cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Giant aplasia cutis congenita without associated anomalies

: Aplasia cutis congenita is a congenital condition in which skin, bone, and dura can be absent. The condition can present in isolation or with associated conditions such as limb anomalies or embryologic malformations. The majority of cases affect the scalp and are limited to the dermis and epidermis. Vertex aplasia cutis typically range in size from 0.5 to 3 cm. The rare larger scalp defects are prone to complications of hemorrhage and infection, and subsequently patients are at risk for death. For these reasons, surgical intervention for large defects may be required. We report the case of a 12-month-old Haitian boy who presented with aplasia cutis congenita of the scalp involving 10 cm of skin and 9 cm of underlying bone. There were no other associated anomalies.
ETHNIC MINORITY ELDERS: ISSUES AND INTERVENTIONS

Because of the nation's increasing older population, there are more ethnic minorities over the age of 65 than ever before. Therefore, mental health counselors can expect to encounter ethnic elders and their families with more frequency. Developing an understanding of their cultural environment is critical for culturally responsive counseling. This article is intended to provide a broad overview of cultural and social issues concerning aging Asian and Pacific Islanders, persons of Hispanic origin, American Indians, and African Americans. In addition, the relationship between acculturation and ethnic identity is addressed to help mental health counselors better understand minority elders. The article concludes with suggestions for counseling professionals.
Characterization and quantification of sweating in a systemic hyperhidrotic patient.

Summary The present study quantifies and characterizes the sweating responses of a hyperhidrotic patient (HHP) and control subject (CS) during various emotional interventions and during cycle ergometer exercise. The most striking observations were related to the HHP. This subject showed (a) excessive sweat production on the general body surface in response to emotional Stimuli and (b) a distinct absence of palmar sweating throughout all interventions. His right forearm sweating averaged 0·43 mg cm−2 min−1 during emotional Interventions, whereas the CS did not sweat on the general body surface under these conditions. Completion of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory self-evaluation Questionnaires, following the emotional Interventions, revealed mean scores of 50 and 27 for the HHP and Cs, Respectively, clearly documenting the increased anxiety of the HHP. Cycle ergometer exercise elevated heart rate to 160 bpm and elicited an expected sweating response in both subjects. We conclude that the HHP in this study suffers from systemic hyperhidrosis associated with emotional stimuli.
Estrogen and progesterone receptor proteins in breast cancer.

This article reviews the contribution of steroid hormone receptor studies to the resolution of a basic clinical problem: how to determine which cancers are hormone dependent without an actual treatment trial. Previously published studies on hormone receptor assays and analyses are reviewed the current status of knowledge in the area is summarized in terms of its relevance to breast cancer cells and future scenarios are proffered. Assay methods and available clinical results for cytoplasmic estrogen receptor identification in human breast cancer comprise the first section. Information on assaying nuclear estrogen receptor and its relative clinical importance is presented in Part 2. Assays to determine the presence of progesterone receptor in human breast cancer; the estogen regulation of such progesterone receptors; and clinical findings comprise Part 3. Studies of the mechanisms of estrogen action in the MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line are the subject of Part 4. Recent experiments in animals on the efficacy of antiestrogen treatments such treatments in human in vitro cell cultures and the few clinical trials available are presented in Part 5. It is emphasized that the simple presence or absence of estrogen receptors in tumors does not absolutely indicate whether growth of a particular tumor is sensitive to estrogens. Experimental appraoches designed to further delineate this problem are outlined based on observations such as the finding that the probability of tumor regression correlates better with quantitative rather than with qualitative assessment of estrogen receptors; that the specific end product of hormone action is unknown and without this information an ideal biochemical marker to a tumors sensitivity of hormones is unavailable; and that the complex sequence of biochemical events in the actions of estrogen needs more complete elucidation.
Quantitation of stained proteins in polyacrylamide gels.

At present, techniques which are used for the quantitative analysis of protein bands in polyacrylamide gels following electrophoresis are: scanning the unstained gel in an ultraviolet monitor at 280 nm (1) ; scanning a stained gel in the visible region (1) ; slicing out the stained protein bands followed by a spectrometric analysis of the solubilized dye (2) ; photographing the stained protein bands and using a densitometer to scan the negative (3). Rlost of these techniques have certain inherent disadvantages depending on instrument sensitivity, time involved for a complete assay, gel pattern and length of gel column. For example, in the first technique, the main disadvantage of scanning unstained gels at 280 nm is the baseline noise. In the third method if the resolution of the protein bands is incomplete or if the protein bands are skewed the ability to slice out individual bands is impossible. In addit’ion, removal of all the dye from the acrylamide slices may take much longer than 2 hr at 50” (unpublished results). The accuracy of the fourth method is contingent on how well the gel can be photographed and type of film used. In an effort to eliminate some of the disadvantages inherent in the above techniques, we hare developed a method for the quantitation of protein bands in polyacrylamide gels. This method involves scanning protein gels at 280 nm which have been previously stained with naphthol hlue black. The sensitivity of detection of stained protein bands \vas found to surpass unstained protein bands when scanned at 280 nm and, the problem of protein diffusion has been eliminated since the proteins are fixed in 7%) acetic acid. Also reported is a scanning device \vhich can he constructed from instruments found in most laboratories. The ap-
Effects of N-acetyl-cysteine and N-acetyl-cysteine-amide supplementation on in vitro matured porcine oocytes.

Contents This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different concentrations of the antioxidant N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) supplemented to the maturation medium on porcine embryo development. Concentrations of NAC and its synthetic derivative, NAC-amide (NACA) were evaluated for effects on nuclear maturation, fertilization success and embryo development. Concentrations of NAC (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 and 5.0 mm) were supplemented to maturing oocytes, and embryo development was analysed at 48 and 144 h post-fertilization. There were no differences among cleavage rates for any of the treatment groups. Blastocyst formation for 1.5 mm NAC (56.5 ± 9.2%) was higher (p < 0.05) than all other supplementations. There were no differences in nuclear maturation or fertilization or in cleavage rates when comparing 1.5 mm NAC and 1.5 mm NACA supplementation to the control. Blastocyst formation for 1.5 mm NAC (44.4 ± 4.7%) and 1.5 mm NACA (46.2 ± 3.4%) supplementation were higher (p < 0.05) than the control (32.1 ± 6.2%) oocytes. These results indicate that supplementing 1.5 mm of NAC or NACA to the oocyte maturation medium increased the percentage of viable embryos reaching the blastocyst stage of development.
XoxF Is Required for Expression of Methanol Dehydrogenase in Methylobacterium extorquens AM1

In Gram-negative methylotrophic bacteria, the first step in methylotrophic growth is the oxidation of methanol to formaldehyde in the periplasm by methanol dehydrogenase. In most organisms studied to date, this enzyme consists of the MxaF and MxaI proteins, which make up the large and small subunits of this heterotetrameric enzyme. The Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 genome contains two homologs of MxaF, XoxF1 and XoxF2, which are ∼50% identical to MxaF and ∼90% identical to each other. It was previously reported that xoxF is not required for methanol growth in M. extorquens AM1, but here we show that when both xoxF homologs are absent, strains are unable to grow in methanol medium and lack methanol dehydrogenase activity. We demonstrate that these defects result from the loss of gene expression from the mxa promoter and suggest that XoxF is part of a complex regulatory cascade involving the 2-component systems MxcQE and MxbDM, which are required for the expression of the methanol dehydrogenase genes.
Impacts of a sanitary landfill: Spatial and non-spatial effects on the surrounding community

The growing public concern over LULUs (locally unwanted land uses) and the resulting opposition to the location of sanitary landfills has become the most significant deterrent to siting new facilities. This paper examines community response to an existing, sanitary landfill located in Charlotte, North Carolina U.S.A. The focus of the research is an examination of the salience of individual landfill impacts and the spatial character of these effects. The notion of a spatial externality field surrounding the landfill is tested through a survey of neighborhood residents regarding 11 specific landfill impacts. The respondents' proximity to the landfill and location along a roadway are used to organize and analyse the survey findings. Statistical analysis of the data revealed that proximity does influence community response to some landfill impacts, especialy in situ and sensory-related effects. Therefore there is a recognizable spatial dimension to landfull externalities. However, a larger number of impacts and those which are perceived as most serious were non-spatial. The location along a roadway leading to the study area was a more valuable predictor of community concern. The potential policy related implications of these findings are briefly discussed.
The rate of retinal vessel dilation in severe retinopathy of prematurity requiring treatment.

Purpose To assess whether the rate of change of retinal vessel diameter can help identify infants at the highest risk for severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Design Thirty-five infants at risk for ROP were included in this prospective, longitudinal study. Methods Images were obtained using the NIDEK NM200D noncontact camera (NIDEK Inc, Aichi, Japan) at the time of ROP examinations in the intensive care unit. Vessel diameters were measured from digital fundus photographs of right eyes in a masked fashion using VesselMap image analysis software (IM-EDOS GmbH, Weimar, Germany). The rate of change of vessel diameter was calculated based on the linear regression slope and was compared between eyes in which type 1 ROP requiring treatment developed and in controls without ROP or with ROP less severe than type 1. Results Multivariate analysis showed that the group of eyes in which type 1 ROP developed had a greater increase in diameter over time in the inferior temporal veins ( P = .01), superior temporal veins ( P P P = .02), and mean temporal arteries ( P = .004). The area under receiver operator characteristic curve for venous diameter change was 0.96 for the superior temporal vein, 0.86 for the inferior temporal vein, and 0.96 for the mean temporal vein. Conclusions On average, the rate of retinal vessel change was greater in eyes with type 1 ROP requiring treatment than in control eyes. The rate of venous diameter change had the best discriminative ability to differentiate between the 2 groups.
Abstract 3734: Cancer stem cells: novel chemopreventive targets for pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of mortality in the United States and no significant treatment is currently available. Although an increasing number of therapeutic options exist for patients with advanced disease, their efficacy is time limited and non-curative. Presently approximately close to 60% of cancer patients in the United States are believed to utilize therapies derived from plants, herbs, flowers, or nutrients either exclusively or concurrently with traditional chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Recent evidence suggests the existence of a small population of tumorigenic stem cells responsible for tumor initiation, metastasis and resistance to chemotherapy and radiation. Identification of the regulatory mechanisms and signaling pathways involved in cancer stem cells (CSCs) will help in designing novel agents to target this refractory cell population in pancreatic cancers. We are currently investigating the mechanisms by which purified crocetinic acid, a carotenoid molecule isolated from saffron, inhibits growth of pancreatic cancer in vitro and in vivo models. Our studies demonstrate that the compound had significant cytotoxicity against pancreatic cancer cells in both a dose- and time-dependent manner. Pancreatic CSCs can be allowed to divide and grow in ultra-low binding tissue culture dishes to form multicellular spheroids called pancospheres. Treatment with purified crocetinic acid decreased the number and size of the primary and secondary pancospheres in a dose dependent manner, suggesting that crocetinic acid targets CSCs. To understand the mechanism of inhibition of pancospheres, the signaling pathways affected by crocetinic acid were dissected. Aberrant activation of Sonic Hedgehog signaling pathway has been associated with renewal of cancer stem cells, and in the development of several solid cancers. Sonic hedgehog (Shh) upon binding to its cognate receptor patched, allows smoothened to accumulate and activate Gli transcription factor. Treatment with crocetinic acid inhibited the expression of both Shh and smoothened in the pancreatic CSCs with concomitant reduction of the expression of a novel pancreatic CSC marker, DCLK-1 (Doublecortin Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Kinase-1). Furthermore, it inhibited the expression of patched-1 and Gli-1, downstream targets of the hedgehog signaling pathway. Crocetinic acid also inhibited tumor formation in pancreatic cancer in vivo xenograft models. Taken together, these data suggest that crocetinic acid effectively inhibits pancreatic CSCs by down regulating the sonic hedgehog pathway, thereby inhibiting tumorigenesis. Citation Format: Parthasarathy Rangarajan, Dharmalingam Subramaniam, Deep Kwatra, Shamima Islam, Kanagaraj Palaniyandi, Shrikant Anant, Animesh Dhar. Cancer stem cells: novel chemopreventive targets for pancreatic cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3734. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-3734
Lag Specification in Rational Distributed Lag Structural Models

This article presents methods for the preliminary specification of distributed lags in structural models in the absence of sufficient a priori information. It is argued that an instrumental-variables procedure produces good results as long as the goodness of fit in the instrument equations is satisfactory. When this is not the case, simple OLS specification is preferable to more complex instrumental-variables methods, even though it may produce some spurious parameters. The procedures are illustrated with a simulated two-equation system and a model of annual supply and price of hogs.
PETROZUATA: A CASE STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVE USE OF PROJECT FINANCE

Companies are increasingly using project finance to fund large-scale capital expenditures. In fact, private companies invested $96 billion in project finance deals in 1998, down from $119 billion in 1997 largely due to the Asian crisis, but up more than threefold since 1994. The decision to use project finance involves an explicit choice of organizational form as well as financial structure. With project finance, sponsoring firms create legally distinct entities to develop, manage, and finance the project. These entities borrow on a limited or non-recourse basis, which means that loan repayment depends on the project's cash flows rather than on the assets or general credit of the sponsoring organizations. Despite the non-recourse nature of project borrowing, projects are highly leveraged entities, with debt to total capitalization ratios averaging 60–70%. Petrozuata, a $2.4 billion oil field development project in Venezuela, is a recent example of the effective use of project finance for several reasons. First, the analysis shows a typical setting where project finance is likely to create value, that of a large-scale investment in Greenfield assets (in this case, wells, pipelines, and upgrader) that can function as a stand-alone economic entity and support a high leverage ratio. Given the nature of this investment, one can think of project finance as venture capital for fixed assets, except that the investments are 100 to 1000 times larger and financed primarily with debt rather than equity. Besides highlighting the types of assets appropriate for project finance, this article illustrates the sizeable transactions costs associated with structuring a deal as well as the full range of benefits accruing to project sponsors. The structure allows sponsors to capture tax benefits not otherwise available, reduces information costs for creditors and other investors, and lowers the overall cost of financial distress. The combination of high leverage, concentrated equity ownership, and direct control in project finance also addresses a wide range of incentive problems that destroy value in diversified companies. Analysis of the explicit contractual terms of the deal reveals a careful allocation of project risks in an attempt to elicit optimal behavior by each of the participants. As illustrated in the Petrozuata case, limiting completion and operating risks are important undertakings. But project finance is most valuable as an instrument for managing sovereign risks. Indeed, the ability of project finance to limit sovereign risk is the one feature that cannot be replicated under conventional corporate financing schemes.
The effects of cyclic fatty acid monomers on cultured porcine endothelial cells

The popularity of polyunsaturated oils used in food applications and preparation continues to appreciate as a result of positive health claims. With polyunsaturated oils inherently more susceptible to oxidative and thermal degradation, the formation of new fatty acid species increases considerably. The presence of one species known as cyclic fatty acid monomers (CFAM) has been detected as a component of many oils subjected to various thermal processes including deep-fat frying. The effect of CFAM on metabolic processes has not been fully characterized. In this study, confluent porcine aortic endothelial cells incorporated CFAM into their polar and nonpolar lipid fractions following a 48-h exposure to 31 and 62 ppm CFAM in the culture medium. Subsequently, the influence of CFAM incorporation on various membrane-dependent physical properties and biochemical processes was investigated. CFAM decreased the lipid packing order of the membrane bilayer core but did not alter the lipid packing order of lipid chain segments at or near the lipid-water interface of the membrane. CFAM led to significant reductions in Ca2+ ATPase activity and monolayer integrity while eliciting a significant increase of prostacyclin synthesis and secretion.
Relation of cognitive appraisal to cardiovascular reactivity, affect, and task engagement.

The relation of primary cognitive appraisals to cardiovascular reactivity, affect, task engagement, and perceived stress was examined in 56 men (ages 18–29). Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate, preejection period, stroke index, cardiac index, and total peripheral resistance were assessed at rest and during performance of a computerized mental arithmetic task. Extending on prior investigations, threat and challenge appraisals were assessed independently from one another and from secondary appraisals. Positive and negative affect, task engagement, and levels of perceived stress were also assessed. Results indicated that threat (R2 = .08, p = .01), challenge (R2 = .14, p = .003), and their interaction (R2 = .11, p = .006) independently predicted DBP reactivity; DBP responses were greatest among participants with a high threat/low challenge pattern of appraisal. Threat appraisals predicted greater negative affect (R2 = .32) and perceived stress (R2 = .48), whereas challenge appraisals were related to greater positive affect (R2 = .44) and task engagement (R2 = .40, ps < .0001). Greater positive affect was correlated with increased SBP and DBP reactivity, and greater levels of task engagement with increased DBP response (ps ≤ .002). Results suggest that primary cognitive appraisals are more potent predictors of affect and task engagement than cardiovascular reactivity.
Surgical modalities other than ethmoidectomy.

Abstract When medical management fails to control the symptoms of chronic sinusitis, surgical intervention is frequently considered. The more commonly recommended procedures include tonsilectomy and adenoidectomy, adenoidectomy alone, maxillary sinus irrigation, and nasal antral windows. These procedures have not undergone meticulous prospective evaluation or documentation of chronic sinusitis. It has only recently become known that plain sinus x-ray films are frequently misleading, and there has been a tendency to completely ignore ethmoid disease. Adenoidectomy has been frequently recommended; however, these studies have not documented the duration of symptoms or the extent of disease. Approximately 20% of the patients treated with tonsilectomy and adenoidectomy do not have resolution of symptoms of chronic sinusitis. It is prudent, however, to remove an enlarged obstructive adenoid pad as a first course of therapy. Irrigation has been proposed, but it treats only the maxillary sinus, and the ethmoid sinuses are involved approximately 70% of the itme. One irrigation rarely clears the symptoms. Nasal antral windows in children require well-developed maxillary sinuses and do not maintain their patency. Therefore they are not an effective mechanism for treating chronic sinusitis. Other surgical modalities must therefore be sought.
The measurement of information system use: preliminary considerations

The concept of system use has suffered from a "too simplistic definition" (DeLone and McLean [9], p. 16). This paper reviews various attempts at conceptualization and measurement of system use and then proposes a re-conceptualization of it as "the level of incorporation of an information system within a user's processes." We then go on to develop the concept of a Functional Interface Point and four dimensions of system usage: automation level, the proportion of the business process encoded by the information system; extent, the proportion of the FIPs used by the business process; frequency, the rate at which FIPs are used by the participants in the process; and thoroughness, the level of use of information/functionality provided by the system at an FIP. The article concludes with a discussion of some implications of this re-conceptualization and areas for follow on research.
Dual zinc-finger nucleases block HIV infection

In this issue of Blood , Didigu et al explore a potential strategy for HIV cure that uses gene therapy to simultaneously inactivate both cellular coreceptors used for viral entry: CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) and CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4).[1][1] The first case of HIV cure was, in essence,
Linearizing the Volkov-Akulov model

The nonlinear realization of supersymmetry of Volkov and Akulov is related to a constrained linear realization in two and four dimensions.
Experimental comparisons of online and batch versions of bagging and boosting

Bagging and boosting are well-known ensemble learning methods. They combine multiple learned base models with the aim of improving generalization performance. To date, they have been used primarily in batch mode, i.e., they require multiple passes through the training data. In previous work, we presented online bagging and boosting algorithms that only require one pass through the training data and presented experimental results on some relatively small datasets. Through additional experiments on a variety of larger synthetic and real datasets, this paper demonstrates that our online versions perform comparably to their batch counterparts in terms of classification accuracy. We also demonstrate the substantial reduction in running time we obtain with our online algorithms because they require fewer passes through the training data.
Update on Maternal Mortality in the Developed World

Over the last three decades, maternal mortality in developed countries has increased. Deaths are now less related to pregnancy and more related to pre-existing and co-morbid conditions that complicate pregnancy, such as increased maternal age, obesity, hypertension and diabetes. This article reviews new literature and updates since late 2011, including detailed information on causes of death in the developed world including: cardiovascular disease, hemorrhage, hypertensive disorders, sepsis, thromboembolic events, amniotic fluid embolism and anesthetic complications. Up to 50 % of maternal deaths in the developed world are preventable by identifying best practices, reducing variability in care and eliminating recurrent errors in the management of a few common diagnoses.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and a Disorder Resembling Sjogren's Syndrome: Preliminary Report

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), as currently described in the working criteria proposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta), may be associated with multiple, distinct, and possibly unique clinical and/or etiopathogenic subsets. Sjogren's syndrome (SS) is a disease of unknown etiology that is characterized by dryness of the mucous membranes and a variety of autoimmune phenomena and conditions. Subjective manifestations of SS such as neurocognitive dysfunction and fatigue have been stressed by some observers. We have detected a large number of patients with unrecognized SS-like illness in a clinical specializing in CFS and believe the relationship to be more than casual. From January 1991 through April 1992, 172 patients were evaluated for CFS; the SS cohort consisted of 27 females (mean age, 41.9 years). Sixteen of these patients had previously been found to have CFS by a physician, and 11 were self-referred. All patients complained of severe, dominating, chronic fatigue. Complaints of myalgia were prominent; 20 of 27 patients met the criteria for fibromyalgia. Neurocognitive complaints and/or a history of neuropsychiatric disease was frequent. Results of Schirmer's test were abnormal for 16 of 27, and results of minor salivary-gland biopsy were abnormal for 20 of 25. Antibodies to nuclear antigen were present in 16 of 27, but anti-Ro was present in only 1 of 21. In the SS group, 13 of 27 patients met eight or more CDC minor criteria for CFS, and 18 of 27 met six or more of the criteria.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Impact of weather on off-flavour episodes at a Louisiana commercial catfish farm

The cat¢sh aquaculture industry is hampered by oi-£avour events that aiect timely ¢sh sales. In this study, weather data were correlated with geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) levels in 21commercial pond’s water samples. Samples were collected weekly for 44 weeks. The oi-£avour compounds, geosmin and 2-MIB, were quanti¢ed using gas chromatography^mass spectrometry. Weather data were collected near the cat¢sh farm and included maximum and minimum air temperature, rainfall, average wind velocity, maximum and minimum humidity, and maximum and minimum soil temperature. Geosmin was weakly and positively correlated with air and soil temperatures, and weakly and negatively correlated with wind velocity. 2-MIB was strongly and positively correlated with air and soil temperatures, moderately and negatively correlated with wind velocity, and weakly and positively correlated with maximum humidity. There were no bivariate relationships between rainfall, minimum humidity or pond size, and levels of either oi-£avour compound. Using logistic regression, the best predictors for oi-£avour status based on geosmin levels included minimum soil temperature, rainfall and minimum humidity. The best predictors for oi£avour status based on 2-MIB levels included minimum soil temperature and average wind velocity. Soil temperature and rainfall were risk factors for oi£avour, while humidity and wind velocity were protective factors.
Masked syllable priming of English nouns.

Abstract This study investigates the role of sublexical units in the phonological encoding of English single-word production in a word-naming task (Experiment 1) and a picture-naming task (Experiment 2). Targets corresponded to bisyllabic English nouns with word-initial stress which varied on the structure of their first syllable: CV (e.g., pi.lot), CVC (e.g., pic.nic), or CV[C] (e.g., pi[ll]ow). 1 Targets were preceded by a visually masked prime that either matched their first syllable (e.g., pi%%% − pi.lot) or that was one segment longer (e.g., pil%% − pi.lot) or shorter (e.g., pi%%%% − pic.nic) than the first syllable. Response times were compared to a neutral control condition (e.g., %&$%% − pi.lot) to measure the priming effects (either facilitation or inhibition). Results showed significant facilitation for both the CV and the CVC conditions. However, contrary to previous findings, there was no interaction between the syllabic structure of the prime and the target.
Robust Statistics Counter Arrays with Interleaved Memories

Statistics counters are essential in network measurement on tracking various network statistics and implementing various network counting sketches. For such applications it is crucial to maintain a large number of statistics counters at very high speeds. On the Internet with millions of flows, potentially millions of counters are required to be updated at wirespeed of 40 Gb/s and beyond. It is widely accepted that SRAM is too costly to store such large counter arrays entirely, and DRAM is too slow to catch up with the line rate. In this paper, we propose a DRAM-based architecture that takes advantage of the performance of modern commodity DRAM by interleaving counter updates to multiple memory banks. Our architecture is based on the observation that most flows on the Internet consist of multiple packets that are transmitted during a relatively short period of time, which are referred to as traffic bursts. Our proposed architecture makes use of a simple randomization scheme and a set of small fully associative request queues to statistically guarantee a near-perfect load balancing of counter updates to the memory banks. The architecture explores the benefit of traffic bursts to greatly reduce the maximum size of the request queues while providing a diminishing overflow probability guarantee. We also develop queuing models to show that as long as the flow sizes are heavy-tailed distributed due to traffic bursts, the maximum request queue length is always bounded by a small constant. The simulation results confirm the effectiveness of our queuing models. The proposed statistics counter arrays can effectively maintain line rate updates to a large number of counters while guaranteeing a diminishing overflow probability in the system.
Winter resource wealth drives delayed dispersal and family-group living in western bluebirds.

Delayed dispersal, where offspring remain with parents beyond the usual period of dependence, is the typical route leading to formation of kin-based cooperative societies. The prevailing explanations for why offspring stay home are variation in resource wealth, in which offspring of wealthy parents benefit disproportionately by staying home, and nepotism, where the tendency for parents to be less aggressive and share food with offspring makes home a superior place to wait to breed. These hypotheses are not strict alternatives, as only wealthy parents have sufficient resources to share. In western bluebirds, Sialia mexicana, sons usually delay dispersal until after winter, gaining feeding advantages through maternal nepotism in a familial winter group. Experimentally reducing resource wealth (mistletoe) by half on winter territories caused sons to disperse in summer, even though their parents remained on the territory during the winter. Only 8% of sons remained with their parents on mistletoe-removal territories compared to 50% of sons on control territories (t9,10Z3.33, p!0.005). This study is the first to demonstrate that experimentally reducing wealth of a natural food resource reduces delayed dispersal, facilitating nepotism and family-group living. The results clarify the roles of year-round residency, resource limitation and relative wealth outside the breeding season in facilitating the formation of kin-based cooperative societies.
Comparison of the pharmacokinetics of ultrafilterable cisplatin species detectable by derivatization with diethyldithiocarbamate or atomic absorption spectroscopy.

The pharmacokinetics of the cisplatin (DDP) species detected by measurement of diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC)-reactive species (DDTC-DDP) were compared to the pharmacokinetics of the species detected by measurement of total ultrafilterable platinum in patients receiving DDP alone or in combination with the nephroprotective agent sodium thiosulfate. The doses of DDP studied were 100 mg/m2 (11 courses given to eight patients) and 202.5 mg/m2 (five courses given to four patients) given as 2 h i.v. infusions, the latter with concurrent thiosulfate. When DDP was given alone (100 mg/m2) the two assays yielded the same area under the curve (AUC) values for DDTC-DDP and total ultrafilterable platinum during the first 4 h after the start of infusion; however, beyond 4 h post-infusion, the AUC for total ultrafilterable platinum was consistently greater than that for DDTC-DDP. When DDP was given with thiosulfate (202.5 mg/m2), the AUC for total ultrafilterable platinum was significantly greater than that of DDTC-DDP during the whole sampling period. The ratio of the AUC for total ultrafilterable platinum to DDTC-DDP, when DDP was given with thiosulfate, was barely significantly greater than that when DDP was given alone. These data indicate that during and immediately following a short infusion of DDP the major platinum-containing species present in plasma ultrafiltrate are still capable of reacting with nucleophilic sites on molecules such as DDTC; however, as the reactive species are eliminated, longer half-lived non-reactive ultrafilterable platinum species begin to predominate. They also indicate that although thiosulfate does neutralize a measurable amount of DDP in the plasma on the schedule employed, this degree of neutralization is not sufficient to explain the protection against DDP-induced nephrotoxicity produced by thiosulfate.
Melding a new 3-dimensional agarose colony assay with the Emax model to determine the effects of drug combinations on cancer cells

The goal of our study was two-fold: (i) develop a robust 3D colony assay methodology to interrogate drug combinations using GelCount™ and (ii) to develop 2-drug combinations that might be useful in the clinic for the treatment of high-grade gliomas. We used three glioma cell lines (U251MG, SNB19, and LNZ308) and two adenocarcinoma cell lines (MiaPaCa and SW480) grown as colonies in a two-tiered agarose cultures. We evaluated two-drug combinations of difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), carboplatin, vorinostat (SAHA), and docetaxel. To analyze for antitumor efficacy we used GelCount™ to measure the area under the curve for tumor colony volumes (µm 2 x OD) in each plate. The non-linear dose-response Emax model and the interaction index based on the Loewe additivity are applied to calculate two-drug synergy, additive, and antagonistic interactions.
Multi-Tiered Playoffs and Their Impact on Professional Baseball

Abstract This article investigates multitiered playoffs in professional baseball. It is shown that although increasing the length of any playoff series decreases the probability of an upset, the introduction of a multitiered playoff system impacts the probability of an upset to the extent that upsets become highly probable. It is also shown that, given a fixed number of games within which to conduct multitiered playoffs, an allocation rule may be determined so that the distribution of games to each tier may be set in order to maximize the probability that the team with the highest winning percentage advances through all tiers successfully.
Radiometric Measurement of Thyroglobulin-Antithyroglobulin Immune Complex in Human Serum

A radiometric two-site assay for soluble thyroglobulin-antithyroglobulin immune complex (TgA) applicable to human serum has been developed. Rabbit anti-(human)IgG globulin and anti-(human)thyroglobulin (anti-Tg) were purified by affinity chromatography. When these antibodies were labeled with 125I, 45% and 62% could be bound to their corresponding antigens, IgG globulin and thyroglobulin, respectively. TgA was prepared by dissolving the immune precipitate (formed with human thyroglobulin [Tg] and human anti-Tg) in excess Tg and chromatographing the mixture on Sepharose 4B. On immunoelectrophoresis TgA migrated between IgG and Tg and formed precipitin lines against anti-IgG and anti-Tg. Serum unknowns were chromatographed on Sepharose 4B to separate TgA from free IgG; the heavy TgA eluated in the first fraction. Standard TgA or prepared unknown was first incubated in plastic cups precoated with anti-IgG. After washing cups (free Tg was removed at this step), bound TgA was identified by binding to cups of added 125I-anti-Tg, the bound radioactivity being directly proportional to the amount of TgA present. Minimal detectable TgA was 0.4 ng/cup corresponding to a serum concentration of 16 ng/ml. The response curves of serial dilutions of serum eluate paralleled the standard curve. Coefficients of within assay variation ranged from 3.7 to 4.9%; coefficients for between assay variation ranged from 20 to 28%. Preliminary data indicated that TgA was not detected in the sera of 10 normal subjects, but was detectable in 7 of 29 subjects (24%) with Graves' disease. The clinical significance of serum TgA levels remains to be determined by more extensive testing. The results indicate that a soluble immune complex, TgA, can be detected in serum with a high degree of sensitivity and reliability.
Ex vivo optical metabolic measurements from cultured tissue reflect in vivo tissue status

Optical measurements of metabolism are ideally acquired in vivo; however, intravital measurements are often impractical. Accurate ex vivo assessments would greatly broaden the applicability of optical measurements of metabolism. We investigate the use of live tissue culture experiments to serve as a surrogate for in vivo metabolic measurements. To validate this approach, NADH and FAD fluorescence intensity and lifetime images were acquired with a two-photon microscope from hamster cheek pouch epithelia in vivo, from biopsies maintained in live tissue culture up to 48 h, and from flash-frozen and thawed biopsies. We found that the optical redox ratio (fluorescence intensity of NADH/FAD) of the cultured biopsy was statistically identical to the in vivo measurement until 24 h, while the redox ratio of the frozen-thawed samples decreased by 15% (p 0.05) during the first 8 h of tissue culture, while the NADH τm of frozen-thawed samples increased by 13% (p 0.05). All results were consistent across multiple depth layers in this stratified squamous epithelial tissue. Histological markers for proliferation and apoptosis also confirm the viability of tissues maintained in culture. This study suggests that short-term ex vivo tissue culture may be more appropriate than frozen-thawed tissue for optical metabolic and morphologic measurements that approximate in vivo status.
A 2D Flow Visualization User Study Using Explicit Flow Synthesis and Implicit Task Design

This paper presents a 2D flow visualization user study that we conducted using new methodologies to increase the objectiveness. We evaluated grid-based variable-size arrows, evenly spaced streamlines, and line integral convolution (LIC) variants (basic, oriented, and enhanced versions) coupled with a colorwheel and/or rainbow color map, which are representative of many geometry-based and texture-based techniques. To reduce data-related bias, template-based explicit flow synthesis was used to create a wide variety of symmetric flows with similar topological complexity. To suppress task-related bias, pattern-based implicit task design was employed, addressing critical point recognition, critical point classification, and symmetric pattern categorization. In addition, variable-duration and fixed-duration measurement schemes were utilized for lightweight precision-critical and heavyweight judgment-intensive flow analysis tasks, respectively, to record visualization effectiveness. We eliminated outliers and used the Ryan REGWQ post-hoc homogeneous subset tests in statistical analysis to obtain reliable findings. Our study shows that a texture-based dense representation with accentuated flow streaks, such as enhanced LIC, enables intuitive perception of the flow, while a geometry-based integral representation with uniform density control, such as evenly spaced streamlines, may exploit visual interpolation to facilitate mental reconstruction of the flow. It is also shown that inappropriate color mapping (e.g., colorwheel) may add distractions to a flow representation.
Flexural Strength of Curved Sandwich Beams with Face/Core Debond:

The influence of a face/core (F/C) debond on the flexural stiffness and strength of curved sandwich beams under opening bending moments has been experimentally examined. The sandwich beams consisted of glass/polyester face sheets over a PVC foam core. Debonds of various sizes were defined by inserting thin non-stick Teflon films at the outer F/C interface in the curved region of the beam prior to processing. The beams were tested in flexure in a specially designed four-point bend test fixture. The load versus displacement and surface strains at the apex of the beam were recorded to examine the response. It was observed that the debonded face sheet lifted off of the core and underwent a bifurcation associated with strain reversal. Beam failure occurred by propagation of the debond. It was observed that the beams suffered marginal reductions in stiffness, but substantial reductions in strength due to the presence of a debond. Linear finite element analysis was performed to examine the initial response of th...
Capsule commentary on Ingebrigsten et al., Low use and adherence to maintenance medication in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the general population.

Ingebrigsten, et al.1 conducted a population-based study of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Denmark. Participants (n = 5,812) were stratified by COPD severity and maintenance respiratory medication use was examined for 1 year. Less than 10 % of the cohort used any maintenance respiratory medications and even among patients with more severe COPD, use of respiratory medications was less than 40 %. Exacerbating this problem was that even among those prescribed medications, adherence was low. These findings are not unique to suburban Copenhagen. A recent retrospective observational study of health insurance claims in the United States tracked patients after a COPD discharge and noted that only 56 % filled a prescription for a long-acting bronchodilator in the 180 days post-hospitalization, with higher filling rates in the first 90 days as compared to days 91–180.2 This investigation provides a valuable perspective on the prevalence and management of one of the leading causes of death and morbidity in the world. True population-based epidemiological investigations are expensive as they require detailed clinical measurements of a large number of persons, yet they are essential for appropriate public health surveillance. The overall prevalence rate (∼10 %) is consistent with other reports. What is perhaps most startling is the low concordance with international practice guidelines for maintenance respiratory medications. Evidence-based practice guidelines are meant to ensure the appropriate use of resources to achieve maximal health outcomes; adherence to global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease (GOLD) guidelines for respiratory medications have been associated with lower health costs.3 Improvement will require direct patient engagement. A global patient study4 documented the mismatch between patients’ perceptions of COPD and the impact of the disease on their lives. Their delays to treatment for exacerbations and perhaps overconfidence in their ability to manage their disease likely also underlie poor long-term adherence to maintenance medications. Physicians and other health care professionals also must be mindful of their roles in appropriate diagnosis, management, and monitoring of these patients. Together, we have many opportunities to reduce the burden of COPD, locally, nationally, and internationally, as Ingebrigsten and colleagues have aptly demonstrated.
Pestilence in Paradise: Leprosy Accounts in the Annual Reports of the Governor of the Territory of Hawaii

Abstract An examination of the history of leprosy, or Hansen's disease, in the Territory of Hawaii is a clear window upon how the federal government addressed its fundamental responsibilities to an indigenous people of this nation. Over the years, and in particular prior to 1934, various federal agencies oversaw the array of this nation's territories, but the Department of the Interior was always accountable for those of Alaska and Hawaii. Each agency acquired annual reports from the assigned administrators of such areas. These federal documents offer a remarkable perspective of these diverse geographic locations, and contain data on aspects of local life that are difficult to find elsewhere. This article speaks specifically to the leprosy reports contained in the Annual Reports for the Territory of Hawaii, between 1900 and 1959.
Effect of p-base sheet and contact resistances on static current-voltage characteristics of scaled low-voltage vertical power DMOSFETs

Static current-voltage characteristics of low-voltage scaled power double-diffused MOSFETs fabricated using selectively formed TiSi/sub 2/ films on gate polysilicon and source contact regions are reported. It is shown that considerable modulation of drain-source current-voltage characteristics results from increased p-base sheet and contact resistances. This effect is found to vanish at higher operating temperatures. Increased p-base contact resistance also results in a large forward voltage drop for the body p-n junction diode. >
Stochastic mobility prediction of ground vehicles over large spatial regions: a geostatistical approach

This paper describes a stochastic approach to vehicle mobility prediction over large spatial regions [>$$5 \times 5$$5×5 (km$$^2$$2)]. The main source of uncertainty considered in this work derives from uncertainty in terrain elevation, which arises from sampling (at a finer resolution) a Digital Elevation Model. In order to account for such uncertainty, Monte Carlo simulation is employed, leading to a stochastic analysis of vehicle mobility properties. Experiments performed on two real data sets (namely, the Death Valley region and Sahara desert) demonstrate the advantage of stochastic analysis compared to classical deterministic mobility prediction. These results show the computational efficiency of the proposed methodology. The robotic simulator ANVEL has also been used to validate the proposed methodology.