cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Statistical Methods for Biomarker Analysis for Head and Neck Carcinogenesis and Prevention

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on various statistical methods used for biomarker analysis for head and neck carcinogenesis and prevention. Various statistical methods are illustrated by using data obtained from a retinoid chemoprevention trial in patients with oral premalignant lesions (OPLs). Because of patient refusal, loss to follow-up, and limited amount of tissues, biomarkers in the chapter have not been analyzed on all participants, but only on the available tissue samples. Knowing the type of biomarker is essential for choosing the proper statistical method for biomarker analysis. Biomarkers can be measured qualitatively, quantitatively, or semiquantitatively. Qualitative biomarker measures can also produce categorical variables. The Cox proportional hazards model, a general semiparametric method, is used for analyzing time-to-event data. The application of an interval event chart provides a graphic assessment of the combined effect of histology and prior cancer history on time to cancer development. Event charts are very useful in revealing the association of multiple time-to-event data at the individual level.
Identification of Oil Spilled at Sea by High Performance Gel Permeation Chromatography Pattern Recognition

Oil pollution in the marine environment has now become a world-wide concern. Recently, in Japan, over 1,000 cases of oil pollution have been occurring every year. It is important to develop an effective identification method for spilled oils for conservation of marine environments. A new method was developed using high performance gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Chromatograms of the molecular weight distribution of oils were obtained using an ultra-violet (UV) detector. Pattern similarities between pairs of chromatograms were calculated by section areas of the chromatograms using a computer. Sixty two kinds of crude oil imported by Japan were classified by this method, and a close relationship was found between the countries of origin of the crude oils and their chromatographic patterns. Forty nine tar balls sampled from Japanese coasts were compared with the crude oils, and the origins of the tar balls were deduced. The proposed method was effective for the identification of spilled oils, and had high sensitivity and reproducibility.
Long-Term Outcomes in Patients With Aortic Regurgitation and Preserved Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction

Abstract Background Chronic severe aortic regurgitation (AR) imposes significant volume and pressure overload on the left ventricle (LV), but such patients typically remain in an asymptomatic state for a very long time. Objectives This study sought to examine long-term outcomes in a contemporary group of patients with grade III+ chronic AR and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and the value of aortic valve (AV) surgery on long-term survival. We also wanted to reassess the threshold of LV dimension, beyond which mortality significantly increases. Methods The authors studied 1,417 such patients (mean 54 ± 16 years of age, 75% men) seen between 2002 and 2010. Clinical data were obtained and Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) score was calculated. The primary endpoint was mortality. Results Mean STS score was 5.5% ± 8%, and mean LVEF was 57 ± 4%, whereas 1,228 patients (87%) were asymptomatic, and 93 patients (7%) had indexed LV end-systolic dimension (iLVESD) ≥2.5 cm/m2. At 6.6 ± 3 years, 933 patients (66%) underwent AV surgery (36% isolated AV surgery, 16% concomitant coronary bypass, and 58% aortic replacement), and 262 patients (19%) died. In-hospital postoperative mortality was 2% (0.6% in isolated AV surgery). On multivariate Cox survival analysis, compared to the group of iLVESD Conclusions At a high-volume experienced center, patients with grade III or greater AR and preserved LVEF demonstrated significantly improved long-term survival following AV surgery. The risk of death significantly increased at a lower LV dimension threshold than previously described.
Crystallographic orientation propagation in metal halide perovskite thin films

Metal halide perovskites have achieved remarkable efficiency in solar cells. However, the origin and impact of preferential crystallographic orientation of thin films are still not well understood. In this work, using in situ grazing-incidence X-ray scattering, we show that a preferential crystallographic orientation of a thin ‘seed’ layer (∼65 nm) on top of a thick (∼350 nm) randomly oriented film can propagate through the entire film. The thin cubic (100) oriented layer on top was formed by using a simple solution based treatment with methylammonium chloride (MACl) on randomly oriented methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) films. Upon thermal annealing, the cubic (100) orientation propagates through the entire MAPbI3 film underneath which eventually cools down to tetragonal (110) orientation at room temperature. The treatment results in significantly improved solar cell power conversion efficiency, highlighting the importance of controlling the crystallographic orientation of grains.
The Role of the Central Nervous System Microenvironment in Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer in children. While survival rates for ALL have improved, central nervous system (CNS) relapse remains a significant cause of treatment failure and treatment-related morbidity. Accordingly, there is a need to identify more efficacious and less toxic CNS-directed leukemia therapies. Extensive research has demonstrated a critical role of the bone marrow microenvironment in leukemia development, maintenance, and chemo-resistance. Moreover, therapies to disrupt mechanisms of bone marrow microenvironment mediated leukemia survival and chemo-resistance represent new, promising approaches to cancer therapy. However, in direct contrast to the extensive knowledge of the bone marrow microenvironment, the unique attributes of the CNS microenvironment that serve to make it a leukemia reservoir are not yet elucidated. Recent work has begun to define both the mechanisms by which leukemia cells migrate into the CNS and how components of the CNS influence leukemia biology to enhance survival, chemo-resistance, and ultimately relapse. In addition to providing new insight into CNS relapse and leukemia biology, this area of investigation will potentially identify targetable mechanisms of leukemia chemo-resistance and self-renewal unique to the CNS environment that will enhance both the durability and quality of the cure for ALL patients.
Recognizing Spatial Considerations in Forest Management Planning

The aim is to help identify how spatial facets of forest management can be analyzed and better understood in strategic forest management planning. Focus is on stand-level spatial interdependencies potentially related to a wide range of considerations including wildlife habitat, invasive species, forest management regulations, and cost of harvest operations. Spatial facets addressed include adjacency and harvest area limitations, habitat connectivity, edge impacts, proximity considerations, and management options for restructuring stand shapes and sizes. Emphasis is on recent studies with direct connections to both forest management planning and problem structures of operations research. Models related to explicit spatial facets of forest management are increasing in number, size, and complexity. Specialized approaches have been developed that are tailored to spatial facets of forestry problems. Improvements have also been made in ways of solving existing spatial models. Uncertainty is also being addressed in applications, and most recent studies tend to address multiple forest objectives. Spatial interrelationships between stands are important considerations in forest planning. Operation research models can help explore the complex combinatorial nature of the situation. The need to better integrate multiple objectives over large landscapes is commonly suggested. Tradeoff analyses are important for decision makers to better understand forest-wide opportunities. New technology including parallel processing will help increase the practicality of model applications.
Adaptive Water Sports

Adaptive water sports provide an excellent resource and opportunity for athletes with a disability with varying types and levels of impairment to participate on both the recreational and competitive stage. Through modifications and adaptations, athletes are able to navigate courses and obstacles on and in the water in a fashion similar to those athletes without disabilities. Furthermore, it serves as a physical outlet for athletes to develop endurance, strength, and flexibility while serving to encourage mental growth and maturation regarding their impairments. Adaptive water sports continue to grow in interest among disabled athletes and are gaining traction within the spotlight of the competitive adaptive sporting realm.
Hartley Rogers: Complexity Classes

The notion of complexity classes of problems is one of the great definition success stories in science. This chapter traces its lineage to the influence of Hartley Rogers’ famous text and papers systematizing computability theory in the 1950s and 1960s.
Monitoring of Stresses in Concrete Using Ultrasonic Coda Wave Comparison Technique

Condition or health monitoring of concrete structures has experienced increasing interest over the last decade. While conventional sensors such as strain gauges are accurate and reliable, they only allow for surface observations. In contrast, ultrasonic waves propagate through the thickness of a member and can thus detect internal changes. In this paper we present an ultrasonic monitoring approach that uses a coda wave comparison (CWC) technique, which makes use of the highly sensitive diffuse (or coda) portion of a recorded ultrasonic waveform. In this study, the changes in the applied stress were correlated to the changes observed in the ultrasonic waveforms, which were estimated using magnitude-squared coherence (MSC). The CWC technique was evaluated by investigating key influence parameters that affect the relationship between MSC and the applied stress. First, two concrete cylinders were cast and tested to study the effect of maximum aggregate size. Second, two concrete prisms were used to study the effect of the frequency of the transmitted pulse. Finally, we discuss a field test involving a prestressed concrete bridge girder and a column. The results show that MSC is capable of discriminating minute stress changes in a laboratory as well as a field setting.
Motor Imagery Classification Using TSK Fuzzy Inference Neural Networks

Electroencephalography (EEG) signals are often employed in modern BCI (brain-computer interface) systems. For patients with irreversible nerve injury, motor imagery BCIs enable them to control devices such as artificial limbs simply with brain activities (i.e. imagination) without physical movement. In practice, EEG signals are measured with multiple electrodes and often contaminated with various kinds of artifacts and noise. In this study, a novel EEG motor imagery classification approach is developed based on discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and TSK (Tagaki-Sugeno-Kang) fuzzy inference neural networks. By using energy ratios in the frequency bands that are related with motor imagery activities, fewer features are needed for the classifier, which makes the real-time implementation of BCI systems more feasible. DWT not only provides multi-resolution analysis for non-stationary EEG signals, but also aids for noise and artifact reduction. Furthermore, the TSK fuzzy neural network is able to handle imprecise information with adaptive learning. The proposed algorithm is tested on EEG signals of PhysioNet database and compared with other methods. Satisfactory computer simulation results are obtained.
Channeling the Biblical Exile as an Art Task for Central American Refugee Children on the Texas–Mexico Border

Foremost among exilic texts in the Bible are the themes of homeland and journey. Their production bespeaks Israel’s recourse to symbolic and stylized language as a way to give form to personal and collective suffering. Indeed, these texts reflect the enlistment of poetic forms not merely to record a past but to bear the painful marks of Israel’s exile. Hence, what I want to suggest in this chapter are ways in which the exilic themes of homeland and journey constitute a discourse of healing for the lived experiences of exile and captivity. How might contemporary refugees envisage their lived experiences of exile and captivity within the biblical themes of homeland and journey? Moreover, how might their artistic expressions of homeland and journey intersect with and diverge from the exilic texts in the Hebrew Bible? One way I have sought to answer these questions is through an expressive art and social advocacy project called, Arte de Lagrimas: Refugee Artwork Project. In this chapter, I first describe briefly the humanitarian mission and social objectives of this project. Second, I examine two color-drawings of homeland and journey created by Genesis, a nine-year-old asylum-seeking girl from El Salvador. The drawings were completed several hours after she and her family were released from an immigrant detention facility near McAllen, Texas. In my image analysis, I read her artwork not through a clinical or psychoanalytic lens or simply as symptomology of trauma. Rather, I read them through exilic biblical texts of homeland and journey to show that both the refugee artwork and the biblical texts can be regarded as engendering a common language of healing that proceed from the lived experience and memories of exile and captivity.
Risk analysis of hemorrhage in stereo‐electroencephalography procedures

Objective To examine the true incidence of hemorrhage related to stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) procedures. To analyze risk factors associated with the presence of different types of hemorrhage in SEEG procedures. Methods This was a retrospective, single-center observational study examining every SEEG implantation performed at our center from 2009 to 2017. This consisted of 549 consecutive SEEG implantations using a variety of stereotactic and imaging techniques. A hemorrhage grading system was applied by a blinded neuroradiologist to every postimplant and postexplant computed tomography (CT) scan. Hemorrhages were classified as asymptomatic or symptomatic based on neurologic deficit seen on examination. Statistical analysis included multivariate regression using relevant preoperative variables to predict the presence of hemorrhage. Results One hundred five implantations (19.1%) had any type of hemorrhage seen on postimplant CT. Of these, 93 (16.9%) were asymptomatic and 12 (2.2%) were symptomatic, with 3 implantations (0.6%) resulting in either a permanent deficit (2, 0.4%) or death (1, 0.2%). Male sex, increased number of electrodes, and increasing age were associated with increased risk of postimplant hemorrhage on multivariate analysis. Increasing score in the grading system was related to a statistically significant increase in the likelihood of a symptomatic hemorrhage. Significance Detailed examination of every postimplant CT reveals that the total hemorrhage rate appears higher than previously reported. Most of these hemorrhages are small and asymptomatic. Our grading system may be useful to risk stratify these hemorrhages and awaits prospective validation.
Pathogenesis of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a syndrome of acute respiratory failure caused by noncardiogenic pulmonary edema. Despite five decades of basic and clinical research, there is still no effective pharmacotherapy for this condition and the treatment remains primarily supportive. It is critical to study the molecular and physiologic mechanisms that cause ARDS to improve our understanding of this syndrome and reduce mortality. The goal of this review is to describe our current understanding of the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of ARDS. First, we will describe how pulmonary edema fluid accumulates in ARDS due to lung inflammation and increased alveolar endothelial and epithelial permeabilities. Next, we will review how pulmonary edema fluid is normally cleared in the uninjured lung, and describe how these pathways are disrupted in ARDS. Finally, we will explain how clinical trials and preclinical studies of novel therapeutic agents have further refined our understanding of this condition, highlighting, in particular, the study of mesenchymal stromal cells in the treatment of ARDS.
Researching the Appropriateness of Care in the Complementary and Integrative Health Professions Part 4: Putting Practice Back Into Evidence-based Practice by Recruiting Clinics and Patients.

Abstract Objectives This paper focuses on the methods of a single study, incorporating data from chiropractic clinics into an evidenced-based investigation of the appropriateness of manipulation for chronic back pain. Methods A cluster sample of clinics (125) from 6 sites across the United States was chosen for this observation study. Patients with chronic low-back and neck pain were recruited using iPads, completed a series of online questionnaires, and gave permission for their patient records to be scanned. Patient records for a random sample were also obtained. The RAND staff and clinic personnel collected record data. Results We obtained survey data from 2024 patients with chronic low back pain, chronic neck pain, or both. We obtained patient record data from 114 of 125 clinics. These included the records of 1475 of the individuals who had completed surveys (prospective sample), and a random sample of 2128 patients. Across 114 clinics, 22% of clinics had patient records that were fully electronic, 32% had paper files, and 46% used a combination. Of the 114 clinics, about 47% scanned the records themselves with training from RAND. We obtained a total of 3603 scanned records. The patient survey data were collected from June 2016 to February 2017, the provider surveys from June 2016 to March 2017, and the chart pull from April 2017 to December 2017. Conclusions Clinics can be successfully recruited for practice-based studies, and patients can be recruited using iPads. Obtaining patient records presents considerable challenges, and clinics varied in whether they had electronic files, nonelectronic records, or a mixture. Clinic staff can be trained to select and scan samples of charts to comply with randomization and data protection protocols in transferring records for research purposes.
Improving intraoperative temperature management in elective repeat cesarean deliveries: a retrospective observational cohort study.

Inadvertent perioperative hypothermia (< 36 °C) occurs frequently during elective cesarean delivery and most institutions do employ perioperative active warming. The purpose of this retrospective observational cohort study was to determine if the addition of preoperative forced air warming in conjunction with intraoperative underbody forced air warming improved core temperature and reducing inadvertent perioperative hypothermia during elective repeat elective cesarean delivery with neuraxial anesthesia. We evaluated the addition of perioperative active warming to standard passive warming methods (preheated intravenous/irrigation fluids and cotton blankets) in 120 parturients scheduled for repeat elective cesarean delivery (passive warming, n = 60 vs. active + passive warming, n = 60) in a retrospective observational cohort study. The primary outcomes of interest were core temperature at the end of the procedure and a decrease in inadvertent perioperative hypothermia (< 36 °C). Secondary outcomes were surgical site infections and adverse markers of neonatal outcome. The mean temperature at the end of surgery after instituting the active warming protocol was 36.0 ± 0.5 °C (mean ± SD, 95% CI 35.9–36.1) vs. 35.4 ± 0.5 °C (mean ± SD, 95% CI 35.3–35.5) compared to passive warming techniques (p < 0.001) and the incidence of inadvertent perioperative hypothermia at the end of the procedure was less in the active warming group - 68% versus 92% in the control group (p < 0.001). There was no difference in surgical site infections or neonatal outcomes. Perioperative active warming in combination with passive warming techniques was associated with a higher maternal temperature and lower incidence of inadvertent perioperative hypothermia with no detectable differences in surgical site infections or indicators of adverse neonatal outcomes.
Experimental seismic behavior of ultra-high performance concrete columns with high strength steel reinforcement

Abstract Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) is an advanced cementitious composite material that exhibits high ductility and durability with superior mechanical properties, e.g. compressive strength in excess of 22 ksi (150 MPa) and sustained post-cracking tensile strength greater than 0.7 ksi (5 MPa). These characteristics have promoted UHPC to be considered for new construction applications specially for next-generation bridge structures. Currently, UHPC is commonly used in limited structural applications, such as joints and connections between precast structural elements. However, there is a growing interest in larger UHPC applications and new designs of full structural members as the UHPC market keeps growing and material becomes more available. One potential application for structural elements is full UHPC columns, which is the focus of this study. This paper presents an experimental investigation of the structural and seismic behavior of large-scale full UHPC columns reinforced with conventional and high strength steel reinforcement. The UHPC columns were tested under combined axial and quasi-static cyclic lateral loading at the University of Nevada, Reno. The testing program included four columns where the seismic performance of three different columns with grade 100 reinforcement is compared with a reference UHPC column with regular grade 60 reinforcement. Thus, the varied experimental parameters included the longitudinal reinforcement ratio and grade as well as the transverse reinforcement ratio. Results demonstrate that UHPC columns have reasonable ductility and drift capacity. Moreover, higher reinforcement ratio or grade is needed to better utilize the superior mechanical properties of UHPC and recommended to inform future design.
Neurologic complications of cardiac arrest

Cardiac arrest is a catastrophic event with high morbidity and mortality. Despite advances over time in cardiac arrest management and postresuscitation care, the neurologic consequences of cardiac arrest are frequently devastating to patients and their families. Targeted temperature management is an intervention aimed at limiting postanoxic injury and improving neurologic outcomes following cardiac arrest. Recovery of neurologic function governs long-term outcome after cardiac arrest and prognosticating on the potential for recovery is a heavy burden for physicians. An early and accurate estimate of the potential for recovery can establish realistic expectations and avoid futile care in those destined for a poor outcome. This chapter reviews the epidemiology, pathophysiology, therapeutic interventions, prognostication, and neurologic sequelae of cardiac arrest.
Simulation in Healthcare: A Concept Map

This chapter provides a relatively simple explanation of the comprehensive ways that modeling, simulation, and analysis can be used across the entirety of the healthcare industry. The explanation is provided as a concept map diagram. Concept maps are visual representations of knowledge and are similar to mind maps. The chapter breaks down the ways that models and simulations are used in four related but often independent domains: (1) Administration, Business, and Management; (2) Practitioner and Patient Safety; (3) Theory and Science; and (4) Logistics and Physical Process. While a hospital environment typically leverages all four of these domains on a regular basis, the ways that models and simulations are used are slightly different within each domain. It is important for operators within each of these domains to understand the opportunity and value models and simulations can provide across the comprehensive system.
Ethics & Consciousness in Organizations: A Conceptual Hierarchical Model

The authors posit that one should not take a binary approach to business ethics because there are gradations. They propose that firms may be classified according to the following metric: Level I: The Totally Unethical Organization; Level II: The Legalistic Unethical Organization; Level III: The Superficially Ethical Organization; Level IV: The Ethical Organization; and Level V: The Fully Conscious Ethical Organization. Firms at the lowest level of ethics are only concerned about profits and not getting caught. Firms at the highest level are advocates of conscious capitalism. Conscious business leaders aim to use capitalism to "elevate humanity" by serving all stakeholders and making the world a better place.
A Miniature Tensile Kolsky Bar for Thin Film Testing

A miniature tension Kolsky (split-Hopkinson) bar has been developed to facilitate testing of metallic films with thicknesses on the order of 100 μm. The system consists of a cylindrical launch tube (which contains an internal striker), and incident and transmitted bars of rectangular cross section. The launch tube with internal striker facilitates pulse shaping by allowing for the use of traditional disk shaped pulse shapers. This ensures that tests are conducted under force equilibrium and at a nearly constant strain rate. The rectangular incident and transmitted bars facilitate specimen and strain gage mounting. The rectangular section also provides a reduced cross sectional bar area which increases the system sensitivity. Design considerations and analysis of different measurement techniques for bar strain/velocity will be discussed along with test results for Al foils.
4-16Mb DRAMs: Cost/performance tradeoffs

This panel will try to assess the relative merits of alternative circuit design techniques and technology choices for 4-16Mb DRAMs. To illustrate: by including additional masking steps, improved performance may be obtained at increased cost. Other topics to be discussed will include the critical charge for smaller cells, alternative cell designs, package constraints, internal voltage levels, and the best choice for interconnect. Finally, the expected time frames for experimental and production stages will be explored.
Trans-Epistemic Semantics for Logic Programs

Each stable model of a logic program is computed in isolation. This does not allow one to reason in any stable model with information from other stable models. Such information interchange is needed when computing with full introspection, as performed by Gelfond's epistemic specifications, or when modeling multi-agent reasoning using stable models. In this paper, we define syntactic and semantic structures that allow the use of information from multiple stable models when computing one stable model. Hence a notion of second order stability is introduced and every computed model should be stable at that level. We define a concept of trans-epistemic (te-) logic programs that is reduced to a logic program using information from a trans-epistemic interpretation. The te-interpretation is checked for stability against the set of stable models of the logic program using a consensus function. We discus the properties of trans-epistemic stable models and motivate their use with examples.
A mathematical model for power MOSFET capacitances

The capacitance-voltage equations are derived and then directly implemented into a power MOSFET model as an alternative to the sub-circuit approach. The goal is to develop a fast and simple power MOSFET model whose parameters depend on easily measured external device properties rather than internal phenomena. By deriving equations directly from device physics one obtains accurate functioning over a wide range of circuit conditions and device types. The capacitance-voltage characteristics of the interelectrode capacitances in the power MOSFET are mathematically described. The internal charge conditions which determine the capacitances for different operating states are presented. Experimental three-terminal capacitance data are compared with simulated results, followed by a brief description of how the parameters were determined. >
New bivalve taxa from the Tucumcari Formation (Cretaceous, Albian), New Mexico, and the biostratigraphic significance of the basal Tucumcari fauna

Basal strata of the Tucumcari Formation south of San Jon, New Mexico, contain a bivalve assemblage different from that of the remainder of the formation. Ceratostreon texanum and two new species herein described (Gyrostrea hinchada, Plicatula quayensis) are the dominant faunal elements of these basal strata. A fourth bivalve, long known as Lopha quadriplicata, ranges downward approximately to the upper limit of C. texanum. However, reevaluation of the taxonomy of this and related species indicates that 1) they have little in common with typical representatives of Lopha and are grouped in a new genus, Peilinia, and 2) specimens from the Tucumcari and related formations formerly assigned to L. quadriplicata are a separate new species, P. levicostata, which appeared in the southern Western Interior before P. quadriplicata appeared in eastern Texas and Oklahoma. The biostratigraphic ranges of several widely distributed bivalves are utilized with ammonite range zones to refine the correlation of several southern Western Interior sequences with the classic lower Washita sequence of Texas and Oklahoma. Because ammonites are rare in the western area, bivalves are locally more important in establishing the age of some exposures. For example, the boundary between or slight overlap of the successive zones of C. texanum and P. levicostata in eastern New Mexico and west-central Texas marks the position of the Craginites serratescens ammonite zone to the east. Strata previously called Kiamichi and Duck Creek in west-central Texas are best considered part of the Tucumcari Formation, representing deposition that occurred mainly earlier than the main Tucumcari sequence in New Mexico.
4 T-fMRI Study of Nonspatial Shifting of Selective Attention: Cerebellar and Parietal Contributions

Le, Tuong Huu, Jose V. Pardo, and Xiaoping Hu. 4 T-fMRI study of nonspatial shifting of selective attention: cerebellar and parietal contributions. J. Neurophysiol. 79: 1535–1548, 1998. Regional bl...
Isolated single-lung perfusion with doxorubicin is pharmacokinetically superior to intravenous injection.

Abstract To investigate new modalities in the treatment of pulmonary metastases we developed a model of isolated singlelung perfusion in the rat. In this study we compare the pharmacokinetics of isolated lung perfusion and intravenous doxorubicin. In the first experiment, designed to evaluate lung tissue levels of doxorubicin, 35 rats were randomized into seven groups (n = 5). The first five groups underwent isolated lung perfusion with 72.1 ± 6.9, 118.4 ± 12.1, 255.2 ± 12.8, 384.1 ± 46.2, and 457.6 ± 32.5 μg/mL of doxorubicin, respectively, for 10 minutes. Groups 6 and 7 received 5 mg/kg and 7 mg/kg of intravenous doxorubicin, respectively. A second study was designed to measure heart tissue level of doxorubicin in 3 groups of 5 rats each. Two groups received 5 or 7 mg/kg of intravenous doxorubicin and a third group underwent isolated lung perfusion with 255.2 ± 12.8 μg/mL of doxorubicin for 10 minutes. A third study, designed to evaluate toxicity in vivo, had a similar design, and the animals were followed up for 21 days after treatment. Lung doxorubicin concentration after isolated lung perfusion was significantly higher than after intravenous doxorubicin ( p p p
Identification and characterisation of urban building patterns using IKONOS imagery and point-based postal data

Abstract Point-based data recording the location of individual buildings are not only restoring enthusiasm in urban modelling but are also playing active roles in methodologies endeavouring to interpret urban land use from high spatial resolution remotely sensed images. One such approach explores the possibility of using both individual postal points to identify the spatial location of residential and commercial buildings as well as groups of postal points to characterise neighbourhood patterns from classified imagery. Postal points refer to those collected by the Ordnance Surveys of Great Britain (dataset known as ADDRESS-POINT™) and Northern Ireland (COMPAS™). Groups of these points are characterised using standard nearest-neighbour and linear nearest-neighbour indices in terms of the spacing and arrangement of residential and commercial buildings. The indices then form the basis for the interpretation of urban pixels classified from IKONOS imagery, along with a view to developing an automated pattern recognition system that would ultimately identify and characterise the physical arrangement of buildings in terms of density (compactness versus sparseness) and linearity. Encouraging results are documented from preliminary empirical testing on two cities in the United Kingdom using digital aerial photography at 25 cm spatial resolution.
Contribution of differential scattering of circularly polarized light to the optical rotatory dispersion of a sample

A chiral scattering molecule has the ability to interact differently with circularly polarized light of opposite polarization. This phenomenon has been termed circular intensity differential scattering. It is shown that the differential-scattering phenomenon contributes to the total optical rotatory dispersion (ORD) of the sample. This contribution is independent of the presence of chromophores in the sample. From two general relations, the Kronig-Kramers transforms, obeyed by linear, causal systems, and the optical theorem, a result of energy conservation and power flow, the contribution of the preferential scattering of circularly polarized light to the ORD of the sample is formally obtained. It is seen that this contribution takes place through the circular preferential removal of the coherent part of the wave, i.e., the extinction (by means of scattering) of the transmitted radiation. It is shown that the use of approximations in the description of the internal field in the scattering equations can equivocally predict the absence of a scattering-dependent ORD contribution.
Alterations of PPARα and its coactivator PGC-1 in cisplatin-induced acute renal failure

Alterations of PPARα and its coactivator PGC-1 in cisplatin-induced acute renal failure. Background In this study we examined whether a recently characterized coactivator of Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α (PPARα), Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-gamma-coactivator-1 (PGC-1) plays a role in the regulation of fatty acid oxidation during cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. Methods Studies in mouse kidneys used quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to measure peroxisomal acyl coenzyme A (acyl-CoA) and PGC-1 mRNA levels and in situ hybridization to localize PGC-1 mRNA. Studies in LLCPK1 cells used quantitative RT-PCR and biochemical assays to measure mRNA levels and enzyme activities of peroxisomal acyl-CoA, mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyl transferase (CPT) and PGC-1. Eletrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) and Western blot analysis of nuclear extracts, and transient transfection of PGC-1 were used to examine the effect of cisplatin on PPARα-regulated fatty acid oxidation. Results Cisplatin decreased mRNA levels of peroxisomal acyl-CoA enzyme in mouse kidney and also reduced the mRNA levels and enzyme activities of acyl-CoA and mitochondrial CPT-1 in LLCPK1 cells. DNA-protein binding studies demonstrated that exposure to cisplatin reduces PPARα/retinoid X receptor (RXRα) binding activity. Immunoblotting studies demonstrated that cisplatin had no effect on nuclear levels of PPARα or RXRα protein. In situ hybridization studies in mouse kidney demonstrated the localization of PGC-1 mRNA to proximal tubules and thick ascending limb of Henley (TALH) cells. Cisplatin diminished the expression of PGC-1 mRNA levels in mouse kidney and also in LLCPK1 cells. Transient expression of PGC-1 shows the nuclear localization of PGC-1 protein and increased PPARα transcriptional activity in LLCPK1 cells. Conclusions These results demonstrate that cisplatin deactivates PPARα by reducing its DNA binding activity and the availability of its tissue specific coactivator PGC-1.
Dietary supplementation of ferulic acid and ferulic acid ethyl ester induces quinone reductase and glutathione-S-transferase in rats

Abstract Ferulic acid ethyl ester (FAEE) and ferulic acid (FA) were fed to rats to determine in vivo efficacy in elevating selected phase II enzyme activities and antioxidant capacity. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were fed the AIN-93M control diet, or the control diet supplemented with 1% FA, 1% FAEE, or 0.1% FAEE for 2 weeks. Quinone reductase (QR), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), thioredoxin reductase (TxR) activities, and oxidised and reduced glutathione were determined for brain, lung, liver, kidney, intestine and colon tissues. Both FA and FAEE (1%) supplementation increased QR and GST specific activities in kidney and colon tissues by 23–38% relative to the control diet. FAEE (1%) supplementation also induced QR specific activity, by 1.46- and 1.27-fold over the control diet, in intestinal and lung tissue of animals, whereas FA did not. No effect of diet was observed on liver cytochrome P450-1A1 activity. These results demonstrate that dietary FA and FAEE induce QR activity in the colon, small intestine, lung, and kidney, and improve glutathione antioxidant status in the colon and intestine. Therefore, dietary FA and FAEE may elevate defences to oxidative- and xenobiotic-induced stress in vivo.
A Performance Trade-Off for the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor: Buffer Layer Versus Base Lifetime Reduction

A one-dimensional analytic model for the insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), which includes a high-doped buffer layer in the low-doped bipolar transistor base, is developed. The model is used to perform a theoretical trade-off study between IGBT's with and without the buffer layer. The study is performed for devices of equal breakdown voltages, and the critical parameters chosen to ``trade-off'' are turn-off switching energy loss (related to turn-off time) and on-state voltage, both at a given current. In this model, as in reality, the two critical parameters are varied by 1) adjusting the doping concentration and thickness of a buffer layer included as part of the bipolar transistor base, 2) adjusting the lifetime in the lowly doped bipolar transistor base with no buffer layer included, or by 3) a combination of 1) and 2). The results of the model predict that for equal breakdown voltages an optimized device with a buffer layer has less switching energy loss for a given on-state voltage than an optimized device with no buffer layer.
Living Radical Polymerization of Bipolar Transport Materials for Highly Efficient Light Emitting Diodes

The synthesis of hole transport, electron transport, and functionalized β-diketone monomers, as well as their living radical polymerization, is described. Utilizing a second-generation nitroxide in...
Second-generation minimal physiologically-based pharmacokinetic model for monoclonal antibodies

Minimal physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (mPBPK) models provide a sensible modeling approach when fitting only plasma (or blood) data yielding physiologically-relevant PK parameters that may provide more practical value than parameters of mammillary models. We propose a second-generation mPBPK model specifically for monoclonal antibodies (mAb) by including (lumping) several essential components of mAb PK used in full PBPK models. These components include convection as the primary mechanism of antibody movement from plasma into tissues and return to plasma with interstitial fluid as the major extravascular distribution space. The model divides tissue spaces into two groups according to their vascular endothelial structure, leaky and tight, which consequently allows discernment of two types and general sites of distribution. This mPBPK model was applied to two mAbs in mice and ten mAbs with linear kinetics in humans. The model captured their plasma PK profiles well with predictions of concentrations in interstitial fluid for two types of tissues. Predictions of tissue concentrations for mAb 7E3 and 8C2 were consistent with actual measurements in mice, indicating the feasibility of this model in assessing extravascular distribution in the two categories of tissues. The vascular reflection coefficients (σ 1) of tight tissues (V tight ) ranged 0.883–0.987 and coefficients (σ 2) for leaky tissues (V leaky ) ranged 0.311 to 0.837. The plasma clearance (CL p ) varied among the mAbs in humans from 0.0054 to 0.03 L/h. In addition, applying this model generates parameters for mAb transcapillary escape rates and assesses major sites of elimination. Four of ten mAbs exhibited better fitting statistics premised on elimination from interstitial fluid than from plasma. This approach allows comparisons of mAb PK when only plasma data are available, provides more realistic parameters and predictions than mammillary models, and may provide an intermediate step towards utilizing full PBPK models for mAbs.
Design of nanoparticle-based dry powder pulmonary vaccines

The development of needle-less vaccination for pulmonary delivery may require dry forms of vaccines whose powder properties allow for a low cost, heat and freeze tolerance, efficient aerosolization, and the ability to target cells of the immune system. For each of these reasons, nanoparticles can play a critical role in the formulation, development and delivery of needle-less vaccination. This review aims to communicate present biomaterial design issues surrounding the incorporation of nanoparticles into pulmonary vaccines.
Diagnostic methods for statistical models of place cell spiking activity

Abstract We analyze the stochastic structure of CA1 hippocampal place cell spiking activity with stimulus–response models based on inhomogeneous Poisson (IP), inhomogeneous gamma (IG) and inhomogeneous inverse Gaussian (IIG) interspike interval probability densities that have Markov dependence. We present a technique based on quantile–quantile (Q–Q) plots derived from the intensity-rescaling transformation, and use it along with Akaike's (AIC) and Bayesian (BIC) information critieria to assess model goodness of fit. The Q–Q plots give readily interpretable, graphical diagnostic methods of the model fits, and show that the IG and IIG models give more accurate descriptions of place cell spiking activity than the IP model.
Extremely low N2O concentrations in the springtime stratosphere at McMurdo Station, Antarctica

Measurements have been made of stratospheric N2O using the Stony Brook millimeter-wave remote sensing spectrometer at McMurdo Station, and NO2 mixing ratios are found that are less than 1.5 at 20 km and less than 1.10 at 25 km compared to values measured during the Antarctic summer. The observed mixing ratios are also much less than those predicted by global-scale models of stratospheric chemistry and dynamics. As the NO2 signal remained very weak when McMurdo was at the edges of the ozone hole and showed no signs of recovering during October, it is concluded that the geographical and temporal extent of the region of low NO2 is comparable to or greater than that of the ozone hole. These results argue against theories that require springtime upwelling to explain the Antarctic ozone hole. It is suggested that the air in the Antarctic lower stratosphere during late winter and early spring has been subjected to considerable downward transport.
Advancing the capabilities of a glow-discharge sector-field mass spectrometer

The improved analytical capabilities of a glow-discharge Mattauch–Herzog mass spectrograph are presented. The glow discharge is a desirable analytical source because of its simplicity and direct solids analysis capabilities. The Mattauch–Herzog double-focusing sector geometry produces a linear focal plane, in contrast to the curved focal region common to most sector instruments. Placing an array detector along this focal plane allows simultaneous and continuous acquisition of data over an entire mass range, whereas an ordinary sector instrument must scan this same range. In this paper, the present capabilities of the mass spectrograph with a glow-discharge source are presented. Due to present-day array-detector limitations, mass spectral acquisition was performed with an electron multiplier by scanning the magnetic field. Ultimately, a suitable array detector will be incorporated and the data shown here will serve as a reference for future array-detector data. Also considered here is the compatibility between the mass spectrograph and a microsecond pulsed glow discharge source. The pulsed source produces analyte and bulk plasma ions at different periods within the pulse cycle. This feature, coupled with gated ion optics, enhances the determination of species in close mass spectral proximity to bulk plasma ions. This capability will be particularly useful when an array detector is used because of the inherent susceptibility of such detectors to accidental overexposure from sample-matrix and plasma ions.
Perceptions of Parking Facilities: Factors to Consider in Design and Maintenance

There are a number of factors to consider when developing new parking lots and modifying existing structures. The present research reports the results of two studies designed to assess perceived problems of parking facilities. In the first study, 319 participants were asked to generate a set of parking facility-related problems from their life experience. These were categorized into different problem categories. The second had participants rate the 30 problem categories. Five main factors were identified: (a) Compliance and Visibility, (b) Layout and Design, (c) Safety and Crowding, (d) Difficulties at Access Points and Environment, and (e) Aesthetics. Aspects of each of these factors have implications for improving parking facilities.
A highly unexpected strong correlation between fixation probability of nonsynonymous mutations and mutation rate.

Under prevailing theories, the nonsynonymous-to-synonymous substitution ratio (i.e. Ka/Ks), which measures the fixation probability of nonsynonymous mutations, is correlated with the strength of selection. In this article, we report that Ka/Ks is also strongly correlated with the mutation rate as measured by Ks, and that this correlation appears to have a similar magnitude as the correlation between Ka/Ks and selective strength. This finding cannot be reconciled with current theories. It suggests that we should re-evaluate the current paradigms of coding-sequence evolution, and that the wide use of Ka/Ks as a measure of selective strength needs reassessment.