cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Outcome of sling cystourethropexy in the pediatric population: a critical review.

AbstractPurpose: We performed a critical retrospective analysis of the records of all consecutive children who underwent sling cystourethropexy at our institutions. We particularly assessed the incidence and outcome in children who underwent enterocystoplasty in addition to a sling procedure.Materials and Methods: Between May 1992 and August 1994, 24 girls and 15 boys 4 to 17 years old (mean age 9) consecutively underwent 1 of 4 techniques of sling cystourethropexy for stress urinary incontinence using rectus fascia via an abdominal approach. Diagnoses included spinal dysraphism in 34 patients, spinal trauma in 2, cecoureterocele in 1, epispadias in 1 and classic bladder exstrophy in 1. All children underwent preoperative video urodynamics. In 4 patients only a sling procedure was performed (group 1), while in 9 others a sling procedure was performed after enterocystoplasty (group 2). In 26 patients a sling procedure and concomitant enterocystoplasty were performed (group 3).Results: Patients who underwen...
Apparent effect of pentachloronitrobenzene on the hyphal wall polysaccharides of two strains of Neurospora crassa.

A pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB) resistant mutant of Neurospora crassa and its respective wild type were grown in liquid medium with and without PCNB. Physically isolated hyphal walls were subjected to acid hydrolysis and analyzed for glucose and glucosamine. In the wild type strain PCNB reduced the amount of glucosamine by about 49% and increased the amount of glucose by 15%. The total glucose + glucosamine was significantly higher in the hydrolysates from the PCNB grown walls. These changes were accompanied by striking alterations in the hyphal morphology of the wild type strain but the chemical did not prevent the formation of cell wall around wall-free protoplasts obtained from this strain. The morphology of the resistant mutant was not affected by PCNB but in the wall hydrolyzates there was a significant reduction of the amound of glucosamine. The findings are discussed in relation to other studies correlating morphology with cell wall composition in N. crassa.
The Role of Accent Standardness in Message Preference and Recall

This research examines the impact of spokesperson accents used in persuasive communications on consumer evaluations of and memory for products and services. Leveraging the construct of accent standardness (i.e., perceived accent prestige and "correctness"), in four experiments, listeners demonstrate their overall preferences by giving higher ratings to products advertised using less-familiar, more-standard accents (e.g., British) relative to more-familiar, less-standard accents (e.g., American Southern). However, consumer preferences for standard accents do not positively impact their memory; standard accents actually lower brand recall. Thus, when choosing a spokesperson's accent, there is a trade-off: increasing brand preference by using a standard accent or improving memory by using a more familiar, nonstandard accent.
Photometric Observations of Eccentric Accretion in Algol-type Binary Stars

Some Algol-type interacting binary stars exhibit strange photometric variations that can be phase-dependent and/or secular. This paper discusses the possibility of explaining these observed variations as resulting from an accretion structure eclipsing one or both of the stars. Some previous studies are reviewed and suggestions for future work are made, including the prospective of incorporating data from the Kepler Observatory.
A vortex method for fluid-particle systems

We consider a two-dimensional, dilute fluid-particle system with low Reynolds number for the flow around the particles and high Reynolds number for the bulk flow. We use a vortex method to calculate numerically the incompressible fluid phase. For the compressible particle phase we use a particle method and Voronoi diagrams to calculate the particle density. We use the Stokes-Oseen formula to represent approximately the force of the fluid on the particles. We give the results of a numerical experiment that show the effect of fluid particle interaction on the bulk flow.
On the transmission line model for lightning return stroke representation

[1] The widely used transmission-line (TL) model of lightning return stroke in a vertical channel is most rigorously represented by a vertical phased array of current sources that produce a spherical transverse electromagnetic (TEM) wave in the case of return-stroke speed v equal to the speed of light c. If the radius of the lightning channel were equal to zero, the equivalent representation could be obtained by applying a hypothetical infinitesimal source of pure spherical TEM wave at the bottom of the channel. A non-zero-radius vertical wire above ground excited by a practical source at its bottom end cannot support unattenuated current waves, and the associated electromagnetic field structure is non-TEM.
Reducing work-in-process movement for multiple products in one-dimensional layout problems

This research describes a method to assign M machines, which are served by a material handling transporter, to M equidistant locations along a track, so that the distance traveled by a given set of jobs is minimized. Traditionally, this problem (commonly known as a machine location problem) has been modeled as a quadratic assignment problem (QAP), which is NP-hard, thus motivating the need for efficient procedures to solve instances with several machines. In this paper we develop a branching heuristic to obtain sub-optimum solutions to the problem; a lower bound on the optimum solution has also been presented. Results obtained from the heuristics are compared with results obtained from other heuristics with similar objectives. It is observed that the results are promising, and justify the usage of developed methods.
Engineering in Context: An Empirical Study of Freshmen Students' Conceptual Frameworks

Calls for curricular reform in engineering include teaching engineering principles in the broader context of society. In this paper, we empirically investigate how freshmen students perceive the broader societal context of science and technology. We explored the questions: • What is the framework of knowledge and attitudes of engineering freshmen on science, technology and society (STS) issues? • How different are their frameworks from those of students in other majors? • We used a structured, open-ended interview methodology to elicit knowledge about two STS issues: “human energy needs” and “global climate change.” Our sample consists of ninety-two students. Each student was interviewed about one topic. First, we found that there was no difference in the attitude expressed about technology by engineering students and students who are not engineering majors. Both groups think science and technology solve problems more often than they create problems. Second, we found that, although the difference is not large, engineering students consistently mentioned more concepts than students with other majors, and they mentioned these concepts more often. Qualitatively, the specific concepts mentioned by the two groups were almost identical for both topics. The engineering students mentioned more technological concepts and students in other majors mentioned more societal concepts for the human energy needs topic. In summary, the knowledge and perceptions of STS issues of freshmen engineering students and students who are not engineering majors are largely similar. This suggests that common, interdisciplinary STS courses are a good approach for providing general technological literacy for both groups.
Matching Anonymous Pre-Posttests Using Subject-Generated Information:

Sensitive research issues call for anonymous questionnaires. This makes accurately matching pretests with posttests difficult or impossible. Various subject-generated coding schemes have been developed, but their accuracy has been unknown. This anonymous study, with 745 students, used subject-generated coding to match pretests with posttests. The matching was verified for accuracy with the use of a collateral, anonymous, sticker identification system. The coding system was able to accurately match 75.2% of all the pretest-posttest pairs. An additional 22.1% of the pairs were left unmatched and only 2.7% were matched incorrectly. Subject-generated coding systems can be very effective where confidentiality is important to protect.
Brownian Dynamics Simulations of a DNA Molecule Colliding with a Small Cylindrical Post

We investigate DNA collisions with a small cylindrical obstacle using BD (Brownian dynamics) simulation and derive the mean hold-up time of hooked DNA molecules based on existing micromechanical models and observations of the present work. Recently, Randall and Doyle (Macromolecules 2006, 39, 7734) experimentally explored this DNA collision problem using single molecule microscopy and proposed a set of micromechanical models. They found that so-called X collisions, with increasing total extension during unhooking, are a dominant collision type. Our numerical simulations corroborate that the proportion of X collisions is much higher than that of other collision types for a wide range of Peclet numbers and molecular weights. We compare the predictions of the previously proposed micromechanical models to our simulation results. The derived expressions for the mean hold-up time are consistent with our simulation data and available experimental data for a wide range of Peclet numbers. It is expected that the derived mean hold-up time will be helpful in the design of separation devices using post arrays.
Integrated headwall systems — Hybrid headwall design

Since 2012, hospitals have spent 37% percent of their budgets on modernization, renovation, and new construction projects. A major cost driver for this spending is the inflexibility of current headwall systems: the central hub for patient monitoring, communications, and equipment [1]. There is a pressing demand for a modern and versatile all-in-one device that provides medical staff with the essential tools for a wide range of patient care requirements including clinical care, communications, and links to the built environment.
The site of the dipsogenic action of angiotensin II in the North American opossum.

Abstract Adult North American opossums ( Didelphis virginiana ), predominantly nocturnal water drinkers, were found to respond by drinking to water deprivation, cellular dehydration produced by intravenous infusion of hypertonic saline, and to both intravenous and intracerebroventricular administration of angiotensin II (AII). by taking advantage of the absence of the corpus callosum, an anatomical characteristic of the marsupial, we removed the subfornical organ and implanted a cannula into the anterior third ventricle under direct visual guidance. In these animals: (1) spontaneous drinking, and responses to water deprivation and cellular dehydration were unaffected; (2) after a postoperative period of unresponsiveness, attenuated and unreliable responses only to high doses of intracerebroventricular AII could be elicited; and (3) the dipsogenic effect of intravenous AII was abolished. We conclude that the subfornical organ is necessary for the physiologically appropriate effect of AII on drinking but that, in the absence of the subfornical organ, the brain can mediate the dipsogenic effect of intracranially administered AII, although the physiological significance of the latter phenomenon is unclear.
Achievement of thermal stability by varying metabolic heat production in flying honeybees

Thermoregulation of the thorax allows endothermic insects to achieve power outputs during flight that are among the highest in the animal kingdom. Flying endothermic insects, including the honeybee Apis mellifera, are believed to thermoregulate almost exclusively by varying heat loss. Here it is shown that a rise in air temperature from 20 degrees to 40 degrees C causes large decreases in metabolic heat production and wing-beat frequency in honeybees during hovering, agitated, or loaded flight. Thus, variation in heat production may be the primary mechanism for achieving thermal stability in flying honeybees, and this mechanism may occur commonly in endothermic insects.
Domestic Violence, Couple Interaction and Children’s Health in Latin America

This paper examines the relationships between several measures of couple interaction and children’s health. We hypothesize that more maternal input in decision-making, joint discussion of health issues, and the absence of violence and male control are conducive to better child health. Mortality and nutritional status are used as measures of child health. Analyses are based on Demographic and Health Surveys in five Latin American countries (Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Haiti and Nicaragua). Violence is the best interaction predictor of poor nutrition and lack of female autonomy is the best predictor of higher mortality. Joint discussion of family planning and joint decision-making about household issues are also predictive of child health. Male controlling behavior did not have a strong relationship with health outcomes in most countries. Overall, findings indicate that positive couple interaction is associated with improved health outcomes for children.
Adult responses to cries of low and high risk infants

Thirty parents and 30 nonparents were asked to select on a questionnaire what they considered to be appropriate responses to taperecorded pain cries elicited from 16 2-day-old infants. Half of the cries were from healthy, low-risk infants, and half were from healthy infants at high risk due to high numbers of nonoptimal obstetric conditions. The cries from the high-risk infants elicited from parents, but not from nonparents, responses that were intended as more “tender and caring” and more “immediately effective at terminating the crying” than the cries from the low-risk infants. Similarly, responses by parents, but not by nonparents, to high-risk infant cries were more consistent than to low-risk infant cries. The classification of modal responses into functional categories showed that 21 of 30 parents gave contact-confort kinds of responses to the cries of high-risk infants, while none gave undirected responses. Although the differential cry features characteristic of the high-risk infant have traditionally been used to support the differential diagnosis of central nervious system pathology, these findings were interpreted to support a more functional perspective of the cries of the risk infant.
Near-infrared dyes as contrast-enhancing agents for spectroscopic optical coherence tomography

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) images of biological tissues often have low contrast. Spectroscopic optical coherence tomography (SOCT) methods have been developed to enhance contrast but remain limited because most tissues are not spectrally active in the frequency bands of laser sources commonly used in OCT. Near-infrared (NIR) dyes with absorption spectra features within the OCT source spectrum can be used for enhancing contrast in this situation. We introduce and demonstrate the use of NIR dyes as contrast agents for SOCT. Contrast-enhanced images are compared with fluorescence microscopy, demonstrating a link between SOCT and fluorescence imaging.
Action on ileal smooth muscle of synthetic detergents and pardaxin

Pardaxin (PX), a toxic and repellent substance isolated from the Red Sea flatfish, causes a sharp ball-like profile of drop of saline placed on a hydrophobic film to turn into a flattened one. This effect results with a decrease of the contact angle (theta) from 96 degrees to a maximum of 42 degrees at 10(-4) M of PX. The action of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), a synthetic anionic detergent, benzalkonium chloride (BAC) cationic detergent and pardaxin (PX) a toxic protein with detergent properties, were studied in the ileal guinea-pig longitudinal smooth muscle preparation. SDS (4 X 10(-4) M) and PX (5 X 10(-6) M) diminished the muscle contractile response to field stimulation (0.1 Hz, 1 msec) and to acetylcholine (Ach) and to histamine and elicited a prolonged (4-6 min) TTX-insensitive muscle contraction. The dose dependence of muscle contraction to SDS and PX was found to be sigmoidal and occurred over a narrow range of concentrations. The SDS- but not PX-induced muscle contraction could be reduced by diphenhydramine (H1 antihistamine). BAC (10(-5)-10(-4) M) suppressed the muscle's contractile response to electrical stimulation (0.1 Hz, 1 msec), to Ach, histamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine but did not produce muscle contraction. PX at concentrations higher than 5 X 10(-6) M is a potent detergent and at this concentration shares several pharmacological similarities with SDS.
Recycling household plastics waste

In 1978 the plastic bottle was introduced nationwide. In the thirteen years since that historic (and some say environmentally devastating) occasion, the consumer increasingly has embraced plastic packaging. Each American uses about 190 pounds of plastic per year, according to Earthworks Group, and about 60 pounds of it is discarded within minutes or seconds after opening. The plastic bottle is king. American consumers use 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour.
How to build a lexicon: a case study of lexical errors and innovations:

An English-speaking boy produced 121 lexical innovations and 98 over-regularizations between 30 and 56 months and during a subsequent period, 63 through 71 months. Both phenomena exhibited an incre...
Differences in hospital performance for noncancer vs cancer colorectal surgery

Background Considerable hospital-to-hospital variations in surgical outcomes have been reported across surgical procedures. However, it is unclear whether hospital quality rankings are consistent for noncancer and cancer operations. We investigated the differences in hospital performance for noncancer and cancer colorectal resections at 52 hospitals participating in the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative (MSQC). Study Design Patients undergoing colorectal resections between 2008 and 2012 were identified. Hierarchical risk-adjusted models were used to evaluate hospital level 30-day morbidity, major morbidity, extended length-of-stay (LOS > 75 th percentile), and mortality outcomes. Hospital performance, as ranked by observed-to-expected ratios, was compared by rank-order changes, interquartile ranges (IQR), and Spearman's correlations. Results Of the 19,990 colorectal resections, 7,292 (36.5%) were for cancer. We observed wide variations in all risk-adjusted 30-day outcomes between hospitals, but only weak correlations in cancer and noncancer performance within hospitals. Overall hospital performance in mortality after noncancer and cancer operations was not correlated (Spearman's rho: 0.02). Of the best performing hospitals in mortality after noncancer resections, 69% were reclassified to a worse quartile for cancer operations (median rank-change of 12.5 ranks [IQR 5 to 27]). Similarly, hospital performance in morbidity was only moderately correlated (rho: 0.59; p Conclusions A hospital's performance ranking in risk-adjusted outcomes after noncancer colorectal resections does not correlate to its performance for cancer-related colorectal resections. Indication for operation should be considered when leveraging risk-adjusted hospital outcomes for quality improvement efforts.
An estimation of radiobiologic parameters from clinical outcomes for radiation treatment planning of brain tumor

Purpose: To estimate a plausible set of radiobiologic parameters such as α, α/β values, from clinical outcomes for biologically based radiation treatment planning of brain tumors. Methods and Materials: Linear-quadratic (LQ) formalism and the concept of equivalent uniform dose were used to analyze a series of published clinical data for malignant gliomas involving different forms of radiation therapy. Results: A plausible set of LQ parameters was obtained for gliomas: α = 0.06 ± 0.05 Gy −1 , α/β = 10.0 ± 15.1 Gy, the tumor cell doubling time T d = 50 ± 30 days, with the repair half-time of 0.5 h. The present estimated biologic parameters can reasonably predict the effectiveness of most of the recently reported clinical results employing either single or combined radiation therapy modalities. Different LQ parameters between Grade 3 and Grade 4 astrocytomas were found, implying the radiosensitivity for different grade tumors may be different. Smaller α, β from in vivo was observed, indicating lower radiosensitivity occurred in vivo as compared with in vitro . Conclusions: A plausible set of radiobiologic parameters for gliomas was estimated based on clinical data. These parameters can reasonably predict most of the clinical results. They may be used to design new treatment fractionation schemes and to evaluate and optimize treatment plans.
The role of attribution theory in control systems

Abstract In this paper we develop a revised model of the management control process in light of attribution theory. Attribution theory describes how people seek and use information to structure and to control their social environment. We examine how and why people cognitively interact with feedback information contained in performance reports in making expectancy and variance investigation decisions. We also discuss conflicts that a superior and a subordinate may have due to different attributions used to explain behavior.
The unexploited potential for natural gas to greatly increase energy efficiency

This communication presents a prescription for changing the way natural gas is used that promises to deliver significant increases in economy-wide energy efficiency. By substituting wherever possible gas for electricity in end uses, economies—especially developing economies—can realize significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, can conserve energy resources, and can reduce the overall financial costs of energy systems. The idea is eminently practical, not speculative.
Species-specific traits predict genetic structure but not genetic diversity of three fragmented Afrotropical forest butterfly species

The Upper Guinean forests of Ghana, West Africa, are considered among the most threatened and fragmented in the world. Little is known about the genetic consequences of fragmentation on Ghana’s forest-associated species, but this genetic signature is generally expected to differ across species. We compared patterns of mtDNA cytochrome oxidase I (COI) variation of three Nymphalid forest butterfly species that differ with respect to their relative dispersibilities (Aterica galene: high habitat fidelity, low dispersal ability; Euphaedra medon: high habitat fidelity, strong dispersal ability; Gnophodes betsimena: relaxed habitat fidelity, low dispersal ability). Individuals were collected from two large forest reserves and five small sacred forest groves. Patterns of differentiation across species were broadly coincident with our predicted hierarchy of relative species dispersibility and suggested that genetic connectivity is most compromised by strict fidelity to forest habitat rather than by raw capacity for sustained flight. Connectivity was uncorrelated with geographic distance, but instead seemed best explained by urbanization and the sequential pattern of forest loss. Genetic diversity was dramatically different among species and not easily explained by either species-specific traits or effects of fragmentation. Aterica galene, the species most impacted by fragmentation, exhibited very high diversity, whereas G. betsimena, a broadly distributed, very common species, with relaxed habitat fidelity, was genetically depauperate. There was limited evidence of genetic erosion from the sacred groves despite these small forest patches accounting for less than 1–10 % of the total area of the forest reserves, which indicates these forest relics have high conservation value.
Knowledge sufficiency: when institutional distance is insufficient

Purpose – For firms entering a foreign market for the first time, institutional distance can be thought of as being insufficient in the sense that knowledge gap issues associated with large distances are not easily resolved. The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of knowledge sufficiency and the implications that this concept holds for assuaging these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The concept of knowledge sufficiency is developed into a practical framework. The framework is comprised of the knowledge that firms accumulate about potential host countries. This accumulated knowledge is disaggregated into components that provide the basic structure of the knowledge sufficiency framework and facilitate a systematic assessment of accumulated knowledge. Findings – Accumulated knowledge about foreign market risk factors that exist in potential host countries is disaggregated into three components. The breadth of knowledge component is designed to help answer the question: what do firms know a...
Quantifying Topographic and Vegetation Effects on the Transfer of Energy and Mass to the Critical Zone

Critical zone evolution, structure, and function are driven by energy and mass fluxes into and through the terrestrial subsurface. We have developed an approach to quantifying the effective energy and mass transfer (EEMT, MJ m−2 yr−1) to the subsurface that accounts for local variations in topography, water and energy balances, and primary production. Our objectives were to quantify how (i) local topography controls coupled energy and water transfer to the subsurface, and (ii) vegetation effects on local-scale evapotranspiration and primary production controls of energy and mass transfer to the critical zone, both at the pedon- to hillslope-scale resolution, in the context of quantifying controls on EEMT. The model was tested across a semiarid environmental gradient in southern Arizona, spanning desert scrub to mixed conifer ecosystems. Data indicated clear variations in EEMT by topography, via both aspect and local water redistribution, and with current vegetative cover. Key findings include: (i) greater values of EEMT on north-facing slopes in a given elevation zone, with a north-facing aspect equivalent to an ∼300-m elevation gain; (ii) a power law relationship between aboveground biomass and EEMT, with disturbance in the form of stand-replacing wildfire substantially reducing estimates of EEMT; and (iii) improved correlation of EEMT to pedon-scale variations in critical zone structure with EEMT values that include topography. Incorporating greater levels of environmental variation and complexity presents an improved approach to estimating the transfer of energy and mass to the subsurface, which is important to our understanding of critical zone structure and function.
Sphingosine-like stimulatory effects of propranolol on phospholipase D activity in NIH 3T3 fibroblasts.

Abstract Propranolol and sphingosine exhibit several common biochemical effects, including inhibition of phosphatidic acid phosphohydrolase and protein kinase C (PKC) activities. In NIH 3T3 fibroblasts, sphingosine has also been shown to stimulate phospholipase D (PLD)-mediated hydrolysis of both phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PtdEtn) (Kiss Z and Anderson WB, J Biol Chem 265 : 7345–7350, 1990). The present study demonstrates that in [ 14 C]palmitic acid-labeled NIH 3T3 fibroblasts, propranolol (50–100 μM) and sphingosine had similar stimulatory effects on PLD-mediated synthesis of phosphatidylethanol in the presence of ethanol. In [ 14 C]choline- and [ 14 C]-ethanolamine-labeled fibroblasts, both compounds also stimulated the hydrolysis of both [ 14 C]PtdCho and [ 14 C]PtdEtn. However, while sphingosine preferentially stimulated PtdEtn hydrolysis, propranolol had greater effects on PtdCho hydrolysis. At each time point examined (15–45 min), lower concentrations (25–50 μM) of propranolol and 100 nM phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) synergistically enhanced PtdEtn hydrolysis; a higher concentration (100 μM) of propranolol inhibited this PMA effect only when the incubation time was 45 min. On the other hand, propranolol (10–100 μM) had either no effect or it inhibited PMA-induced PtdCho hydrolysis after treatments for 15 or 45 min, respectively. These potentiating and inhibitory actions of propranolol on the hydrolysis of PtdCho and PtdEtn were similarly elicited by sphingosine. The present study identified the PLD system as another common target for the pharmacological actions of sphingosine and propranolol.
Growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) forms an incoherent feed-forward loop modulating follicle-stimulating hormone β-subunit (FSHβ) gene expression

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is secreted in brief pulses from the hypothalamus and regulates follicle-stimulating hormone β-subunit (FSHβ) gene expression in pituitary gonadotropes in a frequency-sensitive manner. The mechanisms underlying its preferential and paradoxical induction of FSHβ by low frequency GnRH pulses are incompletely understood. Here, we identify growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) as a GnRH-suppressed autocrine inducer of FSHβ gene expression. GDF9 gene transcription and expression were preferentially decreased by high frequency GnRH pulses. GnRH regulation of GDF9 was concentration-dependent and involved ERK and PKA. GDF9 knockdown or immunoneutralization reduced FSHβ mRNA expression. Conversely, exogenous GDF9 induced FSHβ expression in immortalized gonadotropes and in mouse primary pituitary cells. GDF9 exposure increased FSH secretion in rat primary pituitary cells. GDF9 induced Smad2/3 phosphorylation, which was impeded by ALK5 knockdown and by activin receptor-like kinase (ALK) receptor inhibitor SB-505124, which also suppressed FSHβ expression. Smad2/3 knockdown indicated that FSHβ induction by GDF9 involved Smad2 and Smad3. FSHβ mRNA induction by GDF9 and GnRH was synergistic. We hypothesized that GDF9 contributes to a regulatory loop that tunes the GnRH frequency-response characteristics of the FSHβ gene. To test this, we determined the effects of GDF9 knockdown on FSHβ induction at different GnRH pulse frequencies using a parallel perifusion system. Reduction of GDF9 shifted the characteristic pattern of GnRH pulse frequency sensitivity. These results identify GDF9 as contributing to an incoherent feed-forward loop, comprising both intracellular and secreted components, that regulates FSHβ expression in response to activation of cell surface GnRH receptors.
The role of damage and proliferation in renal carcinogenesis.

Many carcinogens and/or toxins cause tissue damage. Wounding also increases the frequency of transformation and complements the formation of tumors [l-5]. With many carcinogens, it is difficult to dissociate the appearance of tumors from tissue damage; some compounds are carcinogens only at toxic doses [6]. The hypothesis that ‘epigenetic’ or ‘non-genotoxic’ events play a role in transformation arose in part as an attempt to explain the role of wounding in cancer. The important question is: How does wounding promote or lead directly to cell transformation? A number of hypotheses and observations draw a parallel between transformation and wound healing. Bryan [l] reviewed the early work on wounding and carcinogenesis and suggested that cancer cells resemble an exaggerated ‘reaction to injury’, particularly with respect to tissue renewal. Pierce [7] proposed that cancers ‘ . . . are a caricature of tissue renewal [with] a marked capacity to proliferate and a limited capacity to differentiate.’ Potter’s ‘blocked ontogeny’ hypothesis [8] states that differentiation of cancer cells is arrested in states resembling stages of the normal developmental process. Dvorak’s [9] elegant studies on solid tumor stroma led him to the conclusion that tumors are ‘wounds that will not heal’. Therefore, cancer cells may have similarity with tissue renewal during the wound healing. Wounding may play several roles in carcinogenesis by: (1) providing a provisional
Characterization of Hematite and its Interaction with Humic Material Using Flow Field-Flow Fractionation

Abstract The ability of flow field-flow fractionation (FlFFF) to characterize the interaction of organic matter with mineral colloids is demonstrated. Colloidal hematite is first prepared and the size distribution is characterized by scanning electron microscopy, FlFFF, and multi-angle light scattering (MALS). Next, the interaction of well-characterized humic and fulvic acids with the colloidal hematite is studied by separating and quantifying the adsorbed and free acids using FlFFF. Both kinetic and thermodynamic information is obtained, including adsorption isotherms. The adsorptive capacity of hematite is greater for humic acid compared to fulvic acid, probably due to the formation of multiple adsorption layers.
Pediatric interventional radiography equipment: safety considerations

This paper discusses pediatric image quality and radiation dose considerations in state-of-the-art fluoroscopic imaging equipment. Although most fluoroscopes are capable of automatically providing good image quality on infants, toddlers, and small children, excessive radiation dose levels can result from design deficiencies of the imaging device or inappropriate configuration of the equipment's capabilities when imaging small body parts. Important design features and setup choices at installation and during the clinical use of the imaging device can improve image quality and reduce radiation exposure levels in pediatric patients. Pediatric radiologists and cardiologists, with the help of medical physicists, need to understand the issues involved in creating good image quality at reasonable pediatric patient doses. The control of radiographic technique factors by the generator of the imaging device must provide a large dynamic range of mAs values per exposure pulse during both fluoroscopy and image recording as a function of patient girth, which is the thickness of the patient in the posterior-anterior projection at the umbilicus (less than 10 cm to greater than 30 cm). The range of pulse widths must be limited to less than 10 ms in children to properly freeze patient motion. Variable rate pulsed fluoroscopy can be leveraged to reduce radiation dose to the patient and improve image quality. Three focal spots with nominal sizes of 0.3 mm to 1 mm are necessary on the pediatric unit. A second, lateral imaging plane might be necessary because of the child's limited tolerance of contrast medium. Spectral and spatial beam shaping can improve image quality while reducing the radiation dose. Finally, the level of entrance exposure to the image receptor of the fluoroscope as a function of operator choices, of added filter thickness, of selected pulse rate, of the selected field-of-view and of the patient girth all must be addressed at installation.
Observation of Ekman Veering at the Bottom of Lake Michigan

An experiment in 100 m of water off the east coast of Lake Michigan during 1984 provided continuous current velocity recordings at four levels located from 1 m to 9 m above the lake bottom and also at 50 m. Near-inertial-period current oscillations were prominent and superimposed on longer-period velocity variations. Current speed at 1 m elevation varied from less than the threshold speed of the Savonious rotor sensor to 13 cm s−1. Profiles of current speed were close to logarithmic during many episodes of measurable currents over a 4-month-long recording interval. Over 50% of hourly-averaged profiles were in the nearly-logarithmic category (R > 0.987) during the month of September 1984. Veering averaging 11° was observed between low-pass-filtered current velocities measured at elevations of 1 m and at 9 m. Boundary layer theories developed from ocean studies are surveyed and the Lake Michigan data are examined from that perspective.
Stereoselective Oxidative Rearrangement of 2-Aryl Tryptamine Derivatives

The oxidation of 2-aryl tryptamines followed by a stereoselective rearrangement provides a versatile strategy for the synthesis of C3-quaternary oxindoles bearing a C3-aryl group. Treatment of optically active 2-aryl hydroxyindolenines with scandium trifluoromethanesulfonate in toluene at 110 degrees C leads to complete and stereoselective isomerization to the corresponding C3-aryl oxindoles which represent versatile intermediates for the synthesis of C3a-aryl hexahydropyrroloindoles.
Femoral Neuropathy following Retroperitoneal Hemorrhage: Case Series and Review of the Literature

Femoral neuropathy due to retroperitoneal hematoma has been infrequently described in the literature. While occasionally due to trauma, it has been most commonly reported in association with various bleeding diatheses and therapeutic anticoagulation. As the indications for the use of anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents increase, associated hemorrhagic complications will likely also increase. The management of retroperitoneal hematoma with consequent femoral nerve palsy remains controversial. We present a series of four cases of femoral nerve palsy due to retroperitoneal hematoma managed by surgical decompression. Hematoma evacuation at the time of the development of femoral neuropathy results in immediate benefit, with greater likelihood of a return to pre-event neurological status. Delays in operative treatment, despite the presence of a neurological deficit, may lead to significant and prolonged neurological dysfunction. Surgical decompression should be highly considered in all patients who develop femoral neuropathy from a retroperitoneal hematoma.
Application of expert network for material selection in engineering design

Abstract The issue of representing knowledge in a manner so that the updating is easy and transparent to the user is very important in Artificial Intelligence. In recent years, an expert network approach for representing the knowledge has been used, which involves the development of an intelligent hybrid system. In this approach, the knowledge is stored in a neural network in form of weights associated with links. An expert system is used for validating the output of the neural network, and taking care of situations where the neural network cannot provide a unique solution. The expert system can also provide an explanation for the decisions made by the neural network. In this research, an expert network approach for material selection was used for the task of material selection in engineering design. Use of a rule based system alone makes it difficult to select a material in cases when there is no material available in the database whose properties are similar to the desired material properties. The neural network proved to be useful in such cases as it could select the best alternative from the database. Similarly, the neural network alone was not sufficient, as in some cases it may not be able to provide a unique solution. The expert system may evaluate the various materials selected by the neural network on the basis of price, availability in stock and closeness to desired properties and provide a unique solution.
Validation of a novel three-dimensional electrode array within auditory cortex

Three-dimensional electrode arrays have a variety of potential applications in the fields of both intracortical mapping as well as basic research studies designed to characterize and understand the physiology of the brain. While higher channels counts are desired in brain-machine interface applications, the ability to analyze synchronous data from multiple cortical locations, including various depths is pivotal to fully mapping the underlying neurophysiology of sensory cortices. Within this study, we present a proof of concept validation of a 3D probe technology consisting of 16 silicon shanks in a 4×4 grid arrangement with four electrode sites per shank. This 3D array has been implanted in a rat primary auditory cortex and electrophysiological data are presented showing the utility of electrode sites spanning multilateral cortical space as well as cortical depth.
Deformation mechanisms of constrained polymer chains. I. Geometrically induced correlations in the deformation response mechanisms of tie molecules

The geometrical constraints acting on sections of tie molecules in noncrystalline regions severely limit the number and type of available polymer chain conformations. It is shown that these constraints induce explicit correlations in the rotations about the backbone bonds. These correlated rotations, in turn, specify distinct structural conversion paths which define the molecular mechanisms underlying the deformation response of tie molecules. Application of these constraining relationships to highly oriented polyethylene shows that the kink and jog structures of tie molecules can be decomposed into combinations of three primary conformational building blocks. Each of the basic conformational subunits follow an explicit set of dihedral angle correlations and, consequently, imparts specific characteristics to the composite structure of tie molecules. It is proposed that the composite response characteristics of tie molecules can be described as linear combinations of the response characteristics of these three primary conformational subunits.
Curb cuts in the virtual community: telework and persons with disabilities

Curb cuts are the ramps set into sidewalks to make buildings more accessible to persons in wheelchairs. With forethought they are easy to install, they provide access for persons with physical impairments, and at the same time they may be used by able-bodied persons for pushing strollers, shopping carts, and the like. Just like curb cuts in the physical community, telework in the virtual community may be used to break down barriers of access for persons with disabilities. This paper addresses how and why telework may be used as a work-place accommodation. It takes as a point of illustration a program initiated by the U.S. Department of Defense to extend telecommuting arrangements to its employees with short- and long-term disabilities. Recommendations are given for how to represent the needs of persons with disabilities in the design of telework enabling technologies. >
Assessment of Problem-Based Learning in the Undergraduate Statistics Course:

Undergraduate psychology majors (N = 51) at a mid-sized private university took a statistics examination on the first day of the research methods course, a course for which a grade of “C” or higher...
Longitudinal MRI study The effects of azathioprine in MS patients refractory to interferon β-1b

An open-label study was performed to assess the effectiveness of oral azathioprine (AZA) on augmenting the response to interferon β-1b (IFNβ-1b) in patients with treatment-refractory relapsing–remitting MS. Six IFNβ-1b-treated MS patients with continued disease activity were studied on IFNβ-1b and AZA therapy for a median period of 15 months. A 69% reduction in the number of contrast-enhancing lesions was observed during the combination therapy (p = 0.002).
Measurement and Reliability: Statistical Thinking Considerations

Reliability is defined as the degree to which multiple assessments of a subject agree (reproducibility). There is increasing awareness among researchers that the two most appropriate measures of reliability are the intraclass correlation coefficient and kappa. However, unacceptable statistical measures of reliability such as chi-square, percent agreement, product moment correlation, as well as any measure of association and Yule's Y still appear in the literature. There are costs associated with improper measurements, unreliable diagnostic systems, inappropriate statistics and measures of reliability, and poor quality research. Costs are incurred when misleading information directs resources and talents into nonproductive avenues of research. The consequences of unreliable measurements and diagnosis are illustrated with some studies of schizophrenia.
Assimilation of Perimeter Data and Coupling with Fuel Moisture in a Wildland Fire - Atmosphere DDDAS

We present a methodology to change the state of the Weather Research Forecasting (WRF) model coupled with the fire spread code SFIRE, based on Rothermel’s formula and the level set method, and with a fuel moisture model. The fire perimeter in the model changes in response to data while the model is running. However, the atmosphere state takes time to develop in response to the forcing by the heat flux from the fire. Therefore, an artificial fire history is created from an earlier fire perimeter to the new perimeter, and replayed with the proper heat fluxes to allow the atmosphere state to adjust. The method is an extension of an earlier method to start the coupled fire model from a developed fire perimeter rather than an ignition point. The level set method can be also used to identify parameters of the simulation, such as the fire spread rate. The coupled model is available from openwfm.org, and it extends the WRF-Fire code in WRF release.
A model describing flowback chemistry changes with time after Marcellus Shale hydraulic fracturing

Between 2005 and 2014 in Pennsylvania, about 4000 Marcellus wells were drilled horizontally and hydraulically fractured for natural gas. During the flowback period after hydrofracturing, 2 to (7 to ) of brine returned to the surface from each horizontal well. This Na-Ca-Cl brine also contains minor radioactive elements, organic compounds, and metals such as Ba and Sr, and cannot by law be discharged untreated into surface waters. The salts increase in concentration to () in later flowback. To develop economic methods of brine disposal, the provenance of brine salts must be understood. Flowback volume generally corresponds to ∼10% to 20% of the injected water. Apparently, the remaining water imbibes into the shale. A mass balance calculation can explain all the salt in the flowback if 2% by volume of the shale initially contains water as capillary-bound or free Appalachian brine. In that case, only 0.1%–0.2% of the brine salt in the shale accessed by one well need be mobilized. Changing salt concentration in flowback can be explained using a model that describes diffusion of salt from brine into millimeter-wide hydrofractures spaced 1 per m (0.3 per ft) that are initially filled by dilute injection water. Although the production lifetimes of Marcellus wells remain unknown, the model predicts that brines will be produced and reach 80% of concentration of initial brines after ∼1 yr. Better understanding of this diffusion could (1) provide better long-term planning for brine disposal; and (2) constrain how the hydrofractures interact with the low-permeability shale matrix.