cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electronic, magnetic, optical and elastic properties of Fe2YAl (Y=Ti, V and Cr) using first principles methods

Abstract Using first principles computations, we have investigated the structural, electronic, magnetic, optical and elastic properties of Fe 2 YAl (Y=Ti, V and Cr) Heusler alloys. The present study reveals that for the majority-spin state, Fe 2 CrAl compound has high density of states and shows a 100% spin polarization in the vicinity of the Fermi level. Our results also suggest that both the electronic and magnetic properties and also the Fermi surface of the Fe 2 CrAl are intrinsically related to the appearance of the minority-spin gap. The origin of energy gap in the minority-spin states is discussed in terms of the d–d hybridization between the Fe and Cr atoms. The Fermi surface structure and optical properties are explored within the framework of the full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method. The origin of Fermi surface structure is discussed in terms of energy bands in the majority-spin states near the Fermi level. The calculated dielectric functions and other optical properties are found to be in good agreement with earlier experimental results. In addition, the independent elastic constants of these Heusler alloys are also derived from the derivative of total energy as a function of lattice strain in full detail. The analysis of the ratio between the bulk and shear moduli confirms that all three compounds are found to be brittle in nature. Furthermore, as a representative case, we have also carried out the spin-polarized relativistic Korringa–Kohn–Rostoker (SPR-KKR) method based on calculations to obtain the magnetic Compton profiles (MCPs) for momentum transfer along [100], [110], and [111] principal directions and also investigated the anisotropy in the spin-dependent Compton profiles.
Computer image analyses for detection of maize and soybean kernel quality factors

A computer vision system was used to determine the lengths, widths, and projected areas of maize kernels. Measured maize kernel lengths agreed within 0.10 mm of micrometer measurements, and projected areas agreed within 1.8% of calculated areas. An algorithm was developed for detection and classification of fungal-damaged soybeans. The algorithm determined damaged soybeans from non-damaged soybeans with 98% accuracy. Fungi species causing the damage were correctly identified by the algorithm in 66 to 96% of the soybeans tested, depending on which of four species caused the damage.
Anciently Asexual Bdelloid Rotifers Escape Lethal Fungal Parasites by Drying Up and Blowing Away

Asexuality has major theoretical advantages over sexual reproduction. An important evolutionary puzzle, therefore, is why exclusively asexual metazoan lineages rarely endure. The Red Queen hypothesis posits that asexuality is rapidly extinguished by relentlessly coevolving parasites and pathogens. If so, any long-lasting asexual lineage must have unusual alternative mechanisms to deal with these biotic enemies. Bdelloid rotifers are freshwater invertebrates that abandoned sexual reproduction millions of years ago. Here, we show that cultured populations of bdelloids can rid themselves of a deadly fungal parasite through complete desiccation (anhydrobiosis) and disperse by wind to establish new populations in its absence. In Red Queen models, spatiotemporal escape can decouple and protect asexuals from coevolving enemies. Thus, our results may help to explain the persistence of the anciently asexual Bdelloidea.
Comparison of omeprazole and ranitidine in treatment of refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease in patients with gastric acid hypersecretion.

Secretion of gastric acid and volume, serum gastrin concentration, and ambulatory 24-hr esophageal pH monitoring were evaluated prospectively in 12 patients with idiopathic gastric acid hypersecretion (basal acid output greater than 10.0 meq/hr) undergoing treatment for refractory chronic long-standing pyrosis. Treatment lasted six months and consisted of three months of ranitidine (mean 2150 mg/day, range 1200–3000 mg/day), followed by three months of omeprazole (mean 33 mg/day, range 20–60 mg/day). Both ranitidine and omeprazole significantly reduced gastric acid output (P<0.001) and gastric volume output (P<0.001) compared to a basal evaluation and resulted in complete disappearance of pyrosis. Total reflux time (percent 24 hr intraesophageal pH less than 4) was significantly reduced by ranitidine (P<0.02) and omeprazole (P<0.001) compared to basal evaluation; however, the effects of omeprazole were significantly greater than ranitidine (P<0.05). Omeprazole caused a significant increase in serum gastrin concentration compared to both basal and ranitidine (P<0.05). Endoscopically documented erosive esophagitis was present in nine of the 12 patients, and seven of the 12 patients had Barrett's epithelium. All 12 patients had complete resolution of pyrosis and healed esophagitis by six months, but no significant endoscopic regression was observed in the extent of Barrett's epithelium. No side effects occurred with these high doses of ranitidine or omeprazole. These results indicate that high-dose ranitidine and omeprazole are effective therapy for refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease. However, with omeprazole, total reflux times are reduced more than with ranitidine, often into the normal range. That marked reduction of gastric acid secretion with omeprazole, which greatly reduces total reflux times, accounts for the significant elevation of serum gastrin concentration seen during omeprazole therapy.
"V" shaped predens space.

“V” shaped widening of the predens space (PDS) in flexion can be a worrisome finding in trauma patients, possibly representing injury to the transverse ligament. These patients may also show widening of the C-1/C-2 interspinous distance. We think this appearance is usually due to increased flexion mobility at the atlantoaxial level with developmental elongation or laxity of the cranial end of the transverse ligament and/or the posterior ligamentous complex. Tearing of only the cranial end of the transverse ligament must be extremely rare, if it occurs at all; there is no reported proven case. Tearing of only posterior ligaments seems possible and should be evaluated clinically.
High frequency FLP-independent homologous DNA recombination of 2 μ plasmid in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The purpose of this work is to identify and quantitate in vivo 2 μ plasmid FLP-independent recombination in yeast, using a nonselective assay system for rapid detection of phenotypic expression of the recombination events. A tester plasmid was constructed such that in vivo recombination between 2 μ direct repeat sequences produces the resolution of the plasmid into two circular DNA molecules. This recombinational event is detected as a phenotypic shift from red to white colonies, due to the mitotic loss of the plasmid portion containing the yeast ADE8 gene in a recipient ade1 ade2 ade8 genetic background. In the absence of the 2 μ FLP recombinase and/or its target DNA sequence, recombination is not abolished but rather continues at a high frequency of about 17%. This suggests that the FLP-independent events are mediated by the chromosomally-encoded general homologous recombination system. We therefore conclude that the totality of 2 μ DNA recombination events occurring in FLP+ cells is the contribution of both FLP-mediated and FLP-independent events.
Canid Mating Systems, Social Behavior, Parental Care and Ontogeny: Are they Flexible?

Benson Ginsburg's early studies of canid socialization and wolf social and reproductive behavior were focused, in part, on the degree to which there was flexibility in social development and specifically whether there was a critical period during development after which wolf pups could not be socialized to humans. My focus was the degree to which differences in canid ecology and social structure were correlated with differences in the plasticity of social and reproductive behavior, including development. Canid species are unusual among the Mammalia in being primarily monogamous. Males may play an indirect or direct role in parental care, depending on a species degree of sociality. Canid species also differ in developmental parameters, and reproductive suppression is common in the group-living pack hunters. I review comparative studies of the social and reproductive behavior of three South American canids which vary in their degree of sociality and explore the degree to which the species are ecologically and socially flexible.
Torsional kinematic model for concentric tube robots

A recent approach to steerable needle design is based on combining pre-curved tubes concentrically. By rotating and extending the tubes with respect to each other, the position and orientation of the needle tip, as well as the shape of the inserted length, can be controlled. Prior models neglected torsional twisting in the curved portions of the tubes. This paper presents a mechanics model that includes torsion, applies to any number of tubes and allows curvature and stiffness to vary with arc length. While the general model is comprised of differential equations, an analytic solution is given for two tubes of constant curvature. This solution enables analytic prediction of “snap through” instability based on a single dimensionless parameter. Simulation and experiments are used to illustrate the results.
Combined implicit or explicit integration steps for hybrid simulation

Explicit integration procedures have been widely adapted and applied to hybrid simulations of the seismic response of structures due to their simplicity. However, these procedures are conditionally stable and require small time steps for stiff systems, or systems involving high-frequency modes. In this study, a combined implicit or explicit integrator is proposed to solve the equation of motion for hybrid simulations. In this method, command displacement predictions are determined to load the experimental substructures beyond the current step using explicit kinematics expressions. The displacement and force measurements are then used to iteratively correct the explicit displacement prediction within the numerical model until an implicit formulation is satisfied. An explicit solution is accepted only in time steps for which the iterative correction of displacement fails to convergence after maximum number of iterations. This procedure limits communication between the experimental substructures and the numerical integrator, thus it is well suited for networked applications of hybrid simulation. Numerical and experimental simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of this numerical integration scheme, especially in utilization of longer time steps, prevention of excitation of higher modes, and testing of stiff systems.
Query rewriting for semistructured data

We address the problem of query rewriting for TSL, a language for querying semistructured data. We develop and present an algorithm that, given a semistructured query q and a set of semistructured views V, finds rewriting queries, i.e., queries that access the views and produce the same result as q. Our algorithm is based on appropriately generalizing containment mappings, the chase, and query composition — techniques that were developed for structured, relational data. We also develop an algorithm for equivalence checking of TSL queries.We show that the algorithm is sound and complete for TSL, i.e., it always finds every non-trivial TSL rewriting query of q, and we discuss its complexity. We extend the rewriting algorithm to use some forms of structural constraints (such as DTDs) and find more opportunities for query rewriting.
Induction of PPM1D following DNA-damaging treatments through a conserved p53 response element coincides with a shift in the use of transcription initiation sites

PPM1D (Wip1), a type PP2C phosphatase, is expressed at low levels in most normal tissues but is overexpressed in several types of cancers. In cells containing wild-type p53, the levels of PPM1D mRNA and protein increase following exposure to genotoxic stress, but the mechanism of regulation by p53 was unknown. PPM1D also has been identified as a CREB-regulated gene due to the presence of a cyclic AMP response element (CRE) in the promoter. Transient transfection and chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments in HCT116 cells were used to characterize a conserved p53 response element located in the 5' untranslated region (UTR) of the PPM1D gene that is required for the p53-dependent induction of transcription from the human PPM1D promoter. CREB binding to the CRE contributes to the regulation of basal expression of PPM1D and directs transcription initiation at upstream sites. Following exposure to ultraviolet (UV) or ionizing radiation, the abundance of transcripts with short 5' UTRs increased in cells containing wild-type p53, indicating increased utilization of downstream transcription initiation sites. In cells containing wild-type p53, exposure to UV resulted in increased PPM1D protein levels even when PPM1D mRNA levels remained constant, indicating post-transcriptional regulation of PPM1D protein levels.
Prevention of Fungal and Hepatitis Virus Infections in Liver Transplantation

Invasive fungal infections, especially those caused by Candida albicans, and recurrence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection after transplantation are common complications in orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) recipients. Candida species account for >50% of all invasive fungal infections, which occur in 10%--15% of OLT recipients. The epidemiology and pathogenesis of invasive fungal infections are unique to each type of organism. Fluconazole is effective and safe in the prevention of Candida infection after OLT. Preventive measures against Aspergillus or Cryptococcus remain ill defined. Both HBV and HCV recur almost universally after OLT in infected individuals. The natural course of HBV and HCV, leading to end-stage liver damage, is accelerated. In OLT patients, administration of immunoglobulin with high titers against HBV, alone and/or in combination with lamivudine, immediately after transplantation reduces the recurrence of HBV. The combination of interferon and ribavirin is mildly effective in OLT patients who have evidence of recurrent hepatitis, and additional alternatives are being evaluated.
The Impact of Definitive Local Therapy for Lymph Node-Positive Prostate Cancer: A Population-Based Study

Purpose To evaluate the survival outcomes for patients with lymph node-positive, nonmetastatic prostate cancer undergoing definitive local therapy (radical prostatectomy [RP], external beam radiation therapy [EBRT], or both) versus no local therapy (NLT) in the US population in the modern prostate specific antigen (PSA) era. Methods and Materials The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was queried for patients with T1-4N1M0 prostate cancer diagnosed from 1995 through 2005. To allow comparisons of equivalent datasets, patients were analyzed in separate clinical (cN+) and pathologically confirmed (pN+) lymph node-positive cohorts. Kaplan-Meier overall survival (OS) and prostate cancer-specific survival (PCSS) estimates were generated, with accompanying univariate log-rank and multivariate Cox proportional hazards comparisons. Results A total of 796 cN+ and 2991 pN+ patients were evaluable. Among cN+ patients, 43% underwent EBRT and 57% had NLT. Outcomes for cN+ patients favored EBRT, with 10-year OS rates of 45% versus 29% ( P P P P P Conclusions In this large, population-based cohort, definitive local therapy was associated with significantly improved survival in patients with lymph node-positive prostate cancer.
Binary XML storage and query processing in Oracle 11g

Oracle RDBMS has supported XML data management for more than six years since version 9i. Prior to 11g, text-centric XML documents can be stored as-is in a CLOB column and schema-based data-centric documents can be shredded and stored in object-relational (OR) tables mapped from their XML Schema. However, both storage formats have intrinsic limitations---XML/CLOB has unacceptable query and update performance, and XML/OR requires XML schema. To tackle this problem, Oracle 11g introduces a native Binary XML storage format and a complete stack of data management operations. Binary XML was designed to address a wide range of real application problems encountered in XML data management---schema flexibility, amenability to XML indexes, update performance, schema evolution, just to name a few.In this paper, we introduce the Binary XML storage format based on Oracle SecureFiles System[21]. We propose a lightweight navigational index on top of the storage and an NFA-based navigational algorithm to provide efficient streaming processing. We further optimize query processing by exploiting XML structural and schema information that are collected in database dictionary. We conducted extensive experiments to demonstrate high performance of the native Binary XML in query processing, update, and space consumption.
A note on the helical movement of micro-organisms.

This note seeks to evaluate the self-propulsion of a micro-organism, in a viscous fluid, by sending a helical wave down its flagellated tail. An explanation is provided to resolve the paradoxical phenomenon that a micro-organism can roll about its longitudinal axis without passing bending waves along its tail (Rothschild 1961, 1962; Bishop 1958; Gray 1962). The effort made by tho organism in so doing is not torsion, but bending simultaneously in two mutually perpendicular planes. The mechanical model of the micro-organism adopted for the present study consists of a spherical head of radius ɑ and a long cylindrical tail of cross-sectional radius b, along which a helical wave progresses distally. Under the equilibrium condition at a constant forward speed, both the net force and net torque acting on the organism are required to vanish, yielding two equations for the velocity of propulsion, U, and the induced angular velocity, Ω, of the organism. In order that this type of motion can be realized, it is necessary for the head of the organism to exceed a certain critical size, and some amount of body rotation is inevitable. In fact, there exists 1m optimum head-tail ratio ɑ/bat which the propulsion velocity U reaches a maximum, holding the other physical parameters fixed. The power required for propulsion by means of helical waves is determined, based on which a hydromechanical efficiency η is defined. When the head-tail ratio ɑ/b assumes its optimum value and when b is very small compared with the wavelength λ, η ≃ Ω/ω approximately (Ω being the induced angular velocity of the head, ω the circular frequency of the helical wave). This η reaches a maximum at kh ≃ 0.9 (k being the wavenumber 2π/λ, and h the amplitude of the helical wave). In the neighbourhood of kh = 0.9, the optimum head-tail ratio varies in the range 15 < a/b < 40, the propulsion velocity in 0.08 < U/c < 0.2 (c = ω/k being the wave phase velocity), and the efficiency in 0.14 < η < 0.24, as kb varies over 0.03 < kb < 0.2, a range of practical interest. Furthermore, a comparison between the advantageous features of planar and helical waves, relative to each other, is made in terms of their propulsive velocities and power consumptions.
Comparative pharmacokinetic analysis by standard two-stage method versus nonparametric population modeling.

Study Objective. To compare the two-stage method, a widely used analytical method in pharmacokinetic studies, with nonparametric population modeling by using the same data set for determining the oral bioavailability of ribavirin. Design. Pharmacokinetic analysis. Setting. Clinical research center. Material. Oral bioavailability data of ribavirin determined previously in six healthy adults. Intervention. After 13C3-ribavirin 150 mg intravenously and unlabeled ribavirin 400 mg orally had been given 1 hour apart, serial serum and urine samples were obtained for up to 169 hours. Concentrations of 13C3-ribavirin and unlabeled ribavirin in serum and urine were determined by a high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometric method. Measurements and Main Results. Serum and urine concentration-time profiles were comodeled with a three-compartment model. The analysis was performed again by using the nonparametric population analysis technique. Serum ribavirin concentrations underwent Monte Carlo simulation for 1000 subjects receiving a single 600-mg oral dose. Both methods were similar in determining the mean ± SD bioavailability (51.8 ± 21.8% by the two-stage method vs 54.8 ± 16.4% by nonparametric modeling, p=0.79). However, the estimates of dispersion of model parameters and simulated drug exposures were substantially reduced by the population-modeling technique, as it takes into account covariance among model parameters and intersubject variability. Conclusion. Although the study sample was small, our parallel analyses of the same data set clearly demonstrated that more precise parameter estimates are likely to result with the population-modeling technique. Having accurate and precise estimation of population pharmacokinetic parameters and their true variances is crucial, as, at any dose, there will be a lower probability of encountering a concentration-driven toxicity because of fewer outliers as the variance associated with the parameters decreases.
Yield of Transesophageal Echocardiography for Nonbacterial Thrombotic Endocarditis and Other Cardiac Sources of Embolism in Cancer Patients With Cerebral Ischemia

Cerebrovascular events occur frequently in patients who succumb to cancer, and nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE) is a frequent postmortem finding in these patients. Despite the excellent diagnostic accuracy of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for cardiac sources of cerebral embolism, however, the prevalence of NBTE and other cardioembolic sources in patients with cancer and cerebral ischemia has not been investigated using this modality. This study examined the frequency of cardioembolic findings in consecutive patients with cancer referred to our institution for TEE evaluation of cerebrovascular events. The study cohort comprised 51 patients, of whom 18% had marantic vegetations, and 47% and 55% of whom had definite and definite or probable cardiac sources of embolism, respectively. The present study documents, for the first time, a high frequency of marantic endocarditis and other cardioembolic sources in patients with cancer and cerebrovascular events selected for TEE. This finding has important implications for evaluation and management in this patient population.
Employer Attitudes Toward Blind or Visually Impaired Employees: Initial Development of a Measurement Instrument

The purpose of this research project was to create an instrument to measure attitudes of employers towards persons who are blind or visually impaired as employees. Items were developed based on pri...
Race Mixture: Boundary Crossing in Comparative Perspective

In this article, we examine a large, interdisciplinary, and somewhat scattered literature, all of which falls under the umbrella term race mixture. We highlight important analytical distinctions that need to be taken into account when addressing the related, but separate, social phenomena of intermarriage, miscegenation, multiracial identity, multiracial social movements, and race-mixture ideologies. In doing so, we stress a social constructivist approach to race mixture with a focus on boundary crossing. Finally, we also demonstrate how ideologies and practices of race mixture play out quite differently in contexts outside of the United States, particularly in Latin America. Race-mixture ideologies and practices in Latin America have been used to maintain racial inequality in the region, thus challenging recent arguments by U.S. scholars that greater racial mixture leads to a decline in racism, discrimination, and inequality.
The superlattice barrier capacitor: A structure for the investigation of heterojunction interfaces

A symmetric n- GaAs/AlAs-GaAs superlattice/n- GaAs structure has been fabricated and electrical measurements made between 300 and 77 K. At 238 K and below, the C-V characteristics were clearly symmetric, in good agreement with theory. Such a structure can be used as a sensitive probe of the interface defects at the "normal" and "inverted" heterojunction interfaces associated with the barrier. Furthermore, the highly nonlinear C-V characteristic of this symmetric semiconductor capacitor near-zero bias may have unique applications.
Meat and meat-mutagen intake and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma: results from a NCI-SEER case–control study

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) incidence has risen dramatically over past decades, but the reasons for most of this increase are not known. Meat cooked well-done using high-temperature cooking techniques produces heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P). This study was conducted as a population-based case-control study in Iowa, Detroit, Seattle and Los Angeles and was designed to determine whether meat, meat-cooking methods, HCAs or PAHs from meat were associated with NHL risk. This study consisted of 458 NHL cases, diagnosed between 1998 and 2000, and 383 controls. Participants completed a 117-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), with graphical aids to assess the meat-cooking method and doneness level, which was linked to a HCA and B[a]P database. Logistic regression, comparing the fourth to the first quartile, found no association between red meat or processed meat intake and risk for NHL [odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.10 (0.67-1.81) and 1.18 (0.74-1.89), respectively]. A marginally significant elevated risk for NHL was associated with broiled meat [OR and 95% CI: 1.32 (0.99-1.77); P trend = 0.09], comparing those who consumed broiled meat with those who did not. The degree to which meat was cooked was not associated with the risk for NHL, although one of the HCAs, DiMeIQx (2-amino-3,4,8-trimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline), was associated with an inverse risk. Fat intake was associated with a significantly elevated risk for NHL [OR and 95% CI: 1.60 (1.05-2.45); P trend = 0.12]; in contrast, animal protein was inversely associated with risk for NHL [OR and 95% CI: 0.39 (0.22-0.70); P trend = 0.004]. Overall, our study suggests that consumption of meat, whether or not it is well-done, does not increase the risk of NHL. Furthermore, neither HCAs nor B[a]P from meat increase the risk of NHL.
Effect of benzylpenicillin on the viability and osmotic sensitivity of Listeria monocytogenes

Growth in the presence of 100 ppm benzylpenicillin (BP) for 2 h failed to result in a detectable reduction in cfu. Cells grown and incubated for 24 h in 0, 1, 10 and 100 ppm BP underwent reductions in cfu of 0%, 0%, 90% and 99% respectively of maximum cfu values.
Assessment of seismic performance of skew reinforced concrete box girder bridges

The seismic vulnerability of highway bridges remains an important problem and has received increased attention as a consequence of unprecedented damage observed during several major earthquakes. A significant number of research studies have examined the performance of skew bridges under service and seismic loads. The results of these studies are particularly sensitive to modeling assumptions in view of the interacting parameters. In the present study, three-dimensional improved beam-stick models of two-span highway bridges with skew angles varying from 0° to 60° are developed to investigate the seismic response characteristics of skew box girder bridges. The relative accuracy of beam-stick models is verified against counterpart finite element models. The effect of various parameters and conditions on the overall seismic response was examined such as skew angle, ground motion intensity, soil condition, abutment support conditions, bridge aspect ratio, and foundation-base conditions. The study shows that the improved beam-stick models can be used to conduct accurate nonlinear time history analysis of skew bridges. Skew angle and interacting parameters were found to have significant effect on the behavior of skewed highway bridges. Furthermore, the performance of shear keys may have a predominant effect on the overall seismic response of the skew bridges.
High Integration CMOS RF Transceivers

This paper presents an overview of technical challenges in achieving higher integration levels, lower power dissipation, smaller form factor, lower cost, and multistandard operation in portable battery-powered RF transceivers for personal communications applications.
A VLSI implementation of a maximum/minimum coder for low-rate digital communications systems

Custom design VLSI implementation of the maximum/minimum coding (MMC) algorithm is presented. The algorithm decomposition, floorplan, basic cell design, layout, and simulation are discussed. The major subsystems (input buffer, max/min calculator, output buffer, control PLAs) are presented. The resulting chip design is composed of 40000 CMOS transistors with 2.5 mu m linewidth technology. Computer-aided design (CAD) tools and CAD platforms are discussed, emphasizing the relevant areas for custom VLSI design in higher education. >
An Imperfect-debugging Fault-detection Dependent-parameter Software

Software reliability growth models (SRGMs) incorporating the imperfect debugging and learning phenomenon of devel- opers have recently been developed by many researchers to estimate software reliability measures such as the number of remaining faults and software reliability. However, the model parameters of both the fault content rate function and fault detection rate function of the SRGMs are often considered to be independent from each other. In practice, this assumption may not be the case and it is worth to investigate what if it is not. In this paper, we aim for such study and propose a software reliability model connecting the imperfect debugging and learning phenomenon by a common parameter among the two functions, called the imperfect-debugging fault-detection dependent-parameter model. Software testing data collected from real applications are utilized to illustrate the proposed model for both the descriptive and predictive power by determining the non-zero initial debugging process.
Fibrillation vs. random noise: a comparison using dimensionality calculations

Application of techniques derived from the theory of nonlinear dynamical systems to calculate a fractal dimension which characterizes a signal and can be used to gauge to what extent the signal is due to noise or arises from a deterministic dynamical system is discussed. These techniques are applied to surface ECGs from ventricular fibrillation. The results suggest that fibrillation is not significantly different from spectrally colored random noise. >
MR imaging of liver fibrosis: current state of the art

Chronic liver disease is a major public health problem worldwide. Liver fibrosis, a common feature of almost all causes of chronic liver disease, involves the accumulation of collagen, proteoglycans, and other macromolecules within the extracellular matrix. Fibrosis tends to progress, leading to hepatic dysfunction, portal hypertension, and ultimately cirrhosis. Liver biopsy, the standard of reference for diagnosing liver fibrosis, is invasive, costly, and subject to complications and sampling variability. These limitations make it unsuitable for diagnosis and longitudinal monitoring in the general population. Thus, development of a noninvasive, accurate, and reproducible test for diagnosis and monitoring of liver fibrosis would be of great value. Conventional cross-sectional imaging techniques have limited capability to demonstrate liver fibrosis. In clinical practice, imaging studies are usually reserved for evaluation of the presence of portal hypertension or hepatocellular carcinoma in cases that have progressed to cirrhosis. In response to the rising prevalence of chronic liver diseases in Western nations, a number of imaging-based methods including ultrasonography-based transient elastography, computed tomography-based texture analysis, and diverse magnetic resonance (MR) imaging-based techniques have been proposed for noninvasive diagnosis and grading of hepatic fibrosis across its entire spectrum of severity. State-of-the-art MR imaging-based techniques in current practice and in development for noninvasive assessment of liver fibrosis include conventional contrast material-enhanced MR imaging, double contrast-enhanced MR imaging, MR elastography, diffusion-weighted imaging, and MR perfusion imaging.
Turbine Tip and Shroud Heat Transfer and Loading: Part A — Parameter Effects Including Reynolds Number, Pressure Ratio, and Gas to Metal Temperature Ratio

Turbine tip and shroud flow and heat transfer are some of the most complex, yet important, issues in turbine design. Most of the work performed to date has been performed in linear cascades and has investigated such items as the effect of tip geometries and turbulence on tip and shroud pressure and heat transfer. There have been very few full annulus or rotating measurements in the literature. Experimental measurements have been made on a single stage high pressure turbine at the US Air Force Turbine Research Facility (TRF) to aid in the understanding of this phenomena. The TRF is a full scale, rotating rig that operates at matched flow conditions to the true turbine environment. Heat flux measurements were acquired with both Pyrex insert strip and button gauges while the pressure measurements were taken with surface mounted Kulite® pressure transducers. This paper presents one of the first full rotating, simultaneous pressure and heat transfer measurements to be taken in the turbine tip shroud region. These measurements provide some of the details needed for accurately quantifying the true flow condition in this complex flow regime. Comparisons between the present data and the existing 2D cascade data were made. This investigation quantified the effects of Reynolds number, inlet temperature, turbine pressure ratio and inlet flow temperature profiles. This provides a benchmark data set for validation of numerical codes.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Natural Variability of Water Quality in a Temperate Estuary

Abstract Interpreting the data from water quality monitoring networks is difficult if the natural variability of the system is not known. Analysis of data from estuaries is made more difficult by the advection of spatial patterns with the oscillating tides. in this study samples were collected from a polyhaline, partially-mixed estuary which typically has minimal longitudinal gradients for most water quality measures. Water samples from a 2.5 meter shoal were analyzed for nitrogen and phosphorus content. Data from two 57-hour intensive studies indicate that hourly fluctuations were on the order of 15%. Furthermore the variations showed no significant correlation with tidal height. In the second part of the study, samples collected at 45 minute intervals were composited to determine daily average conditions over an annual cycle. in addition to a strong seasonal signal, it was found that daily fluctuations were on the order of 20 to 50 percent for total nitrogen and total phosphorus and 30 to 70 percent for nitrate-plus-nitrite nitrogen. Data from monitoring networks with less frequent observations must be interpreted with caution given the magnitude of these short term variations which are assumed to arise from natural phenomena.
Abstract P198: Cumulative Abdominal Obese-Years and Arterial Stiffness in Older Adults: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Introduction: Arterial stiffness quantifies subclinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) and is predictive of athero-thrombotic events and mortality. Time-cumulative measures of obesity may more accurately estimate the lifetime burden of CVD due to obesity by accounting for both duration and intensity. Compared to generalized obesity, abdominal obesity is more consistently associated with vascular outcomes and, specifically, arterial stiffness. We examined whether 20-year cumulative abdominal obese-years is associated with greater arterial stiffness in older adults. Methods: We analyzed 5,177 participants from the ARIC cohort. Cumulative abdominal obesity was defined as the product of waist circumference units above the conventional cutpoints for obesity, 88 cm for women and 102 cm for men, and the years of exposure to that waist circumference. This accounts for obesity exposure over 20 years from the five ARIC visits. Arterial stiffness was measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV) at the fifth ARIC visit. Measures of PWV obtained include: carotid-femoral PWV (cfPWV), brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV), and segment-specific measures [heart-femoral (hfPWV) and femoral-ankle (faPWV)]. Multivariable linear regression, adjusted for age, sex, race, systolic blood pressure and smoking, was used to quantify the change in PWV (cm/s) per unit increase in cumulative abdominal obese-years. Subsidiary analyses examined visit five waist circumference. Hypertension and diabetes were explored as effect modifiers. Results: Among the 5,177 participants (mean age: 75, 43% male, 21% African-American), 66% had cumulative abdominal obese-years greater than zero (range: 1-1595), while 34% were not abdominally obese across any ARIC visit and thus had zero cumulative abdominal obese-years. Participants with higher cumulative abdominal obese-years were more often male, African-American and had a history of diabetes and hypertension. Cumulative abdominal obese-years were associated with lower baPWV (beta=-0.19, 95% CI: -0.23, -0.14), lower faPWV (beta=-0.12, 95% CI: -0.15, -0.09) and lower hfPWV (beta=-0.06, 95% CI: -0.10, -0.03). There was no significant association with cfPWV (beta=-0.03, 95% CI: -0.08, 0.01). The cross-sectional association between visit five abdominal circumference and PWV were similar in magnitude to cumulative abdominal obese-years. Hypertension and diabetes did not modify these associations. Conclusions: We observed an inverse association between cumulative exposure to abdominal fat and arterial stiffness in older adults. Survivor bias or the role of sarcopenia may explain these findings.The association of fat deposits with subclinical vascular disease in older adults deserves careful evaluation. Estimation of long-term exposure to abdominal obesity did not reveal associations with arterial stiffness beyond a cross-sectional assessment of abdominal obesity.
Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 upregulation of both VEGF and ANGPTL4 is required to promote the angiogenic phenotype in uveal melanoma.

// Ke Hu 1,2,* , Savalan Babapoor-Farrokhran 1,* , Murilo Rodrigues 1 , Monika Deshpande 1 , Brooks Puchner 1 , Fabiana Kashiwabuchi 1 , Syed Junaid Hassan 1 , Laura Asnaghi 3 , James T. Handa 1 , Shannath Merbs 1 , Charles G. Eberhart 1,3 , Gregg L. Semenza 4 , Silvia Montaner 5 and Akrit Sodhi 1 1 Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA 2 The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China 3 Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA 4 Departments of Pediatrics, Medicine, Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Biological Chemistry, and Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA 5 Department of Oncology and Diagnostic Sciences, Greenebaum Cancer Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Akrit Sodhi, email: // Keywords : choroidal melanoma, angiogenesis, angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hypoxia inducible factor-1α Received : September 03, 2015 Accepted : January 04, 2016 Published : January 09, 2016 Abstract Purpose: Expression of the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1-regulated gene product, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), correlates with tumor vascularity in patients with uveal melanoma (UM). While the relationship between HIF-1 and VEGF in cancer is well-studied, their relative contribution to the angiogenic phenotype in UM has not previously been interrogated. Here we evaluate the contribution of HIF-1, VEGF, and a second HIF-1-regulated gene product, angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4), to angiogenesis in UM. Experimental Design: UM cells were examined for expression of HIF-1α, VEGF, and ANGPTL4. Their contribution to the angiogenic potential of UM cells was assessed using the endothelial cell tubule formation and directed in vivo angiogenesis assays. These results were corroborated in tissue from UM animal models and in tissue from patients with UM. Results: Inhibition of VEGF partially reduced tubule formation promoted by conditioned medium from UM cells. Inhibition of ANGPTL4, which was highly expressed in hypoxic UM cells, a UM orthotopic transplant model, a UM tumor array, and vitreous samples from UM patients, inhibited the angiogenic potential of UM cells in vitro and in vivo ; this effect was additive to VEGF inhibition. Conclusions: Targeting both ANGPTL4 and VEGF may be required for the effective inhibition of angiogenesis in UM.
Specimen weight and volume: important predictors of survival in malignant pleural mesothelioma.

OBJECTIVES The tumour/node/metastasis (TNM) staging system for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a worldwide standard, but has many limitations. Tumour volume has been suggested as a predictor of survival. Due to the complex anatomy, estimation of tumour volume via CT scan can be challenging. Surgical volume may be more accurate. Therefore, we prospectively determined resected specimen volumes and weights in consecutive patients undergoing extended pleurectomy and decortication (EPD) and correlated this with overall survival and T and N stage. METHODS We evaluated 116 patients undergoing EPD for MPM in a single university centre over a 6-year period. All resected specimens were weighed, and the volume was measured by a fluid displacement method. A Cox regression model was used to identify significant predictors of survival; hazard ratios were calculated. A Kaplan-Meier method was used to summarize overall and subgroup survival. Logistic regression models were used to identify predictors of T and N stage. RESULTS There were 95 males and 21 females with a median age of 68 range 43-88 years. Forty-one patients had an ECOG performance status (PS) 0, 70 had 1 and 4 had 2. The median time between initial diagnosis and surgery was 134 days. Histology was epithelioid in 59, biphasic in 55 and sarcomatoid in 2. The mean volume was 641 ml with an SD of 393.34 ml. The median volume was 567.5 ml. The mean weight was 620.8 g with an SD of 361.92 g. The median weight was 552.0 g. Two-year survival from initial diagnosis and from EPD was 44 and 28%, respectively. PS (P = 0.002), epithelioid histology (P < 0.001), specimen weight (P < 0.001), volume (P < 0.001), platelet count (P = 0.015), T1 stage (P = 0.04) and adjuvant therapy (P = 01) were predictive of survival. Tumour volume was a predictor of T stage (P = 0.048) and survival (P = 0.03). There was no relationship between N stage and tumour volume, weight or histology. CONCLUSIONS PS, specimen weight, volume, epithelioid histology platelet count and adjuvant chemotherapy are significant predictors of survival in patients undergoing EPD for MPM. There is a correlation between specimen volume and T stage. These data suggest that tumour weight and volume may be valuable components for staging MPM.
Additive Combinatorics: Inverse sum set theorems

In Chapter 2 we established the elementary theory of sum set estimates, showing how information on one sum A + B can be used to control other sums such as A − B or nA − mA . These estimates worked reasonably well even when the doubling constants of the sets involved were fairly large, since all the bounds were polynomial in this constant. On the other hand, we did not get detailed structural information on sets with small doubling constant; the best we could do is cover them by an approximate group (Proposition 2.26). In this chapter we shall focus on the following question: given two additive sets A, B with A + B very small, what is the strongest structural statement one can then conclude about A and B ? One of the main results in this area is Freiman's theorem which (in the torsion-free case) asserts that an additive set A with small doubling constant σ [ A ] = ∣2 A ∣ / ∣ A ∣ is contained in a progression of bounded rank which is not much larger than the original set. This theorem comes in a number of variants; we give several of them below. In doing so we shall also come across the useful concept of a Freiman homomorphism , which to a large extent frees the study of additive sets from the ambient group that they reside in, giving rise to a number of useful tricks, such as embedding the set inside a particularly nice group.
The Combined Effects of Genetic and Environmental Variations upon the Composition of Colias Populations

The butterfly, Colias chrysotheme , is distributed over most of North America. In this area, it is represented by two physiological races or “hybridizing-species,” by a number of geographical races and by numerous seasonal or ecological forms. These varieties are most easily differentiated by means of color, pattern and size characteristics of the wings of the adults.
A simple, automated functional assay for protein C.

Protein C is an important anticoagulant in circulating blood. The balance between the procoagulant and anticoagulant pathways determines whether a patient is at risk for thrombosis or hemorrhage, and low levels of protein C may result in thrombotic disease. It is important for clinical coagulation laboratories to measure protein C. For this purpose, a simple functional assay is needed. This article describes an automated assay for functional protein C with activation by copperhead venom. The authors have automated this assay for a centrifugal analyzer (COBAS Bio®) and have proved the specificity of the assay by comparing values obtained amidolytically with those obtained with a ra-dioimmunoassay for protein C.
Framework for Network Based Manufacturing Training Through Telehaptics

Use of force feedback, or haptics, has increased the realism of virtual reality simulation systems over the last few years. In this research we propose a framework for the communication of haptic sensation in a shared environment over the Internet for developing novel manufacturing training system. This framework allows re-experiencing the sensation at geographically remote location by transmitting the haptic information over a TCP/IP network. We call this Tele-haptics. Using Tele-haptics, we propose a system where we can capture skill sets commonly associated with complex tasks such a die and tool polishing and communicate this to trainee over the internet. The trainee, using a Phantom Haptic system, can experience the process of polishing based on the master’s input. The framework for haptic communication is experimentally evaluated. The results of the experimental evaluation suggest that it is possible to transmit and recreate haptic features such as geometry and force characteristics.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Competitive inhibition of uridine incorporation by 6-azauridine in uninfected and mengovirus-infected Novikoff hepatoma cells.

SummaryThe incorporation of uridine into cellular RNA or viral RNA by uninfected and mengovirus-infected Novikoff rat hepatoma cells (line N1S1-67) is inhibited about 90% by 24 mM 6-azauridine in the medium. This inhibition is a direct consequence of an interference by azauridine with the conversion of uridine to free nucleotides and is not a reflection of an inhibition of RNA synthesis. Azauridine acts as competitive inhibitor of both the entry of uridine into the cell and its subsequent phosphorylation to UMP. Both, host cell and viral RNA synthesis are highly resistant to inhibition by azauridine as measured by the incorporation of adenosine, and the production of virusinduced RNA polymerase and mature virus are also not affected by 24 mM azauridine. The resistance of the cells to azauridine appears to be related to a failure of the cells to accumulate significant amounts of azaUMP, not because they lack uridine kinase but probably because azauridine uptake or phosphorylation is under some regulatory c...