cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of a Novel Method for Determining Transverse Plane Pelvic Obliquity.

Abstract Study Design This was a retrospective review of neuromuscular scoliosis radiographs evaluating interobserver and intra-observer error for a novel method of transverse plane pelvic obliquity. Objectives To evaluate the utility of a previously described method by Lucas et al. of determining transverse plane pelvic obliquity using standard radiographs in patients with cerebral palsy and neuromuscular scoliosis. Summary of Background Data Evaluation of pelvic obliquity in the transverse plane has not been thoroughly studied. The pelvis has been noted to function as intercalary vertebra in neuromuscular scoliosis, resulting in marked obliquity in all 3 planes. Methods Forty radiographs were chosen from 10 patients with cerebral palsy and neuromuscular scoliosis who had had a posterior spine arthrodesis and Galveston spino-pelvic fixation. Four observers independently examined the radiographs at different levels of training on 2 dates 1 week apart. Measurements recorded by each observer were described by Lucas et al.: E (the distance measured on lateral radiographs between the ilium at the inferior part of the sacro-iliac joint and the lateral edge of the anterior superior iliac spine), FR and FL (the coronal plane linear distance between the same 2 landmarks, measured from a posteroanterior radiograph, where F was measured for both the left (FL) and right (FR) sides of the pelvis, respectively), and β (the transverse plane rotation of the pelvis). Reproducibility of the measurements were analyzed using the concordance correlation coefficient (CCC). A CCC of 0.80 or higher was considered excellent agreement. Results The CCC between the first and second sets of measurements was lowest for E and highest for the calculated β, although none of the CCC calculations was statistically significant, demonstrating poor agreement. Conclusions The ability to reliably measure and calculate the degree of transverse plane rotation by radiographs in cerebral palsy patients with spino-pelvic deformity by the method described by Lucas et al. is poor, likely because of difficulty in consistently identify pelvic landmarks.
Reversible association of myosin with the platelet cytoskeleton

Platelets circulating in the human blood stream are smooth disk-shaped structures. The disks change within seconds of exposure to ADP or thrombin to irregular spheres bearing filopodia and pseudopodia. It is well-established that platelets also change shape (although more slowly) when chilled to 5°C1–5 and revert to disks on rewarming1,3. This cold-induced shape change may be due to the depolymerization of the submembranous microtubule ring. However, we found that chilling in the presence of Taxol, which stabilizes the microtubules, still results in shape change. Chilled platelets show an increase in the amount of myosin in the Triton-X insoluble residue or ‘cytoskeleton’6–9 which is correlated in time both with phosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chain and with the induced shape change. We suggest here that the slow cold-induced change from disks to spheres is due primarily to a gradual activation of myosin.
Pharmacokinetics of paclitaxel-containing liposomes in rats.

In animal models, liposomal formulations of paclitaxel possess lower toxicity and equal antitumor efficacy compared with the clinical formulation, Taxol. The goal of this study was to determine the formulation dependence of paclitaxel pharmacokinetics in rats, in order to test the hypothesis that altered biodistribution of paclitaxel modifies the exposure of critical normal tissues. Paclitaxel was administered intravenously in either multilamellar (MLV) liposomes composed of phosphatidylglycerol/phosphatidylcholine (L-pac) or in the Cremophor EL/ethanol vehicle used for the Taxol formulation (Cre-pac). The dose was 40 mg/kg, and the infusion time was 8 to 9 minutes. Animals were killed at various times, and pharmacokinetic parameters were determined from the blood and tissue distribution of paclitaxel. The area under the concentration vs time curve (AUC) for blood was similar for the 2 formulations (L-pac: 38.1±3.32 μg-h/mL; Cre-pac: 34.5±0.994 μg-h/mL), however, the AUC for various tissues was formulation-dependent. For bone marrow, skin, kidney, brain, adipose, and muscle tissue, the AUC was statistically higher for Cre-pac. For spleen, a tissue of the reticuloendothelial system that is important in the clearance of liposomes, the AUC was statistically higher for L-pac. Apparent tissue partition coefficients (Kp) also were calculated. For bone marrow, a tissue in which paclitaxel exerts significant toxicity, Kp was 5-fold greater for paclitaxel in Cre-pac. The data are consistent with paclitaxel release from circulating liposomes, but with efflux delayed sufficiently to retain drug to a greater extent in the central (blood) compartment and reduce penetration into peripheral tissues. These effects may contribute to the reduced toxicity of liposomal formulations of paclitaxel.
Molecular Microbiology: Diagnostic Principles and Practice, 2nd edition

Edited by David H. Persing, Fred C. Tenover, Yi-Wei Tang, Frederick S. Nolte, Randall T. Hayden, and Alex Van Belkum 960 pages. Washington, DC: ASM Press, 2011. $189.95 ISBN: 9781555814977 I found Molecular Microbiology: Diagnostic Principles and Practice, 2nd Edition to be an excellent resource for laboratory professionals and the clinical care team. This book provides chapter-by-chapter detail regarding the various molecular techniques that have been incorporated into use in microbiology laboratories during the past …
The Tripartite Plight of African-American Women as Reflected in the Novels of Hurston and Walker.

The history of the Africana woman reveals her peculiar predicament within the dominant culture as victim of a tripartite form of oppression-racism, classism, and sexism, respectively. Since American slavery, she and the Africana man have experienced much brutality; however, her womanhood has placed her in an even more vulnerable position. Whether an African-American writer chooses to emphasize oppression based on race, class and/or sex, invariably the victimization of the Africana woman surfaces. For example, Frederick Douglass (1968: 60) notes in My Bondage and My Freedom that the "slave woman is at the mercy of the fathers, sons or brothers of her master." Furthermore, Blassingame (1979: 155) asserts in The Slave Community that "frequently they [the slave masters] purchased comely black women for their concubines." Hence, while racism is their major focus, sexism and classism also are key issues in the African-American experience. As institutionalized racism has been a much debated subject, the present emphasis on class and female subjugation for the Africana woman then becomes a revived or fresh case of study for today's critic, particularly with women writers. My sense is that, relative to the times, this present emphasis merits serious consideration since racism continues to be in the forefront of African-American life. The intent of this literary analysis is to show how two twentiethcentury African-American women writers, Zora Neale Hurston and Alice Walker, depict the three-dimensional peculiarity of the Afric-
Associations of self-reported anxiety symptoms with health-related quality of life and health behaviors.

Anxiety disorders affect approximately 19 million American adults annually and have been associated with impaired health-related quality of life (HRQOL), an increased rate of adverse health behaviors, and poor outcomes related to chronic illness in studies conducted in clinical populations. Our study was designed to examine the association of self-reported anxiety symptoms with HRQOL and health behaviors among a representative sample of US community-dwellers. Data were obtained from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System,an ongoing, state-based, random-digit telephone survey of the noninstitutionalized US population aged ≥ 18 years. In 2002, HRQOL measures were administered in 18 states and the District of Columbia. An estimated 15% of persons reported frequent (≥ 14 days in the past 30 days) anxiety symptoms. After adjusting for frequent depressive symptoms and sociodemographic characteristics, those with frequent anxiety symptoms were significantly more likely than those without to report fair or poor general health (vs. excellent, very good, or good general health), frequent physical distress, frequent activity limitations, frequent sleep insufficiency, infrequent vitality, frequent mental distress, and frequent pain. In addition, they were more likely to smoke, to be obese, to be physically inactive, and to drink heavily. Given their association with impaired HRQOL and adverse health behaviors, our results suggest that assessment of anxiety symptoms should be a facet of routine standard medical examinations.
The paradoxical world of protein O-GlcNAcylation: a novel effector of cardiovascular (dys)function

This editorial refers to ‘ O -GlcNAcylation contributes to the vascular effects of ET-1 via activation of the RhoA/Rho-kinase pathway’ by V.V. Lima et al. , pp. 614–622, this issue. Post-translational modification of proteins is a common mechanism for the modulation of protein function, location, and turnover, and protein phosphorylation is probably the most widely studied form of post-translational modification. However, there is an increasing interest in modification of serine/threonine residues by the O -linked attachment of the monosaccharide β- N -acetyl-glucosamine ( O -GlcNAc); this is referred to as protein O -GlcNAcylation, to contrast it with traditional N- and O -glycosylation within the secretory pathways. Similar to phosphorylation, O -GlcNAc modification of proteins alters their function, activity, subcellular localization, and stability. Furthermore, since the same residues can be targets for both phosphorylation and O -GlcNAcylation, there is clearly a potential for direct interactions between them ( Figure 1 A ).1 Figure 1 ( A ) O -linked attachment of the GlcNAc (G) moiety to nuclear and cytosolic proteins is catalysed by O -GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and the removal catalysed by O -GlcNAcase (OGA), a process that is similar to and can interact with phosphorylation (P). ( B ) Summary of the positive and negative effects of O -GlcNAc signalling in the cardiovascular system as described in more detail in the following reviews.7–9 The study by Lima et al .2 focuses on the intersection of endothelin (ET-1) signalling and regulation of protein O -GlcNAcylation and their effects on vascular reactivity. They showed that both ET-1 treatment …
The Cordilleran orogenic belt between Nevada and Chihuahua

The Cordilleran orogenic belt of North America was formed during an orogeny which occurred mainly in Cretaceous and Paleocene time. The belt is marked by a zone of strong folding and thrust faulting that extends from Alaska to Guatemala. However, between southern Nevada and northeastern Chihuahua, the belt is so obscured that some geologists doubt its continuity. A recent study of part of the Nevada-Chihuahua interval provides evidence that the belt is continuous, without major interruption; the complications are the result of pre-orogenic and post-orogenic tectonic events. With due regard for these complicating factors, a structure section through southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico closely resembles sections through southwestern Canada, regions near Salt Lake City and Las Vegas in the United States, and northern Mexico. In each region, supracrustal rocks were tectonically transported east-northeastward a distance probably more than 100 km. The style of deformation suggests a near-surface environment, probably mainly controlled by decollement between a prism of miogeosynclinal rocks and crystalline basement rocks. Those features which vary between the regions reflect differences in tectonic position within the belt (for example, closer to foreland or hinterland, or depth of exposure), in anisotropy of preorogenic rocks (variations in older structural features), or in subsequent geologic history.
‘One in infinity’: failing to learn from accidents and implications for nuclear safety in India

Safe operation of nuclear power facilities requires a culture of learning, but Indian nuclear authorities appear to continuously fail to learn the lessons of accidents including at facilities they operate. This paper examines how nuclear authorities in India responded to the Fukushima accidents and a previous accident at one of India’s nuclear power plants, and infers what they seem to have learned from them. By evaluating this experience in light of a wide body of research on factors promoting reliability and safety in organizations managing complex and hazardous systems, it seeks to draw lessons about the prospects for nuclear safety in India.
Virtual video editing in interactive multimedia applications

Drawing examples from four interrelated sets of multimedia tools and applications under development at MIT, the authors examine the role of digitized video in the areas of entertainment, learning, research, and communication.
Beaten Before Begun: The Role of Procedural Justice in Planning Change

This investigation examines the potential adverse effects of planning strategic change on the employment relationship. We proposed that planning change can alter the psychological contract such that employees believe that organization obligations to the employee will diminish. We also argue that planning change may adversely affect employees’ perceived obligations to the organization, their trust in management, and their intention to remain with the organization but that such effects depend upon whether employees perceive the planning process to be procedurally just. We tested these hypotheses in a longitudinal study of a utility company undergoing reengineering planning. The findings supported the proposition that reactions to planning change depend upon perceptions of procedural justice in that employee obligations and intention to remain were only adversely affected by planning when employees perceived the process as unjust. Surprisingly, planning change did not significantly affect trust for employees...
Line centers, pressure shift, and pressure broadening of 1530-1560 nm hydrogen cyanide wavelength calibration lines

We have measured the line centers and pressure-induced shift and broadening of 25 lines in the 2nu3 rotational-vibrational band of hydrogen cyanide H13C14N. These lines can be used as wavelength references in the optical fiber communication wavelength division multiplexing C-band (approximately 1530-1565 nm). We find that the pressure shift varies with line number from +0.09 pm/kPa to -0.15 pm/kPa (approximately -1.5 to +2.5 MHz/Torr). The pressure broadening also varies with line number and is typically between 1 and 5.4 pm/kPa (17-90 MHz/Torr). We determined the line centers of 21 lines with an expanded uncertainty (2sigma) of 0.01 pm (approximately 1 MHz), an improvement of more than 1 order of magnitude over previous line center measurements of this band. We also calculate the molecular constants for the band, yielding improved determination of the band origin frequency and the excited-state molecular constants.
Alternative approaches to distribute an E-commerce document management system

This experience paper describes newsblaster.com, a commercial document management system that facilitates exchange of news worthy documents between two user communities: editors of newspapers and magazines who seek to publish articles; and member companies who want to disseminate information such as new product offerings, product recalls, alliances with other companies, etc. The paper focuses on the Internet connection of a single node Web server as the system bottleneck and discusses three alternative approaches to distribute the application across multiple nodes. The first, termed vertical, analyzes the semantics of the application and distributes it across multiple nodes based on its community of users and how they access the system. The second, termed horizontal, declusters the application's data across multiple nodes with the objective to distribute client requests evenly across these nodes. Hybrid, our third approach, considers a horizontal partitioning of services identified by a vertical partitioning. The paper describes the application of each approach to newsblaster.
Additions to the Pennsylvania Bryoflora: Dicranella cerviculata and Pseudoscleropodium purum

Abstract. Dicranella cerviculata and Pseudoscleropodium purum are added to the Pennsylvania moss flora. Collections were made by the senior author with determinations by the junior author. Voucher specimens are deposited in MO.
Press systems and media-government relations in the Czech and Slovak republics

Post-communist realities have made it necessary for the media in East Central Europe to redefine their role. Yet politicians and journalists in the region hold a wide range of views about what that role should be. Although united for over fifty years, the newly independent Czech and Slovak republics have inherited significantly different economic and political conditions, which have contributed to differences in their respective press systems and to the development of very different relationships between the government and media. Yet despite divergent views on the media's role, media policy in both countries will be increasingly determined by economic factors. The following paper examines these issues.
Monitoring Response to Anticancer Therapy by Targeting Microbubbles to Tumor Vasculature

Purpose: New strategies to detect tumor angiogenesis and monitor response of tumor vasculature to therapy are needed. Contrast ultrasound imaging using microbubbles targeted to tumor endothelium offers a noninvasive method for monitoring and quantifying vascular effects of antitumor therapy. We investigated the use of targeted microbubbles to follow vascular response of therapy in a mouse model of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Experimental Design: Microbubbles conjugated to monoclonal antibodies were used to image and quantify vascular effects of two different antitumor therapies in s.c. and orthotopic pancreatic tumors in mice. Tumor-bearing mice were treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) monoclonal antibodies and/or gemcitabine, and the localization of microbubbles to endoglin (CD105), VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2), or VEGF-activated blood vessels (the VEGF-VEGFR complex) was monitored by contrast ultrasound. Results: Targeted microbubbles showed significant enhancement of tumor vasculature when compared with untargeted or control IgG–targeted microbubbles. Video intensity from targeted microbubbles correlated with the level of expression of the target (CD105, VEGFR2, or the VEGF-VEGFR complex) and with microvessel density in tumors under antiangiogenic or cytotoxic therapy. Conclusions: We conclude that targeted microbubbles represent a novel and attractive tool for noninvasive, vascular-targeted molecular imaging of tumor angiogenesis and for monitoring vascular effects specific to antitumor therapy in vivo .
The Effects of Reverse Splits on the Liquidity of the Stock

This study investigates the liquidity effects of reverse stock splits using bid-ask spread, trading volume, and the number of nontrading days as proxies for the liquidity of the stock. Results indicate a decrease in bid-ask spread and an increase in trading volume after reverse splits. More importantly, the number of nontrading days significantly declines following reverse splits. For the control group, however, no such changes are observed. These results suggest that reverse splits enhance the liquidity of the stock.
Predicting surgical outcome using Bayesian analysis.

Abstract Surgical outcome analysis is best performed using Bayesian statistics. The ability of this type of analysis to take into consideration multiple parameters affecting surgical outcome is a marked improvement over single-condition probabilities that ignore the many degrees of freedom in the dynamics of a surgical intervention. To illustrate the power of a Bayesian analysis a surgical population of 1017 patients undergoing cholecystectomy, colon resection, and appendectomy was developed. Each patient was assigned to a mutually exclusive outcome group ( D 1 , survival; D 2 , survival with complications; D 3 , nonsurvival). A priori outcome probabilities for the population were D 1 = 0.917, D 2 = 0.066, and D 3 = 0.017. A conditional probability matrix (CPM) was then developed for 59 patient parameters (Sj) that may have affected outcome. The CPM contained the conditional probability that a parameter was present given the known outcome P (Sj/Di). Once the CPM was matured Bayesian analysis allowed one to predict the surgical outcome given any set or combination of patient parameters P (Di/Sj). Posterior probabilities generated by the Bayes analysis allowed one to investigate the effect of a single parameter or any group of parameters on outcome. Criterion based validity testing based on comparison of Bayesian outcomes versus the surgeons perception of outcomes for computer simulated surgery on 15 artificial patients suggests that this type of analysis provides insightful and educational data to the operating surgeons (V-mortality = 0.547, SEE = 24.46; V-morbidity = 0.319, SEE = 25.86). Objective outcome analysis or surgical peer review cannot be fairly accomplished unless the statistical methodology takes into consideration all of the parameters affecting outcome. This study concludes that Bayes Theorem provides the ideal statistical framework for performing an outcome analysis that considers the many parameters affecting the results of a surgical intervention.
Reliability, Validity, and Responsiveness of Functional Tests in Patients With Total Joint Replacement

Background and Purpose. High-quality measurements are needed to develop meaningful clinical practice databases to assess the effectiveness of physical therapy. This study determined the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of measurements obtained with five functional tests graded with the newly developed Iowa Level of Assistance Scale. Subjects and Methods. Eighty-six patients with total hip or knee replacements were tested at various time periods during their hospitalization. Patients were tested for five functional activities by four therapists to establish the reliability and test responsiveness. The Harris Hip Rating Scale was administered to assess the validity of the functional score. Results. The weighted Kappa statistic supported good intratester (K=.79–.90) and moderate intertester (K=.48–.78) reliability. The correlation between the Harris Hip Rating Scale scores and the total functional scores was high (r=–.86). The total functional score was responsive to 4 days of therapy postoperatively. Conclusion and Discussion. The assessment of function using the Iowa Level of Assistance Scale was shown to be highly reliable, valid, and responsive in patients following total hip or knee replacements.
Design of a MHz Repetition Rate Pulse Burst Laser System at Auburn University

st change is that the pulse slicing is achieved using an acousto-optic modulator (AOM) rather than a pair of electro-optic Pockels cells. The AOM is less expensive (by ~90%) and is able to produce flexible bursts of pulses with variable pulse durations (as short as 10 nsec) at repetition rates ranging from DC to greater than 5 MHz. The energy of the pulses prior to amplification is estimated to be from 0.5 to 3.3 nJ for 10 to 50 nsec long pulses, respectively. The contrast ratio of the pulses produced by the AOM is ~800:1 before spatial filtering and ~15,000:1 after spatial filtering. The 2 nd major change in the design of the laser system is the temporal shape of the gain curve created by the power amplifier chain. The design of the flashlamp controller has been specified to produce approximately uniform gain over a 1 msec long period of time. This is contrast to previous designs, which had 100-200 μsec long gain curves with Gaussian shaped profiles. Preliminary measurements show that the total gain for the amplifier chain is approximately 10 7 resulting in individual pulse energies on the order of 10 mJ/pulse. This level of gain is expected to drop by only 10% over the 1 msec duration of gain envelope.
L-Moment Estimators as Applied to Gamma Drop Size Distributions

Abstract The traditional approach with experimental raindrop size data has been to use the method of moments in the fitting procedure to estimate the parameters for the raindrop size distribution function. However, the moment method is known to be biased and can have substantial errors. Therefore, the L-moment method, which is widely used by hydrologists, was investigated as an alternative. The L-moment method was applied, along with the moment and maximum likelihood methods, to samples taken from simulated gamma raindrop populations. A comparison of the bias and the errors involved in the L-moments, moments, and maximum likelihood procedures shows that, with samples covering the full range of drop sizes, L-moments and maximum likelihood outperform the method of moments. For small sample sizes the moment method gives a large bias and large error while the L-moment method gives results close to the true population values, outperforming even maximum likelihood results. Because the goal of this work is to un...
Synthetic biology as it relates to CAM photosynthesis: challenges and opportunities

To meet future food and energy security needs, which are amplified by increasing population growth and reduced natural resource availability, metabolic engineering efforts have moved from manipulating single genes/proteins to introducing multiple genes and novel pathways to improve photosynthetic efficiency in a more comprehensive manner. Biochemical carbon-concentrating mechanisms such as crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), which improves photosynthetic, water-use, and possibly nutrient-use efficiency, represent a strategic target for synthetic biology to engineer more productive C3 crops for a warmer and drier world. One key challenge for introducing multigene traits like CAM onto a background of C3 photosynthesis is to gain a better understanding of the dynamic spatial and temporal regulatory events that underpin photosynthetic metabolism. With the aid of systems and computational biology, vast amounts of experimental data encompassing transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics can be related in a network to create dynamic models. Such models can undergo simulations to discover key regulatory elements in metabolism and suggest strategic substitution or augmentation by synthetic components to improve photosynthetic performance and water-use efficiency in C 3 crops. Another key challenge in the application of synthetic biology to photosynthesis research is to develop efficient systems for multigene assembly and stacking. Here, we review recent progress in computational modelling as applied to plant photosynthesis, with attention to the requirements for CAM, and recent advances in synthetic biology tool development. Lastly, we discuss possible options for multigene pathway construction in plants with an emphasis on CAM-into-C3 engineering.
The influence of androgenic steroid hormones on female aggression in ‘atypical’ mammals

Dimorphism on dominance and agonistic behaviour in mammals tends to be strongly biased toward males. In this review, we focus on a select few species of mammals in which females are as or more aggressive than males, and/or are dominant to males, and explore the role of androgenic hormones in mediating this important difference. While the data are not as clear-cut as those published on traditional laboratory mammals, our review highlights important endocrine substrates for both organizational and activational influences of steroids on female aggressive behaviour. We highlight areas in which further observations and experiments are crucial, especially the potential facilitative effects of androgens on female aggression. Finally, new and innovative techniques, including molecular genetics and receptor pharmacology, portend important insights into the ways in which androgenic hormones regulate aggressive behaviour in ‘atypical’ female mammals.
Sketch-based navigation for mobile robots

The goal of this work is to create a robot interface that allows a novice user to guide, control, and/or program a mobile robot to perform some task. To illustrate our interface we have chosen the example of robot navigation. We present a way to use a PDA computer to sketch a map and a robot route on this map. Qualitative instructions are then extracted from such a map to form a list of sequential steps that the robot has to follow to complete its task based on landmark states. We also demonstrate the feasibility of our approach on a Nomad200 robot simulator.
Modulation of reactive oxygen species in pancreatic cancer.

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of the three different forms of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase [i.e., manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), copper zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD), and extracellular superoxide dismutase (EcSOD)] on the malignant phenotype of human pancreatic cancer. Experimental Design: Human pancreatic cancer cell lines were infected with adenoviral vectors containing the cDNAs for three different forms of the antioxidant enzyme SOD. Intratumoral injections of the adenoviral vectors were used in nude mice with human tumor xenografts. Results: Increases in immunoreactive protein and enzymatic activity were seen after infections with the Ad MnSOD , Ad CuZnSOD , or Ad EcSOD constructs. Increased SOD activity decreased superoxide levels and increased hydrogen peroxide levels. Increasing SOD levels correlated with increased doubling time. Cell growth and plating efficiency decreased with increasing amounts of the adenoviral constructs, with the Ad CuZnSOD vector having the greatest effect in decreasing in vitro tumor growth. In contrast, inhibiting endogenous SOD with small interfering RNA increased superoxide levels and promoted tumor growth. Of the three SODs, tumors grew the slowest and survival was increased the greatest in nude mice injected with the Ad EcSOD construct. Conclusions: Scavenging plasma membrane–generated superoxide may prove beneficial for suppression of pancreatic cancer growth.
Expression profiling of rat mammary epithelial cells reveals candidate signaling pathways in dietary protection from mammary tumors

The role of diet in the prevention of breast cancer is widely accepted, yet little is known about how its biological effects mitigate susceptibility to this disease. Soy consumption is associated w...
Compassion, Suffering and the Self: A Moral Psychology of Social Justice

Concerns for social justice have figured prominently in much current sociological and criminological discourse. Often implicated by these critiques is the enduring presence of harm, suffering and injustice in contemporary western society — particularly as these are reinforced and perpetuated by organizational and institutional policies and practices. Less often considered are the moral-psychological foundations that give rise to these problems and pathologies. Opposing the struggle for social justice, it could be argued, is a generalized impoverishment of moral sensibilities that would forefront the good of the other, thereby giving rise to relationships, communities and institutional policies and practices conducive to widespread human flourishing. This article suggests that meaningful social transformation in pursuit of social justice requires significant alterations of our collective value framework. More specifically, what seems needed is an overcoming of habitual cognitive and affective obstacles to ...
Scaling of Nuclear Stopping in Central Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions from Elab = 0.25 – 160 A-GeV

There is considerable interest in the stopping power of nuclei at relativistic energies. The nuclear stopping power can be viewed as a measure of the degree to which the energy of the relative motion of two colliding nuclei is transformed into other degrees of freedom. The amount of nuclear stopping determines parameters, such as the energy and volume of the interaction region (and therefore energy density), which govern the reaction dynamics and the extent to which conditions might be favorable for formation of a high density, deconfined phase of matter. With increased nuclear stopping are expected: increased thermalization of the incident energy, higher energy densities during the collision and a combination of increased particle production and collective flow. Therefore, an understanding of nuclear stopping measurements at the presently available collision energies should provide insight into the energy and baryon densities that will be reached in the future in nuclear collisions at higher energies at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN.
Effects of Cultural Recomposition on Group Interaction Processes

In this article we introduce the concept of cultural recomposition and propose its effects on group interaction processes. To gain an understanding of the mechanisms that underlie these effects, we employ self-categorization theory and control chart theory. From these we develop our own theory, proposing that cultural recomposition causes the type of variation in group interaction processes that may have substantial implications for group performance. We also identify factors that may determine whether cultural recomposition will cause this type of variation in group interaction processes.
Incorporating monolingual corpora into bilingual latent semantic analysis for crosslingual LM adaptation

The major limitation in bilingual latent semantic analysis (bLSA) is the requirement of parallel training corpora. Motivated by semi-supervised learning, we propose a clusterbased bLSA training approach to incorporate monolingual corpora. Treating each parallel document pair as centroids of the parallel document clusters, each monolingual document is associated to the closest centroid according to their topic similarity. The resulting parallel document clusters are used as constraints to enforce a one-to-one topic correspondence in variational EM. Slight performance improvement in crosslingual language model adaptation is observed compared to the baseline without monolingual corpora.
Super p-form gauge superfields☆

Abstract We study super p-form gauge superfields in four-dimensional spacetime with unextended supersymmetry for 0 ⩽ p ⩽ 4. We give the geometrical formulation of the N = 1 tensor-gauge multiplet and derive the N = 1 three-form gauge multiplet. This latter multiplet has the structure of a chiral multiplet with a certain modification.
Mitigating static power in current-sensed interconnects

Interconnects are an increasing concern in recent years, resulting in novel techniques such as current sensing. However these techniques must be designed to tradeoff delay and both dynamic and static power consumption. This paper presents an innovative approach to reduce static power in differential current-sensed interconnects. This system uses a self-timed shut-off system to reduce static currents used to bias the current sense amplifier. Results indicated that the self timed shut-off system reduced static power by 23.4% for a 10mm line in 250nm technology with no overhead in performance. On an average it reduced static power by 9.7% for 4mm-9mm lines over 180nm, 130nm, 100nm and 65nm technologies and 6% from 10mm-15mm line over the same set of technologies as before. Physical design of the system was implemented in 250nm technology along with the implementation of a test circuit, ready to be fabricated. Extensions of this shut-off mechanism may be useful for mitigating leakage power in a variety of interconnect circuits.
Operations Research and Homeland Security: Overview and Case Study of Pandemic Influenza

This chapter starts with a brief review of the birth of operations research (OR) in a war-focused homeland security setting. In more frequent non-war settings, homeland security requires diligent planning for and responding to low probability, high consequence (LPHC) events. Resulting decisions are described by time frame, from long-term planning decisions to minute-to-minute operational decisions. After a brief review of OR tools and techniques and of related literature, the chapter then provides details of recent OR research by the authors into a major threat to homeland security: pandemic influenza. In the context of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic flu, we examine a supply chain problem in pandemic flu response: the manufacture, delivery, and administering of flu vaccine. Using a combination of axiomatically derived OR models and data obtained from a representative sample of states of the USA, we evaluate the effectiveness of the deployment of flu vaccines in 2009. We show that, for many states, the vaccines arrived far too late to be useful. We suggest alternative vaccine allocation policies that could dramatically increase the numbers of flu infections averted. We offer practical takeaways for those whose responsibility it is to design homeland security response strategies for their own states and communities.
Plenary lecture 1: mathematics of bioinformatics: theory, practice, and applications

Historically, mathematics, probability and statistics have been widely used in biological sciences. Science has a challenge to understand a system organization of molecular genetic ensemble with its unique properties of reliability and productivity. Disclosing of key secrets of this organization means a big step in science about nature in a whole and a big step to create the most productive biotechnologies. Knowledge about this structural organization should become a part of mathematical natural science. Recent advances of mathematical methods and techniques in bioinformatics have been rapidly growing. There is more to life than the genomic blueprint of each organism. Life functions within the natural laws that we know and the ones we do not know. Mathematics can be used to understand life from the molecular to the biosphere level. This talk is devoted to the connection and integration between fundamental mathematical methods and biological sequences, structures, and networks. The outline of this talk includes: 1. Bioinformatics and Mathematics 2. Genetic Codes, Matrices, and Symmetrical Techniques 3. Biological Sequences, Sequence Alignment, and Statistics 4. Structures of DNA and Knot Theory 5. Protein Structures, Geometry, and Topology 6. Biological Networks and Graph Theory
The Role of the Band GAP in the Light-Induced Degradation of Amorphous Silicon Alloys

The dependence of the light-induced degradation on the band gap and hydrogen content in Amorphous silicon and related alloys is discussed. A simple model is presented which predicts that the light-induced degradation should be strongly correlated with the optical gap. In particular, for materials with Egap smaller than approximately 1.2eV no degradation is expected. The implications and consequences of the model for the task of reducing metastability in Amorphous silicon alloys are discussed.
Free myo-Inositol in Canine Kidneys: Selective Concentration in the Renal Medulla

AbstractThe concentration of free and lipid-bound myo-inositol (MI) was measured in outer and inner cortical zones and in outer and inner medullary zones of the dog kidney. Lipid-bound MI was highest in the outer cortex (0.86 μ mole/g wet wt) and decreased progressively to the inner medulla (0.28 μ mole/g). In contrast free MI was highest in the outer medulla (18.4 ± 2.2 μ mole/g wet wt) as compared to the cortical zones (3.45 ± 0.19 and 5.30 ± 0.33 μ mole/g in outer and inner zones, respectively). The concentration ratio of free MI in outer medullary zone cellular water to plasma water was in excess of 1000. We cannot attribute this high MI concentration to tubular transport because this transport system is present in cortical zone proximal tubules. Water diuresis did not deplete outer medullary MI significantly which suggests that the high medullary MI is independent of the medullary countercurrent mechanism.
Growth hormone and estrogen: A clinician's approach

Adult patients with growth hormone (GH) deficiency require long-term treatment with GH to support normal physiological functioning. For many female patients, endogenous estrogen levels have a considerable impact on the dosing requirements for GH. Estrogen appears to stimulate GH secretion by decreasing liver secretion of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), resulting in stimulation of the pituitary to synthesize and secrete GH. Oral estrogen results in a higher concentration of liver estrogen than transdermal administration of estrogen. The appropriate dose of GH needs to be determined for each patient based on his or her age, sex, concomitant estrogen therapy, IGF-I level, and short- and long-term response to therapy. Clinical endocrinologists are in the best position to put all these variables into a successful therapeutic scenario.
Prevention of Failure in Vasectomy

A surgical procedure used in 1000 successful vasectomies performed between January 1962 and January 1972 is presented. Successful vasectomy depends upon high bilateral division of the vas without excision of a segment. The mucosa of the proximal vas should be destroyed next to its cut end so that fibrosis and closure will ensue and the sheath of the vas should be interrupted by suturing it over the end of the distal vas. It is recommended that ligatures or clips not be used directly on the vas. Performed according to these principles failures did not occur and complications less frequent.
Measuring Myocardial Scar by CMR

Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) has emerged as the gold-standard technique for imaging of myocardial scar. The basic principle is inversion-recovery imaging after a 5- to 10-min delay following intravenous administration of gadolinium contrast ([1][1]). With
Hypertension in Children: Motivating Improvement in Clinical Practice

Hypertension in children is a common and serious problem associated with target organ damage including left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), increased carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), and microalbuminuria. Unfortunately, there is ample evidence that the problem goes unrecognized in clinical practice. There are multiple reasons for this including the complexity of blood pressure standards in children, a lack of knowledge among clinicians, skepticism about the importance of hypertension in children, conflicting screening recommendations, and discomfort among clinicians, patients, and families with pharmacotherapy. Strategies to improve rates of diagnosis include clinical decision support systems, educational programs, and incorporating diagnosis and management of hypertension into a broader strategy to address weight and lifestyle among overweight and obese children. Furthermore, evidence about the long-term impact of hypertension in children is emerging and should motivate improved screening, diagnosis, and management according to established guidelines.
Probabilistic Automata with Isolated Cut-Points

We consider various decision problems for probabilistic finite automata (PFA)s with isolated cut-points. Recall that a cut-point x is said to be isolated for a PFA if the acceptance probability of all finite strings is bounded away from x. First we establish the exact level of undecidability of the problem of determining if a cut-point is isolated; we show this problem to be \(\mathbf{\Sigma^0_2}\)-complete. Next we introduce a new class of PFAs called eventually weakly ergodic PFAs that generalize ergodic and weakly ergodic PFAs. We show that the emptiness and universality problem for these PFAs is decidable provided the cut-point is isolated.
A quantitative readability analysis of patient education resources from gastroenterology society websites

Background and aims The lay public frequently access and rely on online information as a source of their medical knowledge. Many medical societies are unaware of national patient education material guidelines and subsequently fail to meet them. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the readability of patient education materials within the medical field of gastroenterology.
Intraoperative Nerve Monitoring for Parathyroid Surgery

There exists an extensive body of literature examining the value of intraoperative recurrent laryngeal nerve monitoring (IONM) during thyroid and parathyroid surgery. These studies have advanced the understanding of electrophysiologic nerve monitoring and culminated in the publication of an international standards guideline statement. This chapter reviews the value of intraoperative nerve monitoring with a specific interest in its application regarding parathyroid surgery. The rationale for monitoring is addressed in the context of the unique circumstances of parathyroid surgery. Furthermore, the expected value of nerve monitoring for the intraoperative decision process, techniques, and equipment, as well as contemporary trends and future directions of IONM are covered.
The Extended Advertising Network Model

Prior research on Internet advertising has focused on the input and process components of banner ad design, but fail to address the influence of visual display principles on the output component of banner ad design. This may account for the decreasing online banner ad click-through rates, which are significantly below 1%. Motivated by the lack of research on the influence of visual display principles on banner ad design, we have developed the Extended Advertising Network Model. The theoretical background for the Extended Advertising Network Model is the visual perception theories. The Extended Advertising Network Model provides guidelines on how to effectively design advertising network firms and banner ads. Also, the model encourages banner ad designers to pay equal attention to all the components that are involved in banner ad design in order to draw the attention of web users, thus increasing merchants and vendors’ revenues and online banner ad click-through rates.
On the identity of fibrin(ogen) oligomers appearing during fibrin polymerization.

Fibrinogen (1) is a dimeric, symmetrical molecule with the overall structure (Aα, Bβ, γ)2. When fibrinogen is converted into fibrin by the action of thrombin two moles of each fibrinopeptide A and B are finally released. Hereby four N-terminal polymerization sites are revealed in each molecule and these can then interact with four pre-existing C-terminal polymerization sites so that fibrin oligomers and polymers are formed. It is well established that A-peptides are removed from fibrinogen before B-peptides and that A-peptide release alone is sufficient for clotting to occur. The two fibrin types formed have the structures [(α, β, γ)2]n and [(α, Bβ, γ)2]n respectively.