cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A rare tumour in the mandible of a young man: a case report and literature review of mesenchymal chondrosarcoma of the mandible

Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma (MCS) is a rare malignancy that was first described by Lichtenstein and Bernstein in 1959. This paper reports the latest case of mandibular MCS and provides a review of cases of mandibular MCS from 1971 to the present. The literature was searched using the PubMed and Ovid engines; bibliographies were cross referenced. A meta-analysis of the reported cases was performed and Kaplan–Meier curves generated for all treatment options. In the paediatric population, MCS is a rare and aggressive tumour. Since 1971, only 15 cases of MCS have been reported in the mandible of patients less than 20 years old. Surgical treatment positively impacts survival and is not improved with radiation or chemotherapy. Local recurrence was frequent, aggressive and dramatically affects survival. This meta-analysis shows that primary intervention with surgery remains the standard of care for MCS. The role for chemotherapy and radiation therapy in the treatment of MCS remains unclear.
Soviet methods of reporting and displaying results of chemical analyses of natural waters and methods of recognizing oil‐field waters: A summary

Several Soviet methods of reporting and displaying results of chemical analyses of natural waters are briefly outlined. In addition, some methods of studying waters from petroliferous formations are presented. A certain relationship may exist between the chemical composition of oil-field waters and the stratigraphic depth. The relationship between the total mineralization and the chemical composition of waters from the same stratum can be clearly shown graphically.
Lobbying Coalitions and Government Policy Change: An Analysis of Federal Agency Rulemaking

Coalition lobbying is one of the most frequently employed influence tactics used by interest groups today. Yet, surprisingly, the existing literature measuring its policy effects finds either no relationship or a negative association between coalition lobbying and policy change. We theorize the conditions under which coalition lobbying will influence policy and then test for its policy effects. We expect greater influence when there is consensus across the messages sent from coalitions and when coalitions are larger and mobilize new participants. Using a multilevel model, we assess the argument with survey data from lobbying entities and a content analysis of regulations promulgated by seven U.S. federal agencies. In contrast to the existing literature measuring policy effects, we find evidence that coalition participants hold important influence during regulatory policymaking. We also demonstrate that both consensus and coalition makeup are critical factors for policy change. These findings suggest that ...
Role of Cl/Si Ratio in the Low-Temperature Chloro-Carbon Epitaxial Growth of SiC

In order to understand the influence of the Cl/Si ratio on the morphology of the low-temperature chloro-carbon epitaxial growth, HCl was added during the SiCl4/CH3Cl growth at 1300°C. Use of higher Cl/Si ratio allowed only modest improvements of the growth rate without morphology degradation, which did not go far beyond what has been achieved previously by optimizing the value of the input C/Si ratio. On the other hand, when the epitaxial growth process operated at too low or too high values of the input C/Si ratio, i.e., outside of the window of good epilayer morphology, any additional increase of the Cl/Si ratio caused improvement of the epilayer morphology. It was established that this improvement was due to a change of the effective C/Si ratio towards its intermediate values, which corresponded to more favorable growth conditions.
Dose-dependent effects of the antiprogestin, RU486, on sexual behavior of naturally cycling Fischer rats.

Abstract Regularly cycling Fischer female rats were treated with either a low (5 mg/kg) or high (5 mg/RAT; approximately 30 mg/kg) dose of the antiprogestin, RU486, before the morning of proestrus or on the morning of proestrus. The emergence of sexual behavior after treatment with RU486 was examined in a mating test with a sexually active male rat. Lordosis behavior was remarkably resistant to the effects of RU486. Only the high dose of RU486 given the evening before proestrus, approximately 22 h before mating, reduced lordosis behavior. Independent of dose or time of treatment, proceptivity was reduced and resistance to the male's attempts to mount was increased by RU486 treatment. In addition, the effect of a 5 min restraint stress on sexual behavior was examined. In contrast to the relative resistance of lordosis behavior of unrestrained rats to RU486 treatment, RU486 treated rats showed a significant decline in lordosis behavior after restraint. These findings allow the suggestion that the emergence of lordosis behavior is relatively resistant to the antiprogestin while the maintenance of lordosis behavior after restraint may require participation of intracellular progesterone receptors.
DNA binding to mica correlates with cationic radius: assay by atomic force microscopy

In buffers containing selected transition metal salts, DNA binds to mica tightly enough to be directly imaged in the buffer in the atomic force microscope (AFM, also known as scanning force microscope). The binding of DNA to mica, as measured by AFM-imaging, is correlated with the radius of the transition metal cation. The transition metal cations that effectively bind DNA to mica are Ni(II), Co(II), and Zn(II), which have ionic radii from 0.69 to 0.74 A. In Mn(II), ionic radius 0.82 A, DNA binds weakly to mica. In Cd(II) and Hg(II), respective ionic radii of 0.97 and 1.1 A, DNA does not bind to mica well enough to be imaged with the AFM. These results may to relate to how large a cation can fit into the cavities above the recessed hydroxyl groups in the mica lattice, although hypotheses based on hydrated ionic radii cannot be ruled out. The dependence of DNA binding on the concentrations of the cations Ni(II), Co(II), or Zn(II) shows maximal DNA binding at approximately 1-mM cation. Mg(II) does not bind DNA tightly enough to mica for AFM imaging. Mg(II) is a Group 2 cation with an ionic radius similar to that of Ni(II). Ni(II), Co(II), and Zn(II) have anomalously high enthalpies of hydration that may relate to their ability to bind DNA to mica. This AFM assay for DNA binding to mica has potential applications for assaying the binding of other polymers to mica and other flat surfaces.
Changes in synaptic expression of clathrin assembly protein AP180 in Alzheimer's disease analysed by immunohistochemistry

Clathrin assembly protein AP180 plays a regulatory role in clathrin-mediated synaptic vesicle recycling in synapses. Previously, using immunoblot analysis, we observed a significant reduction of AP180 protein in Alzheimer's disease neocortex. In this study, we examined immunohistochemically the expression of AP180 in post mortem brains with Alzheimer's disease (n = 5) in comparison with neurologically normal controls (n = 5). Overall, AP180 was revealed as immunoreactive punctate granules located in the neuropil, and around neuronal cell bodies and their processes, consistent with the typical expression of synaptic proteins. Reduced density of AP180 immunoreactive puncta was seen throughout all layers of the superior frontal gyrus in Alzheimer's disease, but the loss of AP180 immunoreactivity was not as prominent in the cerebellum. This regional difference is in agreement with our previous results from immunoblot analyses. In the hippocampus, cell body AP180 immunoreactivity normally seen in the hilus and the CA3 regions of control brains was completely lost in Alzheimer's disease. In addition, AP180 immunoreactivity in the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus showed several changes in Alzheimer's disease. These appeared to be expansion of the inner molecular layer and relative changes in immunoreactivity that resulted in clearer delineation of the inner and outer molecular layers. These results provide anatomical and spatial information on AP180 expression in Alzheimer's disease brains. The variations in altered AP180 immunoreactivity in different brain regions of Alzheimer's disease may underlie the dysfunction of the corresponding synapses.
Unparticles: Scales and high energy probes

Unparticles from hidden conformal sectors provide qualitatively new possibilities for physics beyond the standard model. In the theoretical framework of minimal models, we clarify the relation between energy scales entering various phenomenological analyses. We show that these relations always counteract the effective field theory intuition that higher dimension operators are more highly suppressed, and that the requirement of a significant conformal window places strong constraints on possible unparticle signals. With these considerations in mind, we examine some of the most robust and sensitive probes and explore novel effects of unparticles on gauge coupling evolution and fermion production at high energy colliders. These constraints are presented both as bounds on four-fermion interaction scales and as constraints on the fundamental parameter space of minimal models.
The Lombard effect in choral singing

Summary Selected vocal-intensity response-level readings of singers' ability to resist the Lombard effect in choral singing before and after verbal instructions were compared. Twenty-seven adults sang The Star Spangled Banner along with a choir heard through headphones. After instructions to resist increasing vocal intensity as the choir increased, each subject sang again. The performances were recorded, and vocal-intensity readings from selected places in the song were obtained from a graphic-level recorder. A 3 × 3 × 2 multiple analysis of variance procedure was performed on the scores; the main factors tested were experience level, pretest-posttest differences, and places in the song. No significant difference (0.05 level) for levels of experience was observed, but the effect of the instructions was significant ( p
DETERMINING THE MICROBIAL QUALITY OF LIQUID EGGS USING A FILTRATE RELEASE TEST

Aseptically broken shell eggs were inoculated with Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas fragi and Streptococcus faecalis and incubated at room temperature (22° C). At intervals, the eggs were sampled and total microbial counts as well as a filtrate release test were conducted. As the bacterial numbers increased, an increase in filtrate volume was observed where counts exceeded 107 organisms per milliliter. When the counts were at this level, an off odor was often noticeable in the eggs.
Using hyperspectral data and PLSR modelling to assess acid sulphate soil in subsurface

Acid sulphate soil (ASS) has raised increasing environmental concerns because of its capability to produce strong acidity and consequent trace metal release. It is difficult to assess the occurrence and severity of ASS in the subsurface by conventional methods, either by chemical measurements following intensive field survey or by airborne/spaceborne remote sensing. This paper aims to explore a new way to rapidly assess the occurrence and severity of the harmful ASS in the subsurface. This paper introduced a proximal hyperspectral instrument, namely Hylogger™ system, which can rapidly scan soil cores and provide high-resolution hyperspectral data to assess ASS occurring in the subsurface. Traditional soil coring and chemical measurements were also applied to assist the assessment. Furthermore, partial least squares regression (PLSR) was used to establish the relationship between soil pH values and reflectance spectral features. The main results include mineral distribution, which was mapped using scanned hypespectral data on soil cores, soil pH map and the distribution of the two types of ASS, including harmful actual acid sulphate soil and harmless potential acid sulphate soil. Furthermore, the relationship between the soil pH values and spectral features was established by PLSR modelling. Conclusively, ASS in the subsurface was characterised spectrally, the mineralogy was mapped using hyperspectral data from soil cores, and the AASS and the PASS were separated as well. The model established could be used to predict soil pH in the future; thus, it could further accelerate the assessment of ASS.
Examining the relationships among coaching staff diversity, perceptions of diversity, value congruence, and life satisfaction.

The purpose of this study was to examine relationships among coaching staff diversity, perceptions of diversity, value congruence, and life satisfaction. Data were collected from 71 coaching staffs (N = 196 coaches). Observed path analysis was used to examine the study predictions. Results indicate that actual staff diversity was positively related to perceptions of such heterogeneity, which were negatively related to value congruence among the coaches. Finally, value congruence was positively associated with life satisfaction of members of the coaching staff. Results are discussed in terms of research and practical implications.
Highly dispersed Pt nanoparticle-modified 3D porous carbon: A metallized carbon electrode material

Abstract We demonstrate the controllable dispersion of platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) throughout multilayers of a unique and highly ordered lithographically-patterned 3D porous carbon (PC) substrate. The resulting hierarchical structure allows for high mass transport access and catalytic activity for a diverse range of applications. Control of the electrodeposition conditions offers tailoring of the size and morphology of the PtNPs, along with narrow size distributions, and hence control of the electrochemical behavior. Such incorporation of PtNPs onto a 3D carbon nanostructure leads to high chemical and mechanical stability with improved mass transport profiles. The coupling of the catalytic properties of PtNPs with the attractive structural regularity and rigidity of 3D PC offers considerable promise for diverse applications such as flow sensors, biosensors, remediation, and fuel cells.
The Cold War U.S. Army: Building Deterrence for Limited War

The Cold War marked a new era for America's military, one dominated by nuclear weapons and air power that seemed to diminish the need for conventional forces. Ingo Trauschweizer chronicles the U.S. Army's struggles with its identity, structure, and mission in the face of those challenges, showing how it evolved, redefined its mission more than once, and ultimately transformed itself.Trauschweizer describes how, beginning in the 1950s, the army faced an unprecedented problem: how to maintain a combat-ready fighting force that could operate on both conventional and nuclear battlefields. Faced with shifting threats to national security, budgetary battles, and unstable political developments around the globe, the army also had to keep abreast of new weaponry while navigating changes in its own top brass and the presidency.Trauschweizer particularly considers the army's organizational and doctrinal response to problems posed by deterrence in Europe, focusing on the evolving role of the Seventh Army in West Germany - the largest and best-prepared field army the U.S. had ever deployed in peacetime. He explores the roles of Generals Matthew Ridgway, Maxwell Taylor, and others, as well as the use role of tactical nuclear weapons, as he traces the army's transformation through the New Look policy, pentomic reorganization, and the adoption of the ROAD concept.Ultimately, Trauschweizer contends, the army found it impossible to prepare for limited war in the Third World while pursuing its primary mission of deterrence in Europe. His revisionist argument about the army's objectives in the 1960s and early 1970s places the Vietnam War in the context of the wider Cold War, offering new lines of inquiry into both. He also shows how, after the debacle of Vietnam, the army's sense of mission, technological evolution, organizational structure, and operational doctrine matured to produce the AirLand Battle doctrine of 1982, the cornerstone of our defense of Europe until the Cold War finally ended.The U.S. Army's evolution during the 1950s and its role in Europe throughout the Cold War have remained two of the most neglected subjects in American military history. By covering the interaction of strategy, organization, doctrine, and technology in the army during this era - as well as the relationship between army doctrine and U.S./NATO defense strategy - "The Cold War U.S. Army" marks a major contribution to our understanding of both subjects.
Low-mass dilepton production in pp and AA collisions

Abstract We adopt a factorized QCD formalism to describe the transverse momentum distribution of lowmass lepton pairs produced in pp collisions, when the pair transverse momentum Q T 4 ≫ Q , with the pair's invariant mass Q as low as Q ∼ Λ Q C D . We extend this formalism to dilepton production in AA collisions by including the nuclear-dependent power correction due to parton multiple scattering.
Orb web construction: Interaction of spider (Araneus diadematus Cl.) and thread configuration

Abstract The functional significance of stimuli from the spider as opposed to those from the web was tested. The approach was to alter the normal web building sequence, and to transfer a spider during building to another partial web at the same stage of completion. Web construction proceeds through a sequence of three phases. It was found that a spider can repeat a phase, thus taking cues from the web, or it can go on, independent of fit to the structure. Phase repetition indicates that the phase sequence is not centrally executed without regard to external stimuli. A repeated auxiliary spiral was either equal in size to the first, or smaller; the latter resulted in a correspondingly smaller catching area (hub + free zone + viscid spiral). In regard to the different sizes, or non-repetition of the auxiliary spiral, it was suggested that some substance (silk?) was being depleted during the course of construction. With one exception, a transferred spider built a catching area corresponding to the size of the structure on which it was built. Larger spiders built within a small foreign frame if an auxiliary spiral was present; they started completely again if the spiral was lacking. Smaller spiders on large foreign webs built larger than normal catching areas but did not fill the frame area. It was concluded that external stimuli act as triggers for subsequent behaviour. Also, it is possible that stimuli from the milieu interieur of the spider modify the normal responses to thread configuration.
Coated and modified urea materials for increasing nitrogen use efficiency of lowland rice in heavy clay soils

Conventional as well as modified nitrogen sources and application methods were evaluated under rainfed lowland conditions in heavy clay soils of Bihar, India for 4 years. Modified nitrogen sources, viz. sulfur-coated urea (SCU) and urea super-granules (USG) were tested against prilled urea (PU) under four levels of N (0, 29, 58 and 87 kg N/ha) in the wet season. A high yielding nonphotoperiod sensitive, long duration variety ‘Pankaj’ was grown in all the four years.
Reinforcing our moral vision: examining the relationship between unethical behaviour and computer crime

According to Senn few areas of social behaviour are as complex and contro‐versial as ethics. Philosophers have been debating ethics for the past 3,000 years without arriving at a consensus. But that is the good news. The bad news is that everyday we witness grossly unethical behaviour on the part of a few government officials and corporate executives, some of whom even seem to take pride in their schemes. Many of the people involved get away with their unethical behaviour.
Polarization properties of a grating spectrograph.

The 13.7-m Czerny-Turner spectrograph at the McMath solar telescope is evaluated with regard to polarization properties. Let I‖ = the transmissivity of the spectrograph for incident light linear polarized parallel to the entrance slit and I⊥ = transmissivity for light polarized perpendicular to the entrance slit. The ratio I‖/I⊥ was measured photoelectrically as a function of wavelength in six diffraction orders. Values of this ratio vary from 0.3 to 20. It is shown that spectrograph transmission as a function of polarization may cause large photometric and radiometric errors. This fact is not unique to this particular instrument. Two mechanisms appear to contribute to the polarizance of the grating. These are: (1) the Rayleigh or Wood’s anomalies in which polarizance maxima and minima occur and (2) a vector wave interaction introduced because groove dimension is nearly the same as the wavelength. For λ > groove depth it is found that the wavelength of a peak polarizance (λp) is given by λp = 0.7d cosθ, where d is the ruling separation and θ is the grating angle. Photoelectric scans of the solar spectrum were made across several of the Wood’s anomalies to obtain their profiles.
Polyelectrolyte adsorption and layer-by-layer assembly: Electrochemical control

Abstract Thin films formed via the adsorption or layer-by-layer assembly of charged polymers are important in many sensing, energy, and biomedical applications. When the underlying substrate is a (semi)conductor, the opportunity exists to influence film formation and film properties through an applied electric potential. The recent literature on electrochemical influence of polyelectrolyte-based films is reviewed, with a focus on monolayer and multilayer film assembly and disassembly. Of particular interest are monolayer films grown to a tailored thickness on the 10–100 nm scale, and polyelectrolyte multilayer films controllably disassembled, upon application of a modest electric potential. Experimental observations are discussed in terms of governing factors such as interfacial pH and ionic composition, counter-ion correlations, charge regulation, dielectric discontinuity, and short-range polymer–polymer interactions. Recent modeling efforts are also briefly addressed.
Cluster Expansion Reactions of Group 6 Metallaboranes. Syntheses, Crystal Structures, and Spectroscopic Characterizations of (Cp*Cr)2B5H9, (Cp*Cr)2B4H8Fe(CO)3, (Cp*Cr)2B4H7Co(CO)3, and (Cp*Mo)2B5H9Fe(CO)3

The targeted high-yield syntheses of a number of new clusters by the controlled addition of BH, Fe(CO)3, or Co(CO)3 fragments to dinuclear group 6 metallaboranes are reported. The reaction of the chromaborane, (Cp*Cr)2B4H8 (1), Cp* = η5-C5Me5, with BHCl2·SMe2 results in a cluster expansion reaction giving the green-brown diamagnetic species (Cp*Cr)2B5H9 (2) in 43% yield. The six skeletal electron pair (sep) cluster has a structure based on a trigonal bipyramidal Cr2B3 unit with adjacent Cr2B faces capped by BH3 fragments. Reaction of 1 with the dinuclear metal carbonyls Fe2(CO)9 and Co2(CO)8 leads to the isolation of the mixed-metal metallaboranes (Cp*Cr)2B4H8Fe(CO)3 (3) and (Cp*Cr)2B4H7Co(CO)3 (4) in yields of 76 and 87%, respectively. 3 and 4 can also be viewed as six-sep bicapped trigonal bipyramidal clusters with the metal carbonyl occupying one of the capping positions. Alternatively, they can be viewed as complexes between M(CO)3 transition metal fragments (M = Fe, Co) and the four-electron (Cp*Cr)2...
Effect of viscosity upon liquid velocity in axi-symmetric sheets

Die nach aussen gerichtete axialsymmetrische Stromung einer viskosen Flussigkeitsschicht wird untersucht und eine exakte Losung der Impulsgleichung angegeben. Durch Linearisierung dieser Gleichung lasst sich eine einfache Losung finden, die eine sehr gute Naherung des Geschwindigkeitsverlaufs gibt. In allen praktisch wichtigen Fallen ist der Geschwindigkeitsverlust der Reynoldsschen Zahl annahernd umgekehrt proportional.
Picrite xenoliths from the eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho

Large numbers of picrite xenoliths have been found within Hell's Half Acre, a Holocene lava field of the eastern Snake River Plain. Mineralogically and chemically, they are in close agreement with expectations for fractionates and partly substantiate the hypothesis that fractionation is the primary cause of diversity among the region's tholeiite basalts. The fractionation mechanism interpreted for the picrites' origin is crystallization at the growing front of a solidification network. Consideration of the general characteristics of the tholeiite basalts suggests this mechanism of fractionation may have been of major importance within the province. However, to be widespread, it would require that magma reservoirs meet the geometric constraint of dike-like shapes.
Mass spectrometric studies at high temperatures—XXVIII Gaseous ternary oxides, LiMO and LiMO2

Ternary gaseous oxides containing Li and another metal (Ni, Co, Ga or In) were studied by a mass spectrometric Knudsen effusion method over a range of temperatures. The vapours in equilibrium with lithium nickelate and lithium cobaltate consist of monomeric LiNiO2 and LiCoO2 molecules. Heats of vapourization of these compounds are: ΔH1491°K (LiNiO2) = 70·0 ± 1·1 kcal mole−1 and ΔH1766°K(LiCoO2) = 78·2±3·6 kcal mole−1. The vapours above mixture of Li2O and Ga2O3 contain Li, LiO, Li2O and LiGaO molecules, and above Li2O and In2O3 the principal vapour species are Li, LiO, Li2O, In and LiInO. The heats of the equilibrium reactions 3 Li(g) + Ga2O3(s) = 2 LiGaO(g) + LiO(g) and Li2O(g) + In(g) = LiInO(g) + Li(g) were measured and used to calculate ΔHatom°[LiGaO] = 184±7 kcal mole−1, and ΔHatom°[LiInO] = 179±5 kcal mole−1.
Composition of petroleum heavy ends. 2. Characterization of compound types in petroleum >675 °C residues

Abstract The characterization of polar compound types in petroleum residues of b.p. >675 °C are described. The fractions of acids, bases, and neutral nitrogen compounds prepared by the method described in Part 1 ( Fuel 1981, 60 , 14) were further separated and analysed. Major compound types identified in the acid fraction are carboxylic acids, phenols, pyrrolic nitrogen compounds, and amides. Quantitative estimates of the compound types were made by two infrared methods. Major compound types identified in the bases were pyridine benzologs, amides, and pyrrolic nitrogen compounds; types found in the neutral nitrogen fraction were amides and pyrrolic nitrogen compounds. The average molecular weight of the >675 °C residues was estimated to be 900 after being determined by four different methods.
Society of General Internal Medicine Symposium The Duke Minority Medical Student Summer Fellowship: One Program's Attempt to Attract Minority Residents

ABSTRACT Despite numerous Federal and private funding programs aimed at increasing the numbers of underrepresented minorities in medicine, the participation of minority groups in the medical profession remains low and shows little sign of improvement. With the goal of improving minority representation in our primary care residency program, the Minority Medical Student Summer Fellowship started in July 1990. The program’s purpose is to give minority medical students positive exposure to primary care and attract them back for residency training. In this four-week elective, students participate in seminars with our primary care residents, see patients in a variety of clinics, and complete a project. Key implementation issues include support of the medicine chairman and dean, funding, and malpractice coverage for the students. Program evaluation from the first two students rated the clinic experiences higher than the seminar sessions and the independent project. Both students stated our fellowship made them more likely to train at this medical center should they enter a primary care program. Implications for other programs are listed.
The pyrolysis mechanism of furan revisited

Abstract The biradical mechanisms of furan pyrolysis proposed by Lifshitz and Mackie were investigated by ab initio calculations. Critical structures of the proposed mechanisms were optimized by UMP2/6-31G(d,p), and energies were evaluated by the G2(MP2) method. The activation energies of the biradical channels were predicted more than 10 kcal/mol higher than both available experimental values and the activation energies of a non-biradical mechanism we studied before. The calculated activation entropies of the biradical channels are very close to the calculated activation entropies of the non-biradical channels. These results indicate that the biradical mechanism is unlikely more competitive than the non-biradical mechanism.
The echocardiogram in papillary muscle dysfunction.

Abstract Serial echocardiograms were recorded in 25 patients with acute myocardial infarction. Significant variations in the diastolic slope as well as in the amplitude of the mitral valve echocardiogram were found in six patients (24 per cent). An apical systolic murmur was audible in each of the six patients. Day-to-day variations in the degree of the diastolic slope as well as in the intensity of the apical systolic murmur were attributed to alterations in the dynamic (contractile) state of the papillary muscles. Thus, during the early stages of acute myocardial infarction, ischemia and/or infarction of a papillary muscle render the muscle partially or totally incapable of shortening. Failure of the muscle to shorten results in mitral regurgitation. The echocardiogram offers a safe and convenient method for studying the day-to-day variations in papillary muscle function.
Modeling blood glucose dynamics.

For the past several years, various simulations of the blood glucose regulatory system have been performed. Mathematical models of such a system have enabled data reduction, diagnostic classification, hypothesis testing and design of critical experiments. These mathematical models, which simulate the behavior of the real physiological systems, are in turn simulated using various digital and analog computer techniques. A single basic model relating blood glucose and plasma insulin has been shown to adequately describe responses of the glucose regulatory system to various challenge stimuli. Specific examples discussed included responses to an oral glucose tolerance test and an intravenous insulin infusion test. The significance of the model conformations to such tests is discussed in view of the goals of modeling and the extension of knowledge of blood glucose dynamics. Although this model is a highly oversimplified representation of the physiological control system, it has been used successfully in a variety of applications.
A Comparison of Minimum and Expanded Slater Basis Set Difference Density Maps

A comparison of minimum and expanded Slater basis set difference densities in H2, N2 and B2H6 indicates that minimum basis set results significantly underestimate the transfer and concentration of charge in molecular bonding regions.
Virtual network diagnosis as a service

Today's cloud network platforms allow tenants to construct sophisticated virtual network topologies among their VMs on a shared physical network infrastructure. However, these platforms provide little support for tenants to diagnose problems in their virtual networks. Network virtualization hides the underlying infrastructure from tenants as well as prevents deploying existing network diagnosis tools. This paper makes a case for providing virtual network diagnosis as a service in the cloud. We identify a set of technical challenges in providing such a service and propose a Virtual Network Diagnosis (VND) framework. VND exposes abstract configuration and query interfaces for cloud tenants to troubleshoot their virtual networks. It controls software switches to collect flow traces, distributes traces storage, and executes distributed queries for different tenants for network diagnosis. It reduces the data collection and processing overhead by performing local flow capture and on-demand query execution. Our experiments validate VND's functionality and shows its feasibility in terms of quick service response and acceptable overhead; our simulation proves the VND architecture scales to the size of a real data center network.
Effect of CYP2C8 genotype on rosiglitazone pharmacokinetics

Background/Aims The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the CYP2C8 genetic polymorphisms CYP2C8*2, CYP2C8*3, and CYP2C8*4 on the pharmacokinetics of rosiglitazone, a PPARγ agonist and CYP2C8 substrate. Methods This single dose pharmacokinetics study involved thirty-eight healthy subjects with the following CYP2C8 genotypes: CYP2C8*1/*1 (n= 14), *1/*2 (n= 5), *1/*3 (n= 11), *1/*4 (n= 6), *2/*2 (n= 1), and *3/*3 (n= 1). Subjects were administered a single dose of rosiglitazone 8 mg. Rosiglitazone concentrations were determined by HPLC and noncompartmental pharmacokinetic parameters were compared between wild type and heterozygous genotype groups. Results The pharmacokinetics of rosiglitazone did not differ between CYP2C8 homozygous wild type and heterozygous individuals. The mean AUC was 3161±625, 3290±866, 2928±519, and 3230±658, μg×h/L in the *1/*1, *1/*2, *1/*3, and *1/*4 genotype groups, respectively. The subject with the CYP2C8*3/*3 genotype had the second lowest rosiglitazone AUC. Conclusions The pharmacokinetics of rosiglitazone were not different in individuals carrying a single variant CYP2C8 allele, as the pharmacokinetic parameters of rosiglitazone did not differ between heterozygous and homozygous wild type individuals. Further study is needed to determine whether homozygous carriers of the CYP2C8*2 and CYP2C8*3 alleles have altered rosiglitazone pharmacokinetics. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2005) 77, P36–P36; doi: 10.1016/j.clpt.2004.12.029
Angle of elbow elevation depends on the reach target coordinates

To generate a naturally looking arm movement when using cortically derived hand trajectory is investigated. One approach to solving this task is through the utilization of the elbow swivel angle, based on the assumption that its value changes insignificantly with relation to different target locations. The goal of this study is to test experimentally whether the swivel angle significantly depends on the horizontal and vertical coordinates of the target in case of an unrestraint voluntary reaching movements in 3D. In our experiment, the subjects were required to move their hand to different targets located on a vertical board in front of the subject. The results show that the swivel angle depends systematically on both vertical and horizontal coordinates of the target location. The average range of swivel angle variation is approximately 25 degrees. Thus, the assumption that the swivel angle is approximately the same for different target locations is inadequate. Different methods for determining the exact angular configuration of the arm (e.g. those based on the optimization approach) should be employed.
Adaptive call admission control in circuit-switched networks

We consider threshold-based admission control policies for traffic in fixed-route circuit-switched networks, and develop a scheme for adjusting the threshold parameters online so that, as operating conditions in the network change, the thresholds "adapt" with the objective of minimizing a weighted sum of call blocking probabilities. An algorithm for estimating online the sensitivity of the call blocking metric with respect to thresholds is presented. The formal optimization problem over the set of discrete threshold parameters is solved by means of a conversion to an optimization problem over a set of auxiliary real-valued parameters. Such threshold-based policies, though conservative at low traffic rates, have the advantage of being simple to implement, distributed in nature, adaptive, and not requiring explicit distributional modeling assumptions. Numerical results included in the paper indicate that at higher traffic rates these simple policies yield the same performance as more complex and less flexible call admission schemes.
Hippo/YAP-mediated rigidity-dependent motor neuron differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells

Our understanding of the intrinsic mechanosensitive properties of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), in particular the effects that the physical microenvironment has on their differentiation, remains elusive. Here, we show that neural induction and caudalization of hPSCs can be accelerated by using a synthetic microengineered substrate system consisting of poly(dimethylsiloxane) micropost arrays (PMAs) with tunable mechanical rigidities. The purity and yield of functional motor neurons derived from hPSCs within 23 days of culture using soft PMAs were improved more than fourfold and tenfold, respectively, compared with coverslips or rigid PMAs. Mechanistic studies revealed a multi-targeted mechanotransductive process involving Smad phosphorylation and nucleocytoplasmic shuttling, regulated by rigidity-dependent Hippo/YAP activities and actomyosin cytoskeleton integrity and contractility. Our findings suggest that substrate rigidity is an important biophysical cue influencing neural induction and subtype specification, and that microengineered substrates can thus serve as a promising platform for large-scale culture of hPSCs.
Statistical data analysis of magnetic recording noise mechanisms

Statistical data analysis using empirical eigenfunctions, known as the Karhunen-Loeve (K-L) expansion, is applied to characterize noise mechanisms in magnetic recording. Given any original data set and hence its correlation (covariance) matrix, an empirical orthogonal set of eigenfunctions can be obtained. The original data set can be expressed as an orthonormal expansion of these eigenfunctions. This feature of the K-L expansion can be used to study dominant noise profiles extracted from a large number of magnetization transition data. Two simple models of magnetization transitions are first utilized to investigate the validity of this expansion. Noises induced by transition center shifting (jitter), transition width fluctuation, amplitude modulation, and combined effects are respectively identified by the first several most important eigenfunctions in the expansion. Eigenfunction expansions of transition data obtained from experiments and numerical simulations are also obtained. >
DelPhi web server v2

Summary: A new edition of the DelPhi web server, DelPhi web server v2, is released to include atomic presentation of geometrical figures. These geometrical objects can be used to model nano-size objects together with real biological macromolecules. The position and size of the object can be manipulated by the user in real time until desired results are achieved. The server fixes structural defects, adds hydrogen atoms and calculates electrostatic energies and the corresponding electrostatic potential and ionic distributions. Availability and implementation: The web server follows a client–server architecture built on PHP and HTML and utilizes DelPhi software. The computation is carried out on supercomputer cluster and results are given back to the user via http protocol, including the ability to visualize the structure and corresponding electrostatic potential via Jmol implementation. The DelPhi web server is available from http://compbio.clemson.edu/delphi_webserver. Contact:nsmith@clemson.edu, ealexov@clemson.edu Supplementary information:Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Always energy-optimal microscopic wireless systems

Wireless sensor-and-control systems era starting to make inroads in medical health care. Monitoring of vital signs, advanced imaging, and innovative treatments and prosthetics are emerging. The challenge with all these systems is that they have to be "energy-frugal", that is that they have to get by with the energy they scavenge from the environment around them. At the same time, they need to be adaptive to the time-varying needs of the systems they observe or control. In this talk we will discuss how we could simultaneously explore the lower bounds of energy dissipation while at the same time providing "hugely-scalable" performance.
Intravenous to Oral Conversion of Antihypertensives: A Toolkit for Guideline Development

Objective:To provide a toolkit of information for hospitals to use in developing intravenous to oral conversion protocols for antihypertensives.Data Sources:Articles describing intravenous to oral conversion protocols for any therapeutic category were identified in an English-language MEDLINE search (1990-April 2010) using a wide variety of MeSH terms. References from selected articles were reviewed for additional material.Study Selection and Data Extraction:Experimental and observational English-language studies and review articles that focused on oral transition of intravenous drugs were selected.Data Synthesis:Most of the literature on conversion from intravenous to oral formulations involves antimicrobials. There is considerable evidence documenting reduced costs and improved patient flow through the health-care system following implementing these protocols with drugs like antimicrobials, histamine-2 receptor antagonists, and proton pump inhibitors. Although antihypertensives have not been studied, pr...
Characteristics of Successful and Less-Successful Manufacturers of Women's and Children's Apparel

The purpose of this study was to survey owners of apparel manufacturing firms as to their successful and less-successful business activities. A secondary purpose was to profile the demographic characteristics of the owners. Subjects (N = 200) included male andfemale owners in businessfor more than a year who were in the production of women's, children's, and infants' clothing and accessories and headquartered in the state of Texas. The Dillman method was used for development of a survey questionnaire and the procedure for two mailings and a telephone follow-up. Data were analyzed using chi-square, t tests, logistic regression, and profile analysis of repeated measures. Successful owners had more negotiating skills, used differentiating strategies, worked more hours per week, and were more conservative in their risk posture than less-successful owners. The findings of this study have important implicationsfor (a) effective management practices concerning business strategies and strategic posture of management, and (b) course content in apparel design programs.
An analysis of the effects of depth-dependent aggregate modulus on articular cartilage stress-relaxation behavior in compression.

An accurate description of the mechanical environment around chondrocytes embedded within their dense extracellular matrix (ECM) is essential for the study of mechano-signal transduction mechanism(s) in explant experiments. New methods have been developed to determine the inhomogeneous strain distribution throughout the depth of the ECM during compression (Schinagl et al., 1996, Annals of Biomedical Engineering 24, 500-512; Schinagl et al 1997. Journal of Orthopaedics Research 15, 499-506) and the corresponding depth-dependent aggregate modulus distribution (Wang and Mow, 1998. Transactions of the Orthopaedics Research Society 23, 484; Chen and Sah, 1999. Transactions of the Orthopaedics Research Society 24, 635). These results provide the motivation for the current investigation to assess the influence of tissue inhomogeneity on the chondrocyte milieu in situ, e.g. stress, strain, fluid velocity and pressure fields within articular cartilage. To describe this inhomogeneity, we adopted the finite deformation biphasic constitutive law developed by Holmes and Mow (1990 Journal of Biomechanics 23, 1145-1156). Our calculations show that the mechanical environment inside an inhomogeneous tissue differs significantly from that inside a homogeneous tissue. Furthermore, our results indicate that the need to incorporate an inhomogeneous aggregate modulus. or an anisotropy, into the biphasic theory to describe articular cartilage depends largely on the motivation for the study.
Thermoregulation at rest and during exercise in healthy older adults

Epidemiological evidence of increased mortality among older men and women resulting from hyper- and hypothermia should not be interpreted as implying that aging per se confers an intolerance to environmental extremes. Relatively few studies have attempted to delineate the effects of chronological age from concomitant factors (such as decreases in VO2max, lowered habitual activity levels, alterations in body composition, etc.) in determining thermoregulatory responses to rest and exercise in hot environments. When the effects of chronic diseases and sedentary life-style are kept to a minimum, heat tolerance appears to be minimally compromised by age. VO2max is more important than age in predicting body temperature during exertion, even though some of the physiological mechanisms associated with heat dissipation (especially control of skin blood flow and distribution of cardiac output) are closely associated with chronological age. Dehydration effects may be magnified in older individuals, and rehydration may be compromised by age-related differences in thirst sensitivity and renal function. The efficacy of various interventions in improving thermoregulatory responses of older individuals (e.g., aerobic training and heat acclimation) has not been studied adequately. Older men and women are capable of acclimating to hot conditions, but the time course of physiological changes underlying acclimation with age may be different. Another intervention that holds promise is hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women, which acutely affects temperature regulation and control of body fluids in a positive direction. The chronic effects of hormone replacement therapy on thermoregulation during exercise and environmental stresses are not known. Tolerance to cold exposure under resting conditions may be less dependent on age and aerobic fitness than on body composition. Studies of older and younger subjects exercising in cold environments are lacking altogether, including important studies into the possible preventive effects of regular physical activity on physiological responses to cold stress.
The radar information channel and system uncertainty

The radar information channel is developed as a theoretical model for the study of uncertainty within the design, development, and research of radar signature exploitation systems. Information measures are developed which characterize sources of uncertainty and propagate the associated impacts to system performance. Sources of uncertainty are studied to form an information loss budget for trading component design options against overall system performance.
Area touch sensor for dextrous manipulation

A novel touch sensor for robots is described which continuously reports location and magnitude of contact within the area of the sensor. The sensor can be made in many forms, including a flexible membrane which may be applied to planar, cylindrical, or conical surfaces of any size. The sensor is novel in that the location of contact within the large sensor area can be determined with arbitrary accuracy using only four wires per sensor (plus a potential lead which may be common to many sensors). The primary advantages of the sensor are sensitivity to light touch, ease of fabrication, and low cost. The expected dependence of sensor output on location, force of contact, and size of contact area has been investigated theoretically, and experiments with several bench-top implementations show excellent agreement with theory. Prototypes were sensitive to forces from as small as 2 g to several hundreds g. The sensor could have wide application in robotics, orthotics, and prosthetics. >