent work from the laboratory has shown that dopamine uptake by human DAT (hDAT) is an electrogenic and voltage-dependent process. hDAT mediates another macroscopic current that can be easily distinguished from the transport-associated currents, namely, a constitutively active leak current. Because the transport-associated and leak currents have different voltage and ionic dependences, it is straightforward to determine from the current-voltage plot of an individual drug whether it acts as a substrate or as a nonsubstrate translocation inhibitor at hDAT. Examination of DAT and NET expressing cells by indirect immunofluoresence revealed a striking difference in protein distribution on activation of PKC. In control cells, transporter localization is characterized by intense staining at the cell surface. In addition, there is a less intense perinuclear staining, presumably because of immature carrier protein transiting through the secretory pathway.
Fault injection based on a partial view of the global state of a distributed system

This paper describes the basis for and preliminary implementation of a new fault injector, called Loki, developed specifically for distributed systems. Loki addresses issues related to injecting correlated faults in distributed systems. In Loki, fault injection is performed based on a partial view of the global state of an application. In particular, facilities are provided to pass user-specified state information between nodes to provide a partial view of the global state in order to try to inject complex faults successfully. A post-runtime analysis, using an off-line clock synchronization and a bounding technique, is used to place events and injections on a single global time-line and determine whether the intended faults were properly injected. Finally, observations containing successful fault injections are used to estimate specified dependability measures. In addition to describing the details of our new approach, we present experimental results obtained from a preliminary implementation in order to illustrate Loki's ability to inject complex faults predictably.
Effect of nitric oxide synthase inhibitor (L-NAME) on substance P-induced vasodilatation in the dental pulp.

Aim To investigate the vasodilator mechanisms of pulpal vessels, especially the involvement of nitric oxide (NO), during pulpal inflammation. Methodology Eleven cats were prepared for intra-arterial administration of test agents through a lingual artery. The pulpal blood flow was measured by laser Doppler flowmetry from ipsilateral mandibular canine teeth. By using the NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor NG-nitro l-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), the effects of L-NAME on various vasodilators, such as Substance P (SP)-, calcitonin-gene related peptide (CGRP)-, and papaverine-induced vasodilatation, were compared in vivo in 11 feline dental pulps. Results L-NAME pretreatment potentiates SP-induced vasodilatation for a duration of approximately 5 h. The increase of pulpal blood flow ranged from 91.47 to 109.91%, which was significantly different from SP injection alone (48.79%, P < 0.05). Other vasodilators such as CGRP and papaverine did not respond to L-NAME pretreatment. Conclusions This study demonstrates that NOS inhibitor L-NAME administration alone has insignificant effects on pulpal blood flow, although L-NAME pretreatment can potentiate SP-induced vasodilatation, probably via increased activity in the enzyme guanylate cyclase. CGRP and papaverine did not respond to L-NAME pretreatment, indicating that they are not mediated via an endothelium-dependent mechanism.
Real time valuation

The purpose of this paper is to stimulate thinking as to how we might produce timely and more reliable estimates of changes in the value of portfolios, price indices based on a portfolio of properties, and other aggregate measures of trends in property values. It is argued that a traditional market value appraisal of each individual property may not be necessary or optimal when the objective is to value portfolios or get a leading indicator of shifts in market value at an aggregate level. Rather, it is more important to use a critical mass of current market data that captures systematic movements in property values. Although a traditional market value appraisal is always more likely to capture the unique unsystematic characteristics of an individual property, automated valuation models using a database of valuation data may provide the best way to get real time interim updates of real estate portfolios and create more timely real estate indices.
p53: a two-faced cancer gene.

p53 is usually referred to as a commonly altered tumour suppressor gene. A new study supports a decade of accumulating evidence that mutated p53 protein can gain new functions and also behave as an oncogene. This study specifically suggests that certain p53 mutants gain the ability to inhibit the MRN–ATM signalling pathway.
p-Version Finite Element Analysis of Gas Bearings of Finite Width

Steady-state compressible isothermal lubrication problems are analyzed by the p-version finite element formulation in conjunction with the Newton-Raphson iteration procedure. Test examples confirm that this is an effective formulation for solving finite width bearing problems, and that, even for high bearing number (Λx > 1000) and coarse mesh situations, numerical solutions are accurate and converge rapidly.
Shape preserving multiplications of fuzzy numbers

Abstract In this note, we show that T W , the weakest t-norm, is the only t-norm T which induces a shape preserving multiplications of LR -fuzzy numbers.
Effect of alkane tumor-promoting agents on chemically induced mutagenesis in cultured V79 Chinese hamster cells.

Linear alkanes of specific chain length between 6 and 16 carbon atoms, an aryl derivative of dodecane, and a phorbol diester were tested in a cell culture system for relative ability to enhance mutagenesis induced by a chemical carcinogen, methyl‐azoxymethanol acetate (MAM). Mutation frequencies at the ouabain‐resistance locus were measured. Results indicated an excellent correlation between the relative activities of the above compounds in enhancing mutagenesis in the in vitro culture system and their tumor‐promoting activities in mouse skin. None of the compounds tested showed mutagenic activity per se, further lending support to the theory that promoters act via derepression of latent carcinogen‐induced damage to the genome.
Gibberellic acid-induced cell elongation in cotton suspension cultures

Gibberellic acid (GA3) causes cell elongation in cotton suspension cultures derived from cotton ovule callus tissue of both auxin-dependent and-independent lines. Cell elongation was more pronounced in auxin-dependent cultures. Cells were cultured for a period of 14 days but differences in cell lengths could be detected after 6 days in culture. Cell elongation took place in cultures in which GA3 was present throughout the culture period or only for the first 3 days. Auxins and cytokinin alone or in the presence of GA3 did not promote cotton cell elongation above the value for the treatment with GA3 alone.
Nighttime cirrus detection using Atmospheric Infrared Sounder window channels and total column water vapor

A method of cirrus detection at nighttime is presented that utilizes 3.8 and 10.4 (micro)m infrared (IR) window brightness temperature differences (dBT) and total column precipitable water (PW) measurements. This technique is applied to the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit A (AMSU-A) instrument suite on board EOS-Aqua, where dBT is determined from sets of carefully selected AIRS window channels, while PW is derived from the synergistic AIRS and AMSU-A water vapor retrievals. Simulated and observed dBT for a particular value of PW are not constant; several physical factors impact dBT, including the variability in temperature and relative humidity profiles, surface emissivity, instrument noise, and skin/ near-surface air temperature differences. We simulate clear-sky dBT over a realistic range of PWs using 8350 radiosondes that have varying temperature and relative humidity profiles. Thresholds between cloudy and uncertain sky conditions are derived once the scatter in the clear-sky dBT is determined. Simulations of optically thin cirrus indicate that this technique is most sensitive to cirrus optical depth in the 10 (micro)m window of 0.1-0.15 or greater over the tropical and subtropical oceans, where surface emissivity and skin/near-surface air temperature impacts on the IR radiances are minimal. The method at present is generally valid over oceanic regions only, specifically, the tropics and subtropics. The detection of thin cirrus, and other cloud types, is validated using observations at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program site located at Manus Island in the tropical western Pacific for 89 coincident EOS-Aqua overpasses. Even though the emphasis of this work is on the detection of thin cirrus at nighttime, this technique is sensitive to a broad cloud morphology. The cloud detection technique agrees with ARM-detected clouds 82-84% of the time, which include thin cirrus, as well as other cloud types. Most of the disagreements are well explained by AIRS footprint-scale heterogeneity compared to ARM point measurements, cirrus overlying lower-layer water clouds, possible mixed phase microphysics in midlevel clouds, and significant IR channel noise for cold BT scenes over deep convective towers.
Ethics and Politics of Field Research in South Africa

This paper draws upon the author's background as a black South African, and her experience as a researcher trained in the United States and doing fieldwork on black children in South Africa, to identify and discuss the special ethical and political challenges of field investigation in an authoritarian context. The relevance of informed consent, and problems such as describing the research and following strategies necessary to gain access to subjects, are discussed. The paper concludes by arguing for a re-evaluation of informed consent and its relevance to research in authoritarian societies, and calls for collaboration between scientists from the West and those from other countries to work out appropriate research strategies where those studied are largely illiterate, impoverished, lacking basic individual rights, and living in an atmosphere of mistrust and potential, if not actual, violence.
Regulating Cytokine Function Enhances Safety and Activity of Genetic Cancer Therapies

Genetic therapies, including transfected immune cells and viral vectors, continue to show clinical responses as systemically deliverable and targeted therapeutics, with the first such approaches having been approved for cancer treatment. The majority of these employ cytokine transgenes. However, expression of cytokines early after systemic delivery can result in increased toxicity and nonspecific induction of the immune response. In addition, premature immune-mediated clearance of the therapy may result, especially for viral-based approaches. Here, it was initially verified that cytokine (interleukin (IL)2) or chemokine (CCL5) expression from a systemically delivered oncolytic virus resulted in reduced oncolytic activity and suboptimal immune activation, while IL2 also resulted in increased toxicity. However, all these limitations could be overcome through incorporation of exogenous regulation of cytokine or chemokine transgene function through fusion of a small and externally controllable destabilizing domain to the protein of interest. Regulation allowed an initial phase without cytokine function, permitting enhanced delivery and oncolytic activity before activation of cytokine function and a subsequent phase of enhanced and tumor-targeted immunotherapeutic activity. As a result of this exogenous regulation of cytokine function, both oncolytic and immune-mediated mechanisms of action were optimized, greatly enhancing therapeutic activity, while toxicity was significantly reduced.
Membrane dielectric changes indicate induced apoptosis in HL-60 cells more sensitively than surface phosphatidylserine expression or DNA fragmentation

The specific membrane capacitance and conductivity of mammalian cells, which reflect their surface morphological complexities and membrane barrier functions, respectively, have been shown to respond to cell physiologic and pathologic changes. Here, the effects of induced apoptosis on these membrane properties of cultured human promyelocytic HL-60 cells are reported. Changes in membrane capacitance and conductivity were deduced from measurements of cellular dielectrophoretic crossover frequencies following treatment with genistein (GEN). The apparent specific cell membrane capacitance of HL-60 cells fell from an initial value of 17.6±0.9 to 9.1±0.5 mF/m2 4 h after treatment. Changes began within minutes of treatment and preceded both the externalization of phosphatidylserine (PS), as gauged by the Annexin V assay, and the appearance of a sub-G1 cell subpopulation, as determined through ethidium bromide staining of DNA. Treatment by the broad spectrum caspase inhibitor N-benzyloxycarbony-Val-Ala-Asp(O-methyl)-fluoromethyketone (zVAD-fmk) did not prevent these early cell membrane dielectric responses, suggesting that the caspase system was not involved. Although membrane conductivity did not alter during the first 4 h of GEN treatment, it rose significantly and progressively thereafter. Finally, as the barrier function failed and the cells became necrotic, it increased by many orders of magnitude. The effective membrane capacitance and conductivity findings serve to focus attention on the membrane as a site for early participation in apoptosis. In conjunction with our prior reports of the use of dielectric methods for cell manipulation and separation, these results demonstrate that dielectrophoretic technologies should be applicable to the rapid detection, separation, and quantification of normal, apoptotic, and necrotic cells from cell mixtures.
Evaluating Spatter And Aerosol Contamination During Dental Procedures

Several factors can influence bacterial distribution during treatment. A pilot study evaluated the distribution of spatter and aerosols generated by highspeed instrumentation. In the first phase, fluorescent dye was added to the handpiece water supply. In the second, blood agar culture plates were placed in the operatory. Results show that contamination from spatter and aerosol dissemination remains a significant hazard for dental personnel.