cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Feasibility of laparoscopic partial nephrectomy after previous ipsilateral renal procedures

Objectives Previous renal surgery has been considered a relative contraindication to laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) because of perirenal surgical adhesions. We present our experience with LPN in patients with previous ipsilateral renal surgery. Methods Of 679 patients undergoing LPN for a renal mass from September 1999 to November 2006, 25 (3.7%) had undergone previous ipsilateral open or percutaneous renal procedures. The LPN technique included hilar clamping, cold tumor excision, and sutured renal reconstruction. The perioperative outcomes were retrospectively analyzed from a prospectively maintained database. Results Previous renal surgery included open surgery in 12 patients (nephro/pyelolithotomy in 8, pyeloplasty in 2, and partial nephrectomy in 2) and percutaneous surgery in 13 (percutaneous nephrolithotomy in 9 and renal biopsy in 4). The mean interval from previous surgery was 6.6 years (range 0.3-34). LPN (16 transperitoneal and 9 retroperitoneal) was successful in all patients. The mean tumor size was 2.5 cm (range 1-5.6), the warm ischemia time was 35.8 minutes (range 22-57), and the estimated blood loss was 215 mL (range 25-600). The mean operative time was 3 hours (range 1.5-4.5), and the hospital stay was 3.1 days (range 1-7.6). Histopathologic examination confirmed renal cell carcinoma in 19 patients (76%). No open conversions were needed, and no kidneys were lost. No intraoperative complications and 3 postoperative complications (12%) developed, including blood transfusion in 1, nausea and epistaxis in 1, and compartment syndrome requiring fasciotomy in 1 patient. Conclusions The results of our study have shown that, in select patients, LPN is feasible after previous ipsilateral renal surgery. However, it can be technically challenging, and adequate previous experience with LPN is necessary.
Prognostic significance of changes in prostate-specific markers after endocrine treatment of stage D2 prostatic cancer.

Background. The prognostic value was determined of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) measured before and after endocrine treatment in 57 patients with newly diagnosed Stage D2 prostatic cancer. Methods. Therapy included orchiectomy or administration of luteinizing hormone releasing hormone analogues or an antiandrogen. Results. The absolute pretreatment PSA (elevated in 100% of patients) but not PAP (abnormal in 93%) predicted disease progression (P < 0.0011), i.e., a poor response to therapy. Fifty-three patients responded to androgen deprivation with a decrease in PSA level. This declined to normal at 3 and 6 months in 25% of patients. Forty-nine percent had a greater than 90% decrease in their PSA level. By 1 year, 58% of patients had progressive disease. Both the nadir PSA level and the percent decline from the pretreatment level at 3 and 6 months predicted the progression-free interval (P < 0.001). Patients with a 90% or greater decline in PSA had a prolonged progression-free survival. Serial PAP levels were similarly prognostic. Conclusion. It was concluded that PSA was better than PAP in evaluating patients before and after androgen-deprivation therapy. The nadir level of both markers was an important tool to predict progression-free survival in patients with metastatic prostatic cancer, Cancer 1992; 70:2302-2309.
Need for Data Acquisition

Abstract Collecting and reporting of data have become increasingly complex tasks for the scientist. The search for the importance of interaction between disciplines has intensified the need for a standard of data collected and reported from experiments. The proposed standard is basic data and objective data. Basic data consist of the set of information that allows for repeatability of an experiment from one location to another, from year to year, and allows for comparison of one experiment with another. Basic data are 1) body weight, 2) physiological state of the animal, 3) diet, 4) health, 5) production, and 6) environment. The objective data will be the data set which allows the scientist to meet the particular objective of his experiment.
Molecular biology of medulloblastoma: will it ever make a difference to clinical management?

Over the last 10 years approximately 750 children with medulloblastoma have been treated on consortia based clinical trials at an estimated cost of over $150 million. Despite this enormous effort, no meaningful molecular data has been generated that will inform the next generation of clinical studies. It is imperative that the neuro-oncology community give greater priority to studies of medulloblastoma molecular biology: unless we do this our patients will face a bleak future in which there is no accurate disease-risk stratification tool and no effective new treatments. We review some of the reasons we have failed to translate knowledge of medulloblastoma disease biology to the clinic and look forward to the next generation of clinical and molecular studies that are seeking to correct this.
Role of vasopressor administration in patients with acute neurologic injury.

Introduction Pharmacologic blood pressure elevation is often utilized to prevent or treat ischemia in patients with acute neurologic injury, and routinely requires administration of vasopressor agents. Depending on the indication, vasopressor agents may be administered to treat hypotension or to induce hypertension.
An Assessment of Age Determination Methods for Great Lakes Larval Sea Lampreys

Abstract Estimating the age composition and recruitment of populations of invasive sea lampreys Petromyzon marinus necessitates the validation and improvement of age assessment methods that rely on statoliths and length-frequency data. Determining age based on length-frequency distributions is subjective because of heterogeneity in the growth rates of larval sea lampreys (ammocoetes) within and across streams and the resulting overlap in lengths between age-classes. Statolith-based age assessment methods have never been validated for more than 1 year. We established “known-age” ammocoete populations in two streams by introducing a single cohort of spawners above barriers and compared estimates of ammocoete age based on statoliths with the true ages. In five additional streams, we used microsatellite data from adults and ammocoetes to assign parents to ammocoetes produced the same year and compared the age determined by statolith-based interpretation with the age based on parentage assignment. We combined ...
Nonrecursive generation of image moments from the Hartley transform intensity.

Calcul, a l'aide d'un algorithme non recursif, des moments geometriques de l'image a partir de l'intensite de la transformee de Hartley
When Global Value Chains are Not Global: Case Studies from the Russian Fast-Food Industry:

While the global value chain (GVC) literature tends to analyze trade networks and supply chains that are global in the literal sense, I argue that domestically-bound chains led by global firms provide important cases for study through this analytical lens. Importantly, insights regarding the relationship between chain governance and opportunities for upgrading have significant implications for many developing markets even when foreign lead buyers are not fostering export-oriented production. In-depth interviews with representatives from foreign fast-food corporations and their domestic suppliers in Russia provide empirical evidence to support modifications to current theories to better account for how domestic contexts impinge on chain governance and the balance of inter-firm power. I identify factors that provide leverage for domestic actors in these supply chains: regulatory uncertainty, emerging domestic product markets, and the competing interests of foreign firms.
Electronically steerable leaky wave antenna using a tunable ferroelectric material

In this paper an electronically steerable antenna using a tunable ferroelectric material is proposed. Ferroelectric materials such as barium strontium titanate have been used as a traveling waveguide with a ground plane on one side and a metallic periodic grating on the opposite side. The dielectric properties of the ferroelectric material are changed by a bias voltage applied to the waveguide which in turn controls the leaky wave direction of the antenna. Results from a simple experiment are presented which show good agreement with theoretical predictions.
Occurrence of N-Formylkynurenine in Extracts of Neurospora crassa: Evidence for the Activity of Tryptophan Pyrrolase

Abstract N-formylkynurenine and kynurenine have been detected in extracts of tryptophan-grown Neurospora crassa. When the mycelia were grown in medium supplemented with l-[2-14C]tryptophan, the radioactivity was detected in N-formylkynurenine and N-formylanthranilic acid; with l-[β-14C]tryptophan, radioactivity was detected in N-formylkynurenine, kynurenine, kynurenic acid, and xanthurenic acid. The occurrence of N-formylkynurenine in extracts of tryptophan-grown Neurospora is interpreted as direct evidence for the activity of tryptophan pyrrolase in this organism. The presence of this enzyme was expected on the basis of several earlier studies, but its activity in vitro has so far escaped detection. The in vivo evidence presented here suggests its presence and contributes importantly to our understanding of the tryptophan-anthranilic acid cycle.
Cancer survivorship and cancer rehabilitation: revitalizing the link.

Catherine M. Alfano, Office of Cancer Survivorship, National Cancer Institute/National Institutes of Health/Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD Patricia A. Ganz, School of Medicine, School of Public Health, and Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA Julia H. Rowland, Office of Cancer Survivorship, National Cancer Institute/National Institutes of Health/Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD Erin E. Hahn, School of Public Health and Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Generation of XUV supercontinuum and single pulses by half-cycle polarization gating

Ultrafast ellipticity dependent pulses were created by polarization shaping of few-cycle pulses with birefringence optics. When the pulses were used for high harmonic generation, a supercontinuum spectrum extending 25-45 nm was produced in the plateau and cutoff region that corresponds to single attosecond pulses
Potential Implications of HCN Channel Dysfunction after Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) most commonly occurs due to rupture of a cerebral aneurysm, and it is responsible for approximately a quarter of all cerebrovascular deaths. Although considerable advances have been made in the understanding of the pathophysiology of SAH and its complications, it is
Modernization and trends in occupational health and safety in the People's Republic of China 1981-1986.

Exchanges between U.S. and Chinese professionals have provided opportunities for observation of recent developments in occupational health in China. For the past decade, China has been committed to an unprecedented drive for economic modernization, including new policies on ownership, business management, employment, health care, and disability as well as increased activity in heavy, light, and service industries. Chinese occupational health professionals and labor organizations have set a goal of modernizing worker health along with the rest of society. Examples of advances in occupational health occurring since 1981 are the coordination of industrial hygiene and health research and services, an emphasis on epidemiology, interdisciplinary approaches to problem-solving, the pretesting of toxic substances, regulation and standard setting, and on-site workplace hazard prevention.
Technical Change and Model Specification: U.S. Agricultural Production

U.S. agricultural crop and livestock relationships are examined in the context of both duality and time-series econometrics. Based on time-series test results, cointegrated models are estimated. Traditional models generally overestimated the precision of statistical relationships and gave a considerable number of spurious results, particularly with regard to technical change. When time-series properties of the data were addressed, there was much less evidence of bias in technical change. Model specification test results were sensitive both to the time-series specification of the maintained model and its functional form. Preferred functional form depended on the choice criterion.
Flicker noise in transistors

Measurements of the noise voltage appearing at the ac open-circuited emitter of a transistor with its collector ac grounded and with both an external base resistance and the operating point as parameters can be used to study the location of flicker-noise sources in transistors. A general flicker-noise model is assumed. It is shown by this method of measurement that for many modern transistors the flicker-noise sources are adequately represented by a single noise current generator connected in parallel with the emitter-base junction. The method permits evaluation of the magnitude of both the correlated and uncorrelated parts of a possible collector-base flicker-noise current generator as well as measurement of the emitter-base generator.
In search of predictors of dropout from inpatient treatment for anorexia nervosa.

Objective The purpose of the present study was to investigate risk factors associated with premature dropout in the treatment of anorexia nervosa (AN). Method Eighty-one women who received free inpatient treatment for AN on a clinical research unit at a university-based psychiatric facility participated in this study. Demographic, lifetime, and baseline clinical characteristics as well as self-report measures of eating disorder symptomatology and associated psychopathology were assessed upon admission. Results: Results indicated that AN subtype and length of illness were modestly predictive of treatment dropout. Discussion With the exception of AN subtype and length of illness, successful completion of inpatient treatment may be unrelated to the severity of eating disorder symptomatology and associated psychopathology. Continued empirical research into factors that influence treatment dropout is clearly needed. © 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 30: 237–244, 2001.
Comparison of detrending methods for optimal fMRI preprocessing.

Abstract Because of the inherently low signal to noise ratio (SNR) of fMRI data, removal of low frequency signal intensity drift is an important preprocessing step, particularly in those brain regions that weakly activate. Two known sources of drift are noise from the MR scanner and aliasing of physiological pulsations. However, the amount and direction of drift is difficult to predict, even between neighboring voxels. Further, there is no concensus on an optimal baseline drift removal algorithm. In this paper, five voxel-based detrending techniques were compared to each other and an auto-detrending algorithm, which automatically selected the optimal method for a given voxel time-series. For a significance level of P −6 , linear and quadratic detrending moderately increased the percentage of activated voxels. Cubic detrending decreased activation, while a wavelet approach increased or decreased activation, depending on the dataset. Spline detrending was the best single algorithm. However, auto-detrending (selecting the best algorithm or none, if detrending is not useful) appears to be the most judicious choice, particularly for analyzing fMRI data with weak activations in the presence of baseline drift.
Aggressive and reproductive behaviors following neonatal maternal separation in male Sprague-Dawley rats

To assess effects of maternal separation on later aggressive and reproductive behaviors, male Sprague-Dawley pups were separated from their mothers every other day for 8 h (long-term separation; LTS), 4 h (short term separation; STS), or 0 h (no separation; NS) from post-natal day 2 through 20. Maternal behaviors, including lactation performance, nest building, grouping, and hovering over pups were measured during the separation period. At maturity, aggressive behavior of male subjects was assessed. Subjects were also mated to novel females and reproductive outcomes measured. It was hypothesized that male pups periodically separated from their mothers would demonstrate increased aggression and decreased reproductive success as adults. Contrary to expectations, maternal separation did not affect later adult aggressive behavior or reproductive outcomes. Additional studies examining the role of the neonatal environment in shaping subsequent male behavior are needed.
CD40-CD40 ligand (CD154) engagement is required but not sufficient for modulating MHC class I, ICAM-1 and Fas expression and proliferation of human non-small cell lung tumors.

To determine the possible functional significance of CD40 expression on human non-small cell lung carcinomas and to assess the potential of CD40 as a therapeutic target, 18 lung tumor cell lines were established from biopsy tissues and were monitored for phenotypic changes on the cell surface and alterations in tumor cell proliferation after the ligation of CD40 with a trimeric fusion protein complex of CD40 ligand (CD40Lt). CD40 cross-linking resulted in up to a 6-fold increase in the surface expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I, Fas and intracellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 in a subset of tumors expressing the highest levels of CD40. Suppression of tumor proliferation was seen after the ligation of CD40 on CD40Lt-responsive cell lines. The suppression was dose dependent, reversible and resulted from a delay of the tumor cells entering S-phase. No change in the cell phenotype or in proliferation were observed in CD40-negative tumors or in tumors expressing moderate-to-low levels of CD40 after incubation with CD40Lt. CD40-negative tumors transfected with the CD40 gene expressed high levels of CD40 on their surface, but were also unresponsive to CD40Lt cross-linking of CD40. Our data establish that CD40 is required (but not sufficient) for transducing a signal that results in phenotypic changes in human lung tumors and suppression in their proliferation. We conclude that CD40 on non-small cell lung tumors may represent a potential therapeutic target, but only on a subset of the CD40+ tumors. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Determining the protein drug release characteristics and cell adhesion to a PLLA or PLGA biodegradable polymer membrane

Biodegradable polymers are of interest for developing controlled protein drug delivery platforms. In this study, two poly (alpha-hydroxy) esters were formulated with Aerosol-OT, a surfactant stabilizer, to encapsulate the protein keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) for controlled release KGF is involved in a number of crucial biologic processes, most notably epithelial growth and repair. The concentration of KGF that caused a biological response in vitro was determined (optimally 10 ng/mL) and compared with the release of KGF from the two biodegradable polymer membrane formulations. Each polymer formulation released biologically relevant levels, 10 ng/mL of active KGF, although with different times release kinetics. The membrane composed of PLGA/AOT/KGF exhibited a faster release rate of KGF into solution after 120 h of degradation time than the release rate of the PLLA/AOT/KGF matrices. Cell seeding assays showed that both polymer matrices, when formulated with AOT, sustained cell growth. Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) was used to characterize the distribution of AOT and KGF through the polymer membrane. (c) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2010.
A chemical reaction in a turbulent jet

The turbulent mixing and subsequent chemical reaction of gases is an essential part of many technological processes ranging from gas furnaces to chemical lasers. Surprisingly, there is very little information, either theoretical or experimental, about the actual rate of the chemical reaction in such processes. Generally the chemical kinetics are well understood, but the process of turbulent mixing is not. Many measurements of mixing in turbulent jets have been made in the past, but they have generally failed to distinguish essentially unmixed gas in the turbulent mixing zone from gas which is mixed on a molecular scale. Knowledge of where turbulent fluid is mixed on a molecular scale is critical for predicting chemical reaction rates in the flow. In this experiment the rate of a chemical reaction in an axisymmetric turbulent jet is studied, and the results are used to determine the rate of molecular mixing in the jet. A turbulent jet containing dilute ozone in an inert mixture of nitrogen and oxygen flows into a stagnant tank of nitric oxide and nitrogen. When the gases mix on a molecular scale, the ozone and nitric oxide rapidly react to produce oxygen and nitrogen dioxide. The rate at which the mixing and chemical reaction proceeds is determined by using an ultraviolet light absorption technique to measure the time averaged ozone concentration at points throughout the jets mixing zone. The experiment establishes a criterion for determining when a reaction of known chemical kinetics is sufficiently rapid that chemical nonequilibrium has a negligible effect on the mean reactant profile. When a reacting jet satisfies this criterion for equilibrium chemistry, the reactant profiles are found to be independent of jet Reynolds numbers from 4,000 to 32,000 based on the nozzle diameter. In addition, a mixing fraction, η, is defined to measure the extent of local molecular scale mixing independently of a chemical reaction occurring in the jet. The fraction assumes values of unity in the unmixed primary jet, zero in unmixed ambient fluid, and intermediate fractions for mixtures of all proportions. Points on nonreacting jet profiles are related to time averages of η. A limiting highly reacting ozone profile, found when a large excess of nitric oxide is present in the ambient fluid, is related to the time average of an intermittency function, J(η), defined equal to unity when η is within a specified neighborhood of one and zero elsewhere. Thus the experimental measurements of ozone profiles are directly related to the statistics of molecular scale mixing in the jet.
Peeling the Onion: Ribosomes Are Ancient Molecular Fossils

We describe a method to establish chronologies of ancient ribosomal evolution. The method uses structure-based and sequence-based comparison of the large subunits (LSUs) of Haloarcula marismortui and Thermus thermophilus. These are the highest resolution ribosome structures available and represent disparate regions of the evolutionary tree. We have sectioned the superimposed LSUs into concentric shells, like an onion, using the site of peptidyl transfer as the origin (the PT-origin). This spherical approximation combined with a shell-by-shell comparison captures significant information along the evolutionary time line revealing, for example, that sequence and conformational similarity of the 23S rRNAs are greatest near the PT-origin and diverge smoothly with distance from it. The results suggest that the conformation and interactions of both RNA and protein can be described as changing, in an observable manner, over evolutionary time. The tendency of macromolecules to assume regular secondary structural elements such as A-form helices with Watson-Crick base pairs (RNA) and alpha-helices and beta-sheets (protein) is low at early time points but increases as time progresses. The conformations of ribosomal protein components near the PT-origin suggest that they may be molecular fossils of the peptide ancestors of ribosomal proteins. Their abbreviated length may have proscribed formation of secondary structure, which is indeed nearly absent from the region of the LSU nearest the PT-origin. Formation and evolution of the early PT center may have involved Mg(2+)-mediated assembly of at least partially single-stranded RNA oligomers or polymers. As one moves from center to periphery, proteins appear to replace magnesium ions. The LSU is known to have undergone large-scale conformation changes upon assembly. The T. thermophilus LSU analyzed here is part of a fully assembled ribosome, whereas the H. marismortui LSU analyzed here is dissociated from other ribosomal components. Large-scale conformational differences in the 23S rRNAs are evident from superimposition and prevent structural alignment of some portions of the rRNAs, including the L1 stalk.
A cost-benefit analysis of external hip protectors in the nursing home setting.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate potential cost savings generated by a program of hip protectors in the nursing home from a Medicare perspective. DESIGN: A state-transition Markov model considering short-term and long-term outcomes of hip protectors for a hypothetical nursing home population, stratified by age, sex, and functional status. Costs, transition probabilities between health states, and estimates of hip protectors’ effectiveness were derived from published secondary data. SETTING: Nursing home facilities in the United States. PARTICIPANTS: Hypothetical cohort of permanent nursing homeresidents aged65and olderwithoutaprevious hip fracture. INTERVENTION: Program of hip protectors reimbursed by Medicare. MEASUREMENTS: Number of fractures, life years, and dollars saved. RESULTS: Three pairs of hip protectors replaced annually would result in a weighted average lifetime absolute risk reduction for hip fracture of 8.5%, with net lifetime savings to Medicare of $223 per resident. When the annual cost of hip protectors is less than $151 per person, relative risk of fracture is less than or equal to 0.65 with hip protectors, or adherence is greater than 42%, hip protectors are cost saving to Medicare over a wide range of assumptions. Extrapolating these results to the estimated population of U.S. nursing home residents without a previous hip fracture, Medicare could save $136 million in the first year of a hipprotector reimbursement program. CONCLUSION: From a Medicare perspective, hip protectors are a cost-saving intervention in the nursing home setting when hip protector effectiveness is less than or equal to 0.65 over the remaining lifetime of subjects. J Am Geriatr Soc 53:190‐197, 2005.
Relation between the Visibility of Jupiter's Red Spot and Solar Activity

Abstract : The report presents speculation correlating the variation of visibility of Jupiter's 'Red Spot' and its relation to solar activity.
Early control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection requires il12rb1 expression by rag1-dependent lineages.

ABSTRACT IL12RB1 is essential for human resistance to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. In the absence of a functional IL12RB1 allele, individuals exhibit susceptibility to disseminated, recurrent mycobacterial infections that are associated with defects in both RAG1-dependent and RAG1-independent hematopoietic lineages. Despite this well-established association, a causal relationship between M. tuberculosis susceptibility and IL12RB1 deficiency in either RAG1-dependent or RAG1-independent lineages has never been formally tested. Here, we use the low-dose aerosol model of experimental tuberculosis (TB) to both establish that infected il12rb1−/− mice recapitulate important aspects of TB in IL12RB1 null individuals and, more importantly, use radiation bone marrow chimeras to demonstrate that restriction of il12rb1 deficiency solely to rag1-dependent lineages (i.e., T and B cells) allows for the full transfer of the il12rb1−/− phenotype. We further demonstrate that the protection afforded by adaptive lymphocyte il12rb1 expression is mediated partially through ifng and that, within the same infection, il12rb1-sufficient T cells exhibit dominance over il12rb1-deficient T cells by enhancing ifng expression in the latter population. Collectively, our data establish a basic framework in which to understand how IL12RB1 promotes control of this significant human disease.
Static and dynamical properties of dispersive optical bistability in semiconductor lasers

Static and dynamic properties of dispersive optical bistability (OB) in semiconductor lasers biased from below to above threshold has been investigated both theoretically and experimentally. The OB result is found to be varied continuously from below to above threshold. Although conventionally the OB switch-off time in dispersive semiconductor laser amplifiers is limited by the effective carrier lifetime, a much faster OB switch-off can be obtained when a laser diode operates well above threshold in the injection-locked condition. >
Beyond usability: designing effective technology implementation systems to promote patient safety

Evidence is emerging that certain technologies such as computerized provider order entry may reduce the likelihood of patient harm. However, many technologies that should reduce medical errors have been abandoned because of problems with their design, their impact on workflow, and general dissatisfaction with them by end users. Patient safety researchers have therefore looked to human factors engineering for guidance on how to design technologies to be usable (easy to use) and useful (improving job performance, efficiency, and/or quality). While this is a necessary step towards improving the likelihood of end user satisfaction, it is still not sufficient. Human factors engineering research has shown that the manner in which technologies are implemented also needs to be designed carefully if benefits are to be realized. This paper reviews the theoretical knowledge on what leads to successful technology implementation and how this can be translated into specifically designed processes for successful technology change. The literature on diffusion of innovations, technology acceptance, organisational justice, participative decision making, and organisational change is reviewed and strategies for promoting successful implementation are provided. Given the rapid and ever increasing pace of technology implementation in health care, it is critical for the science of technology implementation to be understood and incorporated into efforts to improve patient safety.
Informal networks of community-based elderly. Changes in composition over time.

This article examines the impact over time of changes in older people's health and functional capacity on the composition of their support networks. The analysis identified a pattern of network expansion, in which declines in health status were accompanied by reports of assistance from sources increasingly distant from the older person.
Trusted RTL: Trojan detection methodology in pre-silicon designs

In this paper, we propose a four-step approach to filter and locate malicious insertion(s) implanted in a third party Intellectual Property (3PIP). In our approach, we first remove those easy-to-detect signals whose activation and propagation are easy using functional vectors. The remaining signals are subjected to a N-detect full-scan ATPG tool to identify those which are functionally hard-to-excite and/or propagate. But unlike recognizing hard-to-detect signal(s), behavioral change brought about by these insertion(s) needs to be taken into account to narrow down their implantation locations. So in our third step, detection condition of suspect signals are cross checked against the spec by a suspect-signal-guided equivalence checking set-up. Finally, a region isolation approach is applied on the filtered signals to determine clusters of untestable gates in the circuit. Experimental results on ISCAS'89 benchmarks show that we are able to return a very small set of candidate locations where the stealthy malicious insertion could reside.
Age-Related Disparities in Cancer Screening: Analysis of 2001 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Data

PURPOSE Although few studies have explored age-related health care disparities, some researchers have asserted such disparities uniformly disfavor the elderly and are largely attributable to ageism in the health care system. We compared age-related patterns of screening for colorectal cancer with those for breast and prostate cancer in persons aged 50 years and older. METHODS We analyzed data for all adults aged 50 years and older (N = 88,213) in the 2001 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a nationally representative, telephone-administered survey of personal health behaviors. Main outcome measures were adjusted prevalence by 5-year age-groups of colorectal cancer screening using fecal occult blood testing, flexible sigmoidoscopy, or colonoscopy for men and women; rates of mammography screening for women; and rates of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening for men. RESULTS After adjustment for race/ethnicity, education level, income, health insurance, and self-rated health, predicted reported colorectal cancer screening (all modalities) increased significantly from when patients reached age 50 years until 70 to 74 years (66.0%, standard error [SE] 0.8%), remained constant until age 80 years, and then declined. The age-related gain in colorectal cancer screening was confined to whites among patients older than 60 years. Reported PSA screening increased until age 75 to 79 years (79.3%, SE 1.1%) and then declined, whereas reported mammography screening peaked at age 55 to 59 years (83.3%, SE 1.2%) and then declined. CONCLUSIONS Significant age-related disparities appear to exist for both evidence-based and non–evidence-based cancer-screening interventions. The issue of age-related disparities in cancer screening is complex, with the direction of disparity favoring the elderly for some services yet disfavoring them for others.
Diversity of mucus staining characteristics of human salivary glands.

This report describes the development of the science of histochemistry as it relates to the salivary glands. Using standard histochemical techniques, seven salivary glands were studied in detail, demonstrating the variety of secretory products produced by these glands and the multi-potential shared by both the secreting cells and the ductal epithelium.
Outbreak of Halophilic Vibrio Infections Associated with a Major Environmental Disaster

Background: In the United States, isolated pathogenic vibrios have a marked seasonal peak. More than 90% of cases occur between April and October, presumably reflecting seasonal changes in shellfish consumption, recreational water use and documented increase in the densities of vibros in Gulf coast water during warmer months. Method: We report an unusual cluster of noncholeragenic Vibrio infections reported to the Mississippi State Department of Health, Jackson, Mississippi, United States of America (USA) in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Results: A total of 12 patients were admitted to Gulf area hospitals from August 29th through September 1st 2005. The median age of patients was 76 years (range = 60—83 years), sex distribution consisting of 9 males and 3 females. Blood and/or wound cultures revealed 8 cases of V. vulnificus, 2 cases of V. parahemolyticus, one case of V. fluvialis, and one case of Vibrio species. Nine patients had visible skin wounds that probably served as the portal of entry for the Vibrio bacteria present in flood waters. Chronic medical conditions that could increase susceptibility to Vibrio infection were present in 75% of patients (namely: diabetes [n = 3], heart disease [n = 7], renal insufficiency [n = 2], human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) [n = 1] and alcohol abuse [n = 4]). Majority of patients had sepsis and required intensive care, including respiratory support (n = 5). All patients were covered with appropriate antibiotics (cephalosprins, doxycyline, Vancomycin, aminoglycosides, and fluoroquinolones). Four patients died on admission, one patient was transferred to another facility, and three persons recovered and were discharged home. The disposition of the remaining 4 patients remains unknown. Conclusion: Health care providers should be aware of the possibility of Vibrio wound infections in high-risk persons in natural disaster settings and the importance of early diagnosis and treatment in such patients.
Will the Republicans retake the House in 2010?: A second look over the horizon

Abstract For the Republicans to regain control of the House of Representatives this year, the Democrats need to suffer a net loss of 40 members, or just under 16% of the 257 seats they took in 2008. With a model similar to one used previously (Cuzan and Bundrick 2006, Cuzan 2010), only estimated with elections since 1870, here I evaluate the likelihood of such an eventuality. Modeling the System For the Republicans to regain control of the House this year, the Democrats need to suffer a net loss of 40 members, or 15.6% of the 257 seats they took in 2008. To evaluate the likelihood of that eventuality, we begin with the well-known fact that historically the party of the president, the incumbents, almost always incurs a net loss of House seats in midterm elections. As shown in Figure 1, in 14 out of 35 midterm elections held since 1870, or 40 percent of the time, the president’s party shrunk by more than 40 members, which is this year’s party turnover point. In four exceptional cases (1902, 1934, 1998, and 2002), the incumbents actually gained a small number of seats. The first exception occurred scarcely a year after President McKinley’s assassination, when sympathy for the incumbents must have been running high; the second took place in the middle of the anti-Republican wave that began in 1930 and peaked in 1936; the third may
Ignition Mechanisms in Monopropellants

The sensitivity of liquid monopropellants is examined when subjected to compression ignition, including the case of purposeful sensitization with air bubbles; and frictional heating. The monopropellant is a hydroxylammonium nitrate (HAN)-based propellant. Conditions are identified which will likely result in ignition from rapid compression. Ignition from frictional heating associated with hydroynamic flow is less certain, however attempts to model this phenomenon theoretically have been made.
Some Aspects of Denver Air Pollution Meteorology

Abstract First, the atmospheric transport equations for citywide particulate air pollution are stated and methods for the numerical evaluation of each term are discussed. Next, the role of the several transport mechanisms in producing the observed daily air pollution cycle in Denver and analyzed. Finally, problems of concentration of pollution within Denver and the onset and termination of pollution episodes are described.
Mechanisms of Pseudacteon parasitoid (Diptera: Phoridae) effects on exploitative and interference competition in host Solenopsis ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).

I conducted a series of laboratory experiments to quantify the effects and elucidate the mechanisms by which Pseudacteon tricuspis Borgmeier phorid flies affect the exploitative and interference components of interspecific competition in host Solenopsis invicta Buren ants. In manipulative experiments, workers retrieved 50% less food in a foraging tray with phorids present, compared with an equidistant foraging tray with the same food resource but without phorids. The average number of workers actively foraging in the tray with phorids was significantly less than in the tray without phorids. There were no significant differences in either average worker size or average number of workers present at the food resource at the end of the trials in trays with phorids versus trays without phorids. In a control set of trials in which no phorids were added to either foraging tray, the size of foraging workers averaged over both foraging trays was significantly larger than in either the phorid or no-phorid tray of the manipulative experiments. This suggests that colonies can communicate the generalized presence of phorids in an area, which leads to a decrease in foraging by major workers. S. invicta workers retrieved an intermediate amount of food in the foraging trays of the control experiment compared with the phorid and no-phorid trays of the manipulative experiment. Moreover, the overall amount of food obtained in both foraging trays was similar for the manipulative and control experiments, suggesting that the S. invicta colonies were able to compensate for harassment by phorids by altering their foraging strategy, which resulted in no net loss of food retrieved. When S. invicta was paired with S. geminata (F.) in interference competition experiments, phorid flies had no effect on the outcome of interspecific interactions. Phorids did not appear to be attracted to host workers once they were engaged in combat with enemy workers, and the spatial distribution of fighting was significantly different than the spatial distribution of parasitization attempts.
Studies on the Embryology of Bruchus Quadrimaculatus, Fabr

Bruchus quadrimaculatus Fabr., is the weevil which is commonly known as the “Four-spotted bean weevil,” but which is much more commonly found in shelled cow peas. The damage which is done to the peas is caused by the larvae of the weevils which spend their life in the seeds, feeding upon the cotyledons. On account of the rapidity with which the weevils multiply under favorable conditions a stock of peas in storage is quickly ruined by the burrowing larvae.
Incorrect statistical method in parallel-groups RCT led to unsubstantiated conclusions.

The article by Aiso et al. titled “Compared with the intake of commercial vegetable juice, the intake of fresh fruit and komatsuna (Brassica rapa L. var perviridis) juice mixture reduces serum cholesterol in middle-aged men: a randomized controlled pilot study” does not meet the expected standards of Lipids in Health and Disease. Although the article concludes that there are some significant benefits to their komatsuna juice mixture, these claims are not supported by the statistical analyses used. An incorrect procedure was used to compare the differences in two treatment groups over time, and a large number of outcomes were tested without correction; both issues are known to produce high rates of false positives, making the conclusions of the study unjustified. The study also fails to follow published journal standards regarding clinical trial registration and reporting.
European Fire Ant Presence Decreases Native Arboreal Insect Abundance in Acadia National Park, Maine, USA

ABSTRACT: This study examines the impacts of European fire ants on arboreal insect abundance and diversity in Acadia National Park, Maine. Abundance and diversity were quantified via arboreal pitfall traps that were checked every three days for 21 days from May to June 2009. In areas infested with European fire ants, arboreal insect abundance declined, but arboreal insect species richness remained unchanged. This study illustrates the importance of examining the ecological links between canopies and leaf litter and demonstrates the breadth of impacts that biological invasions can have in an ecosystem.
Pathogenesis of delusions.

The mechanisms underlying the formation and maintenance of delusions have been theorized about for almost a century. Inadequacies of definition of delusions and lack of laboratory tests for delusions have slowed development of our understanding. Three fundamental categories of explanation include (1) motivation, (2) disordered reasoning, and (3) psychobiologic mechanisms. Within these categories, several hypotheses have been proposed. Empirical testing of these proposals has been limited but is expanding. At present, the view that anomalous perceptual experience is central to delusion formation has the most compelling support, although no approach is firmly established.
Maximum-likelihood estimation of seismic magnitude

Seismic networks often tend to overestimate the magnitude of earthquakes, because those stations within the network that do not detect a particular event are ignored in the conventional magnitude-averaging procedure. By assuming a normal distribution of worldwide magnitudes for any given event, it is possible to establish a simple statistical model that includes the additional information that event magnitudes at nondetecting stations must be below a certain threshold value. In this paper, maximum likelihood estimation is applied to determine event magnitude based on this model. The advantages and limitations of the technique are discussed using both simulated and real data. It is found that the maximum likelihood method, when applied properly, has the potential to yield a significant improvement in network magnitude estimates compared to the conventional averaging technique.
The Origin of Western European Warm-Season Prefrontal Convergence Lines

AbstractThe authors investigate the origin of prefrontal, warm-season convergence lines over western Europe using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model. These lines form east of the cold front in the warm sector of an extratropical cyclone, and they are frequently the focus for convective development. It is shown that these lines are related to a low-level thermal ridge that accompanies the base of an elevated mixed layer (EML) plume generated over the Iberian Peninsula and northern Africa. Using Q-vector diagnostics, including the components that describe scalar and rotational quasigeostrophic frontogenesis, it is shown that the convergence line is associated with the rearrangement of the isentropes especially at the western periphery of the EML plume. The ascending branch of the resulting ageostrophic circulation coincides with the surface velocity convergence. The modeling results are supported by a 3-yr composite analysis of cold fronts with and without preceding convergence lines using NCEP–NCAR...
The importance of methylthioadenosine phosphorylase deficiency in human malignancy

Most investigators now accept that somatic mutations can lead to malignant transformation. Nonetheless, the exact means by which the metabolic products of altered genes actually influence carcinogenesis remains unresolved. We wish to describe how the loss of a purine metabolic enzyme, methylthioadenosine phosphorylase, may contribute to the growth of malignant cells by altering the regulation of putrescine synthesis.
Abiotic influences on bicarbonate use in the giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, in the Monterey Bay.

In the Monterey Bay region of central California, the giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera experiences broad fluctuations in wave forces, temperature, light availability, nutrient availability, and seawater carbonate chemistry, all of which may impact their productivity. In particular, current velocities and light intensity may strongly regulate the supply and demand of inorganic carbon (Ci) as substrates for photosynthesis. Macrocystis pyrifera can acquire and utilize both CO2 and bicarbonate (HCO3- ) as Ci substrates for photosynthesis and growth. Given the variability in carbon delivery (due to current velocities and varying [DIC]) and demand (in the form of saturating irradiance), we hypothesized that the proportion of CO2 and bicarbonate utilized is not constant for M. pyrifera, but a variable function of their fluctuating environment. We further hypothesized that populations acclimated to different wave exposure and irradiance habitats would display different patterns of bicarbonate uptake. To test these hypotheses, we carried out oxygen evolution trials in the laboratory to measure the proportion of bicarbonate utilized by M. pyrifera via external CA under an orthogonal cross of velocity, irradiance, and acclimation treatments. Our Monterey Bay populations of M. pyrifera exhibited proportionally higher external bicarbonate utilization in high irradiance and high flow velocity conditions than in sub-saturating irradiance or low flow velocity conditions. However, there was no significant difference in proportional bicarbonate use between deep blades and canopy blades, nor between individuals from wave-exposed versus wave-protected sites. This study contributes a new field-oriented perspective on the abiotic controls of carbon utilization physiology in macroalgae.