cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Review of the Current Management and Treatment Options for Superficial Venous Insufficiency

The recognition of lower extremity venous disease as a significant cause of morbidity and lower quality of life, afflicting up to 25 % of Western populations, has led to rapid and drastic improvements in treatment options as well as an increasing awareness of the disease. Superficial venous disease, a frequent medical problem encountered in clinical practices, is now a common reason for referral to providers offering a spectrum of interventions. Venous guidelines have been set forth by the American Venous Forum and Society for Vascular Surgery covering simple spider veins to chronic venous ulcerations. (Gloviczki et al. J Vas Surg 53:2S–48S, 2011) This review provides an overview of the modern management of varicose veins and venous insufficiency.
Design of a constant efficiency spectrometer for IR wavelengths.

The constant efficiency spectrometer, proposed by Maystre and Petit, was specialized to the infrared wavelength range (2.7–3.1 μm). Derivations of the equations to predict resolving power, to determine the setting corresponding to a given wavelength, and to predict distortion due to the optics are presented. The spectrometer is able to discriminate between all wavelengths produced by an HF laser providing the beam spot size on the grating covers at least 800 grooves. The measured efficiency is 62.5%.
Biodiversity: microbial genomes multiply.

It is seven years since the first bacterial genome was completely sequenced, and more than 60 others have now been determined. What has been the impact of these projects on pure science and public welfare?
Morphologic Differences of the Endocardial Electrogram in Beats of Sinus and Ventricular Origin

Abstract The lack of accurate arrhythmia detection and identification is one of the major obstacles to improvement in the efficacy of antitachycardia devices. We evaluated a method for detection of beats of ventricular origin compared to sinus rhythm based on the morphology of the endocardial electrogram. In order to compare mechanically induced ventricular beats to normal sinus beats, endocardial electrograms from a standard pacing electrode were recorded from eight open-chested dogs. Time and frequency domain features analyzed included peak-to-peak amplitude (AMP), maximal slew rate (dV/dT), and frequency content (-3 dB downpoint). Quantitative morphologic comparison of the waveforms was performed using standard correlation and by the absolute area of difference between the waveform and a sinus beat template. The AMP and dV/dT for a group of ventricular beats did not differ significantly from beats of sinus origin. In the unipolar configuration -3 dB for ventricular beats was significantly different from sinus beats (p = .01), but overlap occurred in three of eight cases. Conversely, using either method of assessment of morphological differences, all ventricular beats could be identified without overlapping the values for normal beats. We concluded that morphologic analysis of the endocardial electrogram by such methods may be a highly accurate means of distinguishing between beats of sinus and ventricular origins. This technique may also be applicable to the problem of automatic rhythm identification by implanted devices.
Phylogenetic footprinting of the human cytochrome c oxidase subunit VB promoter.

Abstract The human COX5B gene encodes subunit Vb of cytochrome c oxidase (COX). COX Vb is 1 of the 10 subunits of the mitochondrial COX complex encoded by a nuclear gene. We have defined a region in the human COX5B promoter essential for gene expression and shown by phylogenetic footprinting of 11 primate COX5B promoters that many cis -regulatory elements in this region are evolutionarily conserved. The transcription start site of human COX5B was mapped 58 bp upstream of the initiation Met codon by primer extension using a thermostable reverse transcriptase. A 475-bp region (−456 to +20) of the human COX5B gene was shown to function as a promoter for the chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) gene in expression vectors when transfected into HeLa cells. The human COX5B gene is located in a CpG island and contains several potential binding sites for the transcription factor Sp1, but no consensus TATA box element. Several sequence elements associated with the transcriptional regulation of respiratory genes were also found in the promoter and 5′ flanking region, including a single NRF-1 site and two 9-bp direct repeats containing binding sites for ets -domain proteins, such as NRF-2/GABP. Many features of the human COX5B promoter are conserved in the COX5B promoters of primates, in particular, the presence of a single binding site for NRF-1 and multiple sites for Sp1 and NRF-2/GABP. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrate that the conserved NRF-1 site in primate COX5B promoters is specifically recognized by a factor present in HeLa nuclear extracts. Phylogenetic footprinting has identified additional conserved elements that may also function as binding sites for regulatory factors.
Retinal inhomogeneity and motion in depth

The relation between retinal inhomogeneity and motion in depth was explored by means of a circularly symmetric but nonuniform stimulus pattern, designed to fit the inhomogeneity of the subject’s retina. Radial motion of the quasi-sinusoidal rings of this target evokes an illusion of motion in depth: forward if the frontal-plane motion is centrifugal, backward if it is centripetal. Like the Plateau spiral, this stimulus produces strong motion aftereffects (MAE’s) over a wide range of spatial and temporal frequencies. Over a much more limited frequency range, the forward MAE is significantly more adaptable than the backward MAE. This forward effect was found to occur only at very low spatial frequencies (~0.05–0.5 cycles/deg at the fovea) and velocities near 20 deg/sec. The effect was destroyed by decentering the target or by varying its homogeneity so that it no longer matched the retina. These results suggest a hard-wired collision-avoidance system.
Effect of growth hormone on fluoride balance

Fluoride balances were determined in nine children, aged 4 to 18 years, undergoing treatment with human growth hormone. Urinary F was increased in 6 of the 9 subjects during the period of initial treatment. The hyperfluoruria occurred in the face of a preexisting negative F balance. Fecal F did not change, and since the magnitude of the hyperfluoruria could not be correlated with changes in renal function it is likely that it, together with the increases in Ca and hydroxyproline excretion, represents a direct effect of the hormone (or possibly “sulfation factor”) on bone resorption. During the control periods, the F balance data reveal that 10–90% of dietary F (all of which came from food) appeared in the feces; these values are generally higher than those reported for subjects whose intake was primarily from water.
Relationship between alcohol consumption and alcohol problems in young adults.

The relationships among alcohol problems and alcohol consumption variables including quantity-frequency (Q-F) classifications, frequency of alcohol use, quantity of alcohol use, and beverage types, were examined in a young adult population. Total alcohol-related problems, drinking and driving problems, and school problems increased significantly when young adults drank moderately. Certain types of problems, however, appear to be more or less associated with alcohol consumption. For example, physical illness problems increased during light drinking, while interpersonal and legal problems increased during moderate-heavy and heavy alcohol use, respectively. Virtually no differences were found on alcohol problems for drinking classifications between sexes. Both the frequency and quantity of beer and liquor use were found to be positively associated with alcohol problems. The relationship between the frequency and quantity of wine use and alcohol problems, however, was less strong and more dissonant. In genera...
Thermocapillary migration of a gas bubble in an arbitrary direction with respect to a plane surface

The thermocapillary migration of a gas bubble in an unbounded fluid in the presence of a neighboring rigid plane surface is considered in the limit of negligible Reynolds and Marangoni numbers. Results are given for a scalar interaction parameter defined as the ratio of the speed of the bubble in the presence of the plane surface to the speed in its absence. It is suggested that the weaker interaction effects noted for the case of thermocapillary migration relative to the case of motion due to a body force such as that caused by a gravitational field is attributable to the more rapid decay, away from the bubble, of the disturbance velocity and temperature gradient fields. The surface is found to exert the greatest influence in the case of motion normal to it, and the weakest influence in the case of parallel motion.
Cortisol and interferon tau regulation of endometrial function and conceptus development in female sheep

During early pregnancy in sheep, the elongating conceptus secretes interferon-τ (IFNT) and the conceptus as well as endometrial epithelia produce prostaglandins (PG) via PG synthase 2 (PTGS2) and cortisol via hydroxysteroid (11-β) dehydrogenase 1 (HSD11B1). Ovarian progesterone induces and PG and IFNT stimulates endometrial HSD11B1 expression and keto-reductase activity as well as many epithelial genes that govern trophectoderm proliferation, migration, and attachment during elongation. The primary aim of these studies was to test the hypothesis that HSD11B1-derived cortisol has a biological role in endometrial function and conceptus development during early pregnancy in sheep. In study 1, cyclic ewes received vehicle, cortisol, PF 915275 (PF; a selective inhibitor of HSD11B1), cortisol and PF, meloxicam (a selective inhibitor of PTGS2), cortisol and meloxicam, recombinant ovine IFNT, or IFNT and PF into the uterus from day 10 to day14 after estrus. Cortisol and IFNT stimulated endometrial HSD11B1 expression and activity, increased endometrial PTGS2 activity and the amount of PG in the uterine lumen, and up-regulated many conceptus elongation-related genes in the endometrium. Some effects of cortisol and IFNT were mediated by PTGS2-derived PG. In study 2, bred ewes received PF 915275 or recombinant ovine IFNT and into the uterus from day 10 to day 14 after mating. Inhibition of HSD11B1 activity in utero prevented conceptus elongation, whereas IFNT rescued conceptus elongation in PF-infused ewes. These results suggest that HSD11B1-derived cortisol mediates, in part, actions of ovarian progesterone and the conceptus on endometrial function and support the hypothesis that IFNT, PG, and cortisol coordinately regulate endometrial functions important for conceptus elongation and implantation during early pregnancy in sheep.
Underutilization of Reproductive Healthcare Services by Women who are Ineligible for Employer- Subsidized Socialized Medicine

This article presents a descriptive analysis of underutilization of reproductive healthcare services by women from low-income groups without medical insurance in the Mexican-US border city of Tijuana from a demand standpoint. The study is based on information from two complementary surveys conducted in the spring of 1994. The first survey interviewed 1,825 women, aged 15 years and older, in local Health Secretariat clinics. The second survey is a probabilistic household survey that solicited information from 487 women of similar characteristics and who were identified as the female head of household or the spouse of a male head of household. Research findings indicate that conservative attitudes about the Mexican woman's role as "principal family health caregiver' causes low-income women to frequently use public healthcare centers to satisfy the health needs for their children and other family members. However, these women show extremely low usage rates for reproductive healthcare services. Both surveys s...
A comparison of jail inmate and staff correctional goal orientations: results from across the line

Previous research on correctional goal orientations has focused on the attitudes of the public, correctional administrators, and correctional staff. Only a few studies have examined inmate attitudes. This research addresses the question: Do jail inmates and staff have similar beliefs about the goals of corrections? Findings from a sample drawn from a single rural mountain state jail indicate that jail staff rank incapacitation as the primary goal of corrections, while inmates rank rehabilitation as most important. Results from two multinomial logistic regression models were mixed. The inmate model indicated that race is significantly associated with a rehabilitative goal orientation. Additionally, for inmates, gender and education influence a non-retributive goal orientation. The staff model did not reach statistical significance. These findings lend some support to further empirical studies that address problems associated with correctional operations and organizational culture in a way that incorporates...
An Antisense Oligonucleotide to the Notch Ligand Jagged Enhances Fibroblast Growth Factor-induced Angiogenesis in Vitro

Angiogenesis, or the formation of new blood vessels, plays a central role in a number of physiologic and pathologic conditions, including wound healing, diabetic retinopathy, and solid tumor growth, and endothelial cells can be induced to mimic this process in vitro. Using a modification of the differential display method (Zimrin, A. B., Villeponteau, B., and Maciag, T. (1995) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 213, 630-638), we isolated the human homolog of the Jagged ligand for the Notch receptor from human endothelial cells exposed to fibrin and demonstrate that the Jagged transcript, but not the Notch 1 or Notch 2 transcripts, are up-regulated by fibrin. Interestingly, the addition of an antisense Jagged oligomer to bovine microvascular endothelial cells grown on a collagen gel resulted in a marked increase in invasion and tube formation in the underlying gel in response to fibroblast growth factor. In contrast, no effect was observed on vascular endothelial growth factor-induced angiogenesis under identical conditions. These data suggest that Jagged-Notch signaling is able to regulate fibroblast growth factor-induced endothelial cell migration in vitro, an early event during angiogenesis in vivo.
How Arithmetic Aptitude Impacts Attention, Memory, and Evaluation of Static Versus Dynamic Infographics in Online News: An Eye-Tracking Study

Graphics accompanying online news articles were manipulated between static and dynamic formats. Eye gaze, perception, and memory data were collected as was participants’ arithmetic aptitude (AA). R...
An investigation of Pluto’s troposphere using stellar occultation light curves and an atmospheric radiative–conductive–convective model

Abstract We use a radiative–conductive–convective model to assess the height of Pluto’s troposphere, as well as surface pressure and surface radius, from stellar occultation data from the years 1988, 2002, and 2006. The height of the troposphere, if it exists, is less than 1 km for all years analyzed. Pluto has at most a planetary boundary layer and not a troposphere. As in previous analyses of Pluto occultation light curves, we find that the surface pressure is increasing with time, assuming that latitude and longitude variations in Pluto’s atmosphere are negligible. The surface pressure is found to be slightly higher ( 12.5 - 2.4 + 1.9 μbar in 1988, 18.0 - 1.7 + 11 μbar in 2002, and 18.5 ± 4.7 μbar in 2006) than in our previous analyses with the troposphere excluded. The surface radius is determined to be 1173 - 10 + 20 km . Comparison of the minimum reduced chi-squared values between the best-fit radiative–conductive–convective (i.e., troposphere-included) model and best-fit radiative–conductive (i.e., troposphere-excluded) shows that the troposphere-included model is only a slightly better fit to the data for all 3 years. Uncertainties in the small-scale physical processes of Pluto’s lower atmosphere and consequently the functional form of the model troposphere lend more confidence to the troposphere-excluded results.
Fire Ant Alate Wing Motion Data and Numerical Reconstruction

The wing motions of a male and a female fire ant alate, which beat their wings at 108 and 96 Hz, respectively, were captured with a stereo imaging system at a high frame rate of 8,000 frames per second. By processing the high-speed image frames, the three-dimensional wingtip positions and the wing surface orientation angles were determined with a high phase resolution, i.e. 74 and 83 phases per period for the male and the female, respectively. A numerical reconstruction of the stereo wingbeat images demonstrated that the data collected described almost all the details of the wing surface motion, so that further computational fluid dynamic simulations are possible for fire ant alate flight.
Decision processes during sentence comprehension: Effects of lexical item difficulty and position upon decision times

In this study 40 college S s listened to 60 English sentences and attempted to, ( a ) press a button whenever a word in a sentence began with a /b/, and ( b ) comprehend the sentences. Reaction times (RT) of the button-push responses were recorded. The words starting with /b/ (target words) occurred either early or late in the sentences and, in addition, they were immediately preceded by words of either high or low frequency in the language. Average RT was significantly longer when the target word occurred after low frequency or hard words than when the target word occurred after easy words. In addition, RT was significantly longer when target words occurred early as opposed to late in the sentences. The results were discussed in terms of a decision-making conception of sentence comprehension.
Optimal Advertising for the Nerlove-Arrow Model under a Replenishable Budget

This paper considers an optimal control problem with two state variables for the dynamics of the Nerlove-Arrow advertising model. The optimal control is the rate of advertising expenditure required to maximize the present value of net profit streams over an infinite horizon subject to a replenishable budget. It is shown that an equilibrium level of advertising exists in all possible cases. It is interesting to note that this level happens to be non-singular in some cases. Also shown is the optimal transient approach to these equilibrium levels.
Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Discovery in Cultivated Tomato via Sequencing by Synthesis

Plant breeding is enhanced by the availability of molecular markers for rapid screening and selection in populations. Identifi cation of polymorphic loci in cultivated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) has been hampered by limited genome sampling across cultivated types. Whole transcriptome sequencing of six accessions that span cultivated market classes was performed using sequencing by synthesis. A total of 291,915,037 quality fi ltered reads representing 17 Gb of sequence were generated. Assembly of the reads resulted in 30.6 to 34.9 Mb of sequence for each of the six accessions and provided representation of 55.3 to 59.6% of the predicted tomato gene set with a wide range of molecular function Gene Ontologies (GOs) represented. A computational pipeline was developed to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). When coupled with two Sanger-derived expressed sequence tag datasets and a reference genome, 62,576 nonredundant putative SNPs in tomato were identifi ed. The SNPs within the contigs were present within all of the GO molecular function categories. The computational pipeline had validation rates in SNP genotyping assays that ranged from 95 to 100%, and the utility of these SNPs for assessing genetic variation within cultivated and wild populations was demonstrated. Collectively, the transcript sequences and the annotated SNPs provide a resource to facilitate tomato genetics and breeding efforts.
Dressing a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: Toward Understanding the Composition of the Life of Alexander Nevskii

The Life of Alexander Nevskii is written in two styles: a hagiographic style and a secular style. Scholarly views are divided over whether the Life was written by one person in two different styles or by two persons, either a hagiographic writer and secular editor or a secular writer and hagiographic editor. The present article hypothesizes that the Life was probably written initially in a secular style as a military tale (the “wolf”) in the second half of the thirteenth century. This military tale was the foundational layer for the subsequent writing of the Life. Some time later, probably in the second half of the fourteenth century (before 1377), an ecclesiastical redactor edited the text of the military tale adding phrases in a hagiographic style (the “sheep’s clothing”), thus creating a chronicle tale about the life of Alexander Nevskii. In the second half of the fifteenth century, a further editing took place as anti-Tatar interpolations were added, thus creating the First Redaction of the Life of Alexander Nevskii. Following a text critical analysis, this article reconstructs the First Redaction of the Life, in which the two styles are delineated. Then the article provides a translation into English of the hypothetical version of the non-extant military tale about Alexander Nevskii.
Structure and energetics of channel-forming protein-polysaccharide complexes inferred via computational statistical thermodynamics.

The ion channel protein R-hemolysin (RHL) forms supramolecular complexes with the polysaccharide ‚-cyclodextrin (‚CD). This system has potential uses in nanoscale device engineering. It has been found recently that ‚CD formed longer- or shorter-lived complexes with some engineered RHL mutants then with a wild type protein (Gu et al. J. Gen. Physiol. 2001, 118, 481-493). However, how changes in the protein sequence affect complex lifetime was not completely understood in part due to the lack of knowledge of structures of these metastable complexes. In this paper, we present an extensive molecular modeling study of the ‚CD-RHL and selected mutant complexes to gain insights into the ‚CD-RHL interaction mechanisms and to predict possible structures and energetics of the complexes. Thermodynamic integration (TI) and umbrella sampling (US) techniques (with the weighted histogram analysis method (WHAM)) were used to calculate the relative binding affinities of the complexes formed with the wild type RHL and the M113N, M113E, M113A, and M113V mutants. Our results are in excellent agreement with experiment. While ‚CD-M113N and ‚CD-M113A complexes were stable in the configuration of the wild type complex, the equilibrium configuration of the ‚CD-M113V and ‚CD-M113E complexes was significantly different. In these cases, TI alone was insufficient to accurately calculate the corresponding free energy differences. By utilizing a TI/US combination in a novel manner, we were able to accurately calculate free energy changes in these flexible systems. The ‚CD-M113A and ‚CD-M113E complexes, which exhibited shorter lifetimes than other complexes in an experiment, in simulations exhibited greater flexibility and higher water solvation of the ‚CD adapter. MD simulations of the ‚CD-M113N complex with ‚CD in a downward orientation were also performed.
Utility of the Cylex assay in cardiac transplant recipients.

Background Although the Cylex immune assay has been proposed as a means of tailoring immunosuppression after organ transplantation, there are limited data regarding its utility in cardiac transplant recipients. Therefore, we sought to determine the utility of the Cylex assay in assessing the risk of infection or rejection in cardiac transplant recipients. Methods This study is a retrospective review of the clinical course of all adult cardiac transplant recipients who underwent a Cylex assay at UT Southwestern Medical Center between January 2004 and September 2007. Results One hundred eleven patients were free of significant rejection or infection at the time of the first Cylex assay. Most patients (92%) were >1 year post-transplant. Over the next 157 ± 41 (mean ± SD) days, 2 patients had 3 episodes of rejection requiring therapy and 7 patients had 8 infections requiring therapy. The Cylex responses ranged from 17 to 894 ng/ml. No correlation was observed between the baseline Cylex response and subsequent risk of either infection or rejection within 6 months. Lower white blood cell count and African American ethnicity were correlated with a lower Cylex response. Conclusions In this study, the Cylex assay had limited utility as an adjunct to routine clinical evaluation in assessing risk of infection or rejection in cardiac transplant recipients.
Beam Energy Dependence of Two-Proton Correlations at the Ags

First measurements of the beam energy dependence of the two proton correlation function in central Au+Au collisions are performed by the E895 Collaboration at the BNL AGS. No significant changes with beam energy were observed. The imaging technique of Brown-Danielewicz is used in order to extract information about the space-time content of the proton source at freeze-out. Extracted source functions show peculiar enhancement at low relative separation.
Implications of the Observed Mesoscale Variations of Clouds for Earth's Radiation Budget

The effect of small-spatial-scale cloud variations on radiative transfer in cloudy atmospheres currently receives a lot of research attention, but the available studies are not very clear about which spatial scales are important and report a very large range of estimates of the magnitude of the effects. Also, there have been no systematic investigations of how to measure and represent these cloud variations. We exploit the cloud climatology produced by the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) to: (1) define and test different methods of representing cloud variation statistics, (2) investigate the range of spatial scales that should be included, (3) characterize cloud variations over a range of space and time scales covering mesoscale (30 - 300 km, 3-12 hr) into part of the lower part of the synoptic scale (300 - 3000 km, 1-30 days), (4) obtain a climatology of the optical thickness, emissivity and cloud top temperature variability of clouds that can be used in weather and climate GCMS, together with the parameterization proposed by Cairns et al. (1999), to account for the effects of small-scale cloud variations on radiative fluxes, and (5) evaluate the effect of observed cloud variations on Earth's radiation budget. These results lead to the formulation of a revised conceptual model of clouds for use in radiative transfer calculations in GCMS. The complete variability climatology can be obtained from the ISCCP Web site at http://isccp.giss.nasa.gov.
The hypoosmotic swelling test: Its employment as an assay to evaluate the functional integrity of the frozen-thawed bovine sperm membrane

The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the hypoosmotic swelling (HOS) test together with the supravital test as a means of evaluating the functional integrity of frozen-thawed bovine sperm membrane. A solution consisting of equal parts of fructose and sodium citrate was prepared and the osmolality varied from 50 to 300 mOsm/L. From these various solutions under study, the 100 mOsm/L solution resulted in a maximal number of clearly identifiable swollen spermatozoa. The results from the supravital test indicated that the HOS solution preserved the integrity and prevented excessive lysis of the sperm membrane during the assay. A good correlation was found between the percentage of motile spermatozoa and spermatozoa that reacted to the HOS test (r = 0.73) and between the percentage of sperm with intact membranes and HOS reactive sperm (r = 0.81). Spermatozoa showing swelling of the entire tail region accounted for more than 60% of the total swelling for the HOS solution at 100 mOsm/L. The results obtained in this study indicate that frozen-thawed bovine spermatozoa did react to the HOS test. This technique could prove useful in studies involving the function of the sperm membrane and could possibly predict the sperm's ability to fertilize.
B-dot Detector Signal Recording at the DARHT II Accelerator

Summary form only given. Diagnostic detectors such as B-dot and E-dot probes have been used in pulse power and accelerator applications for decades. The DARHT II Accelerator utilizes arrays of B-dot detectors as a means to determine beam current and position. Unique problems arise when using digital recording to capture these signal waveforms. Bit error and baseline reference stability in the recording devices limits the accuracy of the recorded waveform when dealing with fast rise time signals that have relatively long pulse widths. The reasons for methods used to record the B-dot data for the 2 microsecond duration beam current at DARHT II are detailed in this paper.
Contact pressure at osteochondral donor sites in the patellofemoral joint

BackgroundThe lowest contact pressure point is presumed to be the best site to harvest an osteochondral plug and minimize morbidity.HypothesisPatellofemoral contact pressures are not uniform and are lowest along the medial patellofemoral articulation.Study DesignControlled laboratory study.MethodsSeven cadaveric knees were tested with an electroresistive, dynamic pressure sensor placed onto the femoral side of the patellofemoral joint. The extensor mechanism was loaded with 89.1 N and 178.2 N, and the knee was manually cycled 3 times (0°-105°) per load. Mean trochlear pressures were calculated.ResultsMean contact pressures were greatest in the central trochlea (5.80 kgf/cm2), followed by the lateral (2.56 kgf/cm2) and medial trochlea (1.60 kgf/cm2) at 89.1 N (P < .05). At 178.2 N, pressures increased to 9.47, 5.81, and 2.75 kgf/cm2, respectively (P < .05). Lateral trochlear pressures decreased moving distally from 1.25 to 0.50 kgf/cm2 at 89.1 N and 4.57 to 1.29 kgf/cm2 at 178.2 N.ConclusionsContact pressu...
Modern control of linear global instability in a cylinder wake model

This article investigates the implementation of modern control design techniques on models of open shear flows using the linear complex Ginzburg–Landau (GL) model for the cylinder wake, with the coefficients as scaled by Roussopoulos and Monkewitz (Physica D 97 (1996) 264). Based on noisy measurements 1.5 diameters downstream of the cylinder, the compensator uses an H1 filter to construct a state estimate which, in turn, is used to compute H1 feedback control at the cylinder to drive the system perturbations to zero. The application of such modern control rules leads to substantially better performance than the proportional measurement feedback proposed by previous studies. Preliminary results of the effectiveness of linear control to stabilize the nonlinear GL model are also presented. 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.
Randomized multicenter trial of hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion with melphalan alone compared with melphalan plus tumor necrosis factor: American College of Surgeons Oncology Group trial Z0020

Purpose To determine in a randomized prospective multi-institutional trial whether the addition of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) to a melphalan-based hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion (HILP) treatment would improve the complete response rate for locally advanced extremity melanoma. Patients and Methods Patients with locally advanced extremity melanoma were randomly assigned to receive melphalan or melphalan plus TNF-α during standard HILP. Patient randomization was stratified according to disease/treatment status and regional nodal disease status. Results The intervention was completed in 124 patients of the 133 enrolled. Grade 4 adverse events were observed in 14 (12%) of 129 patients, with three (4%) of 64 in the melphalan-alone arm and 11 (16%) of 65 in the melphalan-plus-TNF-α arm (P = .0436). There were two toxicity-related lower extremity amputations in the melphalan-plus-TNF-α arm, and one disease progression–related upper extremity amputation in the melphalan-alone arm. There was no treat...
Constitutive expression of the steroid sulfatase gene supports the growth of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.

Many human breast tumors are driven by high intratumor concentrations of 17beta-estradiol that appear to be locally synthesized. The role of aromatase is well established, but the possible contribution of the steroid sulfatase (STS), which liberates estrogens from their biologically inactive sulfates, has been inadequately assessed and remains unclear. To evaluate the role of STS further, we transduced estrogen-dependent MCF-7 human breast cancer cells with a retroviral vector directing the constitutive expression of the human STS gene. Gene integration was confirmed by Southern hybridization, production of the appropriately sized messenger RNA by Northern hybridization, and expression of functional protein by metabolism of [(3)H]estrone sulfate to [(3)H]estrone. Maximum velocity estimates of estrone formation are 64.2 pmol estrone/mg protein.h in STS-transduced cells (STS Clone 20), levels comparable to those seen in some human breast tumors. Lower levels of endogenous activity are seen in MCF-7 cells (13.0 pmol estrone/mg protein.h) and in cells transduced with vector lacking the STS gene (Vector 3 cells; 12.0 pmol estrone/mg protein.h). 17beta-Estradiol sulfate induces expression of the progesterone receptor messenger RNA only in STS Clone 20 cells, whereas estrone sulfate produces the greatest stimulation of anchorage-independent growth in these cells. STS Clone 20 cells retain responsiveness to antiestrogens, which block the ability of estrogen sulfate to increase the proportion of cells in both the S and G(2)/M phases of the cell cycle. Consistent with these in vitro observations, only STS Clone 20 cells exhibit a significant increase in the proportion of proliferating tumors in nude ovariectomized mice supplemented with 17beta-estradiol sulfate. The primary activity in vivo appears to be from intratumor STS, rather than hepatic STS. Surprisingly, 17beta-estradiol sulfate appears more effective than 17beta-estradiol when both are administered at comparable concentrations. This effect, which is seen only in STS Clone 20 cells, may reflect differences in the cellular pharmacology of exogenous estrogens compared with those released by the activity of intracellular STS. These studies directly demonstrate that intratumor STS activity can support estrogen-dependent tumorigenicity in an experimental model and may contribute to the promotion of human breast tumors.
A Re-Examination of Welfare States and Inequality in Rich Nations: How In-Kind Transfers and Indirect Taxes Change the Story.

Previous studies find large crossnational differences in inequality amongst rich Western nations, due in large part to differences in the generosity of welfare state transfers. The United States is the least generous nation and the one having the most aftertax and transfer inequality. But these analyses are limited to the effects of cash and nearcash transfers and direct taxes on incomes, while on average, half of welfare state transfers in rich nations are inkind benefits—health insurance, education, and other services. Counting inkind benefits at government cost and accounting for the indirect taxes used to finance transfers substantially reduces crossnational differences in inequality at the bottom of the income distribution. The findings have implications for how we think about tradeoffs across welfare state domains that all nations face and we illustrate this with reference to the current U.S. debate about health insurance. © 2006 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management
Comparison of four different fusion techniques for IKONOS data

Since the advent of high spatial resolution satellite images, the fusion of multiresolution images has been an important field of research. Many methods such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Multiplicative Transform, Brovey Transform, IHS Transform and wavelet transform have been developed in the last few years producing good quality fused images. These images are usually characterized by high information content but with significantly altered spectral information content. More recently Yun Zhang has presented a new algorithm for the fusion of Landsat ETM and Ikonos data respectively. In this study we compare the efficiency of four of the above fusion techniques and more especially the efficiency of Modified IHS PCA, Pansharp and Wavelet fusion techniques for the fusion of Ikonos data. The area of interest is situated in Crete, Greece. It is a coastal area. An Ikonos cloud free subscene was used in this comparative study. The nearest neighborhood method has been used for the resampling and the fused images have a 1 meter pixel size. For each merged image we have examined: a) the optical qualitative result; b) the statistical parameters of the histograms of the various frequency bands, especially the standard deviation. All the fusion techniques improve the resolution and the optical result. The Pansharp and the Wavelet merging technique do not change at all the statistical parameters of the original images. The Pansharp merging technique is proposed if the researcher wants to proceed to further processing using for example vegetation indexes or to perform classification using the spectral signatures.
Seepage from Ditches - Solution by Finite Differences

Solutions to steady-state free surface seepage problems from canals of trapezoidal, triangular and rectangular cross sections through homogeneous isotropic and anisotropic porous media to drained layers at finite depths are obtained by methods of finite differences. In the formulation of the problems, the coordinate directions x and y are considered the dependent variables and the velocity potential and the stream function the independent variables. The solutions are obtained by two independent methods. The first method combines solutions for y and x from the plane of the velocity potential and stream function with a solution of the stream function from the physical plane in a cyclic manner. The second method uses complex arithmetic to obtain the solution entirely in the plane of the velocity potential and stream function. A relationship between the seepage quantity and the dimensions of the canal and distance to the drained layer is developed by summarizing solutions obtained for canals of various sizes and shapes.
Transfer of Samples and Sharing of Results: Requirements Imposed on Researchers

The paper is a draft chapter of a forthcoming book discussing the ethical and legal issues of human genetic databases. Reporting data collected as part of a qualitative research project, the present chapter discusses the issue of the transfer of samples for a biobank to the researchers' facility. In particular, the chapter analyzes questions of obligations arising out of these transfers and the requirements that ought to be imposed on recipients. Respondents agreed that a degree of control should be exercised over the circulation of genetic samples, for instance through enforceable Material Transfer Agreements or other forms of monitoring, though the particular control that any stakeholder is allowed to have and the inclusion of particular groups (e.g., participants, communities, nations, researchers, sponsors) among the controlling stakeholders remain contested.
Quantitative CMR perfusion imaging identifies reduced flow reserve in microvascular coronary artery disease

Background Patients with angina without obstructive coronary artery disease are increasingly recognized and microvascular disease (MVD) is thought to play a significant role. An abnormal myocardial perfusion reserve (MPR) by positron emission tomography is predictive of increased cardiovascular events, particularly in women, diabetics, and those with metabolic syndrome. We hypothesized that MPR as measured by CMR would be reduced in patients with angina or anginal equivalent symptoms and nonobstructive CAD/normal coronaries compared with asymptomatic controls.
ASSOCIATION OF A VIRUS-LIKE PARTICLE WITH A DISEASED ISOLATE OF LEUCOSTOMA PERSOONII

Hyphae of an isolate of Leucostoma persoonii with an aberrant morphology and low virulence, were compared to a virulent isolate of normal morphology using transmission electron microscopy. Cultures of the aberrant isolate differ from the normal isolate in pycnidial formation, in compactness of mycelial growth, and in production ofhyphae with tips that exude cellular debris. An ultrastructural examination of this isolate revealed the presence of virus-like particles within the fungal cytoplasm. The VLPs are 32.0 + 3.0 nm diameter, frequently exhibit an electron-dense core and are surrounded by a capsidlike shell. They occur freely interspersed with the cytoplasmic organelles forming occasional aggregates bounded by a membrane. A number of cytoplasmic abnormalities are associated with the presence of VLPs including deformations of the mitochondria, increased vesiculation of the cytoplasm and clustering of organelles not observed in the virulent isolate. VLPs were not observed in the cytoplasm of the virulent isolate which contained the normal complement of organelles.
P-selectin-mediated attachment of small cell lung carcinoma to endothelial cells

Small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) frequently metastasizes early in the course of the disease. P-selectin (P-sel), a cell adhesion molecule expressed on activated platelets and endothelial cells (EC), has previously been demonstrated to mediate binding of platelets to SCLC. We hypothesized that P-sel facilitates attachment of SCLC to EC, acting as an important factor in SCLC metastasis. To test this hypothesis, attachment of H82 cells (SCLC cell line) to EC was quantified. Attachment of H82 cells to 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-activated EC was increased compared with control EC. Increased attachment of H82 cells to EC was apparent after 10 min of TPA activation, reached a peak after 30 min, and returned to baseline after 120 min of exposure. The TPA-induced increase in H82 cell attachment to EC was inhibited by addition of anti-P-sel antibodies but not by addition of anti-E-selectin antibodies. The TPA-induced increase in H82 cell attachment was likely mediated by activation of EC protein kinase C (PKC). Pretreatment of the EC with PKC inhibitors effectively blocked the TPA-mediated increase in H82 cell attachment. In addition, prolonged exposure of EC to TPA resulted in decreased expression of the PKC-alpha and PKC-epsilon isoforms. These data indicate for the first time that attachment of SCLC to activated EC appears to be mediated by increased expression of P-sel on the EC surface, which may result from activation of specific isoforms of PKC.
Hox Complex Analysis Through BAC Recombineering

BAC transgenesis in mice has proved to be useful in exploring the regulatory mechanisms and functions of the Hox complexes. The large constructs used may include most of the relevant components of the cis-regulatory landscape. Manipulations can be accomplished without compromising the integrity of the endogenous complex which reduces the likelihood of producing confounding phenotypic abnormalities. The development of recombineering tools has been critical in providing the means necessary to make many types of precise and varied manipulations of these large constructs. Here, we will discuss the methodologies necessary to manipulate Hox complex BACs, generation of transgenic animals bearing these constructs and the utilization of these resources to address fundamental aspects of Hox biology.
An economic analysis of Magna Carta

Abstract This paper uses the economic approach to self-enforcing constitutions to analyze Magna Carta and uses Magna Carta to evaluate the economic approach to self-enforcing constitutions. We find that Magna Carta in its reissued, but not original, incarnation satisfied each of the conditions necessary for constitutional self-enforcement according to that approach and thus effectively constrained government. Our analysis illuminates Magna Carta's initial failure to constrain government, helps explain its ultimate success in doing so, and furnishes supportive evidence for the economic approach to self-enforcing constitutions.
[The sheep, model for human lung pathology].

Deux maladies respiratoires ont ete decrites chez le mouton : une pneumopathie interstitielle diffuse, aussi appelee maedi, et un cancer transmissible aussi appele adenocarcinome pulmonaire ovin. Les 2 maladies sont intriquees, pouvant etre observees simultanement ou successivement dans le meme troupeau. Elles sont presentes en permanence dans le cheptel francais, leur incidence n'a jamais ete evaluee. Les 2 maladies sont dues a des retrovirus: le virus Visnamaedi, responsable du maedi, un lentivirus apparente par sa structure et sa biologie au virus responsable du sida, transmis par le lait et le colostrum; l'adenocarcinome pulmonaire ovin est du a un β-retrovirus (famille de retrovirus plus eloignee) transmis par voie respiratoire.
Life time analysis of distribution transformer using experimental design

This paper presents a 24 factorial design to analyze the joint effect of loading, cooling characteristics, ambient temperature, and Oil Time Constant (OTC) on transformer Loss of Life (LOL). Transformer LOL is calculated for 16 combinations of factor levels. Residential load profile obtained from a utility is used to precisely model the loading factor. Design-Expert® Software Version 9 is used to statistically analyze the joint effect of factors. Results show the significance and contribution of factors and their interactions to distribution transformer loss of life.
Accumulateurs boutons et supercapacités au polyacéne

Annoncees depuis juin 1989*, les nouvelles sources d’energie de Kanebo (condensateurs a supercapacite et accumulateurs au polyacene) sont proposees depuis peu au public. Ces nouveaux produits (fig. 1 ), fruits de la collaboration des societes Kanebo, Seiko Instruments Inc., Seiko Denshi Buhin (Electronic Components) et du departement de technologie de l’Universite de Kyoto, font appel a un nouveau polymere conducteur du type polyacene mis au point dans les laboratoires de ces societes.
The “Food” for the Brew

Brewing beer requires that we convert starches into sugars in order to ferment them. In this chapter, we will uncover the conversion of starches into sugars. This requires the modification of barley (primarily) into malt. The step is very important, because unmodified barley hinders our ability to make sugars later in the process. We will explore the actual processes that make malt and the equipment that is used in the process. In this chapter, we will also take a look at what some brewers consider to be the most important ingredient in making beer; water. We will examine the makeup of water and how its quality impacts the brewing process.