cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On the Preferred Period of Upper Wind Fluctuations During the Summer Monsoon.

Abstract A nonlinear model in a three-component Fourier system is used to investigate the sensitivity of tropospheric response to varying the period of a transient diabatic heat source. The heating perturbation is prescribed as an external forcing with the same amplitude over a wide period range of 8 to 40 days. In the monsoon region the response of upper tropospheric motions is most pronounced in the 12–16 day period range. This preferred period appears to correspond fairly well with that of monsoonal rainfall fluctuations over India. Over the central Pacific, the upper tropospheric response exhibits weak maxima at 12 and 40 days.
Extraction of DNA from Malaria-Infected Erythrocytes Using Isotachophoresis

We demonstrate a technique for purification of nucleic acids from malaria parasites infecting human erythrocytes using isotachophoresis (ITP). We release nucleic acids from malaria-infected erythrocytes by lysing with heat and proteinase K for 10 min and immediately, thereafter, load sample onto a capillary device. We study the effect of temperature on lysis efficiency. We also implement pressure-driven counterflow during ITP extraction to extend focusing time and increase nucleic acid yield. We show that the purified genomic DNA samples are compatible with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and demonstrate a clinically relevant limit of detection of 0.5 parasites per nanoliter using quantitative PCR.
Development of in vitro fertilized oocytes from pregnant and nonpregnant cows in oviductal epithelial and cumulus cell co-culture systems

Abstract The objectives of this study were 1) to measure cleavage, blastocyst formation, and blastocyst hatching after in vitro maturation (IVM), fertilization (IVF) and culture (IVC) of oocytes aspirated from pregnant versus nonpregnant cows, and 2) to compare embryo development in co-culture with bovine oviductal epithelial cells versus cumulus cells. No differences in cleavage (38 versus 40%), blastocyst formation (13 versus 13%), or blastocyst hatching (53 versus 51%) were observed for in vitro-matured, fertilized, and cultured oocytes from pregnant versus nonpregnant cows, respectively (P > 0.05), indicating that nonpregnant and early-pregnant cows are equally acceptable donors of oocytes for IVM/IVF/IVC procedures. Cleavage (36 versus 40%), blastocyst formation (11 versus 12%), and blastocyst hatching (50 versus 55%) were not different for embryos co-cultured with oviductal epithelial cells versus cumulus cells (P > 0.05). Thus, equivalent embryo development can be obtained with co-culture systems commonly used for in vitro-derived bovine embryos. These results help to define variables that affect comparison of results across laboratories and that are relevant to the practical application of IVM/IVF/IVC procedures to cattle.
Snowmelt‐induced diel fluxes through the hyporheic zone

[1] Snowmelt processes result in diel fluctuations in streamflow and stream stage that propagate into riparian aquifers and cause a daily pumping of the hyporheic zone. This diel pumping was observed in stream stage and water table records collected in Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park, California. A model was developed using Fourier analysis to represent the stream stage fluctuations and a solution to the 1-D, linearized Boussinesq equation for groundwater flow. The modeling demonstrates that a substantial volume of water is pumped in and out of the aquifer via this process on a daily basis. In addition, since the snowmelt-induced groundwater fluctuations exhibit both reduced amplitudes and increased time lags at distances away from the stream, the model can be used to estimate the hydraulic parameters of the riparian aquifer. Snowmelt-induced hyporheic pumping may have implications for biogeochemical processes in the hyporheic zone and may provide important ecosystem services related to water filtration, thermal buffering, nutrient cycling, and water quality. Consideration should be given to recognizing, quantifying, and monitoring snowmelt-induced pumping of the hyporheic zone and the ecosystem services it provides since climate and land use changes may alter the magnitude of this process in the future.
Primary afferent projections of the major splanchnic nerve to the spinal cord and gracile nucleus of the cat

Splanchnic afferent projections to the spinal cord and gracile nucleus were labeled following the application of HRP to the central cut end of the major splanchnic nerve. Labeled afferent fibers were detected in the ipsilateral dorsal column, in Lissauer's tract (LT), in laminae 1, 5, 7, and 10, and in the dorsal gray commissure at T1-T13 levels of the spinal cord. Afferent projections were not identified in laminae 2-4. Collaterals from LT projected ventrally along the lateral and medial margins of the dorsal horn (called lateral and medial pathways, respectively). Afferents in the lateral pathway formed small bundles, spaced rostrocaudally at intervals of 300-1,000 microns, which passed medially at the base of the dorsal horn into laminae 5, 7, and 10 and to the contralateral spinal cord. Some afferents in the lateral pathway projected to the intermediolateral nucleus where labeled sympathetic preganglionic neurons were located. Afferents in the medial pathway entered the lateral aspect of the dorsal column and projected as a group near the midline rostrally to the medulla. The dorsal column pathway terminated in the ventral gracile nucleus in four or five clusters, each occupying a region ranging in size from 0.01-0.1 mm3 and separated in the rostrocaudal axis by distances of 400-800 microns. These clusters were concentrated in the middle and caudal portions of the nucleus below the obex. A comparison of the present results with those from earlier experiments on the central projections of afferent fibers from the heart, kidney, and pelvic organs demonstrates a consistent pattern of visceral afferent termination in the thoracolumbar and sacral segments of the spinal cord. This is not unexpected, since visceral afferent pathways to different organs perform similar functions, such as the transmission of nociceptive information and the initiation of autonomic reflexes.
The p-h Diagram and the Vapor-Compression Cycle

This paper reports that the representation of the p-h diagram for the thermodynamic vapor-compression cycle found in educational textbooks is misleading, and a suggestion for future presentation is made.
Random response of Duffing oscillator to periodic excitation with random disturbance

This paper discusses the random response of a non-linear Duffing oscillator subjected to a periodic excitation with random phase modulation. Effects of uncertainty in the periodic excitation and level of the system non-linearity on the response moments and non-Gaussian nature of the response caused by both the system non-linearity and the non-Gaussian loading are investigated. Results are presented in terms of the second- and the fourth-order moments as well as the excess factor of the response and some results are compared with those from the Monte Carlo simulation. An iterated linearisation technique is proposed to improve the accuracy of the numerical results for strongly non-linear systems.
On the numerical solution of the drift wave equations by means of invariant imbedding

Abstract The method of invariant imbedding is applied to solve the system of differential equations for the collisionless drift wave in a sheared magnetic field in the case of finite β i . Eigenvalues and eigenfunctions are found. Invariant imbedding is found to be fast and accurate, overcoming the precision problems inherent in the ordinary shooting method.
Clinical outcomes after the arterial switch operation for transposition. Patient, support, procedural, and institutional risk factors. Congenital Heart Surgeons Society.

BACKGROUNDAs the probability increases that the arterial switch operation is optimal treatment for transposition, detailed information about outcomes and the circumstances in which they are suboptimal becomes important.METHODS AND RESULTSA multi-institutional prospective study with annual detailed follow-up included 513 neonates with simple transposition or transposition and ventricular septal defect entering for diagnosis and treatment at or = 3 months after the operation, four had severe ventricular dysfunction, probably related to imperfect coronary arterial transfer. Coexisting single ventricular septal defect was not a risk factor for death. Origin of the left main coronary artery or only the left anterior descending...
Catalytic decomposition of benzothiophenic and dibenzothiophenic sulfones over MgO-based catalysts

Abstract Bulk and supported MgO based catalysts with weight loadings from 3 to 30 wt% were prepared by wet impregnation (WI) and sol–gel (SG) methods and tested for sulfone decomposition to sulfur-free hydrocarbon in real and surrogate liquid hydrocarbon fuels. The catalysts were characterized by BET analysis, XRD measurements,CO2–chemisorption and XPS. Among bulk MgO, MgO/Al2O3 (WI) and MgO/SiO2 (WI) catalysts, activity for sulfone decomposition was greatly influenced by crystallite size of MgO. Increasing calcination temperature increased MgO crystallite size which adversely affected catalytic activity. 30MgO/SiO2 (WI) showed the highest activity for decomposition of sulfones both in real jet and diesel fuels. The effect of temperature on decomposition of benzothiophenic and dibenzothiophenic sulfones over 30MgO/SiO2 (WI) was examined from 320 to 450 °C using (pre-oxidized) JP-5 jet fuel and BP-325 diesel fuel to elucidate the difference in decomposition activity of two and three ring sulfones. At 450 °C, about 77% of the dibenzothiophenic sulfones in BP-325 diesel fuel were decomposed over 30MgO/SiO2 catalysts. Benzothiophenic sulfones were more active for decomposition and about 97% of the sulfones in JP-5jet fuel were decomposed at 400 °C. In contrast to bulk MgO, MgO/Al2O3 (WI) and MgO/SiO2 (WI) catalysts; MgO/TiO2 (WI) and MgO/SiO2 (SG) promoted undesired conversion of sulfones back to sulfur compounds by oxygen removal. The difference in selectivity was attributed to the effect of support and synthesis procedure potentially resulting in catalyst with different surface properties. Model compounds decomposition of dibenzothiophenic sulfone and 3-methyl benzothiophene sulfone were also studied to evaluate the potential pathway from sulfones to sulfur-free hydrocarbons.
'Medical information science': insisting on a name can blunt its impact.

The idea that medical information science may constitute a discipline or a special entity in the configuration of academic endeavours in medicine is provocative, but it is superfluous. However, human beings being what they are with respect to their ambitions and their career needs, it is very probable that something called ‘medical information science’ will come to be, and certain practitioners will form organizations, titles, journals, and distinctions in that context. As one who has been involved with computers since very early days, I would like to submit an opinion: ‘medical information science’ would not exist in its present connotation were it not for the existence of computers. Like any other technology which is tool-driven, the essential concepts and the discovery of new understanding coalesce about the subject matter because of the physical tool. Prefix the notion of information processing with ‘medical’ and it seems to be unique. But the human processing of information formed the very essence of...
Multiple conductance states in single channels of variable resistance lipid bilayer membranes.

The properties of the cation-permeable excitability-inducing material (EIM) channels in lipid bilayer membranes have been investigated using membranes penetrated by only one to four active channel units. Under these conditions, individual channels may be observed to undergo on-off conductance transitions that may be correlated with the negative resistance characteristics of membranes having a large number of channels.
The use of phenylpropyl allophanate (AC 148) in the treatment of epilepsy.

Summary 1. Sixty-four epileptic patients, mostly children, who suffered with very frequent seizures were treated with phenylpropyl allophanate (AC 148). All of these patients had been refractory to treatment with maximum doses of many other anticonvulsants. 2. Forty-three patients with secondary (organic) epilepsy were treated with AC 148. The attacks were completely controlled in fifteen (35 per cent) and the number of seizures was reduced in 8 (18.5 per cent). 3. Only three (1.4 per cent) of the twenty-one patients with cryptogenic (idiopathic) epilepsy were favorably affected by the administration of AC 148. 4. No irreversible toxic reactions were encountered in any of the sixty-four patients who were given phenylpropyl allophanate (AC 148) for periods varying from six to eighteen months.
Experimental Investigation of Oxygen Addition to Fuel on Soot Formation in Laminar Coflow Diffusion Flames of Ethylene and Propane

Investigation of the effect of oxygen addition to fuel on the visible flame appearance and soot formation characteristics of laminar diffusion flames is important to gain comprehensive understanding of gas-phase combustion chemistry and its interaction with soot chemistry. This paper reports experimental results of oxygen addition to fuel on the visible flame height and soot volume fraction distributions in axisymmetric coflow laminar ethylene and propane diffusion flames at atmospheric flames. The carbon flow rate was maintained constant in all the experiments. Although many experimental studies have been conducted in the literature in this topic, the present investigation aimed at providing spatially resolved soot volume fraction distributions over the entire range of oxygen addition from no oxygen addition up to the point of flashback while keeping the carbon mass flow rate constant. The level of oxygen added to fuel right before flashback is about 45% (the percentage of oxygen addition is always by volume in this study) of the fuel flow rate in the ethylene flame and 300% of the fuel flow rate in the propane flame. As the added oxygen amount to ethylene increases, the visible flame height first increases. When the added oxygen flow rate is about 13% of the fuel flow rate, the flame becomes smoking, i.e., soot escapes from the flame tip. When the oxygen flow rate reaches about 42% of the fuel flow rate, the flame stops smoking. When oxygen was added to propane, the visible flame height linearly decreases with increasing the amount of oxygen. These very different effects of oxygen addition to ethylene and propane indicate that oxygen plays a drastically different role in the chemical pathways leading to soot formation in ethylene and propane flames. Distributions of soot volume fractions in these flames were measured using a 2D light attenuation technique coupled with the Abel inversion. The present study provides valuable experimental data for validating soot models.© 2006 ASME
Parallel-hat tempering: A Monte Carlo search scheme for the identification of low-energy structures

A new parallel-hat tempering algorithm has been developed for Monte Carlo simulations, in which a composite ensemble of noninteracting replicas of the molecule system at different temperatures is simulated, and the Markov process of each replica is driven by a hatlike weight factor with exponentially enhanced probability in both low- and high-energy regions. To test the algorithm, the methodology is applied to a homopolymeric protein chain located on a face-centered cubic lattice. We demonstrate that the ability of the current approach to search for low-energy molecule structures is significantly better than other Monte Carlo techniques found in the literature.
Thermal distribution of magnetic-loop induction hyperthermia in phantoms and animals: Effect of the living state and velocity of heating

Hyperthermia has shown promise for the treatment of cancer. The magnetrode radio-frequency magnetic-loop induction applicator was recently introduced and is being evaluated at many centers with encouraging initial results. This investigation was undertaken to delineate the thermal distribution patterns of magnetrode hyperthermia in both normal tissue phantoms and healthy dogs. Temperatures on homogeneous and heterogeneous tissue equivalents and animal tissue phantoms, a dead animal extremity, a dead dog and a live dog subjected to rapid high-dose heating showed preferential and potentially injurious peripheral heating with a central "cold spot." However, sequential moderate-dose heating in live dogs showed virtually uniform (less than 1 degree C) and potentially tumoricidal temperatures greater than or equal to 42 degrees C in both peripheral and central internal organs without injury to surface tissues. These data indicate that magnetic-loop induction can produce potentially safe and effective deep central heat in living, normal animals, but that safety and effectiveness are significantly influenced by the velocity of heat deposition. Furthermore, normal tissue phantom models and dead animals are unreliable predictors of magnetrode heat patterns in living systems.
CARDIOVASCULAR EFFECTS OF PROLONGED INSPIRATORY TIMES WITH CONTINUOUS POSITIVE PRESSURE VENTILATION (CPPV)

The use of prolonged inspiratory time with CPPV has been re-conmended for the management of infants with the Respiratory Distress Syndrome. The cardiovascular effects of such inspiratory to expiratory (I:E) ratios were investigated in 5 piglets, (age 6 to 10 days), under 0.25% halothane anesthesia and decamethonium paralysis. Heart rate (HR), aortic blood pressure (AoP), renal (RF), femoral (FF), and carotid (CF) blood flows were measured at three I:E ratios (1:2, 2:1, and 3:1), at each of three levels of positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP), (2, 5 and 10 cm H2O). The cardiovascular parameters at the 2:1 and 3:1 ratios were compared to those of the control of 1:2 while PEEP, peak pressure, respiratory rate, and ventilation remained constant. HR increased at both I:E ratios. Mean AoP exhibited variable changes at the 2:1 ratio, while at 3:1 there was a consistent decrease in AoP with maximum decrease of 17.8% at 10 cm PEEP. At the 3:1 ratio both RF and FF decreased at 5 and 10 cm PEEP. At the 2:1 ratio with 5 and 10 cm PEEP there was a decrease in CF ranging from 4.5% to 22.0%. CF decreased at 3:1 with all levels of PEEP with a mean decrease of 11.3% ± 1.6 at 5 cm and 13.3% ± 2.8 at 10 cm PEEP. These preliminary results indicate that adverse cardiovascular effects occur with the addition of prolonged inspiratory tines to CPPV.
Reaction of glyceraldehyde and glucose on Zn-modified Pt(1 1 1) surfaces

Abstract The high oxygen content and multiple functional groups in biomass-derived platform molecules like glucose provide a major challenge in biomass conversion to value-added fuels and chemicals. Understanding the role of multiple functionalities in the reaction on catalytically relevant surfaces, particularly with regard to deoxygenation chemistry, is paramount. In this study, temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) were utilized to identify the role of the multiple functionalities of glucose and model aldose glyceraldehyde in their reactions on Pt(1 1 1) and Zn-modified Pt(1 1 1) surfaces. Comparisons were drawn to similar data for model molecules acetaldehyde and glycolaldehyde. For all four molecules, dehydrogenation to form an acyl intermediate, followed by decarbonylation to form CO and H2 occurred on Pt(1 1 1). Also, with all molecules studied, addition of Zn to the Pt(1 1 1) surface caused an increase in the barrier for C–H and C–C bond scission resulting in stabilization of surface intermediates to much higher temperatures than on Pt(1 1 1). The Zn/Pt(1 1 1) surface was additionally found to be active for alcohol dissociation to form Zn-bound alkoxides, and in the case of polyols glyceraldehyde and glucose, these multiple alkoxide bonds geometrically prevented the η2(C,O) aldehyde bonding configuration and subsequent carbonyl deoxygenation that was observed with smaller C2 molecules acetaldehyde and glycolaldehyde. These results help elucidate the role of multiple alcohol functionalities in biomass-derived oxygenates in the reaction over catalytically relevant surfaces, and highlight the potential of using alloy effects (such as Zn-modification of Pt shown herein) to modify catalytic chemistry.
STUDIES IN HISTOCHEMISTRY : LVII. Determination of the Total Dry Mass of Human Erythrocytes by Interference Microscopy and X-ray Microradiography

The total dry mass of human erythrocytes was determined by both interference microscopy and x-ray microradiography. The determination of mass per unit area, and calculation of total dry mass per cell were simplified by changing the shape of the cells to spheres which were then flattened to discs of constant thickness when smeared on glass slides for measurement of fixed cells by interferometry, and to oblate spheroids when smeared on parlodion-coated slides for measurement of fixed cells by x-ray absorption. From x-ray measurements of 100 smeared and alcohol-fixed cells a mean dry mass per cell of 33.7 x 10 -12 g was obtained. Interference measurements of 100 fresh cells suspended in isotonic saline gave a mean value of 32.4 x 10 -12 g while interference measurement of 100 smeared and alcohol-fixed cells gave a mean value of 30.8 x 10 -12 g . The first two values compare well with a mean corpuscular hemoglobin of 31.2 x 10 -12 g , obtained from determinations of erythrocyte count and hemoglobin, since 95 per cent of the dry mass of the cell is hemoglobin. The difference in interference values between the fixed and fresh cells is possibly due to a difference between the specific refractive increment of alcohol-denatured hemoglobin and that of the unmodified substance. The value for the latter was used since that of the former is unknown.
Scattering of 10–30 keV H+, H2+ and H3+ from surfaces: Excited state composition and scattered H+ flux☆

Abstract An experimental study has been made of H and H+ scattering from metal surfaces under 10 to 30 keV H+, H2+ and h3+ bombardment. Light emission from the point of ion beam impact on the surface includes Doppler broadened lines from excited backscattered neutral projectiles. Slow recoils suffer radiationless de-excitation at the surface so that only fast recoils survive to emit photons; the coefficient for radiationless de-excitation is determined by analysis of the line shape. Using the measured de-excitation coefficient, we have predicted the excited backscattered flux as a function of incident projectile energy, and this agrees well with experiment. In a separate experiment we have measured directly the angular distribution of H+ scattered from a surface when an H+ beam is incident at an angle of 70° to the surface normal.
ELECTRONIC COMMUNITIES: A FORUM FOR SUPPORTING WOMEN PROFESSIONALS AND STUDENTS IN TECHNICAL AND SCIENTIFIC FIELDS

In this article, we report on electronic discussion lists (e-lists) sponsored by MentorNet, the National Electronic Industrial Mentoring Network for Women in Engineering and Science. Using the Internet, the MentorNet program connects students in engineering and science with mentors working in industry. These e-lists are a feature of MentorNet’s larger electronic mentoring program and were sponsored to foster the establishment of community among women engineering and science students and men and women professionals in those fields. This research supports the hypothesis that electronic communications can be used to develop community among engineering and science students and professionals and identifies factors influencing the emergence of electronic communities (e-communities). The e-lists that emerged into self-sustaining ecommunities were focused on topic-based themes, such as balancing personal and work life, issues pertaining to women in engineering and science, and job searching. These e-communities were perceived to be safe places, embraced a diversity of opinions and experiences, and sanctioned personal and meaningful postings on the part of the participants. The e-communities maintained three to four simultaneous threaded discussions and were sustained by professionals who served as facilitators by seeding the e-lists with discussion topics. The e-lists were sponsored to provide women students participating in MentorNet with access to groups of technical and scientific professionals. In addition to providing benefits to the students, the elists also provided the professionals with opportunities to engage in peer mentoring with other, mostly female, technical and scientific professionals. We discuss the implications of our findings for developing e-communities and for serving the needs of women in technical and scientific fields.
Microbiology and chemistry of acid lakes in Florida: II. Seasonal relationships

To determine relationships of chemistry and microbiology in lakes exposed to acid precipitation, three clear and two dark acid lakes on the Katharine Ordway Preserve near Gainesville, Florida were monitored from February 1986 to July 1987. Chemical measurements included Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC), pH, acidity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and nutrients. Bacterial densities, bacterial biomass, bacterial growth, bacterial assimilation of glucose, protozoan densities, and chlorophyll a were also measured. Rainfall and rainfall chemistry data were obtained from the Bradford Forest Acid Deposition station approximately 34 kilometers NNW of the preserve. Although rainfall pH and clear-lake pH were similar, there were no relationships between H+ deposition and clear-lake pH. There were no consistent or significant relationships between clear-lake pH and bacterial densities, bacterial biomass, chlorophyll a, or protozoan densities. Rainfall and acid deposition were both inversely related to glucose assimilation in surface water bacteria of clear lakes, indicating a stress of increased acid loading on the water column bacteria. Using both clear- and dark-lake measurements, a series of significant polynomial regressions between DOC and bacterial densities, bacterial biomass, bacterial growth, protozoan densities, and chlorophyll a were found. This suggested subsidy-stress relationships. As DOC increased to 20 mg Cl−1 the bacteria, protozoans, and chlorophyll a increased, a response to increased availability of substrate. Above 20 mg C l−1 as DOC increased the bacteria, protozoans, and chlorophyll a declined, a response to increased concentrations of toxic organic compounds such as phenols.
Choroidal Effusion as a Mechanism for Transient Myopia Induced by Hydrochlorothiazide and Triamterene

Purpose We treated a case of transient myopia in a patient being treated with hydrochlorothiazide and triamterene for tinnitus. Methods The patient underwent gonioscopic, ophthalmoscopic, and echographic examinations. Results Examination showed anterior chamber flattening and echography disclosed bilateral 360-degree shallow choroidal detachments. Conclusion All of the patient's symptoms and signs resolved after the cessation of drug therapy.
Use of the invasive management strategy for patients with non-Q-wave myocardial infarction: an observational database report from the Worcester Heart Attack Study.

Abstract Background Recent randomized clinical trials have suggested a benefit of an invasive management strategy in patients with acute coronary syndromes. However, the broader use and impact of the invasive management approach has not been established for patients with acute coronary syndromes beyond the relatively narrow patient populations studied in randomized, clinical trials. Methods Residents of the Worcester, Mass, area who were hospitalized with non-Q-wave acute myocardial infarction (AMI) at all area hospitals in 5 annual periods between 1990 and 1997 comprised the sample of interest (n = 2436). We examined the extent of use of an invasive versus a conservative strategy for hospital management, occurrence of clinical complications, and hospital mortality in patients with non-Q-wave AMI. Results An invasive approach to hospital management was used in only 30% of patients with non-Q-wave AMI, although there was an increase over time in the use of an invasive treatment strategy (18% in 1990 vs 33% in 1997). Factors associated with use of the invasive strategy were younger age, male sex, development of cardiogenic shock, as well as adjunctive medical treatment. Overall hospital mortality was high at 12%. Use of the invasive approach, aspirin, nitrates and β-blockers were associated in logistic regression modeling with significant improvements in survival. Conclusions An invasive approach to hospital management of non-Q-wave AMI was used infrequently in this population-based cohort during the 1990s. (Am Heart J 2002;143:1033-9.)
Radiobiological characterization of post-lumpectomy focal brachytherapy with lipid nanoparticle-carried radionuclides

Post-operative radiotherapy has commonly been used for early stage breast cancer to treat residual disease. The primary objective of this work was to characterize, through dosimetric and radiobiological modeling, a novel focal brachytherapy technique which uses direct intracavitary infusion of β-emitting radionuclides (186Re/188Re) carried by lipid nanoparticles (liposomes). Absorbed dose calculations were performed for a spherical lumpectomy cavity with a uniformly injected activity distribution using a dose point kernel convolution technique. Radiobiological indices were used to relate predicted therapy outcome and normal tissue complication of this technique with equivalent external beam radiotherapy treatment regimens. Modeled stromal damage was used as a measure of the inhibition of the stimulatory effect on tumor growth driven by the wound healing response. A sample treatment plan delivering 50 Gy at a therapeutic range of 2.0 mm for 186Re-liposomes and 5.0 mm for 188Re-liposomes takes advantage of the dose delivery characteristics of the β-emissions, providing significant EUD (58.2 Gy and 72.5 Gy for 186Re and 188Re, respectively) with a minimal NTCP (0.046%) of the healthy ipsilateral breast. Modeling of kidney BED and ipsilateral breast NTCP showed that large injected activity concentrations of both radionuclides could be safely administered without significant complications.
Role of the Glutathione Metabolic Pathway in Lung Cancer Treatment and Prognosis: A Review

Inherent and acquired drug resistance is a cause of chemotherapy failure, and pharmacogenomic studies have begun to define gene variations responsible for varied drug metabolism, which influences drug efficacy. Platinum-based compounds are the most commonly used chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of advanced stage lung cancer patients, and the glutathione metabolic pathway is directly involved in the detoxification or inactivation of platinum drugs. Consequently, genotypes corresponding to higher drug inactivation enzyme activity may predict poor treatment outcome. Available evidence is consistent with this hypothesis, although a definitive role for glutathione system genes in lung cancer prognosis needs to be elucidated. We present evidence supporting a role of the glutathione system in acquired and inherited drug resistance and/or adverse effects through the impact of either drug detoxification or drug inactivation, thus adversely effecting lung cancer treatment outcome. The potential application of glutathione system polymorphic genetic markers in identifying patients who may respond favorably, selecting effective antitumor drugs, and balancing drug efficacy and toxicity are discussed.
Cyclotron Resonance of Piezoelectric Polarons

The magnetic field dependence of the energy and linewidth of the transition from the $n=1$ to the $n=0$ Landau level of a piezoelectric polaron has been calculated numerically for polarons at zero temperature. A weak isotropic piezoelectric coupling between the electron and the acoustic phonon modes is assumed, and is treated as a perturbation on free-electron magnetic eigenstates. It is found that the shift in the cyclotron resonance frequency due to piezoelectric electron-phonon interaction begins to differ drastically from that expected from the polaron effective-mass theory when $\frac{\ensuremath{\hbar}{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{c}}{m{c}^{2}}g1$, where $\ensuremath{\hbar}{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{c}$ is the separation in energy of the unperturbed magnetic levels, $m$ is the band mass of the electron, and $c$ is the velocity of sound in the crystal. The semiclassical theory of Mahan and Hopfield is reviewed and shown not to be suitable for interpreting recently reported cyclotron-resonance experiments in CdS, where the Landau-level spacings were substantially greater than the mean thermal energy per electron. Difficulties encountered in extending the present perturbation calculation to finite temperature are pointed out. Finally, the weak-coupling energy shift of the $n=0$ to $n=1$ transition for optical polarons (electrons coupled to longitudinal optical phonons) is evaluated as a function of magnetic field and compared to previous results derived for weak fields. It is suggested that the markedly nonlinear magnetic field dependence of the energy shift found might offer an attractive experimental way of observing optical-polaron effects on the electron self-energy.
Correction for Herrera et al., The Vibrio cholerae VprA-VprB Two-Component System Controls Virulence through Endotoxin Modification

Volume 5, no. 6, doi:10.1128/mBio.02283-14, 2014. In Results, in the paragraph headed “The VprA-VprB two-component system responds to polymyxin, bile, and mildly acidic pH” (PDF page 5), the fourth and fifth sentences should be modified to read as follows (revised text is indicated in bold): “Alternatively, when wild-type cells were exposed to divalent cations such as Ca2+ (10 mM) and …
A Short History of Time and Space in Immune Discrimination

The destructive effector functions of the immune system pose a problem that has aptly been described as 'horror autotoxicus'. This problem demands a solution that offers an effective self-nonself discrimination mechanism. Unlike all other defence mechanisms, the immune system makes the self-nonself discrimination somatically, and not at the germline level. This discrimination requires a way of separating self from nonself. Two proposals to accomplish this are based on separation in time or in space. In this paper the authors show that separation in time remains the only viable solution. A generally accepted solution to the mechanism of the self-nonself discrimination is overdue as it strongly influences the way in which much of immune regulation is interpreted.
Recurrent leakage after Visudyne photodynamic therapy for the treatment of circumscribed choroidal hemangioma.

Background To report on the recurrence of serous retinal detachment following verteporfin photodynamic therapy for circumscribed choroidal hemangioma. Patients and methods A single-center chart review was performed for patients with circumscribed choroidal hemangioma (CCH) treated with Visudyne (verteporfin injection; QLT Ophthalmics, Menlo Park, CA) photodynamic therapy (PDT). Initial and post-treatment visual acuity, ultrasound and ocular coherence tomography were evaluated. Results Four patients who were treated with PDT for symptomatic serous retinal detachment secondary to CCH were managed for recurrent leakage and followed for an average of 47.5 months. Two patients required three re-treatments and two required four re-treatments for recurrent detachment. Average time to re-treatment was 23.4 months, with successive re-treatment intervals decreasing to 13 months, then 9.5 months, and finally 3.5 months. Conclusion Visudyne PDT is a successful initial treatment modality for CCH with serous retinal detachment; however, those patients who require multiple re-treatments may experience recurrent leakage at more frequent intervals.
Interconnect for emerging new memories

We will review the potentials of several new memory adoptions in market, and their power, performance and reliability expectations from basic operation mechanisms. Challenges of interconnect will be highlighted in the read and programming for PCRAM, STTRAM, OxRAM and CBRAM; and solution spaces in novel materials, processing and integration are discussed to support the operations at product level. Architectures to achieve high memory density such as cross-point and 3D schemes are also shown to demonstrate the need of new materials for interconnect integration, specifically for memories that show high current program required for high temperature data retention.
Detection by phenylalanine tolerance tests of heterozygous carriers of phenylketonuria.

PAULING introduced the term ‘molecular disease’ for the hereditary condition of sickle cell anaemia, in which the clinical signs in both the heterozygous carriers with the sickling trait, and the homozygous patients with the anaemia, are explained by the fraction of abnormal haemoglobin molecules present1. Only a part of the total haemoglobin is the abnormal type in the heterozygote with one abnormal gene, whereas nearly all the haemoglobin is the abnormal type in the homozygote with two abnormal genes. An extension of this concept of molecular disease leads to the prediction that in hereditary diseases associated with the loss of activity of an enzyme, the asymptomatic heterozygotes should be identifiable by having less than the normal amount of the enzyme primarily involved in the disease2.
Dental Calculus Composition. 2. Subgingival Calculus: Ash, Calcium, Phosphorus, and Sodium

Some investigators' 2 have felt that there is no difference between supragingival and subgingival calculus either in composition or in mineralizing source. Others3' 4 have expressed the opinion that supragingival calculus is formed from saliva but that subgingival calculus is formed from tissue fluid in the gingival crevice. Studies on the fluid outflow from the gingival crevice58 have seemed to add support to the latter theory. These various ideas remain to be proven. Since the composition of supragingival calculus9 has been found to depend on the location in the mouth and the extent of the calculus produced in a subject, it is of interest to obtain similar information on subgingival calculus. A problem arises in studying dental calculus. One must be able to determine with some degree of certitude that a collected specimen is either supraor subgingival. In this study an attempt was made to do so.
Development of a screening tool to identify adolescents engaged in multiple problem behaviors: the Adolescent Risk Behavior Screen (ARBS).

Purpose: To describe the development of a new, brief screening tool to identify teenagers engaged in multiple, co-occurring high-risk behaviors, and to create a screen that bypasses problems associated with assessment of sensitive and potentially stigmatizing behaviors by including ques- tions that are minimally threatening and less transparent than purely face valid items. Methods: This study utilizes a large, cross-sectional data set consisting of self-report responses to questions about high-risk teen health behaviors such as substance use, sexual risk-taking, and suicidality. Data were collected from 16,664 predominantly Caucasian public high school students, aged 14 -18 years, participating in the 2001 New Hampshire Youth Risk Behavior Survey. High-risk status was defined by endorsement of five or more high-risk behaviors. Nine items were chosen for the screen, covering multiple risk domains. The screen's predictive accuracy was then tested on additional holdout subsets of the total sample and separately by gender using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results: Approximately 10% of the sample met criteria for "high-risk" status. High ROC areas were found for the initial sample and subsequent holdout samples. The screen was found to be accurate for both girls and boys in identifying multi-problem, high-risk adolescents. Conclusions: The Adolescent Risk Behavior Screen (ARBS) holds promise as a useful clinical tool for adolescent health care providers. It can quickly and accurately identify multi-problem teens, engaged in dangerous high-risk activities, who are likely in need of more comprehensive evaluation and intervention. © 2007 Society for Adolescent Medicine. All rights reserved.
Polynomial zerofinders based on Szego polynomials

Abstract The computation of zeros of polynomials is a classical computational problem. This paper presents two new zerofinders that are based on the observation that, after a suitable change of variable, any polynomial can be considered a member of a family of Szegő polynomials. Numerical experiments indicate that these methods generally give higher accuracy than computing the eigenvalues of the companion matrix associated with the polynomial.
Neuroscience: Excitatory view of a receptor.

Ion channels opened by glutamate mediate fast cell-to-cell information transfer in the nervous system. The structure of a full-length tetrameric glutamate receptor is both confirmatory and revelatory.
Three hundred million points suffice

There is a graph G with 300,000,000 vertices and no clique on four points, such that if its edges are two colored these must be a monochromatic triangle.
Unit root tests of sigma income convergence across us metropolitan areas

The standard deviation of metropolitan per capita personal income (PCPI) and metropolitan average wage per job (AWPJ) provide straightforward indicators of unconditional sigma convergence for metropolitan economies within the United States. Using data for all metropolitan areas in the continental United States for the period 1969–2001, we tested for the unconditional sigma income convergence hypothesis by applying two unit root tests to the time series of the two standard deviations. Our results indicate that the time series can be described as random walks with drift, thereby supporting the claim that income divergence among metropolitan economies is not decreasing.
Social Dynamics of Quilting

Abstract This article explores the social dynamics of quilting. It also investigates some of the contributions the study of quilting makes to leisure theory. Findings are based largely on the research done for the doctoral dissertation by King (1997) on contemporary quilting. Three primary findings were highlighted. First, quilts are a relevant topic for study because they express powerful rhetorical statements about the maker's values and social concerns. One such example is a Red Cross quilt made during World War I to support the war effort (Fox, 1990), while another illustration is the commemorative quilt display at the Houston International Quilt Festival (November 1996) in memory of the 19 children killed in the Oklahoma City bombing. Second, quilts have a social impact on society in general as well as their individual maker; for example, pro bono quilts that are donated to charities and thus benefit society. Some examples are quilts donated to Habitat for Humanity across the nation and the Ronald Mc...
Subsurface maxima of phytoplankton and chlorophyll: Steady-state solutions from a simple model

In oligotrophic lakes and oceans, the deep chlorophyll maximum may form independently of a maximum of phytoplankton biomass, because the ratio of chlorophyll to phytoplankton biomass (in units of carbon) increases with acclimation to reduced light and increased nutrient supply at depth. Optical data (beam attenuation as proxy for phytoplankton biomass and chlorophyll fluorescence and absorption as proxies for chlorophyll concentration) and conventional measurements of biovolume, particulate organic carbon, and chlorophyll from two oligotrophic systems (Crater Lake, Oregon, and Sta. ALOHA in the subtropical North Pacific Ocean) are presented and show a vertical separation of the maxima of biomass and chlorophyll by 50‐80 m during stratified conditions. We use a simple mathematical framework to describe the vertical structure of phytoplankton biomass, nutrients, and chlorophyll and to explore what processes contribute to the generation of vertical maxima. Consistent with the observations, the model suggests that biomass and chlorophyll maxima in stable environments are generated by fundamentally different mechanisms. Maxima in phytoplankton biomass occur where the growth rate is balanced by losses (respiration and grazing) and the divergence in sinking velocity, whereas the vertical distribution of chlorophyll is strongly determined by photoacclimation. A deep chlorophyll maximum is predicted well below the particle maximum by the model. As an interpretation of these results, we suggest a quantitative criterion for the observed coexistence of vertically distinct phytoplankton assemblages in oligotrophic systems: the vertical position at which a species occurs in highest abundance in the water column is determined by the ‘‘general compensation depth’’— that is, the depth at which specific growth and all loss rates, including the divergence of sinking/swimming and vertical mixing, balance. This prediction can be tested in the environment when the divergence of sinking and swimming is negligible.
Claims to the term 'time-sharing'

The evolution of the meanings of the term 'time-sharing' is discussed. It is pointed out that there have been two major uses of the term corresponding to two major periods of the history, with two different spellings (with or without the hyphen): before 1960, time sharing described a method of implementing multiprogramming: after 1960, time-sharing described a technique by which interactive computing was developed. >
Noncoherent Approach for Through-the-Wall Moving Target Indication

A moving target indication, noncoherent change detection algorithm is introduced to detect moving targets inside buildings. The proposed algorithm is designed to attenuate image artifacts observed in coherent change detection images by utilizing noncoherent change detection, a positive threshold operation, and sidelobe minimization. The proposed algorithm is compared with coherent change detection for three moving target scenarios. It is shown that the proposed algorithm significantly reduces imaging artifacts while preserving the moving target signature.
A feedback control law for systems arising in fluid dynamics

A feedback control law regulating systems arising in fluid dynamics is introduced. The control law is designed for driving a given dynamical system to a prescribed equilibrium state. Derivation of this feedback law is based on nonlinear dynamic programming techniques. >
Boundary conditions and mode jumping in the buckling of a rectangular plate

We show that mode jumping in the buckling of a rectangular plate may be explained by a secondary bifurcation — as suggested by Bauer et al. [1] — when “clamped” boundary conditions on the vertical displacement function are assumed. In our analysis we use the singularity theory of mappings in the presence of a symmetry group to analyse the bifurcation equation obtained by the Lyapunov-Schmidt reduction applied to the Von Karman equations. Noteworthy is the fact that this explanation fails when the assumed boundary conditions are “simply supported”. Mode jumping in the presence of “clamped” boundary conditions was observed experimentally by Stein [9]; “simply supported” boundary conditions are frequently studied but are difficult — if not impossible — to realize physically. Thus, it is important to observe that the qualitative post-buckling behavior depends on which idealization for the boundary conditions one chooses.