cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Urinary calcium excretion of women with breast cancer during post-hypophysectomy polyuria, spontaneous interphase and vasopressin-induced antidiuresis.

Summary(1) Urinary calcium excretion and creatinine clearance were measured in 8 patients before and after hypophysectomy for advanced breast cancer. (2) Mean creatinine clearance for the group was lower than in patients in an earlier stage of metastatic breast cancer. (3) No consistent changes in urinary calcium excretion could be correlated either with polyuria, spontaneous interphase, or vasopressin-induced reduction in urinary volume.
KINETICS OF SUPPRESSION OF CIRCUMNUTATION BY CLINOSTATTING FAVORS MODIFIED INTERNAL OSCILLATOR MODEL

According to a well-conceived gravity-driven model, oscillatory growth movements called circumnutations are produced by a continuing set of gravitational responses with overshoot. In simplest form that model predicts that if the gravity stimulus could be removed completely and abruptly, growth oscillations would damp out within a time less than the period of oscillation. That condition was simulated by imposing on horizontally clinostatted sunflower shoots a unit g centripetal force in the direction that coincided with the plants' morphological axis. Circumnutations proceeded in quantitatively normal manner. By stopping the centrifuge, the plants were subjected abruptly only to clinostat simulated weightlessness. Circumnutations decreased but did not disappear. The half-time for decline to a final low level of activity was about 4-fold the period of oscillation at 1 g-about 8-fold the period at simulated zero g. That slow damping was not consistent with the prediction based on the gravity driven model of circumnutation. The model needs to be revised.
The effect of gypsum products and separating materials on the typography of denture base materials

The typography of polymethyl methacrylate processed against various gypsum products coated with various separating materials was studied under an SEM. Tinfoil and two commercial tin foil substitutes were used as separating material during processing, and the surfaces of the resulting acrylic resin forms were studied for topographical differences. Tinfoil and alpha 2 hemihydrates produced the smoothest surfaces. As a practical solution, a good quality tinfoil substitute and alpha 1 hemihydrate could be used when processing polymethyl methacrylate resin.
Immunologic inhibition of estrogen binding and action in preputial-gland cells and their subcellular fractions

To assess the specific binding and actions of estradiol-17β (E2β) in preputial gland of ovariectomized rats, isolated cells, consisting of parenchymal- and ductal-cell types were prepared by a collagenase procedure. Such cells exhibited substantial oxidation to 14CO2 of [14C]-cholesterol. The latter function was stimulated 15-fold by treatment for 3 h in vitro with 1 × 10−9M E2β but not E2α. Marked inhibition of such estrogen action was elicited by prior exposure of cells to antibodies directed against preputial-gland lysosomal lipoproteins with high-affinity binding activity for E2β (anti-PHDLP). Retention of E2β by preputial-gland cells was saturable, with an association constant of 6.4 × 108 M−1. At saturation, E2β receptors corresponded to ~ 10,900 sites per cell. Treatment of 2 × 107 cells with anti-PHDLP, but not preimmune, IgG at 20 μg/ml of protein reduced the specific binding of E2β by effecting a 4- to 5-fold decrease in the magnitude of the binding constant. The subcellular distribution and immunochemical reactivity of E2β-binding components in their native state was investigated by disruption of preputial-gland cells in the absence of hormone. Cells were homogenized under carefully monitored conditions in buffered isotonic sucrose with Cacl2; and proteinase inhibitor and fractionated using isotonic media. Fractions were characterized by determinations of selected enzyme activities and DNA. Activities of plasma membrane marker-enzymes as well as specific binding-sites for E2β were present principally in paniculate fractions. Plasma membranes of low density (ρ = 1.13–1.16) were purified from crude nuclear fractions. Activities of appropriate marker-enzymes were enriched in plasma membranes to about 10 times that of the homogenate, while binding-sites for E2β were concentrated to about 11 times the homogenate. Specific binding of E2β in membranes was saturable, with an association constant of 2.6 × 109 M−1. At saturation, E2β receptors in plasma membrane corresponded to 0.6 pmol/mg of protein. Specific binding of [3H]-E2β in plasma membrane and other major subcellular fractions was reduced by a 200-fold molar excess of unlabeled E2β or DES, but not by E2α, testosterone, or progesterone. Binding was also blocked by prior exposure of membranes to trypsin or to 5 min heating to 65°C, but was diminished by no more than 9.8% by extraction of membranes with either hypotonic or high-salt buffers. Significant inhibition of E2β binding in plasma membrane, microsomerich, mitochondria-lysosome and cytosol fractions was elicited by treatment of each fraction with anti-PHDLP, but not preimmune, IgG. These findings provide evidence of an immunochemical similarity of specific E2β binding-sites which occur in multiple cellular loci before hormonal stimulation.
Fine structure of the excretory system of Amphioxus (Branchiostoma floridae) and its response to osmotic stress

The excretory organs of Amphioxus occur as segmentally arranged structures throughout the pharyngeal region and may be divided into three components: the solenocytes, the renal tubule, and the renal glomerulus. The solenocytes possess foot processes that rest upon the coelomic surface of the ligamentum denticulatum. The tubular apparatus of the solenocytes consists of ten triangular rods surrounding a central flagellum. The distal end of the tubular apparatus enters branches of the renal tubule. The renal tubule eventually opens into the atrial cavity of Amphioxus. The renal glomerulus is a sinus within the connective tissue of the ligamentum dentieculatum where it connects elements of the branchial circulation with the dorsal aorta. The renal glomerulus, like other blood vessels of Amphioxus, lacks an endothelial lining. If Amphioxus is adapted to artificial sea water at different concentrations there is no change in kidney morphology suggesting that Amphioxus is either is osmotic with its environment or is osmoregulating with other organs.
Design and modeling of a hydraulically amplified magnetostrictive actuator for automotive engine mounts

A bidirectional magnetostrictive actuator with millimeter stroke and a blocked force of few tens of Newtons has been developed based on a Terfenol-D driver and a simple hydraulic magnification stage. The actuator is compared with an electrodynamic actuator used in active powertrain mounts in terms of electrical power consumption, frequency bandwidth, and spectral content of the response. The measurements show that the actuator has a flat free-displacement and blocked-force response up to 200 Hz, suggesting a significantly broader frequency bandwidth than commercial electromagnetic actuators while drawing comparable amounts of power.
Fixed-point realization of lattice-reduction aided MIMO receivers with complex K-best algorithm

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) techniques provide high data rates but the optimal maximum likelihood (ML) detector exhibits high complexity. Recently lattice reduction (LR) aided detectors have been proposed to achieve near-ML performance with low complexity. In this paper, we develop a LR-aided complex K-best algorithm which reduces the complexity of the existing sphere decoding based K-best algorithm. Then we provide the fixed-point design of the LR-aided K-best MIMO receiver for both coded and uncoded systems. The architecture selection of each sub-module is developed and a simulation-based wordlength optimization procedure is proposed. Simulations show that the fixed-point results can keep bit error rate degradation within 0.2dB under 8 × 8 256-QAM MIMO systems.
A novel algorithm for HMM word spotting performance evaluation and error analysis

A hidden Markov model (HMM) wordspotter is described. The emphasis is on the algorithms for HMM scoring and performance evaluation, which offer several advantages over those currently used. These advantages include the ability to: determine both the beginning and ending points of a spotted word, generate a smooth receiver operating characteristic (ROC) in a computationally efficient manner, and compare word spotters on the same task using a nonparametric significance test. >
Domain driven web development with WebJinn

Web application development cuts across the HTTP protocol, the client-side presentation language (HTML, XML), the server-side technology (Servlets, JSP, ASP, PHP), and the underlying resource (files, database, information system). Consequently, web development concerns including functionality, presentation, control, and structure cross-cut, leading to tangled and scattered code that is hard to develop, maintain, and reuse. In this paper we analyze the cause, consequence, and remedy for this crosscutting. We distinguish between intra-crosscutting that results in code tangling and inter-crosscutting that results in code scattering. To resolve inter-crosscutting, we present a new web application development model named XP that introduces extension points as place-holders for structure-dependent code. We present another model named DDD that incorporates XP into the Model-View-Controller (MVC) model to resolve both intra- and inter-crosscutting. WebJinn is a novel domain-driven web development framework that implements the DDD model. WebJinn has been used to develop web applications at several web sites. Domain driven web development with WebJinn benefits from a significant improvement in code reuse, adaptability, and maintainability.
Resolving Task Specification and Path Inconsistency in Taxonomy Construction

Taxonomies, such as Library of Congress Subject Headings and Open Directory Project, are widely used to support browsing-style information access in document collections. We call them browsing taxonomies. Most existing browsing taxonomies are manually constructed thus they could not easily adapt to arbitrary document collections. In this paper, we investigate both automatic and interactive techniques to derive taxonomies from scratch for arbitrary document collections. Particular, we focus on encoding user feedback in taxonomy construction process to handle task-specification rising from a given document collection. We also addresses the problem of path inconsistency due to local relation recognition in existing taxonomy construction algorithms. The user studies strongly suggest that the proposed approach successfully resolve task specification and path inconsistency in taxonomy construction.
Mineralogical maturity in dunefields of North America, Africa and Australia

Studies of dunefields in central and western North America show that mineralogical maturity can provide new insights into the origin and evolution of aeolian sand bodies. Many of the world’s great sand seas in Africa, Asia and Australia are quartzdominated and thus can be considered to be mineralogically mature. The Algodones (California) and Parker (Arizona) dunes in the southwestern United States are also mature, but have inherited a high degree of mineralogical maturity from quartz-rich sedimentary rocks drained by the Colorado River. In Libya, sediments of the Zallaf sand sea, which are almost pure quartz, may have originated in a similar fashion. The Fort Morgan (Colorado) and Casper (Wyoming) dunefields in the central Great Plains of North America, and the Namib sand sea of southern Africa have an intermediate degree of mineralogical maturity because their sources are large rivers that drained both unweathered plutonic and metamorphic rocks and mature sedimentary rocks. Mojave Desert dunefields in the southwestern United States are quite immature because they are in basins adjacent to plutonic rocks that were their sources. Other dunefields in the Great Plains of North America (those in Nebraska and Texas) are more mature than any possible source sediments and therefore reflect mineralogical evolution over time. Such changes in composition can occur because of either of two opposing long-term states of the dunefield. In one state, dunes are stable for long periods of time and chemical weathering depletes feldspars and other weatherable minerals in the sediment body. In the other state, which is most likely for the Great Plains, abrasion and ballistic impacts deplete the carbonate minerals and feldspars because the dunes are active for longer periods than they are stable. D 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Recovery of resistance (R) factors from a drug-free community.

Abstract A study of an antibiotic virgin population in the Solomon Islands showed that R factors can be recovered at low frequency under natural conditions without the selective force of antimicrobial drugs. These R factors were recovered from soil and stool specimens, mediated resistance to streptomycin and tetracycline, and, like certain R factors recovered in the United States, inactivated streptomycin by phosphorylation.
Caspase-responsive smart gadolinium-based contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging of drug-induced apoptosis

Non-invasive detection of caspase-3/7 activity in vivo has provided invaluable predictive information regarding tumor therapeutic efficacy and anti-tumor drug selection. Although a number of caspase-3/7 targeted fluorescence and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging probes have been developed, there is still a lack of gadolinium (Gd)-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) probes that enable high spatial resolution detection of caspase-3/7 activity in vivo. Here we employ a self-assembly approach and develop a caspase-3/7 activatable Gd-based MRI probe for monitoring tumor apoptosis in mice. Upon reduction and caspase-3/7 activation, the caspase-sensitive nano-aggregation MR probe (C-SNAM: 1) undergoes biocompatible intramolecular cyclization and subsequent self-assembly into Gd-nanoparticles (GdNPs). This results in enhanced r1 relaxivity—19.0 (post-activation) vs. 10.2 mM−1 s−1 (pre-activation) at 1 T in solution—and prolonged accumulation in chemotherapy-induced apoptotic cells and tumors that express active caspase-3/7. We demonstrate that C-SNAM reports caspase-3/7 activity by generating a significantly brighter T1-weighted MR signal compared to non-treated tumors following intravenous administration of C-SNAM, providing great potential for high-resolution imaging of tumor apoptosis in vivo.
Atherogenesis in white carneau pigeons. Effects of low-level cholestane-triol feeding.

Abstract Cholesterol auto-oxides have been shown to be angiotoxic in vivo and in vitro. Whether this toxicity is itself an atherogenic risk factor has not been established. In this study White Carneau pigeons were gavage-fed either 0.05% pure cholesterol or 0.05% pure cholesterol with trace levels of cholestane-triol (cholestane-3β,5α,6β-triol) for 3 months. These are amounts similar to estimated U.S. dietary intake levels. Aortic lipids, aortic calcium and coronary artery histopathology were assessed. Aortic total cholesterol, cholesterol ester, and cholesterol ester/cholesterol ratio were: 1.87 vs 1.70 mg/g, 1.23 vs 1.01 mg/g, and 25 vs 26% for the cholesterol vs cholesterol + triol groups, respectively. These values are similar to published values at this duration and level of cholesterol feeding and are not statistically significantly different from each other. Aortic accumulation of calcium in the cholesterol + triol group was 1.16 ± 0.35 mg/g, whereas in the cholesterol-fed group it was 0.82 ± 0.27 mg/g, an increase of 42% ( P > 0.02). Coronary artery atherosclerosis, as measured by percent mean lumenal stenosis, was 5.23% ± 5.4, in the cholesterol + triol group as compared to 2.80% ± 1.4 in the cholesterol group, an increase of 87% ( P
Assay for free salicylic acid in individual capsules and tablets of aspirin or aspirin containing medicinals.

A procedure is described by which individual capsules or tablets of aspirin containing medicinals can be conveniently and accurately assayed for salicylic acid. Each unit, including the capsule or any tablet coating, is extracted with alcohol and subsequently diluted with water. The salicylic acid absorbance at 300 mμ is measured employing an appropriate aspirin containing reference solution. Results obtained with known amounts of added salicylic acid give satisfactory reproducibility; average discrepancy from known content of salicylic acid is 0.4 per cent. While the procedure is designed principally for following appearance of free salicylic acid, as aspirin containing medicinals age or deteriorate, it is applicable down to allowable limits in marketed aspirin and APC products.
Computational Cost and Accuracy in Calculating Three-Dimensional Radiative Transfer: Results for New Implementations of Monte Carlo and SHDOM

This paper examines the tradeoffs between computational cost and accuracy for two new state-of-the-art codes for computing three-dimensional radiative transfer: a community Monte Carlo model and a parallel implementation of the Spherical Harmonics Discrete Ordinate Method (SHDOM). Both codes are described and algorithmic choices are elaborated. Two prototype problems are considered: a domain filled with stratocumulus clouds and another containing scattered shallow cumulus, absorbing aerosols, and molecular scatterers. Calculations are performed for a range of resolutions and the relationships between accuracy and computational cost, measured by memory use and time to solution, are compared. Monte Carlo accuracy depends primarily on the number of trajectories used in the integration. Monte Carlo estimates of intensity are computationally expensive and may be subject to large sampling noise from highly peaked phase functions. This noise can be decreased using a range of variance reduction techniques, but these techniques can compromise the excellent agreement between the true error and estimates obtained from unbiased calculations. SHDOM accuracy is controlled by both spatial and angular resolution; different output fields are sensitive to different aspects of this resolution, so the optimum accuracy parameters depend on which quantities are desired as well as on the characteristics of the problem being solved. The accuracy of SHDOM must be assessed through convergence tests and all results from unconverged solutions may be biased. SHDOM is more efficient (i.e., has lower error for a given computational cost) than Monte Carlo when computing pixel-by-pixel upwelling fluxes in the cumulus scene, whereas Monte Carlo is more efficient in computing flux divergence and downwelling flux in the stratocumulus scene, especially at higher accuracies. The two models are comparable for downwelling flux and flux divergence in cumulus and upwelling flux in stratocumulus. SHDOM is substantially more efficient when computing pixel-by-pixel intensity in multiple directions; the models are comparable when computing domain-average intensities. In some cases memory use, rather than computation time, may limit the resolution of SHDOM calculations.
“Thermodynamical formalism” for an infinite hierarchy of fractal resistor networks

where N is the number of resistors. We find a generic phase transition at/3 =/3c = -1. Also, we develop a transfer matrix technique which determines all even positive moments. The thermodynamical formalism is applied to the Hilfer-Blumen hierarchy of generalized Sierpinski gasket fractal networks, and the crossover from fractal to lattice behavior is studied. At this crossover we find a sharp phase transition in the second moment (/3 = 2).
Host Colonization and Pathogenesis in Plant Diseases Caused by Fastidious Xylem-Inhabiting Bacteria

The diversity of plant pathogenic bacteria capable of colonizing plant xylem is astounding. They are represented in almost every genus containing bacterial plant pathogens and incite diseases characterized by symptoms such as wilts, cankers, soft rots, leaf spots, galls, blights, declines, stunts, and leaf marginal necroses (Hayward 1974; Van Alfen 1982). Included among these xylem colonizers are bacteria with exacting nutritional and physiological requirements for growth as evidenced by their inability to grow in vitro on media commonly used for cultivation of plant pathogenic bacteria (Davis et al 1981). These bacteria are collectively referred to as fastidious xylem-inhabiting bacteria (FXB).
Merged Near-Infrared and White-Light Imaging in Minimally Invasive Surgery

Dear Editor, We read with interest the review article entitled ‘‘NearInfrared Fluorescence Imaging for Real-Time Intraoperative Anatomical Guidance in Minimally Invasive Surgery: A Systematic Review of the literature’’ by Schols et al. [1] Although we applaud the authors’ extensive literature review and thoughtful discussion, the authors incorrectly state that merged near-infrared (NIR) and whitelight (WL) image capabilities have not been incorporated into a laparoscopic or robotic platform. I respectfully refer them to a growing body of literature using the Pinpoint and Firefly systems (Novadaq Technologies, Mississauga, ON, Canada), both of which are designed specifically for merging NIR to WL images in laparoscopic and robotic surgery, respectively [2–4]. Merged WL and NIR imaging is the key to providing surgeons with truly augmented vision and the aforementioned commercially available systems very effectively allow for real-time minimally invasive surgery with a seamlessly superimposed fluorescence overlay.
Keeping Narcissism at Bay: Kant and Schiller on the Sublime

This essay considers the sublime as a veiled form of narcissism. Both narcissism and the sublime test and reveal the limits of the concept of the self and both can be viewed as attempts to transcend the borders of the self. Yet while narcissism has been defined as a “failure of spiritual ascent” (Hadot), the sublime has been used to transcend the limitations of the self by pointing to its infinite potential. The essay explores how the sublime in Immanuel Kant’s and Friedrich Schiller’s aesthetics relies on narcissistic impulses by creating a male inner self and protecting it from the stigma of vanity. I propose that their use of this aesthetic category helped objectify an essentially subjectivist aesthetics. Yet while Schiller follows Kant in deriding the sensual aspects of human nature as egotistical and amoral, Schiller’s dramas also challenge some of the Kantian premises. When Schiller’s protagonists sacrifice lives in the service of ethical ideas, the sublime’s oppressive spirit reveals itself.
Cross Talk Between Angiotensin AT1 and α1-Adrenergic Receptors : Angiotensin II Downregulates α1a-Adrenergic Receptor Subtype mRNA and Density in Neonatal Rat Cardiac Myocytes

Signaling mediated by the angiotensin (Ang) II and alpha1-adrenergic receptor (alpha1-AR) pathways is important for cardiovascular homeostasis. However, it is unknown whether Ang II has any direct effect on alpha1-AR expression and signaling in cardiac myocytes. In the present study, we determined alpha1-AR subtype mRNA levels by RNase protection; receptor density by competition binding with 5-methylurapidil; and alpha1-AR-mediated c-fos expression by Northern blot analysis. We found that Ang II had no effect on alpha1b- and alpha1d-AR mRNA levels but decreased the alpha1a-AR mRNA level in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The maximal effect occurred at 6 hours with 100 nmol/L Ang II (40.0+/-8.2% reduction, n=4, P<.01). The decrease in alpha1a-AR mRNA level induced by Ang II is mediated by the Ang II AT1 receptor subtype and is associated with decreased stability of alpha1a-AR mRNA. Corresponding to the changes in the alpha1a-AR mRNA level, Ang II (100 nmol/L, 24 hours) reduced the density of high-affinity sites for 5-methylurapidil (alpha1A-AR) by 29% (56.5+/-6.4 versus 79.0+/-11.6 fmol/mg protein, n=4, P<.05). Alpha1-AR-stimulated c-fos induction, which could be blocked by 5-methylurapidil but not by chloroethylclonidine, was attenuated by Ang II preincubation (100 nmol/L, 24 hours). We conclude that there is previously undescribed cross talk between AT1 receptors and alpha1-ARs. Ang II selectively downregulates alpha1a-AR subtype mRNA and its corresponding receptor as well as alpha1a-AR-mediated expression of the immediate-early gene c-fos in cardiac myocytes.
Modelling cost-effectiveness of Helicobacter pylori screening to prevent gastric cancer: a mandate for clinical trials

Summary Background It is unknown whether eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection prevents development of gastric adenocarcinoma. To determine whether screening and treatment trials are warranted, we conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis to estimate the costs and benefits associated with screening for H pylori at age 50 and treating those individuals infected with antibiotics. Methods We compared two interventions: (1) screen for H pylori and treat those with a positive test, and (2) do not screen and do not treat. Estimates of risks and costs were obtained by review of published reports. Since the efficacy of H pylori therapy in cancer prevention is unknown, we did sensitivity analyses, varying this estimate widely. In our base-case analysis, we assumed that H pylori treatment prevented 30% of attributable gastric cancers. Findings In the base-case analysis, 11 646 000 persons in the US would be screened and 4 658 400 treated, at a cost of $996 million. Cost-effectiveness was $25 000 per year of life saved. Cost-effectiveness was sensitive to the efficacy of the cancer prevention strategy. At low efficacy rates ( $75 000 per year of life saved). In a high-risk group such as Japanese-Americans, however, screening and treatment required less than $50 000 per year of life saved, even at 5% treatment efficacy. Interpretation Screening and treatment for H pylori infection is potentially cost-effective in the prevention of gastric cancer, particularly in high-risk populations. Cancer prevention trials are strongly recommended.
THE CREATION OF DESIGN MODULES FOR USE IN ENGINEERING DESIGN EDUCATION

Industry demands that graduating engineers possess the ability to solve complex problems requiring multidisciplinary approaches and systems-level thinking. Unfortunately, current curricula often focus on analytical approaches to problem solving. Further, adding courses focused solely on engineering design is often unachievable due to the large amount of material covered in today’s undergraduate engineering curricula. Combined, these prevent a comprehensive focus on engineering design education from being realized. To overcome these time and resource constraints, this paper proposes the use of computational modules within current courses. The investigators hypothesize that the modules would eliminate the repetitive analysis barrier in design problems, thus allowing for design-related experiences to be included earlier in the curricula as opposed to postponing it to a capstone experience. Four major hurdles that hinder successful integration of modules in current engineering courses are: a) engaging students such that they will want to use the modules; b) ensuring the modules are easy to use; c) reducing the complexity of deploying the modules into the classroom; and d) providing educational value. To address these issues, this paper treats the design of the modules as a product design problem. This paper presents the redesign process followed to improve two different design modules planned for implementation in the engineering curriculum at North Carolina State University. Additionally, this research indicates that using a formal redesign process enhances a module’s ability to overcome the hurdles listed above.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): A Review of Conventional and Alternative Treatments

Gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), a common disorder in the Western world, can lead to complications that include esophageal stricture and esophageal adenocarcinoma. Multiple challenges are associated with GERD treatment. First, lack of symptoms does not correlate with the absence of or the healing of esophageal lesions. Second, proton pump inhibitors, the current standard of care for GERD, are ineffective for the majority of GERD patients who have non-erosive disease. This article discusses these challenges, investigates the mechanisms of damage in GERD, and explores the existing data on unconventional forms of treatment, including melatonin, acupuncture, botanicals, and dietary interventions.
Be Careful What You Ask for: Navigating a Remand after You've Won the Appeal

Article about what to do after you've won an appeal and the appellate court has remanded for new proceedings. Includes original research about the preferences of trial judges who have been reversed and must rule on post-appeal matters. Covers the appellate mandate, jurisdiction, deadlines, and discretion of the lower court.
Nareerux Redux: The Ontario Court of Appeal Fashions Novel Letter of Credit Law

This paper discusses issues raised by what one must hope is the now infamous case of Nareerux Import Co. v. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, which the Ontario Court of Appeal has now affirmed in large part. This commentator’s criticism of the Ontario Superior Court’s judgment appeared at 24 Banking & Finance Law Review 551 (2009), and this paper has been submitted to the same journal for publication. Happily, the Ontario Court of Appeal reversed the lower court’s obvious error in failing to apply the ICC’s Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits to credits that incorporated the Uniform Customs explicitly; but, sadly, the Court of Appeal, followed the lower court’s lead in adding good faith observance and fiduciary duties to the issuer’s duties under the credit. The facts disclose that the beneficiary of the credits that enjoys the more than $10 million dollar benefit of these decidedly un-commercial judgments had engaged in the most supine commercial behavior. Yet, moved by concerns that reflect gross lack of appreciation for the realities of commercial letter of credit transactions, the courts have fashioned letter of credit law for Ontario that may raise the cost of letters in that important Canadian province with no discernible benefit to commercial parties.
Stochastic bilateral filter for high-dimensional images

We propose a stochastic bilateral filter (SBF) — fast image filtering aimed at processing high dimensional images (such as color and hy-perspectral images). SBF is comprised of an efficient randomized process, where it agrees with conventional bilateral filter (BF) on average. By Monte-Carlo, we repeat this process a few times with different random instantiations so that they can be averaged to attain the correct BF output. The computational bottleneck of the SBF is constant with respect to the color dimension, meaning the complexity for filtering hyperspectral images is nearly the same as the grayscale images. It is considerably faster than the conventional and existing “fast” bilateral filter implementations.
Interactions of sarin with polyelectrolyte membranes: a molecular dynamics simulation study

Nanostructured polyelectrolyte membranes (PEMs), which are widely used as permselective diffusion barriers in fuel cell technologies and electrochemical processing, are considered as protective membranes suitable for blocking warfare toxins, including water-soluble nerve agents such as sarin. In this article, we examine the mechanisms of sorption and diffusion of sarin in hydrated PEMs by means of atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. Three PEMs are considered: Nafion, sulfonated polystyrene (sPS) that forms the hydrophilic subphase of segregated sPS-polyolefin block copolymers, and random sPS-polyethylene copolymer. We found that sarin concentrates at the interface between the hydrophilic and hydrophobic subphases of hydrated Nafion acting as a surfactant. In hydrated sPS, where the scale of water-polymer segregation is much smaller (1-2 nm), sarin also interacts favorably with hydrophobic and hydrophilic components. Water diffusion slows as the sarin content increases despite the overall increase in solvent content, which suggests that sarin and water have somewhat different pathways through the segregated membrane. Upon replacement of counterions of monovalent potassium with those of divalent calcium, sarin diffusion slows but remains substantial in all ionomers considered, especially at high sarin concentrations. The behavior of sarin is similar to that of its common simulant, dimethyl methylphosphonate.
Ge Nanocrystals Grown on Si(111) by Molecular Beam Epitaxy with and without CaF2 Buffer Layers

The Stranski-Krastanov growth mode of Ge thin films on Si and the clustering behavior of Ge on calcium fluoride have been exploited to grow self-assembled nanocrystals by molecular beam epitaxy. The growth of the samples was monitored in situ with RHEED, and they were analyzed ex situ with AFM and RBS. For each system (Ge/Si and Ge/CaF2/Si), the dependence of Ge islanding on substrate temperature and on substrate misorientation was studied. When grown on Si(111) at temperatures between 500°C and 700°C, Ge clusters nucleated at step edges on vicinal wafers and nucleated homogeneously on on-axis wafers. Above 600°C, no transition to a spotty RHEED pattern, which would be expected for island growth, was observed for the vicinal samples. Ge grown at 500°C on on-axis Si(111) formed islands with a relatively narrow size distribution, typically 160nm in diameter and 10nm to 20nm in height. When grown on a CaF2 buffer layer, Ge islands nucleated homogeneously at a substrate temperature of 750°C, resulting in randomly distributed, oblate crystallites approximately 100nm to 200nm in diameter. At 650°C and 700°C, although we still observed many randomly distributed, small crystallites, most islands nucleated at step bunches and had a length scale of over 500nm.
MODELING INERT GAS DISTRIBUTION IN COMMERCIAL TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT FUEL TANKS

Full-scale fuel tank inerting testing is being conducted on a ground based Boeing 747SP by the Federal Aviation Administration. Several methods of modeling inert gas distribution, in terms of oxygen concentration evolution, are being studied in an attempt to develop inexpensive tools for designing efficient inert gas deposit systems for commercial transport airplane fuel tanks. Results showed that an inexpensive scale test article and a simple engineering computational model were effective at predicting the inert gas distribution of the 747SP compartmentalized center wing fuel tank with highly localized inert gas deposit. The limited Computational Fluid Dynamics data available illustrates this method of predicting inert gas evolution through the tank has some limitations. The engineering model was less accurate when predicting trends of the inerting process for multiple-bay deposit points when compared with the scale tank test results.
P10.02UTERINE CARCINOSARCOMA WITH PARANEOPLASTIC CEREBELLAR DEGENERATION: CASE ANALYSIS WITH LITERATURE REVIEW.

INTRODUCTION: Paraneoplastic neurologic syndromes (PNS), a heterogeneous group of oncologic immune-mediated neurologic disorders, often antedate cancer diagnosis. PNS recognition results in early cancer screening/treatment. Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration (PCD) is an aggressive/debilitating/fatal PNS characterized by pancerebellar symptoms – progressive ataxia/dysarthria/nystagmus/vertigo. PCD is predominantly associated with breast/gynecologic cancers. Though 12 onconeural antibodies are implicated in PCD, anti-Yo antibody is the most common/specific antibody seen in PCD. We present the first case of anti-Yo PCD associated with uterine carcinosarcoma. METHOD: Case analysis. CASE: 78yo female presented with month-long history of ataxia/gait instability/falls and abrupt onset diplopia/nausea/vomiting without fever/syncope/headache /dysarthria. Past medical history was significant for right breast T1 N0 invasive ductal carcinoma s/p partial mastectomy and adjuvant whole breast radiation that occurred 1 year prior to presentation. Neurologic exam revealed intact language/comprehension, left sixth cranial nerve palsy, truncal/limb ataxia, bilateral horizontal nystagmus, and symmetric 3+ deep tendon reflexes without focal deficits or dystonia noted. Routine blood work was unremarkable. Brain MRI with/without contrast noted no evidence of metastatic disease/demyelinating process/hemorrhage/infarction. She declined CSF studies. Within two months, she developed dysarthria/dysphagia and was unable to stand without assistance due to progressive ataxia. PNS laboratory evaluation yielded high titer of anti-Yo antibody (1/245,760) with positive Western blot assay as the only onconeural antibody. Chest/abdomen/pelvis CT scan demonstrated multiple soft tissue lesions in the omentum with bilateral sub-centimeter pulmonary nodules. Tumor marker analysis noted elevated CA-125/CA-27.29/CA-15.3. CT guided biopsy of omental lesions revealed poorly differentiated carcinosarcoma. Immunohistochemistry confirmed malignant stage IV uterine carcinosarcoma. Chemotherapy with IVIG was initiated. Though tumor burden size decreased, PCD progressed (bedbound, increased anti-Yo antibody titers). Rapid neurologic decline required hospice 8 months after PCD diagnosis associated with uterine carcinosarcoma. She died 1 month later. CONCLUSIONS: This case confirms anti-Yo PCD association with uterine carcinosarcoma. PCD requires early cancer screening/treatment and aggressive multi-modal immunotherapy interventions. Clinicians should have a low threshold for PCD. Double primary cancers must be considered. Prospective trials addressing anti-Yo PCD therapeutic interventions, illness progression, associated cancer, double primary, and survival are indicated. Clinicians require further education regarding PCD and other PNS.
Computational Inferences of the Functions of Alternative/Noncanonical Splice Isoforms Specific to HER2+/ER-/PR- Breast Cancers, a Chromosome 17 C-HPP Study.

This study was conducted as a part of the Chromosome-Centric Human Proteome Project (C-HPP) of the Human Proteome Organization. The main objective is to identify and evaluate functionality of a set of specific noncanonical isoforms expressed in HER2-neu positive, estrogen receptor negative (ER−), and progesterone receptor negative (PR−) breast cancers (HER2+/ER–/PR– BC), an aggressive subtype of breast cancers that cause significant morbidity and mortality. We identified 11 alternative splice isoforms that were differentially expressed in HER2+/ER–/PR– BC compared to normal mammary, triple negative breast cancer and triple positive breast cancer tissues (HER2+/ER+/PR+). We used a stringent criterion that differentially expressed noncanonical isoforms (adjusted p value < 0.05) and have to be expressed in all replicates of HER2+/ER–/PR– BC samples, and the trend in differential expression (up or down) is the same in all comparisons. Of the 11 protein isoforms, six were overexpressed in HER2+/ER–/PR– BC. We ...
Infected Congenital Neck Lesions

Congenital neck lesions can present as asymptomatic neck masses, but they also frequently get infected and present as deep neck infections that are important to distinguish from suppurative lymphadenitis or infections along fascial planes. Congenital neck lesions frequently involved in infectious processes include thyroglossal duct cysts, branchial cleft cysts, sinuses and fistulae, dermoid cysts, preauricular sinuses, thymic cysts, laryngoceles and lymphatic malformations. The types of infectious pathogens found in each lesion, as well as their medical and surgical management, vary depending on their embryology. Diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to the most common congenital neck lesions are presented here and discussed in the context of various infectious processes.
Future therapeutic options for patients with Waldenström macroglobulinemia.

Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM) is a rare lymphoma characterized by the accumulation of IgM-producing lymphoplasmacytic cells. Although WM patients can experience prolonged remissions, the disease invariably recurs. Therefore, novel treatments associated with higher success rates and lower toxicity profiles are needed. The discovery of recurrent mutations in the MYD88 and CXCR4 genes has unraveled potential therapeutic targets in WM patients. As a result of these findings and based on the design and execution of a prospective clinical trial, the FDA granted approval to ibrutinib, an oral Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, to treat patients with symptomatic WM. The present review focuses on potential therapies that could change the landscape of treatment of patients with WM, specifically focusing on inhibitors or antagonists or the proteasome, BTK, CD38, BCL2 and the CXCR4 and MYD88 genes themselves. Novel agents with novel mechanisms of action should be evaluated in the context of carefully designed clinical trials.
Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy: Pros and Cons

The laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) has now become the most frequently performed weight-loss procedure in the world. Most consider the laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) the “gold standard” weight-loss procedure; however, there is argument that the LSG is the new standard as there are many positives and few disadvantages [1].
Using Civil and Disability Rights History to Encourage Social Equity

From the inception of the United States, there have been movements to reform society. Starting in the early nineteenth century, Americans have advocated for gender, racial, and most recently same sex marriage rights. All of these movements have had different constituencies, but they all have a common theme, a desire to be treated more equitably within American society.
Fibrin biomaterials for tissue regeneration and repair

Fibrin is an integral part of the clotting cascade and is formed by polymerization of the soluble plasma protein fibrinogen. Following the stimulation of the coagulation cascade, thrombin activates fibrinogen, which binds to adjacent fibrin(ogen) molecules resulting in the formation of an insoluble fibrin matrix. This fibrin network is the primary protein component in clots and subsequently provides a scaffold for infiltrating cells during tissue repair. Due to its role in hemostasis and tissue repair, fibrin has been used extensively as a tissue sealant. This chapter first provides an overview of the structure and function of fibrin(ogen) and details the role of fibrin-cell interactions in wound repair. The design and use of fibrin-based materials for promoting tissue repair is also discussed.
Addendum to: Heterogeneity Coefficients for Mahalanobis' D as a Multivariate Effect Size.

In a previous paper (Del Giudice, 2017 [Heterogeneity coefficients for Mahalanobis' D as a multivariate effect size. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 52, 216–221]), I proposed two heterogeneity co...
A Five-Level Flying Capacitor Multilevel Converter With Integrated Auxiliary Power Supply and Start-Up

This paper presents a five-level flying capacitor multilevel (FCML) converter with an integrated auxiliary power converter to supply power to the controller and gate drive circuitry. The auxiliary power converter is sourced from within the FCML converter at a naturally occurring low-voltage node, reducing the voltage rating requirements by 75% and thus the size of the auxiliary converter. The auxiliary load current drawn from the FCML converter induces an imbalance in the flying capacitors, which is detrimental to the capacitor and switch ratings if left unchecked. To compensate for this imbalance, an active-balancing method is proposed that adjusts the phase and duty cycle of the traditional phase-shifted pulsewidth modulated control signals. The active balancing requires only a single capacitor voltage measurement and proportional control with no additional hardware components. A start-up circuit is proposed to power the auxiliary power supply and soft-start the FCML converter. Experimental results have been demonstrated with an experimental prototype resulting in an excellent flying capacitor balancing and FCML start-up.
OSM potentiates preintravasation events, increases CTC counts, and promotes breast cancer metastasis to the lung

Systemic and chronic inflammatory conditions in patients with breast cancer have been associated with reduced patient survival and increased breast cancer aggressiveness. This paper characterizes the role of an inflammatory cytokine, oncostatin M (OSM), in the preintravasation aspects of breast cancer metastasis. OSM expression levels in human breast cancer tissue samples were assessed using tissue microarrays, and expression patterns based on clinical stage were assessed. To determine the in vivo role of OSM in breast cancer metastasis to the lung, we used three orthotopic breast cancer mouse models, including a syngeneic 4T1.2 mouse mammary cancer model, the MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer xenograft model, and an OSM-knockout (OSM-KO) mouse model. Progression of metastatic disease was tracked by magnetic resonance imaging and bioluminescence imaging. Endpoint analysis included circulating tumor cell (CTC) counts, lung metastatic burden analysis by qPCR, and ex vivo bioluminescence imaging. Using tissue microarrays, we found that tumor cell OSM was expressed at the highest levels in ductal carcinoma in situ. This finding suggests that OSM may function during the earlier steps of breast cancer metastasis. In mice bearing MDA-MB-231-Luc2 xenograft tumors, peritumoral injection of recombinant human OSM not only increased metastases to the lung and decreased survival but also increased CTC numbers. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a gp130 family inflammatory cytokine has been shown to directly affect CTC numbers. Using a 4T1.2 syngeneic mouse model of breast cancer, we found that mice bearing 4T1.2-shOSM tumors with knocked down tumor expression of OSM had reduced CTCs, decreased lung metastatic burden, and increased survival compared with mice bearing control tumors. CTC numbers were further reduced in OSM-KO mice bearing the same tumors, demonstrating the importance of both paracrine- and autocrine-produced OSM in this process. In vitro studies further supported the hypothesis that OSM promotes preintravasation aspects of cancer metastasis, because OSM induced both 4T1.2 tumor cell detachment and migration. Collectively, our findings suggest that OSM plays a crucial role in the early steps of metastatic breast cancer progression, resulting in increased CTCs and lung metastases as well as reduced survival. Therefore, early therapeutic inhibition of OSM in patients with breast cancer may prevent breast cancer metastasis.
Built-Up Beams: Plate Girders

A plate girder is distinguished from a rolled beam by the web slenderness ratio h/t w . When spans are long and loads are relatively large, it is more economical to use plate girders rather than rolled sections. With the introduction of railroads in the middle of the nineteenth century, riveted plate girders were commonly used in bridge designs spanning 50 to 150 ft. Later with the introduction of welding, riveted plate girders became less and less frequently used. Plate girders may have a constant section throughout their span or a variable section. Several plate girder sections are shown in Figure 9.1
K+p elastic scattering at 7.3 GeV/c

Abstract A study of K+p elastic scattering at 7.3 GeV/c has yielded a cross section of 3.86 ± 0.38 mb. For events produced in the forward direction, a diffractive peak is observed which fits the distribution (dσ/dt) = (dσ/dt)0exp (αt + βt2) with (dσ/dt)0 = (20.6 + 2.6) mb/(GeV/c2, α = (5.46 ±_0.29)(GeV/c)-2 an β = (0.38 ± 0.25)(GeV/c)-4. The ratio |Re ƒ(0)/Im ƒ (0)| for the forward scattering amplitude is 0.60 ± 0.14. One elastic scatter was found in the backward direction.