cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Keratan sulfate levels in sera of patients bearing cartilage tumors

Previous studies on chondrosarcoma proteoglycans have suggested that keratan sulfate content and average keratan sulfate chain length may be inversely related to the degree of cartilage tumor malignancy. The present study extended this work to an analysis of serum keratan sulfate in chondrosarcoma patients. Keratan sulfate levels of 24 adult patients bearing cartilage tumors were observed to be higher than that for age- and sex-matched controls. In nine of ten patients, keratan sulfate level exhibited a significant decrease following removal of the tumor. Analysis of five general hospital patients before and after surgery did not detect such a change. The data were suggestive of an inverse relationship between tumor histopathologic grade and presurgical serum keratan sulfate concentration. Finally, despite the wide range of serum values within each histopathologic tumor group, sequential serum keratan sulfate measurements may be useful in monitoring patients for secondary growth of chondrosarcoma tumors after primary excision.
Levels of Significance in Event Studies

Standard event-study methods compare the returns in the window with forecasted values based on a benchmark period. These methods fail to account for the fact that errors in parameter estimates in the benchmark period give serially correlated errors in the window's abnormal returns. This is true both of mean-adjusted returns and market-model adjusted returns. This oversight leads to overstatement of significance levels, the degree of overstatement varying positively with the ratio of periods in the window to periods in the benchmark period. Sometimes the overstatement is minimal, but it can be substantial if the window is large relative to the benchmark period.
Filling a void: developing a standard subjective assessment tool for surgical simulation through focused review of current practices.

Background Simulation-based education (SBE) has advanced greatly in surgery the past decade, partly through development of validated performance measurement. Standard measures are commonly used to evaluate performance (eg, Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills, Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery, Global Operative Assessment of Laparoscopic Skills [GOALS]). However, subjective measures are necessary for ensuring content validity during evaluation of novel simulations or simulators. Although commonly assessed, there are no standardized instruments for such surveys of participants. This lack of standardization limits the ability to compare simulations and/or simulators. We performed a focused literature review to assess current uses of subjective measures, and develop a template for a standardized assessment tool. Methods A representative sample of recently collected subjective measures was generated through a focused literature review of the journals Surgery, Journal of Surgical Education , and Journal of the American College of Surgeons (January 2008–November 2012) using the key words “surgical” and “simulation.” Results Of the 137 articles relevant to development and/or evaluation of surgical skills curricula or simulators, 19 (12%) reported subjective measures from participants. Ten domains were identified, including Self-efficacy/Confidence/Comfort (11, 57%), Model quality/characteristics (7, 37%), Educational/Program value (6, 32%), Previous experience with procedure/simulation (5, 26%) Relevance to practice (3, 16%), Quality- trainer feedback (3, 16%), Quality-experience (2, 11%), Attitude toward specific aspects (2, 11%), Satisfaction/Enjoyability (2, 11%), Ability to perform relevant task(s) (2, 11%). Response options varied and included 4-, 5-, and 10-point rating scales, Visual Analog Scales, and open written responses. Conclusion These results suggest that simulation experiences are not currently assessed in a systematic manner. However, analysis of the literature suggests that the full range of subjective measures commonly used for subjective assessment could be addressed by a unified assessment instrument. To this end, the Michigan Standard Simulation Experience Scale (MiSSES) template has been developed and is available on-line. Such a tool would provide practitioners a freely available resource used to measure performance and preferences in SBE.
A statistical theory of creep in polycrystalline materials

Abstract Estimates for the properties of creeping polycrystals, which exhibit a power-law dependence of the stress on the strain-rate, are derived in the framework of statistical continuum theory. A creep modulus is obtained which incorporates n -point statistics for the spatial coherence of lattice orientation. For uniform boundary conditions and statistically homogeneous microstructures the modulus is shown to have local character. A hierarchy of mean field approximations enables estimates for the evolution of n -point statistical measures of the microstructure. Numerical implementation of the theory for isotropic face-centered-cubic polycrystals, incorporating two-point statistics of lattice orientation, results in substantial softening of the tensile reference stress relative to the Taylor-like uniform strain-rate upper-bound and the self-consistent estimate. Comparisons of the initial flow for the tensile axis show that estimates incorporating two-point statistics reduce the rate of rotation of the tensile axis over a significant area-fraction of the stereographic projection.
The band edge of amorphous SiO2 by photoinjection and photoconductivity measurements

Abstract Photoconductivity measurements indicate an interband gap of 9.0 eV in amorphous SiO2. Correspondingly, a gap of 8.9 ± 0.2 eV is seen in photoinjection measurements which are insensitive to band edge selection rules.
On the mechanics of growing thin biological membranes

Despite their seemingly delicate appearance, thin biological membranes fulfill various crucial roles in the human body and can sustain substantial mechanical loads. Unlike engineering structures, biological membranes are able to grow and adapt to changes in their mechanical environment. Finite element modeling of biological growth holds the potential to better understand the interplay of membrane form and function and to reliably predict the effects of disease or medical intervention. However, standard continuum elements typically fail to represent thin biological membranes efficiently, accurately, and robustly. Moreover, continuum models are typically cumbersome to generate from surface-based medical imaging data. Here we propose a computational model for finite membrane growth using a classical midsurface representation compatible with standard shell elements. By assuming elastic incompressibility and membrane-only growth, the model a priori satisfies the zero-normal stress condition. To demonstrate its modular nature, we implement the membrane growth model into the general-purpose non-linear finite element package Abaqus/Standard using the concept of user subroutines. To probe efficiently and robustness, we simulate selected benchmark examples of growing biological membranes under different loading conditions. To demonstrate the clinical potential, we simulate the functional adaptation of a heart valve leaflet in ischemic cardiomyopathy. We believe that our novel approach will be widely applicable to simulate the adaptive chronic growth of thin biological structures including skin membranes, mucous membranes, fetal membranes, tympanic membranes, corneoscleral membranes, and heart valve membranes. Ultimately, our model can be used to identify diseased states, predict disease evolution, and guide the design of interventional or pharmaceutic therapies to arrest or revert disease progression.
A fast random number generator for IBM 360

Marsaglia and Bray [1] recommend incorporating two-line random number generators directly into FORTRAN programs. One of the advantages of this is the time saved in avoiding linkage to and fro from a subroutine. Implicit in their FORTRAN routine for IBM 360 for Lehmer's multiplicative congruence method, namely; Uk+1 = lUk (mod P), Xk+1 = Uk+1/P is the use of 232 as the value of modulus P.
Using Video-Facilitated Feedback to Improve Student Performance Following High-Fidelity Simulation

Abstract Background This pilot study evaluated the effect of videotape-facilitated human patient simulator (HPS) practice and guidance on clinical performance indicators. Method Nursing and nurse anesthetist students in the treatment group ( n = 20) participated in HPS practice and guidance using videotape-facilitated debriefing, and the control group ( n = 20) participated in HPS practice and guidance using oral debriefing alone. Results Students in the intervention group were significantly more likely to demonstrate desirable behaviors concerning patient identification, team communication, and vital signs. The role students played in the simulation significantly impacted their performance. When scores of both the intervention and control groups were combined, team leaders, airway managers, and nurse anesthetists had higher mean total performance scores than crash cart managers, recorders, or medication nurses. Conclusion Video-facilitated simulation feedback is potentially a useful tool in increasing desirable clinical behaviors in a simulated environment.
Response: Sensitization initiated

In their letter to the editor, Heuser et al showed that acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) cells are mobilized into the peripheral blood using the CXCR4 inhibitor AMD3100 (Plerixafor; Genzyme Inc).[1][1] Interestingly, they further studied the effect of this agent on the mobilization of leukemia stem
Nitric oxide in adaptation to altitude

This review summarizes published information on the levels of nitric oxide gas (NO) in the lungs and NO-derived liquid-phase molecules in the acclimatization of visitors newly arrived at altitudes of 2500 m or more and adaptation of populations whose ancestors arrived thousands of years ago. Studies of acutely exposed visitors to high altitude focus on the first 24-48 h with just a few extending to days or weeks. Among healthy visitors, NO levels in the lung, plasma, and/or red blood cells fell within 2h, but then returned toward baseline or slightly higher by 48 h and increased above baseline by 5 days. Among visitors ill with high-altitude pulmonary edema at the time of the study or in the past, NO levels were lower than those of their healthy counterparts. As for highland populations, Tibetans had NO levels in the lung, plasma, and red blood cells that were at least double and in some cases orders of magnitude greater than other populations regardless of altitude. Red blood cell-associated nitrogen oxides were more than 200 times higher. Other highland populations had generally higher levels although not to the degree shown by Tibetans. Overall, responses of those acclimatized and those presumed to be adapted are in the same direction, although the Tibetans have much larger responses. Missing are long-term data on lowlanders at altitude showing how similar they become to the Tibetan phenotype. Also missing are data on Tibetans at low altitude to see the extent to which their phenotype is a response to the immediate environment or expressed constitutively. The mechanisms causing the visitors' and the Tibetans' high levels of NO and NO-derived molecules at altitude remain unknown. Limited data suggest processes including hypoxic upregulation of NO synthase gene expression, hemoglobin-NO reactions, and genetic variation. Gains in understanding will require integrating appropriate methods and measurement techniques with indicators of adaptive function under hypoxic stress.
The stimulatory effect of ammonium or potassium ions on the activity of leucyl-tRNA synthetase from Escherichia coli.

Abstract NH4+ at an optimal concentration of 0.005 M stimulated the activity of leucyl-tRNA synthetase ( l -leucine: tRNA ligase (AMP), EC 6.1.1.4) in Escherichia coli 6-fold. The activities of isoleucyl- and phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetases were stimulated to lesser extents, by factors of 2.9 and 1.5, respectively, whereas those of valyl-, glycyl-, lysyl-, alanyl-, and seryl-tRNA synthetases were not affected. Stimulation of the enzymatic activity by NH4+ was shown in the formation of leucyl-tRNA, but not in the formation of leucyl hydroxamate, suggesting that the NH4+ is involved in the attachment of the activated leucine to the tRNA molecules. K+ can partially substitute for NH4+ in the stimulatory effect of the latter on leucyl-tRNA synthetase. At an optimal concentration of 0.08 M, K+ stimulated the enzymatic activity 3-fold. Na+ or Li+ was not effective at the same concentration.
Pediatric Renal Cell Carcinoma

Renal cell carcinomas are rare in children, and they show significant differences in their histology and pathogenesis when compared to those common in adults. The most common subtypes seen preferentially in children are the translocation-associated tumors, papillary renal cell carcinoma, renal medullary carcinoma, and oncocytic renal cell carcinoma following neuroblastoma. The histological diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma is made difficult by the considerable heterogeneity within and overlap between each of the above subtypes and by similarities to other pediatric renal neoplasms. While no effective therapies have yet been identified, there is considerable promise that the new Children's Oncology Group protocol will provide knowledge that will guide the future therapy of these lesions.
The Use of PCR for the Identification of Enteroviral Infection in Febrile Infants Under 90 Days of Age † 819

The Use of PCR for the Identification of Enteroviral Infection in Febrile Infants Under 90 Days of Age † 819
The (n 2 -1)-puzzle and related relocation problems

The 8-puzzle and the 15-puzzle have been used for many years as a domain for testing heuristic search techniques. From experience it is known that these puzzles are ''difficult'' and therefore useful for testing search techniques. In this paper we give strong evidence that these puzzles are indeed good test problems. We extend the 8-puzzle and the 15-puzzle to an nxn board and show that finding a shortest solution for the extended puzzle is NP-hard and is thus believed to be computationally infeasible. We also sketch an approximation algorithm for transforming boards that is guaranteed to use no more than a constant times the minimum number of moves, where the constant is independent of the given boards and their side length n. The studied puzzles are instances of planar relocation problems where the reachability question is polynomial but efficient relocation is NP-hard. Such problems are natural robotics problems: A robot needs to efficiently relocate packages in the plane. Our research encourages the study of polynomial approximation algorithms for related robotics problems.
Genetics of turkeys: Economic traits

The genetics of the economic traits of the turkey are covered in a review of research up to 1988. The review is divided into topics with strain and variety comparisons being described for body weig...
Synthesis of [N‐C3H3]‐trans‐(1R,3S)‐(−)‐1‐Phenyl‐3‐N,N‐dimethylamino‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydronaphthalene (H2‐PAT)

Subsequent to the discovery that the (+)-benzomorphan sigma receptor ligands, (+)-pentazocine and (+)-N-allylnormetazocine, stimulated tyrosine hydroxylase activity and dopamine synthesis in rat striatum in vitro, we reported a similar effect on a structurally similar series of 1-phenyl-3-aminotetrahydronaphthalenes (phenylaminotetralins, PAT's). Both racemic 1-phenyl-3-dimethylamino-6-chloro-7-hydroxytetralin (CI,OH-PAT) and racemic 1-phenyl-3-dimethylaminotetralin (H2-PAT) stimulated tyrosine hydroxylase with an EC50 of approximately 0.1 μM. The former was also found to have a non-specific dopamine releasing effect while the latter was devoid of such activity affording it the less complicated pharmacological profile of the two analogs. We previously reported the synthesis of tritium labeled Cl,OH-PAT to be used in radioreceptor and autoradiography studies and found that it labeled a sigma-like site in guinea pig brain with an apparent Kd of ∼50 pM and with a pharmacological profile unique from other known CNS receptors. Here we report the synthesis of high specific activity tritium labeled trans-(1R,3S)-(−)-H2-PAT as this enantiomer was found to be more active in the tyrosine hydroxylase assay and possessed approximately 45 fold greater affinity for the novel neuromodulatory sigma-like receptor.
Del-etion of Microvesicles From the Circulation

Microvesicles (also called microparticles) have become a hot topic recently and transport proteins, mRNA, and microRNA.1–3 They have been proposed to play roles in numerous processes, including coagulation, inflammation, immune response, cell activation, and cancer.1–3 Microvesicles are small (0.1–1 μm) membrane vesicles that are released from activated and apoptotic cells. They contain proteins from their parental cell and are characterized by surface exposure of negatively charged phospholipids, such as phosphatidylserine. Platelets are the primary source of microvesicles in the circulation of healthy individuals, although other cells also release microvesicles. Increased levels of microvesicles are observed in a variety of cardiovascular diseases, including unstable angina, atherosclerosis, and inflammatory vascular diseases. Some microvesicle populations are considered as surrogate biomarkers of vascular disorders and of thrombotic risk.2,3 Article see p 1664 The steady-state level of microvesicles in the circulation reflects a balance between microvesicle generation and clearance. Numerous studies have analyzed the mechanisms of microvesicle formation.1 Stimulation of cells leads to elevated levels of intracellular Ca2+, which results in increased phosphatidylserine on the cell surface, membrane blebbing, and subsequent shedding of microvesicles.1 The importance of phosphatidylserine exposure on platelets and possibly microvesicles in hemostasis is demonstrated by Scott syndrome, a rare bleeding disorder associated with a defect in phosphatidylserine externalization and in microvesicle generation.1 Recently, it was reported that Scott syndrome patients have a mutation in a bidirectional, nonselective Ca2+-dependent channel called TMEM16F.4 In this issue of Circulation , Dasgupta and colleagues5 describe a new pathway of microvesicle clearance from the circulation that involves binding of phosphatidylserine-positive microvesicles to endothelial cells (Figure). Previously, Dasgupta and colleagues6 reported that the major pathway for the removal of microvesicles from the circulation was via binding to splenic …
Grazing and plant-canopy effects on semiarid soil microbial biomass and respiration

The major objectives of this study were to determine the influence of grazing on the soil microbial biomass and activity in semiarid grassland and shrubland areas and to quantify the canopy effect (the differences in soil microbial biomass and activities between soils under plant canopies and soils in the open between plants). We also quantified changes in microbial biomass and activity during seasonal transition from dry to moist conditions. Chronosequences of sites withdrawn from grazing for 0, 11, and 16 years were sampled in a grassland (Bouteloua spp.) area and a shrubland (Atriplex canescens) area on and near the Sevilleta National Wildlife Reguge in central New Mexico, USA. Samples were obtained from beneath the canopies of plants (Yucca glauca in the grassland and A. canescens in the shrubland) and from open soils; they were collected three times during the spring and summer of a single growing season. Organic C, soil microbial biomass C, and basal respiration rates (collectively called the “soil C triangle”) were measured. We also calculated the microbial: organic C ratio and the metabolic quotient (ratio of respiration to microbial C) as measures of soil organic C stability and turnover. Although we had hypothesized that individual values of the soil C triangle would increase and that the ratios would decrease with time since grazing, differences in microbial parameters between sites located along the chronosequences were generally not significant. Grazing did not have a consistion effect on organic C, microbial C, and basal respiration in our chronosequences. The microbial: organic C ratio and the metabolic quotient generally increased with time since grazing on the shrubland chronosequence. The microbial: organic C ratio decreased with time since grazing and the metabolic quotient increased with time since grazing on the grassland chronosequence. The canopy effect was observed at all sites in nearly all parameters including organic C, microbial C, basal respiration, the microbial: organic C ratio, and the metabolic quotient which were predominantly higher in soils under the canopies of plants than in the open at all sites. Microbial biomass and activity did not increase during the experiment, even though the availability of moisture increased dramatically. The canopy effects were approximately equal on the shrubland and grassland sites. The microbial: organic C ratios and the metabolic quotients were generally higher in the shrubland soils than in the grassland soils.
Scale-up of Artemisia annua L. hairy root cultures produces complex patterns of terpenoid gene expression.

Hairy roots grow quickly, reach high densities, and can produce significant amounts of secondary metabolites, yet their scale-up to bioreactors remains challenging. Artemisia annua produces a rich array of terpenoids, including the sesquiterpene, artemisinin, and transformed roots of this species provide a good model for studying terpenoid production. These cultures were examined in shake flasks and compared with cultures grown in two types of bioreactors, a mist reactor and a bubble column reactor, which provide very different environments for the growing roots. Mist reactors have been shown previously to result in cultures that produce significantly more artemisinin per gram fresh weight of culture, while bubble column reactors have produced greater biomass. We have compared expression levels of four key terpenoid biosynthetic genes: 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGR), 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase (DXS), 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate reductoisomerase (DXR), and farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FPS) in the three culture conditions. In shake flasks we found that although all four genes showed temporal regulation, only FPS expression correlated with artemisinin production. Light also affected the transcription of all four genes. Although expression in reactors was equivalent to or greater than that of roots grown in shake flasks, no correlation was found between expression level within six different zones of each reactor and their respective oxygen levels, light, and root-packing density. Surprisingly, transcriptional regulation of HMGR, DXS, DXR, and FPS was greatly affected by the position of the roots in each reactor. Thus, relying on a single reactor sample to characterize the gene activity in a whole reactor can be misleading, especially if the goal is to examine the difference between reactor types or operating parameters, steps essential in scaling up cultures for production.
Interferon-γ Enhances Susceptibility of Cervical Cancer Cells to Lysis by Tumor-Specific Cytotoxic T Cells

Recently we have demonstrated that tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) can be activated by cervical carcinoma cells expressing the costimulatory molecule CD80, which may be used as a therapeutic vaccine for patients with cervical cancer. For activated CTLs to be effective, appropriate amounts of MHC class I expression are required on target tumor cells. In this study, we found that some cervical carcinoma cells expressed only low levels of MHC class I and adhesion molecules such as CD54. We further demonstrated that tumor cells (CaSki and SiHa) expressing low levels of MHC class I were more resistant to lysis by specific CTLs than tumor cells (HeLa) expressing high levels of MHC class I. Treatment of CaSki or SiHa cells with interferon-gamma resulted in an increased expression of MHC class I, MHC class II, and CD54. Expression of CD58 and CD80 was not up-regulated or induced. Treatment of the tumor cells with interferon-gamma significantly enhanced the lysis of the tumor cells by specific CTLs which had been activated by the respective CD80-expressing tumor cells. The enhancement of cytolysis could be blocked by monoclonal antibodies to MHC class I and CD54, but not by that to MHC class II. Furthermore, we found that interferon-gamma induced apoptosis in cervical carcinoma cells but not in tumor-specific CTLs.
Ancient and oriental music

Looks at ancient and oriental music and traces the history of western music from medieval times to the twentieth century.
Parameter identification in classes of hereditary systems of neutral type

In this paper we prove theoretical convergence for a variety of parameter identification schemes, based on approximations by equations with piecewise constant arguments, for classes of neutral differential equations.
Outer-Membrane Protein Subtypes of Haemophilus influenzae Type b and Spread of Disease in Day-Care Centers

Isolates of Haemophilus influenzae type b with a distinctive outer-membrane protein subtype, designated 1H, were responsible for 11 of 13 cases of invasive infection in children attending six day-care centers with secondary cases of disease, in comparison to three of 14 cases in children attending 10 centers with single cases and two centers with unrelated cases. The other 11 cases were caused by type b isolates of six different subtypes. The secondary attack rate in contacts younger than four years of age exposed to disease due to isolates of the 1H subtype was 16 per 1,000, compared with 1.6 per 1,000 after exposure to disease caused by subtypes other than 1H (P less than 0.008). Carriage rates were increased in day-care-center contacts exposed to patients with disease, and most of the carriers were colonized by isolates with subtypes homologous to those responsible for the respective index cases. Both 1H and non-1H strains were capable of colonizing contacts, but 1H strains may be more pathogenic than other subtypes.
On the proper formulation of safety goals and assessment of safety margins for rare and high-consequence hazards

Abstract The issue of ‘uncertainty’ is addressed in the special context of assessing and managing risks from rare, high-consequence hazards. It is suggested that, rather than the usual ‘formal treatments’ on how to combine expert opinions that diverge widely, such ‘uncertainty’ must be approached in each case as a research question that encompasses frame of assessment, approach methodology, risk management, and safety goals, with the aim of obtaining resolution in a clear, consistent, and complete manner. This, together with some basic considerations on ‘defense-in-depth,’ and certain practical aspects of communications and synergism needed for resolution (of such uncertainties), leads us to the Risk Oriented Accident Analysis Methodology (ROAAM). The purpose of this paper is to explain these views, to follow them through to the definition of the methodology and its implementation, and to indicate some of the insights gained through the several practical applications available so far.
The Influence of Gas Saturation on Waterflood Performance - Variations Caused by Changes in Flooding Rate

It has been recognized that the presence of a gas saturation prior to waterflooding can have an important influence on oil recovery. The published results on the subject are derived from laboratory experiments on essentially one-dimensional horizontal systems flooded with low pressure differentials. In field applications, high pressure gradients could cause important effects not noted in the laboratory studies such as the disappearance of part or all of the gas by solution in the oil bank. Also, it has been realized that gravity forces make it possible to initiate and maintain a uniform gas saturation from top to bottom of the production section. By the use of numerical models, a study has been made of the effects of flooding rate on performance of waterfloods in reservoirs having gas saturation. Flooding rates over a very wide range have been simulated. At very high rates, the gas is put into solution in the oil bank ahead of the water so no gas saturation effect is noted. The simulated performance at very low rates in the absence of gravity check very well with the published laboratory data. (18 refs.)
Multiphoton photopolymerization with a Ti:sapphire oscillator

We demonstrate that three-dimensional multiphonon microfabrication using photopolymerization can be accomplished using a small fraction of the output of a mode- locked Ti:sapphire laser by employing an appropriate commercially-available photoinitiator. Using this photoinitiator we have been able to develop resins with a broad range of physical and chemical characteristics for use in microfabrication. The combination of optical and chemical nonlinearity in the photopolymerization reaction allows us to make structures readily with submicron features. The use of a variable beam expander allows us to create features with a broad range of sizes using a single objective while avoiding out-of-focus polymerization.
Analyzing Deficient Response Summaries from Designed Experiments

ABSTRACT All too often statisticians do not have access to raw experimental data. These scenarios require additional methodology to properly account for the missing information. In this article, we demonstrate a technique for analyzing averages of lifetime data collected at various experimental conditions that provides inference for factor effects. To handle these summaries, we use some numerical techniques to calculate the probability density function of the average of independent and identically distributed lognormal random variables. We illustrate our method with an example from the literature and provide some R code that implements a Bayesian analysis. We also provide recommendations for more informative summary statistics than lifetime averages for lognormal data.
Mechanical Platelet Activation Potential in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Intraluminal thrombus (ILT) in abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) has potential implications to aneurysm growth and rupture risk; yet, the mechanisms underlying its development remain poorly understood. Some researchers have proposed that ILT development may be driven by biomechanical platelet activation within the AAA, followed by adhesion in regions of low wall shear stress. Studies have investigated wall shear stress levels within AAA, but platelet activation potential (AP) has not been quantified. In this study, patient-specific computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models were used to analyze stress-induced AP within AAA under rest and exercise flow conditions. The analysis was conducted using Lagrangian particle-based and Eulerian continuum-based approaches, and the results were compared. Results indicated that biomechanical platelet activation is unlikely to play a significant role for the conditions considered. No consistent trend was observed in comparing rest and exercise conditions, but the functional dependence of AP on stress magnitude and exposure time can have a large impact on absolute levels of anticipated platelet AP. The Lagrangian method obtained higher peak AP values, although this difference was limited to a small percentage of particles that falls below reported levels of physiologic background platelet activation.
PGE(2) stimulates VEGF expression in endothelial cells via ERK2/JNK1 signaling pathways.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an essential role in the initiation and regulation of angiogenesis-a crucial component of wound healing and cancer growth. Prostaglandins (PGs) stimulate angiogenesis but the precise mechanisms of their pro-angiogenic actions remain unexplained. We investigated whether prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) can induce VEGF expression in rat gastric microvascular endothelial cells (RGMEC) and the signaling pathway(s) involved. We demonstrated that PGE(2) significantly increased ERK2 and JNK1 activation and VEGF mRNA and protein expression. Incubation of RGMEC with PD 98059 (MEK kinase inhibitor) significantly reduced PGE(2)-induced ERK2 activity, VEGF mRNA and protein expression. Furthermore, PD 98059 treatment almost completely abolished JNK1 activation. Our data suggest that PGE(2)-stimulates VEGF expression in RGMEC via transactivation of JNK1 by ERK2. One potential implication of this finding is that increased PG levels in cancers could facilitate tumor growth by stimulating VEGF synthesis and angiogenesis.
The Secret Six: The True Tale of the Men Who Conspired with John Brown

Most Americans know that John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia - a raid he believed would ignite a bloody slave revolution - was one of the events that sparked the Civil War. But very few know the story of how Brown was covertly aided by a circle of prosperous and privileged Northeasterners who supplied him with money and weapons, and, before the raid, even hid him in their homes while authorities sought Brown on a murder charge. These men called themselves the Secret Six. The Secret Six included Thomas Wentworth Higginson, minister, author, and editor of the Atlantic Monthly; Samuel Howe, world-famous physician; Theodore Parker, the Unitarian minister whose rhetoric helped shape Lincoln's Gettysburg Address; Franklin Sanborn, an educator and close friend of Emerson and Thoreau; and the immensely wealthy Gerrit Smith and George Luther Stearns. The existence of the Six has been known to scholars, but there has never been a book devoted to them. Now, drawing on archives from Boston to Kansas, Edward J. Renehan, Jr., has created a vivid portrait of this unlikely cabal, showing how six pillars of the establishment came to believe that armed conflict was necessary in order to purge the United States of a government-sanctioned evil, slavery. The messianic zealot Brown - also portrayed - streaked across their path like a meteor. Renehan traces how the Six became involved with Brown, and how their lives were forever changed by the events at Harpers Ferry and the war they helped to start.
Indoor environmental quality in a dynamic life cycle assessment framework for whole buildings: Focus on human health chemical impacts

Abstract A framework was developed for integrating indoor environmental quality (IEQ) into life cycle assessment (LCA). The framework includes three main impact types: 1) chemical-specific impacts directly comparable to conventional life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) human health categories, 2) non-chemical health impacts, and 3) productivity/performance impacts. The first part of the framework related to contaminant specific impacts was explored using a green university building as a case study, while the remaining categories will be the subject of future work. Results showed that including IEQ aspects in whole-building LCA revealed LCIA internal impacts in some categories comparable to external impacts. For human health respiratory effects, building-specific indoor impacts from the case study were 12% of global external impacts in conventional LCA. Building-specific indoor cancer toxicity impacts were greater than external impacts by an order of magnitude, and building-specific indoor noncancer toxicity impacts were lower than external impacts by an order of magnitude. Although internal impacts were greater than external impacts in one category – cancer toxicity, the source of the contamination in the other two categories – respiratory effects and noncancer toxicity – was related to intake of outdoor air. The findings of this study underscore the importance of filtration or other treatment of mechanically supplied outdoor or recirculated indoor air, as well as control of pollution from indoor sources such as building materials or cleaning products. These findings may support the use of green building rating systems which include acknowledgment of the aforementioned IEQ-related features.
Three-dimensionally periodic conductive nanostructures: Network versus cermet topologies for metallic PBG

Abstract Highly periodic three-dimensional metallic mesh composites with silica have been prepared by micromolding synthetic opals using melts of metals and semimetals. These metallic photonic crystals show photonic and electronic properties, which strongly depend on their geometry. Network topology, created in a form of interconnected spherical cages of 200–400 nm diameter, shows a reflectivity peak in the infrared (IR) spectral range, due to a metallic photonic band gap (MPBG), reminiscent of plasmon edge of bulk metal, which is significantly shifted to longer wavelengths. On the other hand, a discontinuous topology of separated clusters in a matrix (so called cermet topology) obtained by three distinct techniques involved controlling the pressure and temperature of the melt during the infiltration process), do not show any MPBG. In the visible spectral range, bright sharp colors of Bragg scattering are observed from both topologies, which are more intense than in conventional, dielectric gem opals in agreement with computer modeling of light reflection from cermet metallo-dielectric photonic crystals. This metallic PBG structures can be used as novel type IR reflectors, color mirrors and conductive electrodes having properties controlled by the topology of 3-D superstructure.
A singular perturbation model of fluid dynamics in the vestibular semicircular canal and ampulla

A matched asymptotic analysis is presented that describes the mechanical response of the vestibular semicircular canals to rotation of the head and includes the fluid-structure interaction which takes place within the enlarged ampullary region of the duct. New theoretical results detail the velocity field in a fluid boundary layer surrounding the cupula. The governing equations were linearized for small perturbations in fluid displacement from the prescribed motion of the head and reduced asymptotically by exploiting the slender geometry of the duct. The results include the pressure drop around the three-dimensional endolymphatic duct and through the transitional boundary layers within the ampulla. Results implicitly include the deflected shape of the cupular partition and provide an expression for the dynamic boundary condition acting on the two surfaces of the cupula. In this sense, the analysis reduces the three-dimensional fluid dynamics of the endolymph to a relatively simple boundary condition acting on the surfaces of the cupula. For illustrative purposes we present specific results modelling the cupula as a simple viscoelastic membrane. New results show that the multi-dimensional fluid dynamics within the enlarged ampulla has a significant influence on the pointwise deflection of the cupula near the crista. The spatially averaged displacement of the cupula is shown to agree with previous macromechanical descriptions of endolymph flow and pressure that ignore the fluid-structure interaction at the cupula. As an example, the model is applied to the geometry of the horizontal semicircular canal of the toadfish, Opsanus tau, and results for the deflection of the cupula are compared to individual semicircular canal afferent responses previously reported by Boyle & Highstein (1990). The cupular-shear-angle gain, defined by the angular slope of the cupula at the crista divided by the angular velocity of the head, is relatively constant at frequencies from 0.01 Hz up to 1 Hz. Over this same range, the phase of the cupular shear angle aligns with the angular velocity of the head. Near 10 Hz, the shear-angle gain increases slightly and the phase shows a lead of as much a 30°. Results are sensitive to the cupular stiffness and viscosity. Comparing results to the afferent responses represented within the VIIIth nerve provides additional theoretical evidence that the macromechanical displacement of the cupula accounts for the behaviour of only a subset of afferent fibres.
RADIATION PROTECTION BY TIBIA-SHIELDING IN ADULT, WEANLING, AND SUCKLING MICE. I. COMPARATIVE PROTECTION STUDIES.

SummaryOf three age-groups of (C3H × C57BL)F1 mice that were x-irradiated, 12-week-old adults were found to be less radiosensitive than either 4-week-old weanlings or 1-week-old sucklings.An attempt was made to protect all age-groups against haemopoietic death by unilateral tibial shielding. Results show that sucklings can be protected as well as can adults. However, weanlings, which have the greatest radiosensitivity, cannot be protected as well. This was found to be correlated with an increased radiosensitivity of the gastrointestinal system. ‘Gut death’ occurred in weanlings at 3 to 6 days after x-ray exposures that were closer than those of either adults or sucklings to their haemopoietic LD/50 (30).
Elevation in resting blood flow attenuates exercise hyperemia

These experiments tested the hypothesis that elevating muscle blood flow before exercise would wash out vasoactive substances produced by muscle contraction and reduce the magnitude of exercise hyp...
A contemporary research paradigm for the genetic analysis of a common chronic disease

Rapid discoveries of novel and unexpected disease-associated genes for atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD) are anticipated as genomic maps become more detailed and methods for mapping complex disease phenotypes become more refined. Although establishing association or linkage of a marker locus to a CAD susceptibility gene is an important first step, the long-term goal should be to define the underlying functional mutations and explore possible disease mechanisms, including the gene-environment interactions that culminate in clinically apparent disease. This review will define a contemporary research paradigm for study of the genetics of CAD and other common chronic diseases, using the tools of modern molecular biology and human genetics.
Energy-efficient communication protocol for wireless microsensor networks

Wireless distributed microsensor systems will enable the reliable monitoring of a variety of environments for both civil and military applications. In this paper, we look at communication protocols, which can have significant impact on the overall energy dissipation of these networks. Based on our findings that the conventional protocols of direct transmission, minimum-transmission-energy, multi-hop routing, and static clustering may not be optimal for sensor networks, we propose LEACH (Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy), a clustering-based protocol that utilizes randomized rotation of local cluster based station (cluster-heads) to evenly distribute the energy load among the sensors in the network. LEACH uses localized coordination to enable scalability and robustness for dynamic networks, and incorporates data fusion into the routing protocol to reduce the amount of information that must be transmitted to the base station. Simulations show the LEACH can achieve as much as a factor of 8 reduction in energy dissipation compared with conventional outing protocols. In addition, LEACH is able to distribute energy dissipation evenly throughout the sensors, doubling the useful system lifetime for the networks we simulated.
Physical disability and mental health: An epidemiology of psychiatric and substance disorders.

Objective: To estimate the lifetime and 1-year prevalence of psychiatric and substance disorders as they vary by the presence of physical disability and across gender, race– ethnicity, and age. Study Design: Community screening provided a sampling frame from which stratified random samples were drawn. Participants: Half were men, half were screened as having activity limitation, and African Americans, non-Hispanic Whites, persons of Cuban heritage, and other Hispanics each composed 25% of the sample. Interviews were completed with 1,986 individuals using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Outcome Measures: The authors provide the lifetime and past-year occurrence of both psychiatric and substance disorders. Results: A compelling relationship is observed between physical disability and risk for the lifetime occurrence of both psychiatric and substance disorders and for the past-year occurrence of psychiatric disorders. Elevations in risk are greater for men than for women, for the young than for the old, and for persons of Hispanic heritage compared with African Americans and nonHispanic Whites. Conclusions: Physical disability appears to represent a dimension of stress that increases risk for the occurrence of psychiatric or substance disorders.
A methodology for integrating design for quality in modular product design.

With inspection-based quality control techniques, the quality of a product remains undetermined until the product is built and tested, an expensive process that also delays the release of new products to the market. This paper brings the quality issues at early stages of product development, and enhances the existing work on design for quality by integrating with modular design concepts. Conceptually, modular design theory optimizes product quality at the conceptual phase by considering the underlying principles of axiomatic design and robust design along with the perceived quality of the product. Fuzzy logic is employed to estimate cost and quality performance indices of the candidate modules by analysing ambiguous product information at the conceptual stage. We consider two objectives for product modularization: minimization of modularization costs, and maximization of overall product quality. The Chebychev's goal programming model is used to solve the multi-objective optimization problem. The methodolo...
Clustering algorithms for wireless ad hoc networks

Efficient clustering algorithms play a very important role in the fast connection establishment of ad hoc networks. In this paper, we describe a communication model that is derived directly from that of Bluetooth, an emerging technology for pervasive computing; this technology is expected to play a major role in future personal area network applications. We further propose two new distributed algorithms for clustering in wireless ad hoc networks. The existing algorithms often become infeasible because they use models where the discovering devices broadcast their Ids and exchange substantial information in the initial stages of the algorithm.We propose a 2-stage distributed O(N) randomized algorithm for an N node complete network, that always finds the minimum number of star-shaped clusters, which have maximum size. We then present a completely deterministic O(N) distributed algorithm for the same model, which achieves the same purpose. We describe in detail how these algorithms can be applied to Bluetooth for efficient scatternet formation. Finally, we evaluate both algorithms using simulation experiments based on the Bluetooth communication model, and compare their performance.