cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hypoglycemic symptom variation is related to epinephrine and not peripheral muscle sympathetic nerve response

Hypoglycemic unawareness may be due to diminished adrenal and/or peripheral sympathochromaffin responses to hypoglycemia. To determine whether hypoglycemic symptom awareness is more closely related to adrenal or nonadrenal sympathetic activity, we studied the relationship between symptoms and the epinephrine, norepinephrine, and muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) responses to hypoglycemia in ten IDDM and ten control subjects. MSNA was measured continuously using microneurography during hyperinsulinemic (720 pmol m-2 min-1), glucose clamp with 60 min of euglycemia, 30 min of hypoglycemia, and 30 min of recovery. Subjects were asked to rate a series of symptoms every 10 min during the last 30 min of each period and were unaware of their plasma glucose concentration. MSNA increased significantly in both groups during insulin clamp (p < 0.05) and further increased during hypoglycemia (p < 0.01). Both epinephrine and norepinephrine levels significantly increased during hypoglycemia (p < 0.02). The increase in adrenergic symptom responses during hypoglycemia positively correlated with epinephrine (r = 0.75, p < 0.01), but not with MSNA in the control subjects. A similar near significant relationship for epinephrine was seen in IDDM subjects (r = 0.65, p = 0.056). No significant predictors were found for neuroglycopenic or cholinergic symptoms. Thus, the variation in hypoglycemic symptoms is not related to the MSNA response to hypoglycemia. Adrenergic symptom variation is due to differences in adrenal epinephrine secretion.
Urban service delivery in developing countries – Escaping western bureaucratic solutions

Explores the record of alternative urban service delivery in selected world areas and assesses the prospects for new designs intended to implement specific programs. It is a continuation of a project which in 1999 culminated in a book entitled Bureaucracy and the Alternatives in World Perspective by Keith M. Henderson and O.P. Dwivedi, and seeks to apply the ideas in that volume to urban areas. The basic concern is how education, health, housing, transportation, utilities, micro‐credit, and other goods and services may be provided to urban residents in the “Third world” without exclusively governmental agents and agencies. Shows examples of successful past and existing programs and presents a classification framework. Indicates the requirements for coordination, accountability, transparency, “scaling up”, managerial expertise, and “outsider status”.
Easy Algorithms for Finding Eigenvalues

Many students in an introductory linear algebra course realize that writing down the characteristic equation for a modest size matrix would be an algebraic nightmare. Even if the characteristic equation is known, finding its roots may seem hard. This leads many students to believe that it is not practical to try to compute the eigenvalues for large or modest size matrices. A brief introduction to appropriate numerical techniques can dispel that conviction. The simplest numerical technique for estimating eigenvectors is the power method. Unfortunately convergence of the power method can be quite slow. However, a second simple technique, the Rayleigh quotient iteration, converges at a dazzling rate. We will see an example where we are able to estimate accurately an eigenvalue of a 3 by 3 matrix to 16 significant figures by solving four linear systems of equations and by using a little vector arithmetic. Both the power method and the Rayleigh quotient iteration are easy to experiment with in an interactive matrix arithmetic environment on a computer. This note collects the necessary results so that students will have an easy time running such experiments on a computer. We will be able to compare the power method and the Rayleigh quotient iteration with a posteriori error estimates. All of this is a nice glimpse of numerical linear algebra. Moreover, students get a chance to experiment with algorithms for finding eigenvalues that converge quickly and will generalize to large matrices with little difficulty.
It's Not Just the Song: Male Visual Displays Enhance Female Sexual Responses to Song in Brown-Headed Cowbirds

Abstract. Even though it is widely acknowledged that mate choice in female songbirds is likely to be based on multimodal cues such as those encoded in audiovisual song displays, procedural difficulties have limited studies of mate choice in songbirds mainly to acoustic signals. In the current study, we used audiovisual recordings of male Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) to test the sexual responses of females to males' song displays. Using the copulation-solicitation displays of estradiol-treated females (n = 9), we found that audiovisual playbacks of males performing wing-spread song displays were significantly more sexually stimulating for females than presentations of song accompanied by video of nondisplaying males, or song alone. Results from this study clearly showed that the visual stimulus of the wing-spread display in particular, not just the visual stimulus of a conspecific male in general, elicits the maximum observed response from females. In the Brown-headed Cowbird, females' sexual pre...
The Corporation and Public Policy in the 1990s

Throughout the industrialised and developing world, corporate policy making and public policy making are converging. Governments are making deliberate and conscious choices about their economies and the forms of industrial organisation that will best accomplish broad social and economic objectives. Senior managers of enterprises face the influence of government policy in creating, shaping, and guiding the development of markets. The issues raised by this reality range well beyond the old regulation/deregulation debates of the 1970s and 1980s. In the 1990s, government and business are more entwined – and more inextricably linked as partners – because of recent global political and economic changes. This article assesses the prospects for the corporation and public policy in the decade ahead.
An analysis of check valve performance characteristics based on valve design

Abstract Although it had been theorized by nuclear industry valve experts that the two most significant factors in assessing check valve performance were valve type (or design) and operating conditions, until recently, no data was available to support their assumptions. In co-operation with the Nuclear Industry Check Valve Group (NIC), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) undertook a review and analysis of check valve failures recorded in the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations’ (INPO) Nuclear Plant Reliability Data System (NPRDS). This study involved the characterization of failures according to several parameters, including valve design (e.g. swing check, lift check). Since the valve design is not inherently included within the NPRDS engineering record for each component in the database, ORNL relied on input from NIC, valve manufacturers and catalogs to supply the missing information. As a result, nearly 60% of the 21 000 check valves listed in the NPRDS component database and 85% of the 838 failures occurring during 1991–1992 were identified according to valve design. This data provided the basis to perform previously unavailable cross-correlations between parameters such as valve design versus failure mode, valve design versus failure discovery method, population/failure distributions by valve design, etc. Performance assessments and predictions based on more specific sets of parameters (as opposed to generic check valve failure rates obtained from standard reference sources that generally ignore the valve design) should result in a significant impact on future nuclear plant operations, including inservice testing (IST) practices, maintenance, and probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs) by providing a means to calculate more appropriate relative (and ultimately absolute) failure rates for check valves.
Analysis of mobile home thermal performance

Abstract Various levels of investment in energy-efficient designs for new mobile homes are examined. The purpose is to define relationships between annual energy use for space heating and air conditioning and additional investment in the structure shell. These relationships are developed for nine different cities in the U.S.A. The optimal design configuration (in the sense of minimum life cycle cost) is determined for mobile homes in each city as a function of the energy use/cost relationship, heating fuel choice, climate, fuel prices, and other economic factors. Results of this analysis indicate that the 1976 thermal standard promulgated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires considerably less investment in energy-efficient design than the optimal for all but the warmest climates. The present HUD standard does not account for differences in fuel choices and prices, which strongly influence the economics of energy use. Results presented here should be useful in assessing energy-efficient design alternatives for new mobile homes for different locations, fuel choices and prices, and other pertinent variables.
The Titan laser at LLNL

The Titan laser, designed to produce up to 600 J with pulses of 0.4-200 ps, has begun initial target shots. Coupled with a kJ long-pulse beam, Titan will support high-energy-density physics research at LLNL.
Pore network simulation of fluid imbibition into paper during coating: II. Characterization of paper's morphology and computation of its effective permeability tensor

We describe a method for characterization of the microstructure of a paper, in terms of the statistical distribution of the effective radii and lengths of the channels between the paper's fibers, and the average coordination numbers that characterize the connectivity of such channels, both in the main planes of the paper and in the transverse direction perpendicular to these planes. The microstructure of the paper is then represented by a three-dimensional network of interconnected flow channels between the fibers. The geometrical characteristics of the channels, such as their effective radii and lengths, are selected from the statistical distributions obtained by the characterization method, as are the two average coordination numbers. Extensive computer simulations are carried out to compute the effective permeability tensor of the paper, and to investigate the effect of the various microstructural parameters on the tensor. These simulations indicate that the two average coordination numbers, as well as the spatial distribution of the fibers and their length, strongly influence the flow properties of a paper.
The electric dipole sum rule in a relativistic self-consistent theory of finite nuclei

Abstract Using a relativistic self-consistent theory of finite nuclei including meson degrees of freedom, the energy weighted electric dipole sum rule is evaluated for 4He, 16O, 40Ca, and 208Pb. Due primarily to the presence of scalar meson exchange, the lower effective nucleon mass results in a substantial increase over the Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn result. The importance of self-consistency is stressed and comparison is made with previous non-relativistic calculations of the sum rule as well as with experimental data. Allowing modifications from the filled Dirac sea in the Hartree wavefunctions significantly alters the predicted sum rule value for all nuclei considered.
Testing of fault-tolerant and real-time distributed systems via protocol fault injection

As software for distributed systems becomes more complex, ensuring that a system meets its prescribed specification is a growing challenge that confronts software developers. This is particularly important for distributed applications with strict dependability and timeliness constraints. This paper reports on ORCHESTRA, a portable fault injection environment for testing implementations of distributed protocols. This tool is based on a simple yet powerful framework called script-driven probing and fault injection, for the evaluation and validation of the fault-tolerance and timing characteristics of distributed protocols. The tool, which was initially developed on the Real-Time Mach operating system and later ported to other platforms including Solaris and SunOS, has been used to conduct extensive experiments on several protocol implementations. This paper describes the design and implementation of the fault injection tool focusing on architectural features to support portability, minimizing intrusiveness on target protocols, and explicit support for testing real-time systems. The paper also describes the experimental evaluation of two protocol implementations: a real-time audio-conferencing application on Real-Time Mach, and a distributed group membership service on the Sun Solaris operating system.
FlexCache: Field Extensible Cache Controller Architecture Using On-chip Reconfigurable Fabric

In today's microprocessors, the cache architecture is highly optimized for one particular design and cannot be changed after fabrication. While allowing efficient implementations in dedicated logic, this inflexibility also implies that new techniques cannot be deployed in the field. This paper presents Flex Cache, a flexible cache architecture that uses on-chip reconfigurable fabric to enable new extensions to be added in the field after fabrication. We evaluate the flexibility and efficiency of the architecture through an RTL prototype implementation of the cache along with example extensions such as cache performance counters, side-channel protection, prefetching, various replacement policies and computation acceleration. The results show that various types of extensions can be realized on Flex Cache with minimal impact on performance, power, and area.
Evaluation of a Crayfish Burrowing Chamber Design With Simulated Groundwater Flow

Abstract Crayfish are a highly diverse group of freshwater crustaceans with great ecological and economic importance. Many species construct terrestrial burrows within which they reproduce, overwinter, and/or avoid desiccation. Basic life-history and environmental tolerance information is still lacking for many species, particularly in regards to terrestrial portion(s) of their life cycle. In this paper we present and evaluate a design for a crayfish burrowing chamber that allows for experimental control of burrowing conditions, including substrate, groundwater height and flow, as well as direct observation of burrow construction and measurement of groundwater quality. Results of evaluation assays with Cambarus striatus, a widespread secondary burrower native to the southeastern United States show that chambers are amenable to studies examining burrowing behavior, survivorship, growth and water quality. Water table height was easily manipulated in chambers. Seepage rates were strongly affected by substrat...
Speech and gestures for graphic image manipulation

An experiment was conducted with people using gestures and speech to manipulate graphic images on a computer screen. A human was substituted for the recognition devices. The analysis showed that people strongly prefer to use both gestures and speech for the graphics manipulation and that they intuitively use multiple hands and multiple fingers in all three dimensions. There was surprising uniformity and simplicity in the gestures and speech. The analysis of these results provides strong encouragement for future development of integrated multi-modal interaction systems.
Separation Anxiety: Detachment from the Extracellular Matrix Induces Metabolic Changes that Can Stimulate Tumorigenesis

One of the earliest stages of tumor progression involves the ability of cells to survive and proliferate when not attached to the extracellular matrix (ECM). New research using a physiologically relevant breast cancer model reveals how separation from the ECM stimulates metabolic changes characteristic of developing tumors.
Prevalence and intensity of the parasitic copepod (Salmincola californiensis) on Kokanee salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in a reservoir in Colorado

Abstract Copepods of the genus Salmincola (gill lice) parasitize salmonids. We collected kokanee salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) from a reservoir in Colorado to identify the species of gill lice present and investigate intensity and prevalence of infestations. We observed increasing intensity and prevalence with age of fish. Our study adds to limited knowledge of infestations of Salmincola in Colorado and the western United States.
Obesity and hyperlipidemia are risk factors for early diabetic neuropathy.

The Utah Diabetic Neuropathy Study (UDNS) examined 218 type 2 diabetic subjects without neuropathy symptoms, or with symptoms of 0.02 and 3.0 p<0.004 respectively). Multivariate analysis found obesity and triglycerides were related to loss of small unmyelinated axons based on IENFD whereas elevated hemoglobin A1c was related to large myelinated fiber loss (motor conduction velocity). These findings indicate obesity and hypertriglyceridemia significantly increase risk for peripheral neuropathy, independent of glucose control. Obesity/hypertriglyceridemia and hyperglycemia may have differential effects on small versus large fibers.
Interventions on the superficial venous system for chronic venous insufficiency by surgeons in the modern era: an analysis of ACS-NSQIP.

Objective:To evaluate patient characteristics, practice patterns, and outcomes for patients treated for chronic venous insufficiency (CVI).Background:Chronic venous insufficiency is a common problem treated using open or endovascular methods by physicians from a number of surgical and nonsurgical specialties.Methods:Patients treated for CVI in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data set (2005-2011) were identified. Analyses were based on open surgical treatment (open surgery of varicose vein [OSVV]) versus endovenous ablation (EVA), specialty of treating surgeon, and by the presence of venous ulceration (VU). Preoperative patient characteristics and intraoperative measures were examined, and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed for the postoperative outcomes of superficial surgical site infection (sSSI) and deep venous thrombosis (DVT).Results:A total of 4366 patients were identified. Patients undergoing EVA were older (53.3 vs 51.8 years; P ...
A haptic virtual environment for industrial training

This paper presents a haptic virtual environment application for industrial training. A choice of haptic devices. (PHANTOM and CyberForce/CyberGrasp) is used to perform a training exercise with the possibility of sharing virtual scene states with remote users to allow collaboration and remote observation. Furthermore, the application employs video textured avatars to improve face-to-face communication, a novel area of interest management mechanism to reduce network bandwidth usage, standard encoding of state updates for compatibility and is used in conjunction with various projection technologies such as a head mounted display, CAVE configuration or regular PC monitor. The paper serves to underline the various components needed for the development of a haptic virtual environment and our experiences in doing so.
Chebyshev spectral method and Chebyshev noise processing procedure for vorticity calculation in PIV post-processing

Abstract Chebyshev spectral method and Chebyshev noise processing procedure are proposed for the calculation of vorticity from PIV experimental data. The Chebyshev spectral method offers superior intrinsic accuracy of derivative calculations. To overcome its noise sensitivity, the Chebyshev noise processing procedure can be applied prior to the derivative calculation to remove the high-frequency noise in the Chebyshev transform space. We compare the Chebyshev spectral method against the least-squares approach and test their performance in the calculation of vorticity with an Oseen vortex and with PIV data of the wake of a trapezoidal mixing tab. It is found that for clean velocity data the Chebyshev spectral method is extremely accurate. However, the Chebyshev spectral method alone is found to be more sensitive to noise than the least-squares method. When the Chebyshev noise processing procedure is applied together with the Chebyshev spectral method it greatly reduces the error and makes the Chebyshev spectral method more accurate than the least-squares method for a wide range of vorticity values. A special requirement imposed by the Chebyshev spectral method is that the PIV velocity processing must be carried out on special grids such as Gauss–Lobatto points.
Local Knowledge Advances Women's Access to Corporate Boards

There is a need for regional studies of women on corporate boards to capture experiences of smaller companies and to understand the nature of local resources for expanding the pool of women candidates for board seats. New findings from a statewide study of women on corporate boards are reported. The paper examines the status of women on corporate boards compared to other regions in the United States and around the world. Change efforts of governments and professional organisations for helping women overcome barriers to the boardroom are described to demonstrate the need for local knowledge in determining an effective change approach. Results from this study indicate that the local pool of women in academia and consulting has provided alternative routes to the boardroom. This knowledge can be used to direct change efforts for promoting women on boards. Practical implications are discussed for women seeking board seats and for firms seeking qualified women director candidates.
Interferon-Tau Suppresses Prostaglandin F2α Secretion Independently of the Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase and Nuclear Factor κ B Pathways

Pregnancy is established in ruminants through inhibitory actions of interferon (IFN)-tau on the release of prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF), which allows the corpus luteum to survive and continue to produce progesterone. Experiments were designed to 1) delineate the signal transduction pathway coordinating the synthesis of PGF, 2) determine how rapidly recombinant bovine (rb) IFN-tau attenuated phorbol ester (PDBu)-induced secretion of PGF, and 3) establish the site at which rbIFN-tau attenuates the secretion of PGF in cultured bovine endometrial (BEND) cells. BEND cells were untreated (control) or treated for 5, 10, 60, 180, or 300 min with PDBu (100 ng/ml), rbIFN-tau (50 or 500 ng/ml), PDBu + rbIFN-tau, or PDBu + PD98059 (MEK-1 inhibitor; 50 microM). Secretion of PGF was induced (P < 0.0001) by PDBu within 180 min, but induction was inhibited 74% by the addition of rbIFN-tau (P < 0.0001) and was ablated completely by PD98059. Parallel results were obtained for cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 protein expression. PDBu induced (P < 0.05) activation of the Raf-1/MEK-1/ERK-1/2 pathway, which was obligatory for the expression of COX-2 and secretion of PGF but was not altered by cotreatment with rbIFN-tau. PDBu induced (P < 0.05) transcription of c-jun and c-fos mRNAs within 30 min; induction was inhibited (P < 0.05) by cotreatment with PD98059 but not by cotreatment with rbIFN-tau. Treatment of BEND cells with rbIFN-tau also did not attenuate PDBu-induced degradation of IkappaBalpha, suggesting that the IkappaBalpha/NFkappaB pathway is not a site of IFN-tau inhibition of PGF. However, rbIFN-tau did block transcription of the COX-2 gene induced by PDBu within 30 min. In conclusion, COX-2 expression and PGF secretion induced by PDBu is mediated through the Raf-1/MEK-1/ERK-1/2 pathway, but this pathway is not disrupted by rbIFN-tau. Because rbIFN-tau inhibits COX-2 mRNA within 30 min, we hypothesized that transcription factors activated by rbIFN-tau rapidly and directly attenuate COX-2 gene expression, thereby suppressing secretion of PGF.
The Ballcourt Markers of Tenam Rosario, Chiapas, Mexico

This study is an iconographic analysis of ballcourt markers from the Late/Terminal Classic Maya site of Tenam Rosario, Chiapas, Mexico. The squatting posture of the two figures depicted on these markers, while rare in Lowland Maya art, is compared to Late Postclassic images of the earth deities Tlaltecuhtli and Tlaloc from Central Mexico. Contemporaneous examples of this posture are presented from the Gulf Coast site of El Tajin where squatting figures are associated with the rain god specifically and with the themes of ballgame sacrifice and regeneration in general. Tlaloc imagery in Classic Maya art is related to blood sacrifice as a complex, which includes both ritual warfare and autosacrifice. These forms of sacrifice are discussed as engendered categories in both Classic Maya and Aztec society. The Tenam Rosario markers are found to express themes that are consistent with ballgame symbolism throughout Mesoamerica, while conflating male and female aspects of blood sacrifice as regenerative ritual.
Evaluation of job candidates with missing information: Effects of attribute importance and interattribute correlation

How do people make evaluations when important items of information are missing? In the context of personnel evaluations or product evaluations, researchers have proposed that decision makers may predict the missing attribute based on its assumed relationship to attributes that are present. In addition, some researchers have suggested that there is a penalty for missing information. An experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of the importance of the missing attribute on the hypothesized inference effect. Hypothetical job candidates were evaluated based on one or two attributes. The correlation between the attributes was varied between groups of subjects as was the importance of one of the attributes. The pattern of ratings of candidates with missing information varied significantly with the correlation condition when the missing attribute was very important, but did not vary as much when the missing attribute was less important. The results were generally consistent with the predictions of the Inferred Information Model (Johnson and Levin, 1985). On average, candidates with missing information were rated lower than comparable candidates with complete information and the missing attribute at an average level.
Dipole-mode-free and kick-free 2-cell cavity for the SC ERL injector

For the ERL injector, superconducting cavities are needed to deliver to the beam a 100 kWCW RF power. With a beam current of 100...33 mA, gap voltage of 1...3 MV, the coupler must have an external g-factor in the range of 4.6/spl times/10/sup 4/...4.1/spl times/10/sup 5/. The cavity shape and coupler design presented provide the possibility of working in the range of parameters without substantial transverse kick to the beam and HOM-losses in the system. In order to preserve field flatness while the dipole mode is driven out, the 2-cell cavity has a protruding iris between the cell and the larger beam pipe. A twin-coaxial coupler has high coupling but low kick because of its symmetry. Calculation and optimization of the coupler-cavity system are performed with a 2D SLANS and 3D Microwave Studio/sup /spl reg// codes.
On the Existence of Solutions to Controlled Hybrid Automata

This paper studies the existence of solutions to a class of hybrid automata in which the underlying continuous dynamics are represented by inhomogeneous linear time-invariant systems whose inputs are controls that can be determined by the user. The principal result of the paper is a procedure that searches for global periodic nonterminating solutions of systems having a single cycle.
Photodynamic therapy of human breast cancer xenografts lacking caspase-3

The human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 is deficient in procaspase-3 and in caspase-3-dependent steps in apoptosis due to deletion of the CASP-3 gene. We previously found that the cells transfected with empty vector (MCF-7v cells) were considerably less sensitive to photodynamic treatment in vitro with the phthalocyanine photosensitizer Pc 4 than were the cells stably transfected with human procaspase-3 cDNA (MCF-7c3 cells); however, overall cell killing, as determined by a clonogenic assay, was not affected by the presence of procaspase-3. The present study was undertaken to determine whether photodynamic therapy (PDT) in vivo was dependent on the ability of the cells to carry out the late steps in apoptosis that are catalyzed by this caspase. Xenografts of MCF-7 cells and the isogenic-derived MCF-7v and MCF-7c3 cells were generated in female athymic nude mice implanted with an estrogen pellet. MCF-7c3 xenografts, but not those of the other two lines, continued to express procaspase-3, as revealed by Western blots of proteins from the cells and the xenografts. When the xenografts reached 50-120 mm(3), some were treated with PDT (1mg/kg Pc 4 i.v. followed 48 h later by 150 J/cm(2) light at 672 nm and 150 mW/cm(2)), while others served as controls (no treatment, light alone, or Pc 4 alone). All Pc 4-PDT-treated tumors and none of the controls exhibited either complete or strong partial responses, and complete responses were durable for the entire observation period of 16 days. The responses were not dependent upon the presence of procaspase-3 in the xenografts. The results indicate that the rapid response of Pc 4-PDT-treated tumors in vivo is not due to their ability to carry out the major caspase-3-mediated late steps in apoptosis.
The Euclid algorithm and the fast computation of cross-covariance and autocovariance sequences

A simple linear procedure is given to compute the cross-covariance sequence associated with the outputs of two rational digital transfer functions driven by the same white noise sequence. Such a computation often appears in the study of digital filters, in Wiener filtering, in noise variance estimation, in the study of low-order approximations, and in the study of multichannel systems. A fast algorithm based on the Euclid algorithm is introduced to solve the linear system of equations involved in the computation, and a detailed analysis of the matrix is given. The special case of the autocovariance computation is reviewed, and the same study is performed. Alternate polynomial presentations are given and are shown to involve the same matrices and similar fast algorithms. >
Fostering Technical Innovation in Libraries

Grant funding offers one way to foster innovation, and, for large-scale projects, it may be essential; however, there are limited opportunities to secure such funding and many small projects may not warrant it. When grant funding is sought, the library's proposal is strengthened if it can demonstrate prior effort and expertise in the proposal area. Every opportunity to secure grant funding should be seized; however, libraries should not limit themselves to this funding option. This paper provides some brief guidelines for encouraging technical innovation without depending on grant funding.
Association of TP53 Mutational Status and Gender with Survival after Adjuvant Treatment for Stage III Colon Cancer: Results of CALGB 89803

Purpose: The TP53 tumor suppressor is frequently mutated in colon cancer, but the influence of such mutations on survival remains controversial. We investigated whether mutations in the DNA-binding domain of TP53 are associated with survival in stage III colon cancer. Experimental Design: The impact of TP53 genotype was prospectively evaluated in Cancer and Leukemia Group B 89803, a trial that randomized stage III colon cancer patients to receive adjuvant 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin (5FU/LV) or 5FU/LV with irinotecan (IFL). Results: TP53 mutations were identified in 274 of 607 cases. The presence of any TP53 mutation did not predict disease-free survival (DFS) or overall survival with either adjuvant regimen when men and women were considered together or as separate groups. However, outcome differences among women became apparent when tumor TP53 genotype was stratified as wild-type versus zinc- or non-zinc-binding mutations in the TP53 DNA-binding domain. DFS at 5 years was 0.59, 0.52, and 0.78 for women with TP53 wild-type tumors, and tumors with zinc- or non-zinc-binding mutations, respectively. Survival at 5 years for these same women was 0.72, 0.59, and 0.90, respectively. No differences in survival by TP53 genotype were observed in men. Conclusions: The presence of any TP53 mutation within the DNA-binding domain did not predict survival in stage III colon cancer. However, TP53 genotype was predictive of survival in women following adjuvant therapy. Future colon cancer therapeutic trials, with inclusion of correlative molecular markers, should be designed to permit evaluation of survival and/or response to treatment in women separately from men. Clin Cancer Res; 19(20); 5777–87. ©2013 AACR .
An objective assessment of children's physical activity during the Keep It Moving! after-school program.

BACKGROUND After-school programs may provide valuable opportunities for children to accumulate healthful physical activity (PA). This study assessed the PA of third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade children in the Keep It Moving! (KIM) after-school PA program, which was implemented in an ethnically diverse and low socioeconomic status school district in Colorado Springs, Colorado. METHODS The PA of KIM participating children (N = 116) at 4 elementary schools was objectively assessed using ActiGraph accelerometers and the System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT). Linear mixed-effects models or generalized linear mixed-effects models were used to compare time spent in sedentary (SED) behaviors, light PA (LPA), moderate PA (MPA), vigorous PA (VPA), and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) between genders and weight status classifications during KIM sessions. RESULTS Children accumulated 7.6 minutes of SED time, 26.9 minutes of LPA, and 22.2 minutes of MVPA during KIM sessions. Boys accumulated less SED time (p < .05) and LPA (p = .04) than girls, but accumulated more MPA (p = .04), VPA (p = .03), and MVPA (p = .03). Overweight/obese children accumulated more LPA (p = .04) and less VPA (p < .05) than nonoverweight children. SOFIT data indicated that children spent a considerable proportion of KIM sessions being very active (12.4%), walking (36.0%), or standing (40.3%). CONCLUSION The KIM program provides opportunities for disadvantaged children to accumulate substantial amounts of MVPA (>20 minutes per session) in an effort to meet current PA guidelines.
How Many Urban Brownfields are Out There?: An Economic Base Contraction Analysis of 31 U.S. Cities:

How many brownfield sites are there in the United States? Although numerous federal and state lists of contaminated lands are known—totaling more than 380,000 sites—there is no comprehensive estimate of unlisted or total brownfield sites. This article uses economic base contraction analysis to provide an estimate of the number and acreage of brownfield sites, by type and as a percentage of the land, in 31 large cities in the United States. This approach recognizes that brownfields are the outcome of years of decline in central-city manufacturing, trade, transportation, and residential uses. Using a moderately restrictive definition of brownfield, there are an estimated 75,000 formerly industrial brownfield sites in these U.S. central cities, on 93,000 acres. This is about 5% of the land area in these communities. Another 20,000 acres are present in these same cities in the form of residential brownfields. These findings imply that the overall number of nonresidential brownfields sites in the United States...
Cooperative Marketing: Efficiency Conditions for Alliances

A major problem with cooperatives is that more highly specialized, larger, or otherwise better qualified members generally draw fewer benefits from cooperation whereas they pay a larger share of the collective expenses. Marketing cooperatives are interpreted as producing club goods for their members. Efficiency and optimality conditions can then be defined that provide incentives to stay in the group but also avoid differential rents. A part-part tariff structure is proposed to offset heterogeneity of membership structure.
Failure to Progress: A Renewed Call for American Indians and Alaskan Natives on the Federal Bench

In recent history, women and people of color are increasingly represented in the federal government, and the federal judiciary more specifically. Yet, despite this progress in the appointment, confirmation and election of women and racial minorities within the federal government, one notable void still remains. Even though American Indians and Alaskan Natives are the portion of the American population most significantly impacted by decisions of the federal judiciary, not a single American Indian or Alaskan Native currently serves as an active federal district court or circuit court of appeals judge. This brief article examines why a diverse federal bench is so crucial and states that American Indians and Alaskan Natives are underrepresented on the federal bench. The article concludes by calling for the appointment and confirmation of American Indians and Alaskan Native to the federal bench.
Computer program for calculating recombination values from electrophoretic data

A FORTRAN computer program was developed to calculate recombination values from F2 data. The input to the program is data on codominant alleles in any number of F2 families segregating for any number of loci, the limit being applied by the computer's memory capacity. For each pair of loci, regardless of the number of segregating progenies used, one recombination value is estimated by the method of maximum likelihood and reported with its standard error. In cases in which more than one family is used for the estimation, the chi-square for the homogeneity of the data also is reported.
Enseignements techniques tirés des incidents graves et accidents nucléaires

La premiere journee de cette conference a ete centree sur l'accident de Tchernobyl et le rappel du deroulement de l'accident grave survenu sept ans plus tot a TMI2. Elle a egalement permis l'expose des reflexions, d'une part sur l'analyse technique de la surete des differentes filieres (voir en particulier la description de l'etat des reacteurs d'Europe Centrale donnee par le professeur Birkhofer), d'autre part sur l'evolution de la conception des reacteurs (presentation EDF/NPI - Nuclear Power International).Il nous parait important de souligner que cette journee a conduit a apporter de nouvelles precisions concernant la catastrophe de Tchernobyl, preuve que des questions pertinentes — celles posees par les coorganisateurs francais lors de la preparation de la conference — permettent d'ameliorer l'information et la qualite de l'analyse. En particulier, la conference liminaire decrivant le deroulement de l'accident a ete l'occasion d'une confrontation generale des points de vue des divers organismes sovietiques ayant eu a traiter de la catastrophe.
Growth Response to Chronic Beta Agonist Feeding and Mature Carcass Characteristics of Quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) Selected for High and Low Body Densities

Abstract A study was conducted to determine the effect of long-term feeding of a beta agonist (cimaterol) on female Japanese quail. Quail used were from lines selected for high (HD) and low (LD) body density from a randombred population. Dietary treatments consisted of 1) the basal feed, 2) the basal feed containing .5 ppm, or 3) 1.0 ppm of the beta agonist. The treatment period for the six experimental groups extended from 14 to 94 days of age. Weight gains to 49 days and live weights at 94 days of age were greater (P
Penetration and distribution of topically applied malathion in the house fly.

Penetration and distribution in Musca domestica L. of topically applied malathion was studied using a high and low dose of 14C-malathion. With the low dose a longer period was required for the internal distribution. Penetration was highest at the site of application. The malathion moved through the cuticle and into the hemolymph within 15 seconds. From the hemolymph it concentrated in muscle tissue, midgut, and salivary glands of the thorax, In susceptible-strain flies higher concentrations of material were found in muscle tissue than in resistant-strain flies. Later, activity was found in the head (brain) and abdominal tissue, the malathion being distributed by the hemolymph.
The Four-or-More Vertex Theorem

(1985). The Four-or-More Vertex Theorem. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 92, No. 5, pp. 332-337.
Designing Documents for Selective Reading

There are strong indications that many people increasingly resist reading medium-to-long documents. It is therefore important to contribute to the long-term viability of longer documents by providing better support for selective reading. Readers may be more willing to read longer documents knowing they have ample and near-seamless choices regarding which topics they can read and the level of detail at which they can read a particular topic. To design for selective reading requires an understanding of how readers deal with incomplete information and the concepts of prerequisite information and dependency relationships. Three broad approaches can be identified: building supported reading pathways, modularization, and summarization.
Correlation of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A2 activity using caffeine phenotyping and olanzapine disposition in healthy volunteers.

Olanzapine has previously been shown to have predominant metabolism by cytochrome (CYP) P450 1A2. Caffeine has been shown to provide an accurate phenotypic probe for measuring CYP1A2 activity. The purpose of this study is to determine if a significant correlation exists between olanzapine disposition and caffeine metabolic ratios. Subjects were phenotyped for CYP1A2 activity with caffeine probe methodology. After 200-mg caffeine administration, blood (4 h), saliva (6 and 10 h), and urine (8 h total) were collected for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of caffeine and its metabolites.CYP1A2 activity was measured as plasma (PMR(4 h)), saliva (SMR(6 h) and SMR(10 h)), and three urinary metabolic (UMR1(8 h), UMR2(8 h), and UMR3(8 h)) ratios. Each of the 14 healthy nonsmokers (13 male) received a single 10 mg olanzapine dose after which blood was collected for HPLC determination of olanzapine concentrations at predose and at 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h postdose. Olanzapine pharmacokinetic parameters in this study were similar to those previously published. All caffeine metabolic ratios (PMR(4 h), SMR(6 h), SMR(10 h), UMR1(8 h), and UMR2(8 h)) significantly correlated with each other (p <0.001) except for UMR3(8 h), which did not correlate. A significant correlation (p <0.05) was also found between olanzapine clearance and PMR(4 h) (r=0.701), SMR(6 h) (r=0.644), SMR(10 h) (r=0.701), UMR1(8 h) (r=0.745), and UMR2(8 h) (r=0.710). A negative correlation was observed between olanzapine clearance and UMR3(8 h) (r=-0.029, p=NS). A significant correlation was found between olanzapine clearance and various caffeine metabolic ratios. Interpatient variability in CYP1A2 activity may explain the wide interpatient variability in olanzapine disposition. Compounds that modulate CYP1A2 activity may be expected to alter olanzapine pharmacokinetics accordingly.
Field Suppression of Three White Grub Species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) by the Entomogenous Nematodes Steinernema feltiae and Heterorhabditis heliothidis

Laboratory and field tests were conducted from 1983 to 1985 to evaluate the effectiveness of three entomogenous nematodes in reducing white grub populations infesting grass pasture land scheduled for Christmas tree planting. Nematodes tested were three strains of Steinernema feltiae Filipjev (DD-136, Mexican, and All), Steinernema glaseri (Steiner), and Heterorhabditis heliothidis (Khan, Brooks, and Hirschmann). The white grub complex consisted of three species: Phyllophaga anxia (LeConte), Phyllophaga fusca (Froelich), and Polyphylla comes Casey. In laboratory tests, the different nematode species demonstrated similar virulence, producing grub mortalities of 60-80% in 2-4 d. Field treatment results were highly variable; significant grub population reductions occurred at several treatment rates. Sprays with All strain caused the most consistent grub reductions. Nematodes dispersed through the soil to locate and parasitize white grubs. The highest treatment rates usually did not produce the most significant grub population reductions. Rates ranged from 0.54 to 10.76 x 105 nematodes per m2.
Diagnosis and management of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.

As a group, patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms are poor candidates for the only treatment offering a chance to survive the catastrophe. Generally they are old and have significant vascular disease along with other serious medical problems. For those who survive operation, acute renal failure poses the greatest threat to life. The outlook is especially dim if preoperative shock is severe.
The Use of CLINFO as a Teaching Tool to Introduce Health Care Personnel to Computers and their Applications

The introduction of medical and health care personnel to computers and their uses requires a computer course specifically tailored to their interests. The course must also operate within severe time constraints. The use of the CLINFO Data Management and Analysis System provides a suitable workstation environment for rapid introduction of students to the basic concepts of computer systems and the construction of relevant medical applications rapidly. The structure provided by a CLINFO learning situation is also compatible with Piaget’s learning theory of data gathering, arranging, processing, system structuring, assimilation, and accommodation. CLINFO applications for dietary and nursing are detailed.
Correlation between Tiam 1 and malignant biological phenotypes of gastric cancer cells

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of T lymphoma invasion and metastasis inducing factor 1(Tiam 1) in gastric cancer cells and analyse the correlations between Tiam 1 and the proliferative activity or invasive and migratory potential of gastric cancer cells. METHODS: Two subpopulations from human gastric cancer cell line MKN-45(M0), lesser(ML) and higher(MH) adhesive subgroup were separated by the laminin adhesions method in vitro. RT-PCR and ELISA were applied to detect the expressions of Tiam 1 mRNA and protein in M0, ML and MH cells. The proliferating cycle or invasive and migratory potential of M0, ML and MH cells in vitro were observed by flowcytometry and Boyden chamber, and the simultaneously correlations between the expression of Tiam 1 and the proliferative activity or invasive and migratory potential of gastric cancer cells also were analysed. RESULTS: The expressions of Tiam 1 mRNA (RV=0.855±0.051) and protein (RD=1.262±0.165) in MH cells and the proliferative index (PI=58.06±5.41) or invasive and migratory potential (24.33±8.02,52.00±14.53) of MH cells were much higher than those of M0 cells (RV=0.759±0.047, RD=0.911±0.104,PI=42.30±3.68, 11.67±3.79, 26.00±9.54) and ML cells (RV=0.743±0.039,RD=0.892±0.101,PI=35.96±3.32,9.67±3.06,23.67±8.50),P0.05. However there were no significant differences in those between M0 and ML cells,P0.05. Positive correlations existed between the expression of Tiam 1 and the proliferative activity or invasive and migratory potential of gastric cancer cells, P0.05. CONCLUSION: The increasing expression of Tiam 1 may promote the proliferative activity,the invasive and migratory potential of gastric cancer cells.
Study and Application of Remote Power Monitoring System of Substations

In order to handle the unavailability of unmanned substations in monitoring of abnormal conditions,which may bring on faults over a long period of time,applicability of remote power monitoring system of substations is studied.Through analysis of structure of remote power monitoring system of substations,requirements on functions of substations and master stations,as well as application points and so forth,a feasible implementation scheme is proposed.The practicability of the scheme is proved in the test run in Zhongshan of Guangdong province.