cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Subject reactivity effects and alcohol treatment outcome research.

Objective: Attributions regarding alcohol treatment research protocols influencing clinical outcomes have persisted for more than 25 years. Although well-designed alcohol treatment outcome studies typically involve frequent, and often comprehensive, research assessment protocols, procedures are seldom in place to control or account for possible subject reactivity to the research protocol. This article presents a theoretical basis for a relationship between research protocols and treatment outcomes. Method: The article reviews the relevant alcohol treatment outcome literature and presents a "weight of evidence" regarding subject reactivity effects and alcohol treatment outcome research assessment protocols. Also, the FRAMES (feedback, responsibility, advice, menu, empathy and self-efficacy) model was coupled with self-regulation theory to provide a theoretical explanation of how research assessment protocols might contribute to clinically relevant behavioral change. Results: Researcher attributions, empiri...
Atrial ejection force: A noninvasive assessment of atrial systolic function

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to define atrial ejection force and to develop a method for its noninvasive measurement from echocardiographic data. Background. Assessment of diastolic function through measurement of the components of ventricular filling has largely neglected the vigor of atrial systole, in part because this has been difficult to quantify. However, atrial ejection force, defined as that force exerted by the left atrium to accelerate blood into the left ventricle during atrial systole, can be assessed noninvasively by combined two-dimensional imaging and Doppler echocardiography. This index of atrial function, based on classic newtonian mechanics, provides a physiologic assessment of atrial systolic function. Methods. To evaluate the usefulness of atrial ejection force, we studied the return of left atrial ejection force in 29 patients after elective cardioversion for atrial fibrillation. Transmitral Doppler inflow patterns at rest were assessed immediately after cardioversion and at 24 h, 1 week, 1 month and >3 months later. A healthy adult group (n = 10) served as control subjects. Results. After successful cardioversion, atrial ejection force was significantly depressed compared with that in the control group (5.2 ± 6.8 vs. 16.3 ± 4,7 kdynes; p < 0.0001). Over successive weeks, atrial ejection force improved in the subgroup of patients who remained in sinus rhythm (n = 18), whereas no improvement was seen during the period of maintained sinus rhythm in the patients with subsequent reversion to atriai fibrillation (n = 11). Conclusions. Atrial ejection force provides a physiologic assessment of atrial systolic function and is a potentially useful index for assessing atrial contribution to diastolic performance. In patients who successfully underwent cardioversion from atrial fibrillation, atrial ejection force improved over several weeks only in the subgroup in which sinus rhythm was maintained.
Generalized delay model for signalized intersections and arterial streets

Average delay per vehicle is the primary measure for determining the level of service at signalized intersections. This performance measure is also a major component in the calculation of average travel speed used to determine the level of service on arterial streets. The most widely used models for estimating delay at signalized intersections are those in Chapters 9 ("Signalized Intersections") and 11 ("Urban and Suburban Arterials") of the Highway Capacity Manual. This research reviewed the literature on models for estimating delay at signalized intersections to identify limitations and formulate revised models to address those limitations. Specific problems that were addressed included the inability to account for actuated-control parameters, oversaturation and variable demand, and metering and filtering by upstream traffic signals. The research team developed a generalized delay model to address these limitations and then validated the generalized model with both field and simulation data. The propose...
Observations of electric fields near the plasmapause at midnight

Static electric field measurements in the equatorial-plane from the 100-m double floating probe experiment carried on the SCATHA (P-78-2) satellite are reported. Eclipse measurements on auroral L shells are studied to better understand the change in magnetospheric convection at the plasmapause. The use of eclipse data allows the electric fields to be measured directly without contamination from the spacecraft photoelectron sheath; and it allows the thermal ion population in the outer plasmasphere to be observed, identifying the satellite location with respect to the plasmapause. (Such measurements are limited to near local midnight). It is found that, in the corotating frame, there is generally an electric field component in the antisolar direction during periods of low magnetic activity which begins at the edge of the plasmasphere and builds in amplitude as the satellite enters the plasma sheet. The amplitude of this electric field varies from 0.05 mV/m to 0.2 mV/m with increasing magnetic activity; the electric field switches to radially inward during periods of high activity with magnitudes up to 2 mV/m. The amplitude of the observed electric field increases with the amount of contribution from east-west currents in the earth's plasma sheet-magnetotail current system.
Impairment of lymphocyte mobilization from lymphoid organs by granulomatous infection.

Abstract The kinetics of the lymphocytosis induced by intravenous (iv) injection of the lymphocyte mobilizing agent polymethacrylic acid (PMAA) were studied in C3H mice chronically infected with Mycobacterium lepraemurium and in normal controls. After the tenth week of infection, lymphocyte mobilization to peripheral blood by PMAA diminished progressively and at 18 weeks it was significantly less than normal ( P 51 Chromium-labeled lymph node cells from syngeneic donors were given iv to 18-week infected or control mice and allowed to home for 18 hr prior to PMAA injection. Radioactivity in the blood of infected mice was significantly less than levels in controls at 2, 4, and 6 hr after PMAA ( P = 0.02). Similar studies of splenectomized mice from the normal and infected groups indicated that impairment of lymphocyte mobilization in infected mice was secondary to lymphocyte trapping by the spleen and lymph nodes.
Demand deposit contracts, suspension of convertibility, and optimal financial intermediation

This paper establishes that an optical contract, combining features of the well-known Diamond and Dybvig (1983) and Townsend (1979, 1983) models, resembles banking. The contract and the associated allocations are derived from a social planner's problem which contains the Diamond and Dybvig and Townsend models as sub-problems. The analysis accomplishes the following. It unites the liquidity preference and cost minimization literatures in a simple way; resolves the demand deposit/demand equity problem in the Diamond and Dybvig model; introduces a notion of efficient bankruptcies into the liquidity preference literature; and raises some questions about the government regulation vs. laissez faire banking debate.
An efficient method by which to determine age of carnivores, using dentine rings

An efficient, inexpensive technique for cross-sectioning teeth by means of a low-speed diamond saw is described. Age determination by means of dentine rings is also discussed and documented.
Allelic Frequencies in Eight Alloantigen Systems of Chickens Selected for High and Low Antibody Response to Sheep Red Blood Cells

Abstract Parents and offspring from lines of chickens selected for high (HA) and low (LA) antibody response to sheep red blood cell antigen(s) were blood typed for systems A, B, C, D, E, H, I, and L. All birds were homozygous for allele L2, and allelic frequencies for the I system were essentially identical in both lines. In contrast, allelic frequencies of the other blood group systems differed rather markedly between the HA and LA lines.
Interaction between vitamin K3 and benzo(a)pyrene metabolism in uninduced microsomes.

1. Relationship between quinone recycling, glucuronidation and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) oxygenation was investigated in uninduced mouse liver microsomes--native and modified by Fe3+.FeEDTA and/or superoxide (O2-.)-initiated lipid peroxidation. 2. A functional coupling between glucuronidation of reduced quinones and BaP metabolism, not discernible during BaP metabolism by native uninduced microsomes, was demonstrable in the presence of a model quinone, vitamin K3 (menadione). 3. Menadione inhibited BaP oxygenation in microsomal preparations, by siphoning off electrons from cytochrome P-450, while addition of UDPGA reversed this effect by glucuronidation of menadiol. 4. Fe3+.FeEDTA and/or O2-.-initiated lipid peroxidation decreased, to different extent, the microsomal enzymatic activities involved in quinone metabolism. The most sensitive was quinone reductase activity, which was reduced by 77%. Under peroxidative conditions menadione was a less effective inhibitor of BaP metabolism. 5. The important role of the balance between quinone reductase and UDP-glucuronyltransferase activities in the coupling with BaP oxygenation is discussed. A mechanism by which vitamin K3 could exert a regulatory effect on BaP metabolism is proposed.
Implementation and day-to-day usage of a client-server-based radiology information system.

Implementation of a second-generation radiology information system (RIS) requires attention to many issues, including work flow, system design, training, consideration for emerging technologies, and support. This presentation convers the issues, and solutions, involved in implementation and subsequent day-to-day usage of a client-server-based RIS tightly integrated with a hospital information system (HIS) using “thin client” software to limit hardware requirements for the client computers. The software and hardware implementation had to be designed for potential enterprise-wide scalability of the RIS for a system involving 11 hospitals. Issues arose regarding initial increased turn-around times, errors in importation of historical data, and problems with implementation of interfaces between the RIS and the billing system and between the RIS and the digital dictation system. Network errors and difficulties in using a thin client implementation had to be overcome. Hierarchical training was implemented, as support was switched from an “on-site” support group to a central Information System Division with responsibility to the entire enterprise.
Intense nighttime flux from the plasmasphere during a modest magnetic storm

Abstract An analytical-numerical model is created for two nights during Space Weather Month in September 1999. On one of these nights, after the midnight collapse over the Arecibo Observatory, the plasma density remained quite high in spite of a very sharp decrease in the F 2 peak height. In order to support this high density against recombination, a very high plasma flux from the plasmasphere, a value of about 6×10 8 cm −2 s −1 , is needed. Initially, data assimilation attempts did not allow such a flux (see Ionospheric data assimilation: recovery of strong mid-latitudinal density gradients, J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phys., this issue). We believe the high flux results from a well-developed equatorial fountain and an Appleton anomaly well north of its usual location. The latter is consistent with both the large plasma gradient over Arecibo and the enhanced Jicamarca electric field (see Midlatitude plasma and electric field measurements during Space Weather Month, September 1999. J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phys., this issue).
Returns to US soybean export market development

The Foreign Agricultural Service and the American Soybean Association cooperate in one of the oldest and largest foreign market development programs. Over the years, soybean promotional efforts have had a modest yet significant effect on the United States soybean industry. Other sectors of US agriculture have benefited indirectly. Promotion has had positive impacts on both prices and exports with relatively high returns per dollar invested. A recent shift in emphasis from the promotion of soybeans to the promotion of soybean products has led to even greater revenues per dollar spent.
Manipulation of platelet aggregation by prostaglandins and their fatty acid precursors: pharmacological basis for a therapeutic approach.

Abstract Addition of the one-, two- or three- series endoperoxide to human platelet-rich plasma tend to supress aggregation, through the action of their respective non-enzymatic breakdown products PGE 1 , PGD 2 , or PGD 3 all of which elevate cyclic AMP levels. On the other hand, these stable primary products do not arise in appreciable amounts from intrinsic endoperoxides generated from either endogenous or exogenous free fatty acids. 5,8,11,14,17-Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) suppresses arachidonic acid (5,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid) conversion by cycloogygenase (as well as lipoxygenase) to aggregatory metabolites in platelets. Exogenously added EPA was capable of inhibiting PRP aggregation induced either by exogenous or endogenous (released by ADP or collagen) arachidonate. The hypothetical combination of an EPA-rich diet and a thromboxane synthetase inhibitor might abolish production of the pro-aggregatory species, thromboxane A 2 , and enhance formation of the anti-aggregatory metabolite, prostacyclin. Whereas EPA is not detectably metabolized by platelets, dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (8,11,14,-eicosatrienoic acid) is primariley converted by cyclooxygenase and thromboxane synthetase into the inactive metabolite, 12-hydroxyheptadecadienoic (HHD) acid. Pretreatment of human platelet suspensions with the thromboxane synthetase inhibitor imidazole unmasks the aggregatory property of PGH 1 and DLL which was partially compromised by the PGE 1 formed. The combination of the thromboxane synthetase inhibitor and an adenylate cyclase inhibitor unmasks a complete irreversible aggregation by DLL or PGH 1 . The basis of a dietary strategy that replaces AA with DLL must rely on the production by the platelet of an inactive metabolite (HHD) rather than thromboxane A 2 .
Use of Teacher and Peers to Control Classroom Thumbsucking

A child who habitually sucked his thumb in the classroom was rewarded if the teacher or any classmate did not catch him thumbsucking for a specified length of time. Each time S was caught by a peer, the peer was rewarded. Thumbsucking decreased markedly after introduction of the reinforcement contingencies. The decrease was maintained as frequency of reinforcement was reduced. During a follow-up period, when there was no attempt at behavioral control, thumbsucking reverted to the baseline level.
Epidemiology of substance use disorders.

Epidemiological studies of substance use and substance use disorders (SUDs) have provided an abundance of data on the patterns of substance use in nationally representative samples across the world (Degenhardt et al. in PLoS Med 5(7):e141, 2008; Johnston et al. in Monitoring the future national survey results on drug use, 1975–2010, vol I, secondary school students. Institute for Social Research, Ann Arbor, MI, 2011; SAMHSA in Results from the 2010 national survey on drug use and health: summary of national findings, vol NSDUH, series H-41, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 11-4658. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Rockville, 2011). This paper presents a summary of the goals, methods, and recent findings on the epidemiology of substance use and disorders in the general population of adults and adolescents and describes the methods and findings on the genetic epidemiology of drug use disorders. The high 12-month prevalence rates of substance dependence in US adults (about 12 % for alcohol and 2–3 % for illicit drugs) approximate those of other mental disorders as well as chronic physical disorders with major public health impact. New findings from the nationally representative samples of US youth reveal that the lifetime prevalence of alcohol use disorders is approximately 8 % and illicit drug use disorders is 2–3 % (Merikangas et al. in J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 49(10):980–989, 2010; Swendsen et al. in Arch Gen Psychiatry 69(4):390–398, 2012; SAMHSA in Results from the 2010 national survey on drug use and health: summary of national findings, vol NSDUH, Series H-41, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 11-4658. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Rockville, 2011). The striking increase in prevalence rates from ages 13 to 18 highlight adolescence as the key period of development of SUDs. The application of genetic epidemiological studies has consistently demonstrated that genetic factors have a major influence on progression of substance use to dependence, whereas environmental factors unique to the individual play an important role in exposure and initial use of substances. Identification of specific susceptibility genes and environmental factors that influence exposure and progression of drug use may enhance our ability to prevent and treat SUDs.
Cretaceous-Tertiary geology of the Gangdese Arc in the Linzhou area, southern Tibet

Abstract Knowledge of the Cretaceous–Tertiary history of upper crustal shortening and magmatism in Tibet is fundamental to placing constraints on when and how the Tibetan plateau formed. In the Lhasa terrane of southern Tibet, the widely exposed angular unconformity beneath uppermost Cretaceous–lower Tertiary volcanic-bearing strata of the Linzizong Formation provides an excellent geologic and time marker to distinguish between deformation that occurred before vs. during the Indo-Asian collision. In the Linzhou area, located ∼ 30 km north of the city of Lhasa, a > 3-km-thick section of the Linzizong Formation lies unconformably on Cretaceous and older rocks that were shortened by both northward- and southward-verging structures during the Late Cretaceous. The Linzizong Formation dips northward in the footwall of a north-dipping thrust system that involves Triassic–Jurassic strata and a granite intrusion in the hanging wall. U–Pb zircon geochronologic studies show that the Linzizong Formation ranges in age from 69 Ma to at least 47 Ma and that the hanging wall granite intrusion crystallized at ∼ 52 Ma, coeval with dike emplacement into footwall Cretaceous strata. 40Ar/39Ar thermochronologic studies suggest slow cooling of the granite between 49 and 42 Ma, followed by an episode of accelerated cooling to upper crustal levels beginning at ∼ 42 Ma. The onset of rapid cooling was coeval with the cessation of voluminous arc magmatism in southern Tibet and is interpreted be a consequence of either (1) Tertiary thrusting in this region or (2) regional rock uplift and erosion following removal of overthickened Gangdese arc lower crust and upper mantle or break-off of the Neo-Tethyan oceanic slab.
Visual Agnosia Revisited

Visual Agnosia (Second Edition). Martha J. Farah (Ed.). 2005. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press/Bradford Books, 192 pp., $25.00 (PB).Martha Farah published her influential volume Visual Agnosia in 1990. As she notes in the Preface to the second edition of this book, she undertook the project in the interest of “reviewing and systematizing the case literature and posing some basic questions that could, in principle, be answered by such cases.” The first edition of Visual Agnosia accomplished her objectives. From the extraordinarily rich but often confusing body of neuropsychological data, Dr. Farah developed a comprehensive account of visual processing disorders that was both true to the clinical phenomena and informed by then-current accounts of normal vision. Her short monograph quickly gained a wide audience and has become a standard reference. It has occupied a readily accessible spot on my bookshelf for years.
Leukocyte adhesion deficiency syndrome: insights into the molecular basis of leukocyte emigration.

Abstract Important insights into the molecular basis of leukocyte emigration have come from studies of the leukocyte adhesion deficiency (LAD) syndrome, a rare heritable disorder caused by deficiency of the leukocyte β2 integrin receptor CD11/CD18. Severely affected patients exhibit a profound defect in neutrophil emigration to tissue. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate that the CD11/CD18 complex is the major determinant of the firm adhesion and transendothelial migration of neutrophils. The inability of CD11/CD18-deficient neutrophils to adhere to and migrate across endothelium results in a profound defect in neutrophil emigration to tissue which leads to recurrent infection. The careful investigation of the LAD syndrome has also helped to characterize CD11/CD18-independent adhesion pathways such as the selectin receptors and the β1 integrin receptor VLA-4. Interestingly, although the LAD syndrome clearly establishes the importance of the β2 integrin receptors in host defense, inhibition of CD11/CD18 function may represent a novel approach to the therapy of inflammatory and immune disorders.
Silver in San Francisco Bay estuarine waters

Spatial gradients of silver concentrations in the surface waters of San Francisco Bay reveal substantial anthropogenic perturbations of the biogeochemical cycle of the element throughout the estuarine system. The most pronounced perturbations are in the south bay, where dissolved (<0.45 μm) silver concentrations are as high as 250 pM. This is more than one order-of-magnitude above baseline concentrations in the northern reach of the estuary (6 pM) and approximately two orders-of-magnitude above natural concentrations in adjacent coastal waters (3 pM). The excess silver is primarily attributed to wastewater discharges of industrial silver to the estuary on the order of 20 kg d−1. The contamination is most evident in the south bay, where wastewater discharges of silver are on the order of 10 kg d−1 and natural freshwater discharges are relatively insignificant. The limited amount of freshwater flushing in the south bay was exacerbated by persistent drought conditions during the study period. This extended the hydraulic residence time in the south bay (≥160 d), and revealed the apparent seasonal benthic fluxes of silver from anthropogenically contaminated sediments. These were conservatively estimated to average ≈16 nmol m−2 d−1 in the south bay, which is sufficient to replace all of the dissolved silver in the south bay within 22 d. Benthic fluxes of silver throughout the estuary were estimated to average ≈11 nmol m−2 d−1, with an annual input of approximately 540 kg yr−1 of silver to the system. This dwarfs the annual fluvial input of silver during the study period (12 kg yr−1) and is equivalent to approximately 10% of the annual anthropogenic input of silver to the estuary (3,700–7,200 kg yr−1). It is further speculated that benthic fluxes of silver may be greater than or equal to waste water fluxes of silver during periods of intense diagenic remobilization. However, all inputs of dissolved silver to the estuary are efficiently sorbed by suspended particulates, as evidenced by the relatively constant conditional distribution coefficient for silver throughout the estuary (Kd≈105).
Porosity control in thin film solar cells: Two-dimensional case

This work focuses on the simulation and control of a porous silicon thin film deposition process used in the manufacture of thin film solar cell systems. Initially, the process is simulated via kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) method on a triangular lattice. Then a closed-form differential equation model is introduced to predict the dynamics of the kMC model and closed-loop system, and the model parameters in this model are identified by fitting to open-loop kMC simulation results. Finally, a model predictive controller (MPC) is designed and results demonstrate that both film thickness and porosity can be regulated to desired values.
The STAT3 NH2-terminal domain stabilizes enhanceosome assembly by interacting with the p300 bromodomain.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is a latent transcription factor mainly activated by the interleukin-6 cytokine family. Previous studies have shown that activated STAT3 recruits p300, a coactivator whose intrinsic histone acetyltransferase activity is essential for transcription. Here we investigated the function of the STAT3 NH2-terminal domain and how its interaction with p300 regulates STAT3 signal transduction. In STAT3-/- mouse embryonic fibroblasts, a stably expressed NH2 terminus-deficient STAT3 mutant (STAT3-ΔN) was unable to efficiently induce either STAT3-mediated reporter activity or endogenous mRNA expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were performed to determine whether the NH2-terminal domain regulates p300 recruitment or stabilizes enhanceosome assembly. Despite equivalent levels of STAT3 binding, cells expressing the STAT3-ΔN mutant were unable to recruit p300 and RNA polymerase II to the native socs3 promoter as efficiently as those expressing STAT3-full length. We previously reported that the STAT3 NH2-terminal domain is acetylated by p300 at Lys-49 and Lys-87. By introducing K49R/K87R mutations, here we found that the acetylation status of the STAT3 NH2-terminal domain regulates its interaction with p300. In addition, the STAT3 NH2-terminal binding site maps to the p300 bromodomain, a region spanning from amino acids 995 to 1255. Finally a p300 mutant lacking the bromodomain (p300-ΔB) exhibited a weaker binding to STAT3, and the enhanceosome formation on the socs3 promoter was inhibited when p300-ΔB was overexpressed. Taken together, our data suggest that the STAT3 NH2-terminal domain plays an important role in the interleukin-6 signaling pathway by interacting with the p300 bromodomain, thereby stabilizing enhanceosome assembly.
The macro-ethics of genomics to health: the Physiome Project

Abstract Advances in pharmacology and genomics, and their intervention in human biology are beyond our abilities to understand their consequences. Therapeutic intervention in highly complex, non-linear, adaptive biological systems results in some unforeseen and undesirable consequences. To do the most good with the least harm, the information on biological systems should be gathered into databases, and into comprehensive quantitative models that can help to predict the long-range effects of proposed interventions. This is a societal or professional macro-ethical imperative. The Physiome Project helps to meet this imperative via databasing and creating models and tools for large-scale integration. To cite this article: J.B. Bassingthwaighte, C. R. Biologies 326 (2003).
Presidential Address: Distinction or Extinction

Despite its continuing scientific successes in imaging, radiology as a specialty is faced with a very difficult and competitive environment. Nonradiologists are more and more interested in vertically integrating imaging into their practices, while teleradiology and picture archiving and communication systems are resulting in the greater isolation of radiologists. Commoditization is a realistic and devastating threat to the survival and professionalism of the specialty. To remain viable as a specialty, radiologists must elevate their practice by subspecializing, becoming more involved with clinical care, and actively interacting with patients and referring clinicians. Distinction will prevent extinction.
The Role of Social Capital in Immigrant and Refugee Economic Adaptation

Abstract This study examined the effects of social capital upon the economic adaptation of 2336 primarily Latin American and Asian immigrants and refugees residing in Miami-Fort Lauderdale and San Diego. Amultivariate, cross-sectional survey design was used. It was found that social capital, as indicated by respondents' social networks, workplace ethnic composition, informal assistance and formal assistance received, had minimal impact upon economic adaptation, as indicated by employment status, public assistance utilization, and earnings, after controlling for human capital, household composition, citizenship, English ability, and gender. The findings cast doubt upon the theory of social capital as a determinant of immigrant and refugee economic adaptation, while supporting the important role of human capital, citizenship, English ability, and gender.
Alcohol consumption in men exposed to the military draft lottery: A natural experiment

The randomized natural experiment provided by the military draft lotteries of 1970, 1971, and 1972 is used to compare alcohol consumption in men born in the years 1950, 1951, and 1952. Alcohol consumption data are derived from the National Health Interview Survey supplements for 1977, 1983, and 1985. The analysis follows an intention-to-draft paradigm, where draft eligibility is determined solely by randomly assigned lottery numbers. Draft eligibility status is found to be unassociated with alcohol consumption, despite the fact that eligibility for the draft significantly increased the likelihood of military service and that veterans are more likely to report increased alcohol consumption compared to nonveterans. The randomized draft lottery provides an elegant natural experiment that potentially obviates the problem of confounding by premilitary service factors found in previous studies of alcohol consumption among veterans and nonveterans. However, the indirect association between draft eligibility and any health outcome (where military service is an intervening variable), together with the failure of the draft to produce a higher percent of veterans, prohibits application in all but the largest samples.
Can a durable disease-free survival be achieved with surgical resection in patients with pathological node positive renal cell carcinoma?

Purpose: Patients with isolated regional nodal metastases from renal cell carcinoma are a distinct cohort for which resection of involved lymph nodes may be therapeutic. We assessed the outcomes of patients treated at our institution with pathological node positive renal cell carcinoma without concomitant metastatic disease (TanyN+M0).Materials and Methods: A total of 2,521 patients with nonmetastatic renal cell carcinoma (TanyNanyM0) of any histological subtype treated with nephrectomy were identified between 1995 and 2009. Pathological regional node positive disease in the absence of clinically detectable metastases (TanyN1-2M0) was present in 68 patients (2.7%) and these patients formed our study cohort. Patients were assessed for timing and location of recurrence, disease specific survival and overall survival. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to define factors predictive of recurrence and overall survival.Results: Of the 68 patients with TanyN1-2M0 renal cell carcinoma 22.1% were fr...
Controlling gene expression in transgenics

The repertoire of cis-regulatory elements has increased to a level of sophistication that offers considerable spatial and temporal control over transgene expression. Recent advances made with transgenes have revealed that the control of their expression is also influenced by factors that range from transgene copy number and arrangement to nuclear architecture and chromosomal location. These factors must now be included with the standard considerations of transcriptional and translational enhancers of gene expression during transgene design.
Cost savings from the use of antenatal steroids to prevent respiratory distress syndrome and related conditions in premature infants.

4. Crowley P, Chalmers I, Keirse Marc JNC. The effects of corticosteroid administration before preterm delivery: an overview of the evidence from controlled trials. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 1990;97:11-25. 5. Corbet A, Bucciarelli R, Goldman S, Manuel M, Wold D, Long W. Exosurf Pediatric Group 1. Decreased mortality rate among small premature infants at birth with a single dose of synthetic surfactant: a multicentered uncontrolled trial. J Pediatr 1991;118:277-84. 8.
Learning in non-stationary environments with class imbalance

Learning in non-stationary environments is an increasingly important problem in a wide variety of real-world applications. In non-stationary environments data arrives incrementally, however the underlying generating function may change over time. In addition to the environments being non-stationary, they also often exhibit class imbalance. That is one class (the majority class) vastly outnumbers the other class (the minority class). This combination of class imbalance with non-stationary environments poses significant and interesting practical problems for classification. To overcome these issues, we introduce a novel instance selection mechanism, as well as provide a modification to the Heuristic Updatable Weighted Random Subspaces (HUWRS) method for the class imbalance problem. We then compare our modifications of HUWRS (called HUWRS.IP) to other state of the art algorithms, concluding that HUWRS. IP often achieves vastly superior performance.
Soft level set coupling for LV segmentation in gated perfusion SPECT

We present a new segmentation approach for the myocardium in gated and non-gated perfusion SPECT images. To this end, we represent the epi- and endocardiumby separate signed distance functions and couple them by a soft constraint to give explicit control over the wall thickness. By an explicit modeling of the basal plane, the volume of the blood pool as well as the myocardium are determinable. Furthermore, prior shape information is incorporated by applying a kernel density estimation on a number of expert segmentations in a low-dimensional PCA subspace. Thereby, information along the time axis is fully taken into account by employing 4-dimensional embedding functions.
Nanofabricated Concentric Ring Structures by Templated Self-Assembly of a Diblock Copolymer

The formation of well-controlled circular patterns on the nanoscale is important for the fabrication of a range of devices such as sensors, memories, lasers, transistors, and quantum devices. Concentric, smooth ring patterns with tunable dimensions have been formed from a cylinder-forming poly(styrene-b-dimethylsiloxane) (PS-PDMS) diblock copolymer under confinement in shallow circular trenches. The high etch selectivity between PS and PDMS facilitates pattern transfer, illustrated by the fabrication of arrays of ferromagnetic cobalt rings with a density of 1.1 × 109/cm2. The effects of confinement diameter and commensurability on the diameter and period of the concentric rings are analyzed using a free energy model that includes interfacial, strain, and bending energies. This work provides a simple process for the fabrication of nanoscale circular patterns with very narrow line width using a much coarser-scale template, and may facilitate the miniaturization of a variety of microelectronic devices.
Iodonium Ylide Mediated Radiofluorination of 18F-FPEB and Validation for Human Use

Translation of new methodologies for labeling nonactivated aromatic molecules with 18F remains a challenge. Here, we report a one-step, regioselective, metal-free 18F-labeling method that uses a hypervalent iodonium(III) ylide precursor, to prepare the radiopharmaceutical 18F-3-fluoro-5-[(pyridin-3-yl)ethynyl]benzonitrile (18F-FPEB). Methods: Automated radiosynthesis of 18F-FPEB was achieved by reaction of the ylide precursor (4 mg) with 18F-Et4NF in dimethylformamide at 80°C for 5 min and formulated for injection within 1 h. Results:18F-FPEB was synthesized in 20% ± 5% (n = 3) uncorrected radiochemical yields relative to 18F-fluoride, with specific activities of 666 ± 51.8 GBq (18 ± 1.4 Ci)/μmol at the end of synthesis and was validated for human use. Conclusion: Radiofluorination of iodonium (III) ylides proved to be an efficient radiosynthetic strategy for synthesis of 18F-labeled radiopharmaceuticals.
High-energy pulsed light source hair removal device used to evaluate the onset of action of a new topical anesthetic.

Background. Topical anesthetic agents are widely used to mitigate the pain associated with laser and high-energy pulsed light source hair removal. Objective. To evaluate the relative efficacy and onset of action of a new topical anesthetic agent, ELA-Max cream (lidocaine 4%), relative to a widely used agent, EMLA cream (lidocaine 2.5%/prilocaine 2.5%). Methods. ELA-Max and EMLA were applied to the forearms of 10 unblinded test subjects. The EMLA-treated sites were occluded for 1.5 hours prior to testing. The ELA-Max-treated sites were unoccluded and the cream was applied immediately prior to testing. Pulses from an Epilight high-energy pulsed light source were then administered 1.5 hours after occlusion with EMLA and in 5-minute intervals after application of ELA-Max. Pain scores were recorded on a visual analog scale (VAS). Results. Six of 10 patients reported some anesthetic effect from ELA-Max after 5 minutes of unoccluded skin contact. Seven of 10 subjects reported maximal pain control 20 minutes after application of unoccluded ELA-Max, roughly equivalent to EMLA after 1.5 hours of occlusion. Conclusion. ELA-Max is an effective topical anesthetic agent comparable to EMLA under occlusion. It appears to be faster acting than EMLA, and along with its effectiveness without occlusion, may be an easier agent to use.
Closest-Point-of-Approach Join for Moving Object Histories

In applications that produce a large amount of data describing the paths of moving objects, there is a need to ask questions about the interaction of objects over a long recorded history. In this paper, we consider the problem of computing joins over massive moving object histories. The particular join that we study is the "Closest-Point-Of- Approach" join, which asks: Given a massive moving object history, which objects approached within a distance d of one another? We carefully consider several relatively obvious strategies for computing the answer to such a join, and then propose a novel, adaptive join algorithm which naturally alters the way in which it computes the join in response to the characteristics of the underlying data.
Inhibitory Effect of Pregnancy on Counterregulatory Hormone Responses to Hypoglycemia in Awake Rat

Intensive insulin treatment during diabetic pregnancy is complicated by maternal hypoglycemia. To investigate whether pregnancy may contribute as an independent hypoglycemia risk factor, awake pregnant rats that were near term underwent stepped insulin hypoglycemic (3.4 and 2.3 mM) clamp studies in the fasted and nonfasted states. In the fasted state, the glucagon response to hypoglycemia was completely suppressed in the pregnant rats ( P < 0.01). Epinephrine, but not norepinephrine, was also diminished by ∼70–75% at both hypoglycemic steps, and more exogenous glucose was needed to maintain hypoglycemia during pregnancy. To avoid the potential confounding effect of increased ketone levels (β-hydroxybutyrate was ∼ 170% higher in the pregnant rats), experiments were repeated in the nonfasting state when ketosis was eliminated in both groups. The nonfasted pregnant rats continued to show near complete suppression of the glucagon response, even at glucose levels of 2.3 mM. In contrast, a brisk response occurred in nonpregnant controls when glucose fell to 3.4 mM. Although epinephrine levels in the pregnant rats were also markedly suppressed during the milder hypoglycemic stimulus, they approached values seen in nonpregnant controls when glucose was lowered further to 2.3 mM. We concluded that in the rat, pregnancy markedly suppresses glucagon responses to hypoglycemia. The release of epinephrine, but not norepinephrine, is also blunted, especially during mild hypoglycemia. These findings suggest that pregnancy may impair glucose counterregulation by inhibiting glucagon and epinephrine release during hypoglycemia.
Subcoalgebras and endomorphisms of free Hopf algebras

Abstract For a matrix coalgebra C over some field, we determine all small subcoalgebras of the free Hopf algebra on C , the free Hopf algebra with a bijective antipode on C , and the free Hopf algebra with antipode S satisfying S 2 d = id on C for some fixed d . We use this information to find the endomorphisms of these free Hopf algebras, and to determine the centers of the categories of Hopf algebras, Hopf algebras with bijective antipode, and Hopf algebras with antipode of order dividing 2 d .
A similarity-based approach for ontology mapping

Ontology mapping is the key point to reach interoperability over ontologies. In semantic web environment, ontologies are usually distributed and heterogeneous and thus it is necessary to find the mapping between them. Aiming at ontology mapping between different ontologies, a new synthesized algorithm of concept similarity is proposed in this paper. An advanced measure of setting candidate mapping set is applied to reduce the runtime of the account. The presented algorithm involves concept name, attribute, structure and instance levels. To deal with the problem of name conflict in mapping process, we use thesaurus and statistical technique. Experimental results indicate that the proposed method can significantly outperform the baseline methods, and also obtains improvement over the existing methods.
High-Throughput Growth Assay for Toxoplasma gondii Using Yellow Fluorescent Protein

A high-throughput growth assay for the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii was developed based on a highly fluorescent transgenic parasite line. These parasites are stably transfected with a tandem yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) and are 1,000 times more fluorescent than the wild type. Parasites were inoculated in optical-bottom 384-well culture plates containing a confluent monolayer of host cells, and growth was monitored by using a fluorescence plate reader. The signal was linearly correlated with parasite numbers over a wide array. Direct comparison of the YFP growth assay with the beta-galactosidase growth assay by using parasites expressing both reporters demonstrated that the assays' sensitivities were comparable but that the accuracy of the YFP assay was higher, especially at higher numbers of parasites per well. Determination of the 50%-inhibitory concentrations of three known growth-inhibiting drugs (cytochalasin D, pyrimethamine, and clindamycin) resulted in values comparable to published data. The delayed parasite death kinetics of clindamycin could be measured without modification of the assay, making this assay very versatile. Additionally, the temperature-dependent effect of pyrimethamine was assayed in both wild-type and engineered drug-resistant parasites. Lastly, the development of mycophenolic acid resistance after transfection of a resistance gene in T. gondii was followed. In conclusion, the YFP growth assay limits pipetting steps to a minimum, is highly versatile and amendable to automation, and should enable rapid screening of compounds to fulfill the need for more efficient and less toxic antiparasitic drugs.
Solid Sorbent Post-Combustion CO2 Capture in Subcritical PC Power Plant

Existing coal fired power plants are expected to continue providing a significant portion of power generation and a majority of these are subcritical pulverized coal (PC) units which have higher CO2 emissions on a MWe basis due to their higher heat rates, while CO2 emissions are an increasing concern due to global pressure on limiting greenhouse gas accumulation in the atmosphere. Current state-of-the-art CO2 capture technology uses an aqueous amine solution to chemically absorb the CO2 from the flue gas and thus requires a large amount of energy for solvent regeneration. Novel solid sorbent based CO2 capture technologies are under development to capture the CO2 via physical adsorption and desorption, thereby consuming far less energy for the sorbent regeneration process. This present work is focused on retrofitting a subcritical PC power plant with solid sorbent post combustion CO2 capture technology. Thermal performance and costs are compared with an amine based CO2 capture plant as well as the plant with no CO2 capture. The design of the solid sorbent based CO2 capture system is optimized for integration to minimize plant modifications and the associated downtime. In an existing PC plant with a net power efficiency of 36.57%, use of the amine based capture reduces the net efficiency to 26.01% while with the solid sorbent based capture, the reduction in net efficiency is far less at 28.67% when 90% of the CO2 is captured. As a consequence, the increase in plant cooling duty is significantly lower for the solid sorbent CO2 capture case, with the water usage on a per MW basis being almost 17% lower than the amine based PC plant. The calculated levelized cost of electricity is increased from $60.5/MWh without CO2 capture to $124.3/MWh for amine based capture while that with the solid sorbent based capture is much lower at $115.8/MWh.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Chapter 68 – Cholinesterases

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses cholinesterases, their importance in understanding the toxicity of organophosphate ester (OP) and carbamate (CB) pesticides, and their application to risk assessment. Cholinesterases (ChEs) are specialized carboxylic ester hydrolases that break down esters of choline. Two of special concern to the pesticide toxicologist are acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase, also known as nonspecific cholinesterase or pseudocholinesterase. ChEs are classed among the B-esterases, enzymes inhibited by OPs and possessing a serine catalytic site. The specific course of research on ChEs parallels, and indeed has often been at the cutting edge of, some of the advances of the mid-20th and early 21st century in biochemistry, pharmacology, physiology, cell biology, and toxicology. The rapid development of cDNA microarrays suggests that studies of the impact of anticholinergic chemicals will soon be routinely conducted on the level of responsive genes. The advent of probabilistic methods of assessing risk of pesticides to human health and wildlife will create opportunities to apply sophisticated methods of determining risk from anticholinergic agents based on the population distributions of exposures and effects. The simplicity of synthesizing and deploying anti-ChEs as weapons of war and terror is likely to be as tempting to governments and to terrorists of the 21st century as it was to some in the 20th century.
Learning About Learning: Students' Course Choice

We use a broad sample of students to provide insight into the course selection process. Consistent with a learning model, we find that students with more years of college experience select courses that are a better match because they make better use of the information available to them. We also find evidence for a social learning process in that students rely heavily on advice from peers in selecting courses. Finally, students appear to be learning how to learn: As they gain college experience, they become more sophisticated in the use of social learning.
Modeling constraints to redundancy in bimanual force coordination

This study investigated the interactive influence of organismic, environmental, and task constraints on the organization of redundant force coordination patterns and the hypothesis that each of the...