cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The challenge of malignant pleural mesothelioma: new directions.

diate preoperative hemithoracic intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) followed by extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP). In highly selected patients, this approach was associ- ated with the best 3-year overall survival (84%) reported to date in MPM. The Italian study corroborates data recently published by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) International Staging and Prognostic Factors Committee, 3 including the substantial gap between clinical and pathological staging, the significance of prognostic factors such as tumor histology and patient age, and the appar - ently better outcomes associated with combined modality therapy. Important aspects of this analysis are the large number of patients analyzed, the long follow-up, and the apparently uniform approaches to surgical resection. Significant limitations include the variability in adjuvant therapy and the long duration of the study. Both radiation and chemotherapy for MPM have evolved considerably during the past 30 years, but little information about the criteria for adjuvant therapy or the treatment details is provided. As in the analysis of the IASLC MPM database, it is difficult to identify differences in outcome based on surgical approach, that is, EPP versus pleurectomy/decortication. Stage-specific anal yses are based on numbers of patients too small to be meaningful, and there are likely inherent differences between these two groups because surgeons apparently chose to perform an EPP predominantly in patients with more locally advanced disease. Even the analysis of outcome for multi- versus single-modality therapy may be strongly influenced by biases in patient selection. Perhaps the most convincing aspect of these results is that they are completely congruent with those of other large series, including the IASLC MPM database. The prospective trial from the Toronto group proposes a completely new treatment algorithm. Immediate preoperative hypofractionated radiation has been used in other malignancies such as rectal cancer. Using it before EPP required close interaction with an experienced surgeon who can reliably select patients for this operation because not pro- ceeding to pneumonectomy would expose the patient to severe radiation pneumonitis. This new treatment strategy does not seem to yield better local control than the more conven- tional approach of postoperative hemithoracic radiation after EPP 4 but is associated with remarkably good survival in highly selected patients. Careful patient selection based on tumor stage, known prognostic factors, and cardiopulmonary reserve is clearly pivotal in this approach. The authors propose the intriguing hypothesis that preoperative IMRT may
Interactive effects of metals and humus on marine phytoplankton carbon uptake

Although certain trace metals are essential micronutrients required for growth1,2, elevated concentrations of some of the same metals exert deleterious effects on marine phytoplankton populations3–5. Laboratory studies have indicated that metal toxicity depends on metal ion concentrations rather than total dissolved metals6–10. Although it is believed that bioavailability is largely controlled by the degree to which dissolved trace metals are organically chelated11, it has not been definitively established which organic compounds chelate trace metals in natural seawater12. In an effort to define ecologically significant interactions between dissolved trace metals and naturally occurring organic matter13 we selected marine humus (humic and fulvic acids) as being likely to interact with trace metals in seawater. These compounds, derived from plant and animal sources, are being widely studied for their role in the transport and toxicity of metal ions in terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecosystems14and are known to comprise up to half of the total dissolved organic matter in seawater15. Guided by a recent hypothesis explaining the structure of marine humus and its geochemical diagenesis15 a laboratory synthesis of marine fulvic acid was accomplished16. The resulting material was physically, spectroscopically and chemically identical to one or more natural marine fulvic acids isolated from the Gulf of Mexico. We confirm here that isolated natural marine fulvics and marine fulvics synthesized in the laboratory affect the bioavailability of trace metals to marine phytoplankton.
Automatic Smoothing for Poisson Regression

Adaptive choice of smoothing parameters for nonparametric Poisson regression (O'Sullivan et al., 1986) is considered in this article. A computable approximation of the unbiased risk estimate (AUBR) for Poisson regression is introduced. This approximation can be used to automatically tune the smoothing parameter for the penalized likelihood estimator. An alternative choice is the generalized approximate cross validation (GACV) proposed by Xiang and Wahba (1996). Although GACV enjoys a great success in practice when applying for nonparametric logisitic regression, its performance for Poisson regression is not clear. Numerical simulations have been conducted to evaluate the GACV and AUBR based tuning methods. We found that GACV has a tendency to oversmooth the data when the intensity function is small. As a consequence, we suggest tuning the smoothing parameter using AUBR in practice.
SU-E-T-415: Evaluation of the Effect of the Dose Buildup Region for Flattening Filter Free Beams in IMRT Plans of Lung and Sinuses.

Purpose: The surface and buildup dose is known to be greater for flattening‐filter‐free (FFF) beams as compared to flattened beams. We compare the effect of this difference in the dose buildup region between the two beam modes, in the context of IMRT plans for the lung and sinuses. Methods:IMRT plans are delivered using both the standard flattened beam mode (6X) and flattening‐filter‐free mode (6XFFF). We compare the dosimetric differences of these two modes, for IMRT treatments for the lung and sinuses. Radiochromic films and parallel‐plate ionization chamber measurements were taken, and evaluated for the following field sizes: 2×2 cm2, 3×3 cm2, 5×5 cm2, 8×8 cm2, 10×10 cm2, and 20×20 cm2. We evaluated the area under the PDD curve (AUC) for the buildup region for both 6X and 6XFFF beams. Ten SBRTlung and five IMRT sinuses plans were generated using the EclipseTM planning system, commissioned with AAA. Plan evaluation involved the comparison of the isodose distributions between plans of the two delivery modes. Results: For small field sizes, the dose in the buildup region is greater for FFF beam than for flattened beam. The percentage differences between 6XFFF and 6X flattened beams for the following field sizes (2×2 cm2, 3×3 cm2, 5×5 cm2, 8×8 cm2, 10×10 cm2, and 20×20 cm2) are 3.4%,2.2%, 7.2%, 4.9%, 0.9%, and −0.5%, respectively. Plan evaluation of the IMRT sinus cases found approximately 3% higher maximum dose within the PTV for FFF plans. No observable differences were found between two types of SBRTlung plans. Conclusions: For small fields, the dose buildup region of FFF beam is slightly greater than that of flattened beams. This effect is more pronounced in IMRT sinus cases, leading to higher dose within the PTV. There was no difference in the SBRTlung plans between the two beam modes.
Interaction between alcohol and nitric oxide on ACTH release in the rat.

Background: This work was designed to determine whether alcohol increased nitric oxide (NO) levels within the hypothalamic-pituitary (HP) axis, whether endogenous NO participated in the known ability of alcohol to release ACTH and, conversely, whether prior alcohol treatment altered the ACTH response to NO. Methods: In a first group of experiments, intact adult male rats were injected with the vehicle or alcohol intragastrically (4.5 g/kg). The effect of alcohol on NO was studied by measuring nitrite + nitrate levels, as well as NOS activity, as indexes of formation of this gas. The role of endogenous NO then was studied by blocking the activity of NO synthase, the enzyme responsible for formation of this gas, and determining whether this treatment altered the ACTH response to alcohol. Finally, we investigated the influence of alcohol on the ACTH response to NO. These studies were done in rats exposed to alcohol vapors (4 hr/day for 1–5 days) to avoid the confounding influence of HP axis stimulation by acutely injected alcohol. Results: The acute intragastric injection of alcohol significantly (p < 0.01) increased NO levels in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, the anterior pituitary, and peripheral blood. The ACTH response to acute intragastric alcohol injection was significantly (p < 0.01) decreased by the arginine derivative Nω-nitro-L-arginine-methylester, which nonspecifically blocks NOS activity, as well as by the specific neuronal NOS antagonist 7-nitroindazole. A 5 but not 1 or 3 day exposure to intermittent alcohol vapors interfered with the ACTH response to the intracerebroventricular injection of the NO donor 3-morpholino-sydnonimine. Conclusion: Acute alcohol injection increases NO levels in blood and the HP axis, and these responses seem to facilitate the ACTH response to alcohol. Reciprocally, prolonged (5 days) exposure to ethanol vapors blunts the HP axis response to centrally administered NO.
Age and Gender Differences in Children's Halloween Costumes

Abstract Based on data reported by Serbin and Sprafkin (1986), we predicted that the Halloween costumes of first and second graders would be less gender stereotyped than those of preschoolers and children in kindergarten. Children from one public elementary school and two preschools (N = 178) were individually interviewed on Halloween. Children were asked which character they were, who they wanted to be next year, and their age. The resulting 113 different costumes were then rated by college students for degree of masculinity, femininity, and scariness. In addition to main effects of gender and grade, two of four predicted interactions were significant. Older boys tended to prefer less masculine and more feminine costumes than younger boys, and older girls tended to prefer more masculine and less feminine costumes than younger girls.
Rolling of recycled plastic fibers

Abstract A model was developed for the processing of recycled plastic flakes into fibers to study the effect of the various processing parameters. Verification of the fiber rolling model was done by comparing it with the standard flat rolling model, i.e., rolling into flat sheets, by looking at the sample roll-face pressure distributions for the two processes. The roll-face pressure distribution for fiber rolling and flat rolling showed the same basic curve profile, but the fiber rolling had a higher magnitude for the pressure. It seemed reasonable that the rolling and cutting of the plastic into fibers would require a higher roll pressure than the rolling flat sheets. Rolling operations have a neutral point on the rolls, which is the point of maximum or peak pressure. The neutral point for fiber rolling is slightly nearer to the entry compared with flat rolling for the same percentage reduction in cross-sectional area. After verifying the fiber rolling model with the flat rolling model, a parametric study was performed on the fiber rolling model, which showed how the processing parameters affected the roll-face pressure distribution and the torque required to turn the rolls: the coefficient of friction between the rolls and the plastic flakes, the size and shape of the fibers created, the initial thickness of the plastic flakes, and the roll radius. The model was useful in understanding the basic science of the fiber rolling process, and would be useful in optimizing the design of a rolling mill if this is developed into a commercial process.
Differential sensitivity of Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense isolates to in Vitro lysis by arsenicals

Abstract Clinical isolates of Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, which were resistant to arsenical drugs in murine infections, were examined for resistance in vitro. A rapid lysis assay was developed which was able to predict in vivo sensitivity to melarsoprol (Mel B, Arsobal) and melarsen oxide. The assay was based on the finding that long slender bloodforms of drug-sensitive isolates would lyse in the presence of arsenicals upon incubation in heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum. On the basis of plots of decrease in the absorbance of trypanosome suspensions vs time of incubation with drug, L50 values, reflecting the drug concentration necessary for lysis of 50% of the cells within 30 min, were calculated for five strains. These values ranged from 75 μM in proven arsenic refractory isolates. Calcium was essential for lysis, and the presence of the Ca2+ chelator EGTA (10 mM) in serum delayed lysis of sensitive strains. Ca2+ channel antagonists (Verapamil, Diltiazem), however, did not enhance lysis of refractory isolates when used at 20 to 30 μM. Intracellular concentrations of reduced trypanothione, the apparent target of arsenicals, were similar for all isolates, approximately 1.02 ± 0.28 nmol/108 cells, as detected by monobromobimane derivitization and HPLC analysis. Uptake of melarsen oxide was found to be reduced in arsenical refractory strains. Uptake was judged by reduction of free reduced trypanothione as a result of formation of the trypanothione-arsenic complex Mel T. Little change was found in arsenical-resistant strains, but sensitive strains had 50 to 70% reductions in trypanothione levels after incubation with a low (1 μM) level of melarsen oxide.
Isolation of a cDNA for chicken liver 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase.

Abstract A chicken liver cDNA for 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6. bisphosphatase was isolated from a Lambda ZAP2 phage library. The chicken liver cDNA codes for a protein that has 89.1, 88.4 and 88.0% amino acid identity with the human, rat and bovine liver isoforms, respectively. The kinetic properties of the rat and chicken liver enzymes, purified to homogeneity after expression in E. coli , were different including negative cooperativity for ATP binding and inhibition by Mg 2+ for the chicken liver 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase but not for the rat liver kinase. Differences in the β-loop ATP signature sequences in the chicken and rat liver kinase domains may explain the kinetic differences and represent the major divergence in the evolution of the enzyme from birds to mammals.
Interaction of finite-amplitude waves with vertically sheared current fields

A computationally efficient numerical method is developed to investigate nonlinear interactions between steep surface gravity waves and depth-varying ocean currents. The free-surface boundary conditions are used to derive a coupled set of equations that are integrated in time for the evolution of the free-surface elevation and tangential component of the fluid velocity at the free surface. The vector form of Green's second identity is used to close the system of equations. The closure relationship is consistent with Helmholtz's decomposition of the velocity field into rotational and irrotational components. The rotational component of the flow field is given by the Biot–Savart integral, while the irrotational component is obtained from an integral of a mixed distribution of sources and vortices over the free surface. Wave-induced changes to the vorticity field are modelled using the vorticity transport equation. For weak currents, an explicit expression is derived for the wave-induced vorticity field in Fourier space that negates the need to numerically solve the vorticity transport equation. The computational efficiency of the numerical scheme is further improved by expanding the kernels of the boundary and volume integrals in the closure relationship as a power series in a wave steepness parameter and using the fast Fourier transform method to evaluate the leading-order contribution to the convolution integrals. This reduces the number of operations at each time step from O(N2) to O(NlogN) for the boundary integrals and O[(NM)2] to O(NlogN) for the volume integrals, where N is the number of horizontal grid points and M is the number of vertical layers, making the model an order of magnitude faster than traditional boundary/volume integral methods. The numerical model is used to investigate nonlinear wave–current interaction in depth-uniform current fields and the modulational instability of gravity waves in an exponentially sheared current in deep water. The numerical results demonstrate that the mean flow vorticity can significantly affect the growth rate of extreme waves in narrowband sea states.
Informational risk, institutional review, and autonomy in the proposed changes to the common rule.

n 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed changes to its regulations governing research with humans (the Common Rule), which apply to all federally funded research. The proposed changes represent a valuable step in updat-ing regulatory protections for research participants to reflect challenges that have arisen over the last 30 years.
WAVE RUNUP PREDICTION FOR FLOOD MAPPING

Wave runup determines the extent over which waves act. Wave runup is therefore an important parameter to determine flood inundation extents from coastal storms. Cross-shore and longshore sediment transport are a function of the hydrodynamics on the beach and are therefore related to wave runup. Several benchmark wave runup data sets are summarized and used to evaluate the available tools for predicting wave runup for flood hazard assessment. Benchmark data span a range of shoreline conditions including sandy beaches on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, dissipative to reflective beaches, as well as structures ranging from impermeable smooth levees to rough permeable rubble mounds. Data include laboratory and prototype measurements. Tools for predicting wave runup are analyzed including empirical equations, computer programs based on empirical equations, and the CSHORE time-averaged cross-shore model. Most of the tools show fairly high degrees of skill but some do not. The study recommends using CSHORE to model runup for most beach and structure conditions. However, CSHORE is not likely to predict wave runup on infragravity-dominated dissipative beaches well. For these cases, it is recommended that one of the recommended empirical equations for beaches be used.
IFC BIM-Based Methodology for Semi-Automated Building Energy Performance Simulation

Building energy performance (BEP) simulation is still rarely used in building design, commissioning and operations. The process is too costly and too labor intensive, and it takes too long to deliver results. Its quantitative results are not reproducible due to arbitrary decisions and assumptions made in simulation model definition, and can be trusted only under special circumstances. A methodology to semi-automate BEP simulation preparation and execution makes this process much more effective. It incorporates principles of information science and aims to eliminate inappropriate human intervention that results in subjective and arbitrary decisions. This is achieved by automating every part of the BEP modeling and simulation process that can be automated, by relying on data from original sources, and by making any necessary data transformation rule-based and automated. This paper describes the new methodology and its relationship to IFC-based BIM and software interoperability. It identifies five steps that are critical to its implementation, and shows what part of the methodology can be applied today. The paper concludes with a discussion of application to simulation with EnergyPlus, and describes data transformation rules embedded in the new Geometry Simplification Tool (GST).
Tissue Iron, Copper and Zinc Levels in Offspring of Iron-Sufficient and Iron-Deficient Rats

To study the effects of iron nutriture on tissue iron, copper and zinc contents, we fed iron-deficient or control diets to pregnant rats and their offspring. Pups were weaned to the same or opposite diet as that fed to their dams, yielding four groups: control-control (CC), control-deficient (CD), deficient-control (DC) and deficient-deficient (DD). Offspring were killed at 2, 21, 30, 60 and 90 days of age. Iron deficiency, induced by feeding a 5 ppm iron diet to the dam and/or to the weanlings, resulted in impaired body growth, lower hemoglobin and hematocrit levels and reduced iron levels in liver, spleen and kidney of the offspring. Two-day-old iron-deficient pups had hepatic copper levels 1.5- fold higher than control pups. By the end of the suckling period, hepatic copper levels in iron-deficient pups were 3-fold greater than those of control pups. Hepatic copper concentration in control-fed rats (CC and DC) declined with maturation. In deficient rats (CD and DD), this normal decrease in hepatic copper did not occur and in CD rats, there was a progressive accumulation of copper in the liver. Renal zinc concentrations were lower in CD and DD than in control-fed animals at 60 and 90 days of age. These interactions among iron, copper and zinc may assume clinical importance since iron deficiency is a common nutritional problem.
The interannual stability of cumulative frequency distributions for convective system size and intensity.

The characteristics of convective system populations in West Africa and the western Pacific tropical cyclone basin were analyzed to investigate whether interannual variability in convective activity in tropical continental and oceanic environments is driven by variations in the number of events during the wet season or by favoring large and/or intense convective systems. Convective systems were defined from TRMM data as a cluster of pixels with an 85 GHz polarization-corrected brightness temperature below 255 K and with an area at least 64 km 2. The study database consisted of convective systems in West Africa from May Sep for 1998-2007 and in the western Pacific from May Nov 1998-2007. Annual cumulative frequency distributions for system minimum brightness temperature and system area were constructed for both regions. For both regions, there were no statistically significant differences among the annual curves for system minimum brightness temperature. There were two groups of system area curves, split by the TRMM altitude boost in 2001. Within each set, there was no statistically significant interannual variability. Sub-setting the database revealed some sensitivity in distribution shape to the size of the sampling area, length of sample period, and climate zone. From a regional perspective, the stability of the cumulative frequency distributions implied that the probability that a convective system would attain a particular size or intensity does not change interannually. Variability in the number of convective events appeared to be more important in determining whether a year is wetter or drier than normal.
THE SCP-STAR, A MIL-STD-1750A SURVIVABLE CMOS/SOS COMPUTER

Table 1. SCP-STAR Characteristics ABSTRACT The SCP-STAR is a radiation hardened, MIL-STD-1750A CMOS/SOS computer. The machine was developed by RCA for spacecraft applications.
Two “Waves” of Guerrilla-Movement Organizing in Latin America, 1956–1990

The organization of revolutionary guerrilla movements by the Latin American left came in two largely discrete waves. The first was occasioned by the success of the Cuban 26th of July movement against the late 1950s regime of Fulgencio Batista. Within less than a year it was triggering imitative efforts across Latin America via the cultural diffusion of its “foco model” both indirectly and directly, as indicated by the timing, internal movement evidence, direct training, and other sources concerning the 1960s guerrilla movements. A clear dampening of such efforts followed upon the multiple failures of the imitators, the late 1967 death of Che Guevara in Bolivia, the withdrawal of Soviet-line communists in Latin America from their previous support for insurgency, and finally Cuba's own rapprochement with the USSR. At this juncture, “surviving” movements from the earlier period were few—notably in Colombia, less true in Guatemala and Nicaragua—but a second, narrower cluster of far larger, more intensive and active movements developed by the later 1970s. Such strong survivors or newcomers can be best understood, not as imitations of Cuba 1959, but via their new strategies of long-term patient organizing and by the types of “closed regimes” they were confronting in the 1970s–1980s. They, too, then mostly faded away in the face of national-level experiences of massive military repression or ever-more-competitive electoral democracies.
Color Doppler imaging of untreated and irradiated choroidal melanomas.

PURPOSE. We examined untreated and irradiated choroidal melanomas with color Doppler imaging (CDI), a noninvasive method providing quantitative measures of blood flow, to determine if the tumor vessel damage associated with irradiation can be detected using this technology. METHODS. CDI was performed on 122 untreated and 76 previously irradiated tumors using a Q2000 color Doppler ultrasound unit. Spectral analysis was performed on all detectable vascular regions within the tumor to obtain estimates of the peak systolic and end diastolic flow velocities and resistive index ((syst-diast)/syst). RESULTS. Vessels were detected in 93% of the untreated tumors and in 63% of the treated tumors (p<0.001, X 2 ), and the median number of vascular regions found was higher among untreated tumors (3 vs 1, p=0.001, Wilcoxon Rank Sum). The effect of treatment status on the detection of tumor vessels was significant (p=0.039), controlling for age, sex, largest tumor pretreatment diameter, and tumor height at CDI in a logistic regression model. Mean resistive index was lower in the untreated tumors (0.53 vs 0.58, p=0.0050), controlling for tumor height and other covariates in an analysis of variance. CONCLUSIONS. On examination with CDI, irradiated tumors had fewer detectable vascular regions and greater resistance to flow than untreated tumors, a pattern consistent with known radiation effects. (Eur J Ophthalmol 2001; 11: 150-5)
Comparison of proteins expressed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains representing initial and chronic isolates from a cystic fibrosis patient: an analysis by 2-D gel electrophoresis and capillary column liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from chronic lung infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients have phenotypes distinct from those initially infecting CF patients, as well as from other clinical or environmental isolates. To gain a better understanding of the differences in these isolates, protein expression was followed using two-dimensional (2-D) gel electrophoresis and protein identification by peptide sequencing using micro-capillary column liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (μLC/MS/MS). The isolates selected for this analysis were from the sputum of a CF patient: strain 383 had a nonmucoid phenotype typical of isolates from the environment, and strain 2192, obtained from the same patient, had a mucoid phenotype typical of isolates from chronic CF lung infections. Strains 383 and 2192 were confirmed to be genetically identical by restriction endonuclease analysis, random amplified polymorphic DNA-PCR, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Conditions of protein extraction were optimized for consistent high-resolution separation of several hundred proteins from these clinical isolates as detected by Coomassie staining of 2-D gels. Fourteen proteins were selected for analysis; this group included those whose expression was common between both strains as well as unique for each strain. The proteins were identified by μLC/MS/MS of the peptides produced by an in-gel tryptic digestion and compared to translated data from the Pseudomonas Genome Project; optimization of this technique has allowed for the comparison of proteins expressed by strains 383 and 2192.
Ambiguity of ultrashort pulses retrieved from intensity autocorrelation and power spectrum traces

Summary form only given. We have illustrated the ambiguity of ultrashort pulse shapes retrieved from the intensity autocorrelation and power spectrum alone. In our talk we will also discuss other examples and compare the calculated interferometric autocorrelations of such symmetric-asymmetric pulse pairs, which are predicted to be distinct, in order to assess the degree to which they can be distinguished in a practical context.
Presenilin and γ-secretase: structure meets function

During the search for the major genes responsible for autosomal-dominant, familial forms of Alzheimer's disease (AD), many thought the encoded proteins would reveal at least one, if not both, of the proteases that cut the amyloid-b peptide (Ab) out of the amyloid-b precursor protein (APP) (Fig. 1). Amyloid-b peptide is the major protein component of the characteristic cerebral plaques of AD (Glenner and Wong 1984), and APP itself had already been identi®ed in 1991 as a locus for familial AD (FAD), with disease-causing missense mutations found immediately near the Ab boundaries (Chartier-Harlin et al. 1991; Goate et al. 1991; Murrell et al. 1991). However, when the search identi®ed presenilin-1 (PS1) and presenilin-2 (PS2) in 1995 (LevyLahad et al. 1995; Sherrington et al. 1995), it was far from clear given the primary structure what the normal function of these proteins might be and why mutant forms cause disease. Ironically, over the past few years the argument has come full circle, and it now appears that presenilins are indeed responsible for the ®nal proteolysis that produces Ab.
Gemcitabine hepatic arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in the treatment of unresectable HCC

4141 Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) generally arises in the presence of cirrhosis and is typically multifocal and bilobar and thus not often resectable. A major limitation of chemotherapy is due to the damaged underlying liver as a result of cirrhosis. A non-hepatotoxic drug such as Gemcitabine is thus potentially useful in patient management. Methods: 57 patients with biopsy-proven HCC were evaluated for response, survival and toxicity after treatment with gemcitabine via hepatic arterial chemoembolization. Patients were treated with 1250 mg/m2, given in 150 ml of normal saline over 30 min to either the right or left hepatic artery at any one treatment session. Treatments were repeated every 8 to 10 weeks. Embospheres (Embogold, Biosphere Medical) 100–300 micron size were also injected to vascular slowing but not to occlusion of the same hepatic artery during the chemotherapy infusion. A CT scan was performed at baseline and just prior to each repeat treatment, which was continued until tumor...
Structure and Applications of Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hydrogels Produced by Conventional Crosslinking or by Freezing/Thawing Methods

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is a polymer of great interest because of its many desirable characteristics specifically for various pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. The crystalline nature of PVA has been of specific interest particularly for physically cross-linked hydrogels prepared by repeated cycles of freezing and thawing. This review includes details on the structure and properties of PVA, the synthesis of its hydrogels, the crystallization of PVA, as well as its applications. An analysis of previous work in the development of freezing and thawing processes is presented focusing on the implications of such materials for a variety of applications. PVA blends that have been developed with enhanced properties for specific applications will also be discussed briefly. Finally, the future directions involving the further development of freeze/thawed PVA hydrogels are addressed.
Quercetin‐Containing Self‐Nanoemulsifying Drug Delivery System for Improving Oral Bioavailability

Quercetin is a dietary flavonoid with potential chemoprotective effects, but has low bioavailability because of poor aqueous solubility and low intestinal absorption. A quercetin-containing self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (Q-SNEDDS) was developed to form oil-in-water nanoemulsions in situ for improving quercetin oral bioavailability. On the basis of the quercetin solubility, emulsifying ability, and stability after dispersion in an aqueous phase, an optimal SNEDDS consisting of castor oil, Tween® 80, Cremophor® RH 40, and PEG 400 (20:16:34:30, w/w) was identified. Upon mixing with water, Q-SNEDDS formed a nanoemulsion having a droplet size of 208.8 ± 4.5 nm and zeta potential of -26.3 ± 1.2 mV. The presence of Tween® 80 and PEG 400 increased quercetin solubility and maintained supersaturated quercetin concentrations (5 mg/mL) for >1 month. The optimized Q-SNEDDS significantly improved quercetin transport across a human colon carcinoma (Caco-2) cell monolayer. Fluorescence imaging demonstrated rapid absorption of the Q-SNEDDS within 40 min of oral ingestion. Following oral administration of Q-SNEDDS in rats (15 mg/kg), the area under the concentration curve and maximum concentration of plasma quercetin after 24 h increased by approximately twofold and threefold compared with the quercetin control suspension. These data suggest that this Q-SNEDDS formulation can enhance the solubility and oral bioavailability of quercetin for appropriate clinical application.
Distributed Inference in Wireless Sensor Networks: Some Recent Results

Distributed inference (e.g., detection, estimation, learning, etc.) is one of the primary applications of wireless sensor networks. This paper presents an overview of recent results by the author and co-workers in this area. The focus is on results in distributed learning and sensor scheduling, but some issues relating to energy efficiency are also discussed briefly
Effect of Hemagglutinin Glycosylation on Influenza Virus Susceptibility to Neuraminidase Inhibitors

Inhibition of neuraminidase (NA) activity prevents release of progeny virions from influenza-infected cells and removal of neuraminic (sialic) acid moieties from glycans attached to hemagglutinin (HA). Neuraminic acid moieties situated near the HA receptor-binding site can reduce the efficiency of virus binding and decrease viral dependence on NA activity for replication. With the use of reverse genetics technique, we investigated the effect of glycans attached at Asn 94a, 129, and 163 on the virus susceptibility to NA inhibitors in MDCK cells and demonstrated that the glycan attached at Asn 163 plays a dominant role in compensation for the loss of NA activity.
A preliminary study of the neuropsychological heterogeneity of familial schizophrenia

This exploratory study describes the heterogeneity of the neuropsychological deficits that characterize familial schizophrenia. Forty-six familial schizophrenics showed significantly more variability in abstraction and problem-solving and motor control than 39 non-familial schizophrenics. Cluster analyses of these two neuropsychological parameters indicate that while the non-familial schizophrenics fall into one homogeneous cluster, the familial schizophrenics fall into three relatively distinct clusters which differ significantly in their morbid risk for schizophrenic-spectrum disorder. These preliminary data suggest that frontal lobe deficits are associated with an increased familial risk for schizophrenia.
Downregulation of δ CaM kinase II in human tumor cells

Abstract Over two dozen alternative splice variants of CaMK-II, the type II Ca2+/CaM-dependent protein kinase, are encoded from four genes (α, β, γ and δ) in mammalian cells. Isozymes of α and β CaMK-II are well characterized in brain; however, an understanding of the relative endogenous levels of CaMK-II isozymes in a wide variety of non-neuronal cells has not yet been described. In this study, we have demonstrated that CaMK-II consists primarily of the 54 kDa δ CaMK-II (δ2 or δC) isozyme in rodent fibroblasts. β and γ CaMK-II isozymes are minor and α CaMK-II was not expressed. The primary δ CaMK-II in human fibroblasts and the MCF10A mammary epithelial cell line was the 52 kDa δ4 CaMK-II, an isozyme identical to δ2 except for a missing 21-amino-acid C-terminal tail. δ CaMK-II levels were diminished in both human and rodent fibroblasts after SV40 transformation and in the mammary adenocarcinoma MCF7 cell line when compared to MCF10A cells. In fact, most tumor cells exhibited CaMK-II specific activities which were two- to tenfold lower than in untransformed fibroblasts. We conducted complementary CaMK-II studies on the NGF-induced differentiation of rat PC-12 cells. Although no new synthesis of CaMK-II occurs, neurite outgrowth in these cells is accompanied by a preferential activation of δ CaMK-II. Endogenous δ CaMK-II has a perinuclear distribution in fibroblasts and extends along neurites in PC-12 cells. These findings point to a role for δ CaMK-II isozymes in cellular differentiation.
Zeta potential of bone from particle electrophoresis: Solution composition and kinetic effects

The morphology of bone may be influenced by many factors, including electromechanical ones such as electric potentials, electric fields, or zeta potentials. Stress-generated potential studies in bone and particle electrophoresis studies using calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite have shown that the zeta potential depends on the composition of the steeping fluid and steeping time. To better quantify and understand these in situ potential changes in bovine cortical bone, the effects of alterations in calcium, phosphate, and fluoride concentrations in Neuman's Fluid (NF), which simulates in vivo bone extracellular fluid, were investigated using particle electrophoresis. The zeta potential increased in magnitude with increased calcium concentration in NF in as little as 17 min. Increasing phosphate concentration in NF also increased the zeta potential magnitude. These results provide support for a structural model of the bone matrix surface-bone fluid interface, which incorporates the bone surface proper (composed of collagen, mineral, and boundary regions), stationary layer (in which ions, ionic complexes, and proteins may be adsorbed), and bone extracellular fluid. These results, coupled with those of previous studies, indicate that the protein phase probably has an important role in the determination of the physiologic zeta potential; the role of the mineral phase may also be important.
Micro-architecture performance estimation by formula

An analytical performance model for out of order issue superscalar micro-processors is presented. This model quantifies the performance impacts of micro-architecture design options including memory hierarchy, branch prediction, issue width and changes in pipeline depth at all pipeline stages. The model requires a minimal number of cycle accurate and trace driven simulations to calibrate and once calibrated estimates performance by formula. The model estimates the performance of arbitrary micro-architecture configurations with an average error of 6.4%. During early design stages when cycle accurate simulation is prohibitive an analytical model can provide guidance to designers to increase design quality and reduce design effort. This allows the design of an embedded processor to be rapidly tuned to its application by reducing the cost of exploring the design space.
Neutron SER characterization of microprocessors

Hadrons generated by the primary cosmic rays penetrating the atmosphere have a negative impact on the reliability of semiconductor devices. The electrical charge induced by high energy particles manifests as a current spike and can affect both storage elements and combinational logic. Frequency of occurrence of the errors induced by this failure mechanism is referred to as soft error rate (SER). Continuous shrinking of the electronic devices and the lower supply voltages, in conjunction with the increased complexity of VLSI circuits, has led to higher SER. The impact of semiconductor technology scaling on neutron induced SER is discussed in this report. The experimental methodology and results of accelerated measurements carried out on Intel Itanium/spl reg/ microprocessors, at Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE), are presented. Statistically significant values of the MTTF induced by high-energy neutrons are also derived, as a function of the number of upsets observed over the duration of the experiment. The presented approach doesn't require any proprietary data about the microprocessor under evaluation and, as a consequence, can be used as a dependability benchmarking tool both by manufacturers and independent evaluators.
The Next Frontier of Mobile Money Adoption

In this article, I explore the characteristics of businesses that use mobile money by using the World Bank’s Enterprise Surveys Program data set for the year 2013. I study firms in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. My analysis shows that small firms are more likely to use the service than medium and large firms. Also, older firms are more likely to use the service than younger ones. Moreover, firms with bank accounts are more likely to use the service. Finally, firms in Kenya are more likely to use the service than firms in Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
Role of an Agent in (un)Keeping the Multiethnic State Together: The Case of the Secession of Kosovo

This paper proposes an explanation for the Kosovo secession from Serbia/Yugoslavia. This is achieved by disaggregating the ‘reality’ of the state through the process tracing method, which compares the cases of the Tito and Milosevic triangles of accommodation practices. The focus is on the games of survival practiced at the middle levels of political life, around the local state policy implementer and the consequences of his removal. This paper examines not only why, but how the secession of Kosovo occurred when it did. It shows that the strength of authoritarianism or the regime-oppression capability is not what held the Serbia and Kosovo together; rather, it was the policies of accommodations which one leader did better than the other
Point-of-Care Multi-Organ Ultrasound Improves Diagnostic Accuracy in Adults Presenting to the Emergency Department with Acute Dyspnea.

Author(s): Mantuani, Daniel; Frazee, Bradley W.; Fahimi, Jahan; Nagdev, Arun | Abstract: Introduction: Determining the etiology of acute dyspnea in emregency department (ED) patients is often difficult. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) holds promise for improving immediate diagnostic accuracy (after history and physical), thus improving use of focused therapies. We evaluate the impact of a three-part POCUS exam, or “triple scan” (TS) – composed of abbreviated echocardiography, lung ultrasound and inferior vena cava (IVC) collapsibility assessment – on the treating physician’s immediate diagnostic impression.Methods: A convenience sample of adults presenting to our urban academic ED with acute dyspnea (Emergency Severity Index 1, 2) were prospectively enrolled when investigator sonographers were available. The method for performing components of the TS has been previously described in detail. Treating physicians rated the most likely diagnosis after history and physical but before other studies (except electrocardiogram) returned. An investigator then performed TS and disclosed the results, after which most likely diagnosis was reassessed. Final diagnosis (criterion standard) was based on medical record review by expert emergency medicine faculty blinded to TS result. We compared accuracy of pre-TS and post-TS impression (primary outcome) with McNemar’s test. Test characteristics for treating physician impression were also calculated by dichotomizing acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pneumonia as present or absent.Results: 57 patients were enrolled with the leading final diagnoses being ADHF (26%), COPD/asthma (30%), and pneumonia (28%). Overall accuracy of the treating physician’s impression increased from 53% before TS to 77% after TS (p=0.003). The post-TS impression was 100% sensitive and 84% specific for ADHF.Conclusion: In this small study, POCUS evaluation of the heart, lungs and IVC improved the treating physician’s immediate overall diagnostic accuracy for ADHF, COPD/asthma and pneumonia and was particularly useful to immediately exclude ADHF as the cause of acute dyspnea.
Acceptance of Global Warming Among Americans Moderately Increases in Late 2014

The fall 2014 version of the National Surveys on Energy and Environment (NSEE) finds 60% of Americans believe that there is solid evidence of increasing temperatures on Earth. These findings represent a moderate rebound from the three-year low posted in the spring of 2014, when 55% of Americans held this position. The 5% increase over those six months brings the overall acceptance rate close to the seven-year NSEE average of 62%, but is still far below the high (72%) posted in fall 2008.
Codling Moth Control in Georgia Apple Orchards

Codling moth ( Carpocapsa pomonella ) control work in Georgia in 1927 consisted of (1) Insectary work from which the number of broods and peaks were obtained which gave a correlation between insect development and spraying dates so that the proper time for the various applications could be given to the grower. (2) Field experiments on spraying, dusting, banding and scoring of fruit to obtain the best control measures for this section. (3) Insecticidal analyses of fruit sprayed with arsenate of lead. (4) Additional control measures used to supplement the regular ones were scraping of trunk, general orchard banding by growers, thinning of fruit and orchard and packing house sanitation.
Discussion the Buy-off about Automotive Stamping Die

The article introduces the definition and types of stamping dies,basis of buy-off,content and the main method,and the delivery of technical document handover.
Polarization Phenomena and Isospin Conservation in Quasi-Elastic Reactions

An isospin multiplet is a set of states with the same spin S, isospin T, and nucleon number A = N + Z. The 2T+ 1 members of the multiplet differ by their isospin projection T3 = (N − Z)/2. Transitions between adjacent members of a multiplet are a class of reactions in which the quantum numbers (S,T,A) of the target nucleus and (s,t,a) of the incident projectile are not changed by the reaction process; the particles emerging from the reaction have quantum numbers (S,T,A) for the residual nucleus and (s,t,a) for the detected particle. This class of reactions is often called quasi-elastic. It differs from elastic scattering in the following way: the isospin projections, T3 for the target and t3 for the projectile, are not changed by an elastic process; T3 is increased (decreased) one unit and t3 is decreased (increased) one unit by a quasi-elastic process.