cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exploiting context to detect sensitive information in call center conversations

Protecting sensitive information while preserving the share-ability and usability of data is becoming increasingly important. In call-centers a lot of customer related sensitive information is stored in audio recordings. In this work, we address the problem of protecting sensitive information in audio recordings and speech transcripts. We present a semi-supervised method to model sensitive information as a directed graph. Effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated by applying it to the problem of detecting and locating credit card transaction in real life conversations between agents and customers in a call center.
Kinetic modeling of methane dehydroaromatization chemistry on Mo/Zeolite catalysts in packed-bed reactors

Abstract This paper develops a detailed chemical kinetics reaction mechanism to represent methane dehydroaromatization (MDA) chemistry on bi-functional Mo/zeolite catalysts. The model is validated using a range of previously published results from packed-bed experiments. The reaction mechanism consists of four methane activation reactions on Mo2C sites. The resulting gas-phase hydrogen and ethylene continue to react on Bronsted acid sites within the zeolite structure using 46 reaction steps. In addition to the desired benzene formation, the model also predicts the formation of toluene, naphthalene, and other side products. In addition to reaction kinetics on the catalyst surfaces, the packed-bed model incorporates a Dusty-Gas model that accommodates ordinary and Knudsen diffusion as well as pressure-driven advection. Because the model represents essentially all published reports of MDA performance, it is reasonably expected that the model can be applied as a predictive tool to support reactor and process development.
CARBON, CARBIDES, AND METHANE IN AN APOLLO 12 SAMPLE.

Total carbon in the Apollo 12 sample 12023 fines was 110 micrograms per gram of sample with a carbon isotopic abundance delta(13)C (relative to the Pee Dee belemnite standard) of +12 per mil. Hydrolysis of the fines with deuterium chloride yielded undeuterated methane along with deuterated hydrocarbons, thus confirming the presence of 7 to 21 micrograms of carbon per gram of sample as carbide and about 2 micrograms of carbon per gram of sample as indigenous methane. After vacuum pyrolysis of the fines to 1100 degrees C the following gases were detected in the relative abundance: carbon monoxide carbon dioxide methane. Variations of the delta(13)C value with the pyrolysis temperature indicated the presence of carbon with more than one range of isotopic values. The observed delta(13)C value of +14 per mil for lunar carbide is much higher than that of carbide in meteorites. These results suggest that lunar carbide is either indigenous to the moon or a meteoritic contribution that has been highly fractionated isotopically.
Balance improvement in older adults using customised ankle foot orthoses

Balance improvement in older adults using customised ankle foot orthoses Sai Vikas Yalla a , Jacque Ortiz a , Ryan T. Crews a & Bijan Najafi b a Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science, CLEAR, North Chicago , United States b University of Arizona, College of Medicine, Surgery, interdisciplinary Consortium on Advanced Motion Performance (iCAMP) , PO Box 245072, 1501 N Campbell Avenue, R 7342, Tucson , 85724-5072 , United States Published online: 09 Jul 2013.
Frontrunners and Laggards: The Strategy of Environmental Regulation under Uncertainty

The extant literature on the political economy of environmental regulation does not provide a unified theoretical explanation for three salient stylized facts. First, companies voluntarily invest to reduce the environmental burden that they cause under threat of regulation. Second, ex ante estimates of the compliance cost tend to be systematically higher than ex post estimates. Finally, regulators use limited information provided by the industry. I construct a game-theoretic model of environmental regulation under uncertainty with a benevolent regulator. In equilibrium, companies undertake voluntary action to induce regulation that raises barriers to entry. This profit-driven behavior is not always socially detrimental, however, as the regulator obtains a credible commitment to production and a more accurate estimate of the compliance cost. Additionally, the results provide a selection explanation for the mismatch between ex ante and ex post cost estimates: if companies condition compliance on the installation cost, only low-cost companies install in equilibrium. The analysis combines “regulatory capture” with social welfare maximization to explain the curious combination of voluntary action and low ex post compliance cost without serious information collection by the regulator.
Effects of aerosol and SST gradients on marine stratocumulus albedo

[1] Airborne data are reported on the effect of sea surface temperature and aerosol gradients on the albedo of marine stratocumulus clouds off the coast of central California. Both types of gradients, at the magnitudes and spatial scales observed, produce significant and comparable trends in the cloud albedo (∼15% changes over 40 km).
Effects of spoiler surfaces on the aeroelastic behavior of a low-aspect-ratio rectangular wing

An experimental research study to determine the effectiveness of spoiler surfaces in suppressing flutter onset for a low-aspect-ratio, rectangular wing was conducted in the Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT). The wing model used in this flutter test consisted of a rigid wing mounted to the wind-tunnel wall by a flexible, rectangular beam. The flexible beam was connected to the wing root and cantilever mounted to the wind-tunnel wall. The wing had a 1.5 aspect ratio based on wing semispan and a NACA 64A010 airfoil shape. The spoiler surfaces consisted of thin, rectangular aluminum plates that were vertically mounted to the wing surface. The spoiler surface geometry and location on the wing surface were varied to determine the effects of these parameters on the classical flutter of the wing model. Subsonically, the experiment showed that spoiler surfaces increased the flutter dynamic pressure with each successive increase in spoiler height or width. This subsonic increase in flutter dynamic pressure was approximately 15 percent for the maximum height spoiler configuration and for the maximum width spoiler configuration. At transonic Mach numbers, the flutter dynamic pressure conditions were increased even more substantially than at subsonic Mach numbers for some of the smaller spoiler surfaces. But greater than a certain spoiler size (in terms of either height or width) the spoilers forced a torsional instability in the transonic regime that was highly Mach number dependent. This detrimental torsional instability was found at dynamic pressures well below the expected flutter conditions. Variations in the spanwise location of the spoiler surfaces on the wing showed little effect on flutter. Flutter analysis was conducted for the basic configuration (clean wing with all spoiler surface mass properties included). The analysis correlated well with the clean wing experimental flutter results.
P2X3 and TRPV1 functionally interact and mediate sensitization of trigeminal sensory neurons

Musculoskeletal pain conditions, particularly those associated with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) affect a large percentage of the population. Identifying mechanisms underlying hyperalgesia could contribute to the development of new treatment strategies for the management of TMD and other muscle pain conditions. In this study, we provide evidence of functional interactions between two ligand-gated channels, P2X₃ and transient receptor potential V1 (TRPV1), in trigeminal sensory neurons, and propose that the interactions serve as an underlying mechanism for the development of mechanical hyperalgesia. Mechanical sensitivity of the masseter muscle was assessed in lightly anesthetized rats via an electronic anesthesiometer (Ro et al., 2009). Direct intramuscular injection of a selective P2X₃ agonist, alpha,beta-methylene adenosine triphosphate (αβmeATP), induced a dose- and time-dependent hyperalgesia. Mechanical sensitivity in the contralateral muscle was unaffected suggesting local P2X₃ mediate hyperalgesia. Anesthetizing the overlying skin had no effect on αβmeATP-induced hyperalgesia confirming the contribution of P2X₃ from the muscle. Importantly, the αβmeATP-induced hyperalgesia was prevented by pretreatment of the muscle with a TRPV1 antagonist, AMG9810. P2X₃ was co-expressed with TRPV1 in the masseter muscle afferents confirming the possibility for intracellular interactions. Additionally, in a subpopulation of P2Xv/TRPV1 positive neurons, capsaicin-induced Ca(2+) transients were significantly amplified following P2X₃ activation. Finally, activation of P2X₃ induced phosphorylation of serine, but not threonine, residues in TRPV1 in trigeminal ganglia cultures. Significant phosphorylation was observed at 15 min, the time point at which behavioral hyperalgesia was prominent. Previously, activation of either P2X₃ or TRPV1 had been independently implicated in the development of mechanical hyperalgesia. Our data propose P2X₃ and TRPV1 interact in a facilitatory manner, which could contribute to the peripheral sensitization known to underlie masseter hyperalgesia.
Proton-Catalyzed Oxo−Alkene Coupling: 2-Platinaoxetane Formation

Formation of 2-platinaoxetane 2 from oxo complex 1 and norbornene (NB) is mediated by hydroxo complex 5. The facile reaction of 5 with NB to give protonated 2-platinaoxetane 7 supports the involvem...
Electrochemiluminescent immunosensor for detection of protein cancer biomarkers using carbon nanotube forests and [Ru-(bpy)3]2+-doped silica nanoparticles

We report the first electrochemiluminescent immunosensor combining single-wall carbon nanotube forests with RuBPY–silica–secondary antibody nanoparticles for sensitive detection of cancer biomarker prostate specific antigen.
Measurements and Modeling of the Effects of Ambient Meteorology on Nocturnal Drainage Flows

Abstract An experimental and modeling investigation of nocturnal drainage flows within the Mesa Creek valley in western Colorado revealed their wind and temperature characteristics and the effects of the ambient meteorology on their development. The valley, located about 30 km east of Grand Junction, is situated on the north slopes of the Grand Mesa. It is surrounded by ridges on three sides with low terrain toward the north. The terrain at the higher elevations is characterized by steep slopes that become shallower at the lower elevations. A network of seven meteorological towers and a monostatic solar collected data within the study area from December 1988 through November 1989. Analysis of the experimental data indicated that shallow drainage flows generated over the many individual slopes at the higher elevations converge at the lower elevations to form deeper flows that join with those generated within adjacent drainage areas. The characteristics of the flows generally deviated from those displayed b...
Assay of γ-carboxyglutamate in tissue and body fluid by selective hydrolysis and amino acid analysis

Abstract A simple and specific method for the determination of γ-carboxyglutamate (GLA) in tissues and body fluids is presented. An alkaline hydrolysate of protein, containing an internal standard of [ 14 C]cysteic acid, is chromatographed on an amino acid analyzer using a standard acid-hydrolysate method. The GLA fraction is collected along with the whole [ 14 C]cysteic acid peak, directly hydrolyzed with an equal volume of concentrated HCl for 24 h at 105°C, and analyzed for GLA-derived glutamate. For the analyses of tissue extracts and body fluids, the GLA fractions are collected and hydrolyzed in both 6 n HCl and 0.5 n NaOH for 24 h at 105°C. The GLA concentration in the sample is calculated from the difference between the acid-formed and alkaline-formed glutamate in the GLA fraction. The overall recovery of GLA as glutamate is 95–98%.
Reactivity of pyrimidine nucleosides under the conditions of the pyrimidine sequencing reactions of Maxam and Gilbert

Several pyrimidine nucleosides and polydeoxyribonucleotides have been examined with respect to their ultraviolet absorption spectra and the kinetics of their decomposition under the conditions used in the C- and (C + T)-specific treatments of the sequencing procedure of Maxam and Gilbert. In hydrazine-water (56:44, v/v), at 20 degrees C, thymidine was found to be virtually fully ionized. Under these conditions, the susceptibility to hydrazinolysis decreased in the order N3-methylthymidine greater than uridine approximately equal to deoxyuridine greater than deoxycytidine approximately equal to polydeoxycytidylate greater than polythymidylate much greater than thymidine greater than 5-methyldeoxycytidine. Addition of sodium chloride to 1.5 M slightly accelerated hydrazinolysis of those nucleosides bearing nonionizable heterocyclic moieties and retarded hydrazinolysis severalfold for those nucleosides containing an ionizable aglycone (thymidine, deoxyuridine, uridine). It is concluded that the nucleosides of this latter class react with hydrazine largely or exclusively in their nonionized form and that the main effect of added salt is increased ionization of the heterocycles, resulting in a decreased population of nonionized nucleosides.
Organizational Governance and Ethical Systems: A Covenantal Approach to Building Trust

American businesses and corporate executives are faced with a serious problem the loss of public confidence. Public criticism, increased government controls, and growing expectations for improved financial performance and accountability have accompanied this decline in trust. Traditional approaches to corporate governance, typified by agency theory and stakeholder theory, have been expensive to direct and have focused on short-term profits and organizational systems that fail to achieve desired results. We explain why the organizational governance theories are fundamentally, inadequate to build trust. We advance a conceptual framework based on stewardship theory characterized by “covenantal relationships” and argue that design of governance mechanisms using a covenantal approach is more effective in building trust in organizations. A covenantal relationship is a specialized form of a relational contract between an employee and his or her organization. We argue that regardless of incentives and control mechanisms carefully designed through contractual mechanisms, in the absence of covenantal relationships it is extremely difficult to build trust within organizations. We propose that organizations are more likely to build trust – both at the organizational level and at the interpersonal level – when they create reinforcing and integrated systems that honor implied duties of “covenantal relationships.”
Roles of cell junctions in gametogenesis and in early embryonic development.

Abstract Recent reviews of the role of cell junctions in development have focused primarily upon functions related to the relatively subtle physiological modulation of their subunits in relation to fundamental developmental processes in a wide variety of organisms. There is, however, considerable support from numerous laboratories that the more radical modulation of the presence and number of junctional subunits in many diverse tissues may play a pivotal role in a wide spectrum of developmental phenomena ranging from gametogenesis to organogenesis. Since a great deal of recent interest in this latter subject has concentrated upon vertebrate systems including mammals, this review will examine the functional significance of the modulation of gap junctions, tight junctions and desmosomes in a developing idealized mammalian system from gamete formation to tissue and organ differentiation during embryogenesis.
Chlorophyll and Productivity in a Mountain River1

Chlorophyll was sampled on the shallow, rocky, canyon section of Logan River—a swift, clear, calcareous mountain river in the Middle Rocky Mountains of northern Utah. Chlorophyll extractions were made by immersing entire rocks supporting algae in acetone. The average quantity of chlorophyll per m2 of bottom of the canyon section of Logan River was 0.30 grams. Downstream supplementary stations supported 3 to 4 times as much chlorophyll as the canyon section. No significant difference existed between means of chlorophyll samples in fall and late winter and between the upstream and downstream portions of the canyon section. Annual gross primary production equal to about 1.2 kg per m2 was estimated from the relation of chlorophyll to photosynthesis in light and dark jar experiments. A standing crop of 25 grams of dry plant biomass per m2 was determined from the chlorophyll dry weight ratio of samples of the community. Average standing crops (dry wt.) of insects and fish were 5 and 1.6 per cent, respectively, of the producer biomass or average standing crop of algae. Production of chlorophyll on artificial substrata (concrete rocks) showed no close relationship with either insolation or water movement within the range of values encountered in the Logan River.
Phenotypic and genetic characterization of a non-hemolytic variant ofListeria monocytogenesfrom cold-smoked salmon

The identity of 11 strains ofListeria monocytogenesandL. innocuaisolated from various processed seafood products was confirmed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). All species" identities determined by a combination of selective media, -hemolysis, and biochemical fermentation profiles were confirmed by PCR, with one exception. One strain (4-4), previously identified asL. innocuabecause of the lack of hemolysis on blood agar, was shown to beL. monocytogenes. In order to determine whether this isolate was a weakly hemolytic variant and thus potentially virulent, or whether it was truly unable to express listeriolysin (LLO), a number of phenotypic and genetic characterizations were performed. The strain was competent for expression of otherL. monocytogenesvirulence factors and characteristics such as the phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C and the ability to adhere to and invade Caco-2 and J774 cells, but could not grow intracellularly and was avirulent in mice. DNA sequencing of the LLO gene (hly) from strain 4-4 showed that the genetic lesion was a single base-pair deletion, resulting in a frame-shift and subsequent stop codon in the translated open reading frame. Such a mutation is unique from those seen in previously described naturally occurring non-hemolyticL. monocytogenesstrains.
Metabolism and DNA binding of 2,6-dinitrotoluene in Fischer-344 rats and AJ mice☆

2,6-Dinitrotoluene (2,6-DNT) is a potent hepatocarcinogen in Fischer-344 rats, while its 2,4-isomer is believed to be noncarcinogenic. Neither 2,6-DNT nor 2,4-DNT is carcinogenic in the strain A mouse lung tumor bioassay. To explore the possible reasons for these differences in tumor responses, we have studied the in vitro metabolism and DNA binding of 2,6-DNT in cultured hepatocytes of the Fischer-344 rat and the AJ mouse, and have also investigated the in vivo DNA binding of 2,6-DNT and 2,4-DNT in these two species. In vitro metabolism of 2,6-DNT by rat and mouse hepatocytes was similar and resulted mainly in the formation of 2,6-dinitrobenzyl alcohol, either unconjugated or as a glucuronide (57.5 to 85.5% of the total per fraction), with smaller amounts of polar, acidic metabolites (8.4 to 38.7%) and minor amounts (1.2 to 5.3%) of 2-amino-6-nitrotoluene. Anaerobic metabolism of 2,6-DNT by an extract of rat or mouse cecal contents resulted mainly in the formation of 2-amino-6-nitrotoluene and 2-(N-acetylamino)-6-nitrotoluene, and minor amounts of 2,6-diaminotoluene. Ip administration of 2,6-DNT or 2,4-DNT (150 mg/kg each) to Fischer-344 rats resulted, after 24 hr, in covalent binding to DNA of the liver (131.1 to 259.9 pmol 2,6-DNT/mg DNA; 215.4 to 226.8 pmol 2,4-DNT/mg DNA), and lower binding to DNA of the lungs and the intestine (14.9 to 22.7 pmol 2,6-DNT/mg DNA; 45.0 to 75.0 pmol 2,4-DNT/mg DNA). Similar treatment of AJ mice resulted in lower binding in the liver (25.9 to 31.9 pmol 2,6-DNT/mg DNA; 42.6 to 58.9 pmol 2,4-DNT/mg DNA), no detectable binding of 2,6-DNT in extrahepatic tissues and low amounts of binding of 2,4-DNT to lung and intestinal DNA (9.7 to 39.0 pmol/mg DNA). In vitro binding of 2,6-DNT to DNA of cultured hepatocytes from both AJ mice and Fischer-344 rats required prior metabolism of 2,6-DNT by the respective extracts from cecal contents. DNA binding was nondetectable in hepatocytes incubated with 2,6-DNT only. It is concluded that binding of 2,6-DNT to liver DNA requires its prior reductive metabolism, probably by intestinal microorganisms, and that the higher binding of 2,6-DNT in the Fischer-344 rat than in the AJ mouse may, in part, be responsible for the high susceptibility of the Fischer-344 rat to 2,6-DNT carcinogenesis. Covalent binding of the noncarcinogenic isomeric 2,4-DNT to DNA of various tissues of both species suggests that factors other than binding to DNA determine the ultimate carcinogenic effect of these compounds.
Prostasin serine protease inhibits breast cancer invasiveness and is transcriptionally regulated by promoter DNA methylation.

We have shown that prostasin serine protease is downregulated in high-grade prostate tumors and inhibits invasiveness of prostate cancer cell lines upon enforced reexpression. In our study, prostasin mRNA and protein were shown to be expressed in normal human mammary epithelial cells (NHMEC), the poorly invasive breast carcinoma cell line MCF-7 and the nonmetastatic breast carcinoma cell line MDA-MB-453, but absent in highly invasive and metastatic breast carcinoma cell lines MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-435s. Enforced reexpression of prostasin in MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-435s reduced the in vitro invasiveness of either cell line by 50%. Examination of the prostasin gene promoter and first exon revealed a GC-enriched region that contains transcription regulatory elements. The promoter and exon 1 region of the prostasin gene was investigated for DNA methylation in NHMEC and the carcinoma cell lines. The results revealed a methylation pattern that correlates with prostasin expression in these cells. Demethylation coupled with histone deacetylase inhibition resulted in reactivated expression of the prostasin mRNA in MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-435s cells. These results suggest that prostasin expression in breast cancer cells may be regulated by DNA methylation and that an absence of prostasin expression may contribute to breast cancer invasiveness and metastatic potential. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Measurement of ratios of momentum-transport cross sections for potassium–rare-gases by nulling light-induced drift

We report measured pressure ratios for mixtures of neon with other rare gases that lead to a cancellation of normal light-induced drift of potassium atoms excited on the ${D}_{1}$ line by a narrow-band laser. These data can provide a stringent test for potassium--rare-gas potential curves. To a good approximation, the pressure ratios that cancel normal light-induced drift are directly related to ratios of cross-section differences. Corrections for collisions that cause fine-structure transitions without randomizing the velocity of the potassium atom are discussed.
Treating Dementia: The Complementing Team Approach of Occupational Therapy and Psychology

Dementia is a chronic progressive disorder that necessitates an interdisciplinary team approach to provide the highest quality of health care. The purpose of this article is to describe and promote the collaboration of psychologists and occupational therapists as key interdisciplinary team members. Multiple sources were referenced to develop and describe an interdisciplinary team model. Occupational therapists possess skills in understanding function, maximizing residual strengths, defining small changes, modifying the environment, and developing caregiver strengths and compensations. These skills can complement the skills of psychologists in understanding behavior and emotion, developing behavioral interventions, supporting team development, and providing psychosocial support to caregivers.
Borderplex menu evidence for the law of one price

Abstract Menu prices from eight restaurant franchises are utilized to examine departures from the law of one price. Products in the sample include a variety of identical menu items marketed on both sides of the border between the United States and Mexico.
The Effects of Storage Temperature on the Staling of Wheat Flour Tortillas

Abstract Wheat flour tortillas (31·9% moisture) were stored at −60, −12, 0, 4, 22, and 35 °C to evaluate textural changes during staling. Subjective rollability and two-dimensional extensibility tests revealed that tortillas stored at ≥0 °C had increasing force, work and modulus of deformation values during storage. Tortillas stored at ≤−12 °C retained their fresh attributes over 25 days. Tortillas staled more as defined by rheological changes when stored at 22 °C than at 0, 4, or 35 °C. Optimum storage temperatures of wheat flour tortillas are ≤−12 °C while optimum staling temperatures are between 4 and 35 °C.
DUN AND BRADSTREET'S MARKET IDENTIFIERS AND ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY∗

An increasing number of studies of business start-ups, closings, and relocations rely on a single data base, DUNS Market Identifiers. This data file to U.S. business establishments provides researchers with essential information about individual firms and establishments. It also exhibits serveral idiosyncracies and requires careful consideration of the meaning of such basic terms as “location”and “firm.”Drawing from a recent survey of 500 New Jersey firms. I consider some of the methodological amd conceptual issues Dun and Bradstreet data pose for industrial location analysts. The Dun and Bradstreet listings exaggerate the exaggerate the incidence and magnitude of establishment openings and closing.
Effects of styrene‐isoprene copolymer glass fiber coatings on woven glass cloth epoxy composite performance

Woven glass-epoxy composites were prepared from mats that had been treated in a variety of ways. Fibers were coated with a commercial sizing, no sizing, and a surfactant coating. In addition, fibers were coated with styrene-isoprene copolymers at varying molar ratios using a novel technique termed admicellar polymerization. Dynamic contact angle measurements were used to quantify the effect of the different coating techniques on the fiber, while dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and flexural testing were used to characterize the cured composites. Wetting studies conducted with EPON 828 resin revealed no difference in wetting for the polymer-treated fiber compared to the commercially-treated fiber. Aqueous wetting results were consistent with a surfactant layer adsorbed on the polymer treated and surfactant treated fiber surface. DMA established that both the polymer and surfactant treatment depressed the alpha transition temperature of the composite and suggested an interpenetrating network existed at the fiber-matrix interface. Flexural strength testing showed the properties of the composites made from surfactant-treated and polymer-treated glass fibers were comparable to composites made from commercially-sized fibers and exceeded the flexural strength of the composite made from glass fibers without sizing.
Kierkegaard, a kind of epistemologist

(1990). Kierkegaard, a kind of epistemologist. History of European Ideas: Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 7-18.
Developmental differences in empathy with a television protagonist's fear.

Abstract An experiment was conducted to determine whether children at different ages (3–5 vs 9–11) differ in their tendency to share the emotion of a television character. Subjects were shown a videotape of either a frightening stimulus alone or a character's fear in response to a threatening stimulus that was suggested rather than shown directly. Contrasting predictions were made based on a cognitive-developmental view of the process of empathy vs an automatic conception. Both self-reported emotional reactions and physiological responses were consistent with the cognitive-developmental approach: The younger children were less emotionally aroused by the character's fear than by the fear-provoking stimulus, while the older children responded emotionally to both versions of the videotape. The younger children's lack of empathy was not due to a failure to recognize the nature of the character's emotion. There was some evidence that the older children exhibited a greater tendency to role take than did the younger children.
Uncertainty in probabilistic risk assessment

Abstract Dealing with uncertainty is an important and difficult aspect of analyses for complex systems. Such systems involve many uncertainties, and assessing probabilities to represent these uncertainties is itself a complex undertaking utilizing a variety of information sources. At a very basic level, uncertainty is uncertainty, and attempting to distinguish between ‘types of uncertainty’ is questionable. At a practical level, on the other hand, a close look at such distinctions suggests that they are driven by important modelling issues related to model structuring, probability assessment, information gathering, and sensitivity analysis. Anything that brings more attention to these issues should improve the state of the art. However, I would prefer to attack the issues directly instead of working indirectly through the notion of ‘types of uncertainty.’
C-reactive protein as an adverse prognostic marker for men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC): Confirmatory results

We previously reported that higher serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) are associated with shorter survival in men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). To confirm this finding in an independent data set, we used 119 CRPC patients enrolled in 6 phase II clinical trials and examined the relationship of CRP, alkaline phosphatase, hemoglobin, age, ECOG PS, and prostate specific antigen (PSA) with survival. Median follow-up was 19.7 months (0.9–98.5 months) and 89% have died. After analyzing the form of the risk function using the generalized additive model method, univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess associations between baseline individual categorical and continuous variables. Quartiles of CRP were: 1: 0–1.0, 1.1–4.9, 5.0–17.0, and 17.1 to 311 mg/L. In a Cox multivariate model, log2(CRP) (HR 1.106 p=0.013) as well as hemoglobin and alkaline phosphatase were independently associated with survival, confirming that higher CRP is associated with shorter survival in CRPC. Since CRP is a marker of inflammation, this finding suggests that inflammation may play an important role in the natural history of advanced prostate cancer. CRP is a readily measurable biomarker that has the potential to improve prognostic models and should be validated in a prospective clinical trial.
Novel arachidonate metabolites generated by cytochrome P450-dependent mono-oxygenases

Abstract Cytochrome P450-dependent arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism by medullary thick ascending limb of the loop of Henle (mTALH) cells, corneal epithelium and other transporting epithelia, such as those of the intestines, generate metabolites which affect Na + -K + -ATPase activity, vasomotion and, thereby, organ function. Further, these novel AA metabolites contribute to the control of blood pressure in the SHR through participation in the local control of blood flow and in the regulation of extracellular fluid volume.
Geologic history of the intersection of the pioneer fracture zone with the Delgada Deep-Sea Fan, Northeast Pacific

Abstract Continuous reflection profiles (ARCER) of the region where the Pioneer Fracture Zone intersects the Delgada Deep-Sea Fan (39°N 127°W) show that the top of the seismic second layer is displaced along the fracture zone, but that the overlying sediments are undisturbed by faulting. At the foot of the continental slope, 200 km east of this area (depth 30 m) the sediments are about 1·5 km thick and mask all relief on the top of the second layer. In this area of investigation (depth 4500 m) the fan sediments are only 0·5 km thick and the bottom topography is a subdued replica of the relief on the buried upper surface of the second layer: where the buried relief is rough, the bottom is hilly; where smooth, the bottom is likewise smooth. At the distal edge of the fan, abyssal hills and smooth areas, which continue up into the fan, are underlain by similar thicknesses of sediments which are mineralogically nearly indistinguishable. We therefore infer that sedimentation in the two contrasting physiographic areas in this distal portion of the fan is controlled mainly by the same mechanisms, predominantly pelagic, rather than turbidity-current, deposition of sediment. Preliminary isopaching of the total sediment between this region and the foot of the continental slope suggests that the Delgada and Monterey Deep-Sea Fans overlie and partially merge with an older continental rise. We conclude that some of the sediment of this continental rise and much of the sediment in the area of this investigation has been transported ultimately from sources to the North, including the Columbia River, by the south flowign California Current, starting at least in Late Tertiary time and continuing through the Quaternary. The fans are probably predominantly of Quaternary origin.
Further study of genetic interactions: Loss of short arm material in patients with ring chromosome 4 changes developmental pattern of del(4) (q33)

Segment 4q33 is not considered a probable location of a gene related with limb deficiency by Roberts and Tabin [Am J Hum Genet 55:1–6, 1994]; however, the occurrence of ectrodactyly or its equivalents in at least 9 published cases of monosomy 4q33 suggests probable location of one of these genes in that region. Ulnar ray defects and/or ectrodactyly were the prevailing forms. An additional loss of the tip of 4p in patients with ring chromosome 4 leads to a change of limb deficiency type: 8 of 9 patients with r(4) and limb deficiency had radial ray defects. Therefore, interactions between a proposed ½ dose “ectrodactyly” gene on 4q33 and some ½ dosage genes on distal 4p (or disturbed cellular homeostasis due to a ring chromosome 4) can change the developmental pattern of limb deficiency. Possible mechanisms and significance of the Phenomenon are discussed. © Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Role of FNA cytology and immunochemistry in the diagnosis and management of medullary thyroid carcinoma: Report of six cases and review of the literature

Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a rare neuroendocrine thyroid malignancy. This study retrospectively reviewed 10 fine-needle aspiration samples from six MTC patients. Aspirated specimens were from thyroid (3), cervical lymph nodes (5), left lung (1), and anterior chest wall (1). Cytomorphology consisted predominantly of plasmacytoid cells (3 cases), spindle cells (2 cases), and epithelioid cells (1 case). However, all specimens had a mixture of other cell types and "salt and pepper" chromatin. Only one specimen showed Congo-red-positive amyloid. Calcitonin was expressed in 7/7 specimens. Four patients underwent surgical excision and MTC was confirmed in all four. Follow-up studies included serum calcitonin (3/6 cases) and imaging (2/6 cases). One patient had MTC associated with multiple endocrine neoplasia IIA syndrome and one had familial MTC with a history of MTC in mother. In conclusion, the cytomorphology of MTC is typical and calcitonin immunostain is a reliable method for confirming primary or metastatic MTC. Early cytological diagnosis of MTC positively impacted patient management. Follow-up with serum calcitonin and imaging is helpful in the early detection of recurrences.
A Note on Degrees of Subsets

In [2] we constructed an infinite set of natural numbers containing no subset of higher (Turing) degree. Since it is well known that there are nonrecursive sets (e.g. sets of minimal degree) containing no nonrecursive subset of lower degree, it is natural to suppose that these arguments may be combined, but this is false. We prove that every infinite set must contain a nonrecursive subset of either higher or lower degree.
Visualization and Measurement of the Cortical Surface

Much of the human cortical surface is obscured from view by the complex pattern of folds, making the spatial relationship between different surface locations hard to interpret. Methods for viewing large portions of the brain's surface in a single flattened representation are described. The flattened representation preserves several key spatial relationships between regions on the cortical surface. The principles used in the implementations and evaluations of these implementations using artificial test surfaces are provided. Results of applying the methods to structural magnetic resonance measurements of the human brain are also shown. The implementation details are available in the source code, which is freely available on the Internet.
A framework for information system usage in collaborative care

Clinical information systems (CIS) can affect the quality of patient care. In this paper, we focus on CIS use in the collaborative treatment of chronic diseases. We have developed a framework to determine which CIS functions have general usefulness for improving patient outcomes. Methods:: We reviewed the use of clinical information systems within a collaborative care environment, identifying CIS functions important in chronic disease care. We grouped the functions into categories of access, best practices, and communication (ABC). Three independent raters selected the most important collaborative care related functions from the HL7 Electronic Health Record Systems functional model, and mapped the HL7 functions against the ABC categories. We then built a model of CIS use and tested it on data from a cohort of patients with chronic illnesses. Results:: Of the 133 HL7 elements in the ABC model, 60 (45%) were ranked as important for collaborative care by two reviewers. Agreement was moderate for importance (@k=.20) but high for ABC categorization (@k=.67). In our data tests, for the 1105 patients, access 4.4+/-6.5, best practices 0.8+/-1.6, and communication 2.9+/-4.5. CIS functions were used per episode of care. We were able to identify several key functions that may affect patient care. For example, certain CIS functions related to best practices were associated with higher clinician adherence to testing guidelines. Discussion:: This framework may be useful to assess and compare CIS systems for collaborative care. Future refinements of the model are discussed.
Interval From Imaging to Treatment Delivery in the Radiation Surgery Age: How Long Is Too Long?

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate workflow and patient outcomes related to frameless stereotactic radiation surgery (SRS) for brain metastases. Methods and Materials We reviewed all treatment demographics, clinical outcomes, and workflow timing, including time from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) simulation, insurance authorization, and consultation to the start of SRS for brain metastases. Results A total of 82 patients with 151 brain metastases treated with SRS were evaluated. The median times from consultation, insurance authorization, CT simulation, and MRI for treatment planning were 15, 7, 6, and 11 days to SRS. Local freedom from progression (LFFP) was lower in metastases with MRI ≥14 days before treatment ( P =.0003, log rank). The 6- and 12-month LFFP rate were 95% and 75% for metastasis with interval of P =.002, Cox proportional hazards; hazard ratio: 3.4, 95% confidence interval: 1.6-7.3). Conclusions Delay from MRI to SRS treatment delivery for brain metastases appears to reduce local control. Future studies should monitor the timing from imaging acquisition to treatment delivery. Our experience suggests that the time from MRI to treatment should be
Sudden stratospheric warmings forced by mountains

A global, quasigeostrophic model of planetary wave interaction with the mean zonal flow has been used to simulate sudden stratospheric warmings forced by mean tropospheric zonal winds interacting with orography. Planetary waves m = 1 and 2 are simultaneously computed and interact with each other only through the mean zonal flow. An increase in the jet stream maximum from 36 to 48 m/sec is sufficient to initiate repeated major warmings with an approximate 80 day cycle. These results are in agreement with the observed anticorrelation of the annual variation of the winter monthly averaged jet stream strength and polar night jet strength.
Estimation of the parameters of first order autoregressive process for balanced repeated measures designs

A first order autoregressive process has been proposed as a possible model for the error structure of repeated measures data. In this paper, we give new method of moment estimates of the autocorrelation and the within subject variance for balanced repeated measures designs with arbitrary between subject fixed effects and interactions but with time as the only within subject effect. Interactions among the between subjects effects and time may also be included in the model. The results of simulations show that these new estimates of the parameters of the autoregressive process are less biased and more efficient than those given by Pantula and Pollock (1985).
Clinical efficacy of a dentifrice and oral rinse containing sanguinaria extract and zinc chloride during 6 months of use.

The efficacy of combined use of toothpaste and oral rinse containing sanguinaria extract and zinc chloride was compared to placebo products in a 6-month clinical trial. Sixty subjects with moderate levels of plaque and gingivitis were randomly assigned to active and placebo groups. Noninvasive measures of plaque and gingivitis were assessed at baseline and at 2, 6, 8, 14, 20, and 28 weeks. Bleeding on probing was measured at baseline and 6, 14, and 28 weeks. Active group scores were significantly lower (P less than .0001) than placebo scores at each post-baseline time point for all indices, with the exception of plaque at 2 weeks. The 28 week active group scores were 21% lower than the placebo group for plaque, 25% lower for gingivitis, and 43% lower for bleeding on probing. No dental staining or taste alteration was reported in the active group. Three of 30 active group subjects exhibited minor soft tissue irritations that resolved spontaneously without discontinuation of product use. Results indicate that the test products showed good levels of safety and efficacy when administered in a combined use regimen for 6 months.
Sticky fibers and uropathogenesis: bacterial adhesins in the urinary tract

Adhesins mediate the introduction of bacteria to the host in the sometimes life-long relationship of uropathogenic Esherichia coli (UPEC) and the human urinary tract. As a class of extracellular proteins, adhesins enable bacteria to adhere to and, in some cases, invade host tissue; adhesins render UPEC virulent and permit host colonization. Adhesin receptor interactions at the host interface determine tissue tropism and disease progression in that niche, with each adhesin preferring unique sites within the urinary tract. This review focuses on known adhesins implicated in uropathogenesis, the structural basis of tissue tropism, postinvasion intracellular replication, current therapeutic design strategies, and newly discovered fimbrial gene clusters that may play a role in urinary tract infections.
Gaussian phase-space representation of fermion dynamics: Beyond the time-dependent Hartree-Fock approximation

A Gaussian operator representation for the many-body density matrix of fermionic systems, developed by Corney and Drummond [Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 260401 (2004)], is used to derive approximate decoupling schemes for their dynamics. In this approach the reduced single electron density-matrix elements serve as stochastic variables which satisfy an exact Fokker-Planck equation. The number of variables scales as $\ensuremath{\sim}{N}^{2}$ rather than $\ensuremath{\sim}\text{exp}(N)$ with the basis set size, and the time-dependent Hartree-Fock approximation (TDHF) is recovered in the ``classical'' limit. An approximate closed set of equations of motion for the one- and two-particle reduced density matrices provides a direct generalization of the TDHF.
Clinical Management of Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Associated Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated nonHodgkin’s lymphomas are best divided into three categories: 1) primary central nervous system (CNS) lymphomas, 2) systemic lymphomas, and 3) primary effusion lymphomas. As described elsewhere in this monograph, these lymphomas differ in many of their molecular characteristics and presumed mechanisms of pathogenesis. These factors may be relevant in terms of development of future therapeutic approaches that take advantage of some of these unique molecular characteristics. However, of more immediate relevance is the fact that these lymphomas occur in different patient populations and are associated with different clinical outcomes. Systemic lymphomas are observed across a broad range of levels of immune function, with a median CD4 cell count of approximately 100/mm (1,2). The median survival among patients with systemic lymphoma is approximately 5–8 months, and 10%–20% survive disease free for longer than 2 years (2–4). In contrast, primary CNS lymphoma occurs in the most severely immunocompromised group, 75% of whom have CD4 counts less than 50/mm (1). CNS lymphoma in the setting of this profound immunosuppression is associated with a median survival of only 3 months. The diagnosis and management of primary CNS lymphoma therefore present unique clinical management problems, and it is here that I will begin the discussion of clinical management.
The Impact of Ethanol Production on U.S. and Regional Gasoline Prices and on the Profitability of the U.S. Oil Refinery Industry

This report details pooled regional time-series data and panel data estimation used to quantify the impact of monthly ethanol production on monthly retail regular gasoline prices.
Factor V and Thrombin in the Extrinsic Clotting System

Factor V (1), whose synonyms include labile factor (2), accelerator globulin (3), and other terms (4), has evoked an extensive modern literature (5) in which serious discrepancies of both fact and interpretation invite further investigation. Particularly questionable are ideas of a conversion of factor V to an “activated” material (Va?) and its possible relation to thrombin. The present contribution introduces a restudy of these problems and will be limited to 1-stage and 2-stage assay systems that depend on tissue thromboplastin. This agent is also called factor III and is considered as an extrinsic activator system (6).Materials and Methods. Buffers are either imidazole-buffered 0.85% NaCl (IBS) or 0.05 M Tris-0.05 M NaCl, both types adjusted to pH 7.3 ± 0.05. V-deficient substrate (7) is aged normal human oxalated plasma, stored at −20 ° and made factor V-deficient by repeated thawings and refreezings over a period of weeks. Tissue thromboplastin (Tpln) is commercial Simplastin (Warner-Chilcott). This ...