cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Plasma arginine and leucine kinetics and urea production rates in burn patients

Abstract We measured plasma arginine and leucine kinetics and rates of urea production (appearance) in 12 severely burned patients (mean body surface burn area, 48%) during a basal state (low-dose intravenous glucose) and while receiving routine, total parenteral nutrition ([TPN] fed state) including an l -amino acid mixture, supplying a generous level of nitrogen (mean, 0.36 g N · kg −1 · d −1 ). The two nutritional states were studied in random order using a primed 4-hour constant intravenous tracer infusion protocol. Stable-nuclide-labeled tracers were l -[guanidino- 13 C]arginine, l -[1- 13 C]leucine, [ 18 O]urea, and NaH 13 CO 3 (prime only), with blood and expired air samples drawn at intervals to determine isotopic abundance of arginine, citrulline, ornithine, α-ketoisocaproate ([KIC] for leucine), and urea in plasma and 13 CO 2 in breath. Results are compared with data obtained in these laboratories in healthy adults. Leucine kinetics (flux and disappearance into protein synthesis) indicated the expected higher turnover in burn patients than in healthy controls. Mean leucine oxidation rates are also higher and compared well with values predicted from urea production rates, provided that urea nitrogen recycling via intestinal hydrolysis is taken into account. The plasma urea flux was also higher than for normal subjects. Arginine fluxes as measured in the systemic whole body, via the plasma pool, were correspondingly higher in burned patients than in healthy controls and were in good agreement with values predicted from leucine-KIC kinetics. However, systemic whole-body arginine flux measured via the plasma pool was only 20% of the arginine flux estimated from the urea flux plus the rate of protein synthesis. This finding is strong evidence that there is a significant synthesis of arginine (probably via recycling of ornithine) occurring in a sequestered pool (presumably in the hepatocyte) that is not in close communication with the plasma pool. Further, these data for plasma arginine flux suggest that the net rate of arginine degradation is increased in burn trauma, while there also appears to be a continued low and possibly unchanged net rate of de novo arginine synthesis contributing arginine to the plasma pool. This interpretation leads to the conclusion that there are at least two significant metabolic pools of arginine, one highly sequestered related specifically to urea synthesis and the other a systemic pool in equilibrium with the plasma. Because the hepatic urea-arginine cycle does not contribute substantially to making arginine available for protein synthesis, we propose from these findings that arginine is a conditionally essential (indispensable) amino acid in the nutrition of severely burned patients and that an exogenous arginine source is needed to maintain arginine balance.
Charge-coupled devices for use in electronically focused ultrasonic imaging systems

Pulse-echo ultrasonic imaging techniques make possible the dynamic visualisation and characterisation of many soft-tissue structures with no known patient risk; however, the extraction of this information requires an ultrasonic imaging system capable of producing a high-resolution image over a sizeable field of view in real time. This paper describes the development of the cascade charge-coupled device (C3D) designed specifically for electronically-focused ultrasonic imaging systems. The C3D lens described here further enhances the desirability of such systems because the delay-line hardware needed to focus and beam steer a linear array of piezoelectric transducers is reduced to a single l.s.i. device, and because clock-frequency control does not require individual control signals for each transducer channel and therefore greatly limits the amount of external circuitry necessary to support the imaging system. The analysis of the fundamental limits of the C3D approach to ultrasonic imaging includes the effects of the asynchronous transfer of charge between sections operating at different clock frequencies, with emphasis on the impact of this process on the time-delay accuracy of the C3D lens and on the maximum level of sidelobe suppression. The first-generation C3D lens has been fabricated and tested in a static water tank. These measurements indicate that the lens produces near-theoretical lateral resolution as predicted by the aperture theory of linear arrays. Based on preliminary results, a second-generation device is proposed whose additional capabilities would include full interpolation of the field of view for a scan-line-free image presentation and on-chip apodisation to obtain higher degrees of sidelobe suppression.
Improved model for tap-changing transformer

The model for tap-changing transformers currently in widespread use consists of an impedance, measured in a short-circuit test with a nominal tap, in series with an ideal transformer. The use of this model in voltage stability studies leads to qualitatively incorrect results. For demonstration purpose, a small circuit and the concepts of maximum load, equivalent load impedance and voltage control effects are used. An improved model that takes into account laboratory results, circuit laws and voltage stability theory is proposed. Using IEEE test systems, different results are shown for the conventional and proposed models.
Pathophysiology of Hemolytic Transfusion Reactions

Hemolytic transfusion reactions (HTR) are systemic reactions provoked by immunologic red blood cell (RBC) incompatibility. Clinical and experimental observations of such reactions indicate that they proceed through phases of humoral immune reaction, activation of phagocytes, productions of cytokine mediators, and wide-ranging cellular responses. HTR have many features in common with the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Knowledge of the pathophysiologic mechanisms in HTR suggest that newer biological agents that target complement intermediates or proinflammatory cytokines may be effective agents in the treatment of severe HTRs.
Thermal Characterization of Fine Fibers Using an Improved Direct Electrical Heating Method

The transient electrothermal technique has been shown to be an important method for the thermal characterization of fine fibers. However, this study shows that the accuracy of this method hinges on the proper consideration of several sample parameters including the initial electrical resistance and the emissivity of the sample. Such consideration is verified through measurement of platinum samples with various lengths. A multi-level heating scheme is proposed to mitigate the high sensitivity to the initial sample electrical resistance resulting in a demonstrated precision uncertainty of $${<}3~\%$$ . Using a recently expanded thermal model accounting for heretofore neglected heat losses, the emissivity of the sample may be measured simultaneously with thermal conductivity. The influence of the vacuum level is demonstrated by the results of measurements at two vacuum levels $${<}0.001\hbox { Pa}$$ (diaphragm plus turbo pumps) and $${\sim } 2\hbox { Pa}$$ (regular rotary vane pump). Neglecting these considerations can produce seemingly viable measurement results having significant bias error. Based on the characteristics of the expanded model, a new approach is presented that takes advantage of the simplicity of the reduced model, which neglects lateral heat losses from the sample, to obtain sample thermal properties that are independent of heat loss effects. Lastly, several experimental results validate the new model.
Chaotic orbits in a restricted three-body problem: numerical experiments and heuristics

Abstract We start with a special case of the restricted three-body problem in which the infinitesimal particle moves on a straight line through the center of mass of two rotating bodies. We study numerically the effect of a small perturbation on the dynamics of the infinitesimal particle. The resulting motion mixes characteristics of the planar three-body problem and of oscillatory motions.
Order of gene replication in Caulobacter crescentus; use of in vivo labeled genomic DNA as a probe.

Two methods for determining the time of gene replication in Caulobacter crescentus using a temperature sensitive DNA synthesis mutant to synchronize chromosome replication are described. Swarmer cells, blocked before DNA initiation at 37°C, initiate chromosome replication within 2 min after releasing the temperature block in 32P-orthophosphate medium, as indicated by the appearance of a small number of unique genomic DNA fragments. The time at which a given chromosome segment replicates was determined by isolating genomic DNA from cells labeled for progressively longer times during the S period of the cell cycle and hybridizing the probes to cloned C. crescentus genes. The time of replication of genetically mapped Tn5 insertions was determined by preparing DNA from the Tn5 insertion mutants that had been labeled with 32P in similar experiments and hybridizing it to lambda:: Tn5 DNA. These results furnish the first correlation between the order of chromosome replication and the genetic map of C. crescentus. They also show that the times of replication and expression of the hook protein and the flagellin genes, which require DNA synthesis for their transcription, both occur near mid-S phase.
Millimeter wave scattering characteristics and radar cross section measurements of common roadway objects

Development of automotive collision warning systems has progressed rapidly over the past several years. A key enabling technology for these systems is millimeter-wave radar. This paper addresses a very critical millimeter-wave radar sensing issue for automotive radar, namely the scattering characteristics of common roadway objects such as vehicles, roadsigns, and bridge overpass structures. The data presented in this paper were collected on ERIM's Fine Resolution Radar Imaging Rotary Platform Facility and processed with ERIM's image processing tools. The value of this approach is that it provides system developers with a 2D radar image from which information about individual point scatterers `within a single target' can be extracted. This information on scattering characteristics will be utilized to refine threat assessment processing algorithms and automotive radar hardware configurations. (1) By evaluating the scattering characteristics identified in the radar image, radar signatures as a function of aspect angle for common roadway objects can be established. These signatures will aid in the refinement of threat assessment processing algorithms. (2) Utilizing ERIM's image manipulation tools, total RCS and RCS as a function of range and azimuth can be extracted from the radar image data. This RCS information will be essential in defining the operational envelope (e.g. dynamic range) within which any radar sensor hardware must be designed.
The Surgeon's Role in Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy in the multidisciplinary care of the cancer patient will play an increasingly important role in cancer therapy for solid tumors. Strategies to optimize surgical management for an effective immune response against tumors should be acknowledged and promoted by the surgical community. Immunotherapy can serve as a beneficial adjunct to surgical excision for high-risk and recurrent tumors, with the attraction of decreased toxicity and disability over current adjuvant treatment methods. It is important that surgeons recognize immunotherapy's potential and play an active role in developing immunotherapy treatment regimens, for without surgical involvement many of these therapies may never come to fruition. This article reviews the key roles that surgeons play in immunotherapy treatment and research.
Effects of low-energy electromagnetic fields (pulsed and DC) on membrane signal transduction processes in biological systems.

AbstractThe vertebrate organism possesses a number of internal processes for signaling and communication between cell types. Hormones and neurotransmitters move from one cell type to another and carry chemical “messages” that modulate the metabolic responses of tissues to the environment. Interactio
Fund Loyalty Among Socially Responsible Investors: The Importance of the Economic and Ethical Domains

The corporate social responsibility literature has emphasized the importance of both economic and ethical domains of corporate behavior. Analyzing unprecedented survey data from investors in a socially responsible (SR) mutual fund, this article considers how economic and ethical concerns shape shareholder investment behavior. In particular, this article analyzes levels of investor fund loyalty, defined as the continued investment in a mutual fund despite the belief that one is earning a lower return on investment. Building upon existing research that shows SR fund assets are more stable than conventional fund assets, this article leverages within respondent comparisons to clarify that dual investors (i.e., those who invest in both SR and conventional funds) are more loyal to their SR fund than to their conventional fund. This suggests that a corporation’s ethical behavior attracts more patient investment capital, an important consideration for any corporation that is deciding to what degree it should engage in corporate social responsibility. In addition, this article empirically demonstrates that economic motivations reduce SR fund loyalty and that ethical motivations induce SR fund loyalty. This evidence that ethical motivation is associated with fund loyalty advances research on morality in the market by yielding empirical evidence to a largely theoretical debate.
Rank numbers for some trees and unicyclic graphs

A ranking on a graph is an assignment of positive integers to its vertices such that any path between two vertices of the same rank contains a vertex of strictly larger rank. The rank number of a graph is the fewest number of labels that can be used in a ranking. In this paper we determine rank numbers for some trees and unicyclic graphs.
Data partitioning: an approach to preserving data privacy in computation offload in pervasive computing systems

Offloading computations to remote servers from small mobile devices such as smartphones is a popular technique used in pervasive computing. It addresses the computing and power constraints of small mobile devices. However, a key problem with this technique is a potential loss of data privacy. When a computation is offloaded, user data also needs to be shipped to the possibly untrusted remote nodes. This paper introduces the concept of data partitioning to address this potential loss of data privacy in computation offload to remote nodes. The data partitioning approach allows a user to identify the sensitive parts of her data, which is then prevented from being shipped to untrusted remote servers. The overall execution consists of identifying sensitive parts of user data, shipping code and non-private data for remote execution and getting the results back, and then combining the results from local and remote executions on the mobile device. Data partitioning can be used for a variety of personal digital files that the users create and modify using applications. These include videos, images, audios, and perhaps even textual documents and spreadsheets. It allows mobile users to enjoy a better computing experience by not only further improving the performance and saving power, but also preserving data privacy. The paper demonstrates the applicability of the data partitioning approach via prototypes of three different applications developed for Android devices.
Infantile fibrosarcoma: complete excision is the appropriate treatment.

Background: Infantile fibrosarcoma and its pathological variants are unusual childhood tumors. During the past 25 years, 18 children with these lesions were seen at our institution. Methods: These patients' records were analyzed to determine clinical and pathological findings and outcome. Results: The mean age at diagnosis was 7 months. There were 16 boys and 2 girls. The sites of tumor at presentation were: Extremity, head, trunk, and pelvis. Pathological findings were: fibrosarcoma, myofibroma, and fibromatosis. Histologic characteristics varied from benign hypocellular to more cellular pleomorphism. The initial surgical procedure was a complete excision in 16. Of those patients with complete removal, 6 recurred and all had secondary reexcision. In addition to excision, 3 patients received adjunctive therapy; chemotherapy in all 3 and radiation in 2. Sixteen (89%) children survived, including 4 of 6 with recurrent tumor and 2 of 2 with incomplete initial resection. Two children ages 6 and 9 months at diagnosis died of progressive recurrent tumor at 1 month and 6 years from initial diagnosis, despite operative therapy, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Both had paraspinal tumors that were removed completely. Pathological examination revealed spindle cell tumors infiltrating muscle. Neither clinical nor histologic findings distinguished surviving from nonsurviving patients. Conclusions: Fibrosarcoma occurring in infants has an excellent outcome despite histologic findings. Initial complete excision should be attempted in all children. Recurrence indicates a more aggressive variant and warrants more aggressive complete reexcision wherever possible. Adjunctive therapy probably has no benefit. The occasional death indicates the need for close follow-up.
Printing the Samgang haengsil-to (Illustrated Guide to the Three Relationships), a Premodern Korean Moral Primer

The Samgang haengsil-to is a collection of Chinese and Korean stories of exemplary conduct performed by filial sons, loyal subjects and devoted women, which epitomize Confucian virtue entailed in the three fundamental human relations. These stories were first written in classical Chinese, accompanied by illustrations, and later appeared with vernacular Korean texts added. Ever since it was published by the court in 1434, the Samgang haengsil-to underwent numerous editorial changes during the first half of Chosn dynasty (1392-1910) with respect to the selection of stories, the content, the language, and even the appearance of the book. These changes were not made at random, nor are they addressing mere practical reasons such as facilitating reading or enhancing the book’s aesthetic appeal. Rather, there was a certain political and cultural context at work behind these changes, which reflected the shifting value system and the process of Confucianization of Chosn Korea. By tracing the major changes made to different editions of the Samgang haengsil-to, this paper discusses the influences that social and political environments exert on a text.
The use of a 4 MV linear accelerator for whole body irradiation.

Abstract The use of a 4 MV linear accelerator ∗ for whole body irradiation is described in this study. The room size limits the focus to skin distance to 279 cm. At this distance a maximum field length of 162 cm is achieved by: (a) using the diagonal of the beam by rotating the collimator 45°; (b) adding a special flattening filter which increases the useful field length. The horizontal beam is directed either laterally (patient supine) or anteroposteriorly (patient on side). The dose heterogeneity for both these geometries was measured in a phantom ∗∗ loaded with Li 2 B 4 O 7 thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD) and film. ∗∗∗ The lateral treatment geometry causes significantly larger dose heterogeneity than the anteroposterior treatment. Because of the increased dose to the lungs in either one of these treatment geometries, the use of compensators in this region is suggested.
K-12 Computer Science education news

Integrating computer science into the K-12 curriculum is not news, so why put it into the SIGCSE Bulletin? Since the big educational movements in the 1970s and 80s that promoted BASIC and Logo, computing educators have attempted to get the kind of integration into pre-college that other disciplines, like Biology and Chemistry, have. This has been a struggle, and in recent years computing, and programming in particular, are marginalized in K-12 for a variety of reasons including teacher preparedness, politics and what Peter Denning described as the "eating the seed corn problem." While grassroots and academic efforts such as CS Unplugged, CS4HS, the Alice and Scratch communities and the Principles of Computing AP movement are becoming "old news", the news of the day is that politicians are coming on board.
Using the theory of planned behavior to understand the determinants of exercise intention in patients diagnosed with primary brain cancer.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the demographic, medical, and social cognitive determinants of exercise intentions in a institution-based cohort of primary brain tumor patients. Using a cross-sectional survey, 100 primary brain tumor patients completed a mailed survey that assessed medical and demographic characteristics, past exercise behavior using the Godin Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ), and social cognitive beliefs towards exercise using Aizen's theory of planned behavior (TPB; i.e. intention, perceived behavioral control, subjective norm, affective and instrumental attitude). Descriptive statistics indicated that participants had positive social cognitive beliefs towards exercise. In support of the tenets of the TPB, we found moderate to large (>0.40) positive correlations between the majority of TPB constructs. Moreover, the TPB constructs combined to explain 32% of the variance in exercise intentions with affective attitude (beta = 0.24; p = 0.020) and perceived behavioral control (beta = 0.36; p or =25 kg/m(2)) considering the health benefits of exercise to be more important than their female and normal weight (<25 kg/m(2)) counterparts. Information gained from this study suggests that the TPB is a useful framework to design and implement theoretically based interventions to promote exercise in primary brain cancer patients.
ANTITHYMOCYTE GAMMAGLOBULIN MAY PREVENT ANTIBODY PRODUCTION AFTER HEART TRANSPLANTATION

Anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) has been used as induction therapy in heart transplant. ATG has been postulated to have anti-humoral properties as human thymus (which contains various cell lines including T- and B-cells) is used to stimulate antibody (Ab) production in rabbits. Abs to these cellular
Interactions of unconjugated bilirubin with vesicles, cyclodextrins and micelles: new modeling and the role of high pKa values.

Background Unconjugated bilirubin (UCB) is an unstable substance with very low aqueous solubility. Its aqueous pKa values affect many of its interactions, particularly their pH-dependence. A companion paper shows that only our prior solvent partition studies, leading to pKa values of 8.12 and 8.44, met all essential requirements for valid pKa determinations. Other published values, generally lower, some below 5.0, were shown to be invalid. The present work was designed to derive suitable models for interpreting published data on the pH-dependent binding of UCB with four agents, mentioned below, chosen because they are not, themselves, sensitive to changes in the pH range 4-10, and the data, mainly spectrometric, were of reasonable quality.
Thermal compression waves. II: Mass adjustment and vertical transfer of total energy

A fully compressible model is used to simulate the mass adjustment that occurs in response to a prescribed heat source. Results illustrate the role that thermal compression waves have in this process. The vertical mass transport associated with compression waves decreases rapidly with height. Most of the mass transport occurs in the horizontal, with the vertical structure of the disturbance similar to that of a Lamb wave. The vertical transfer of total energy in a thermally driven mixed layer is also examined. It is shown that the upward transport of total energy is accomplished by a compression effect rather than by the exchange of warm and cold air by buoyant thermals. Model results are analysed to determine budgets of total energy, mass and entropy. It is demonstrated that buoyant thermals are predominantly responsible for a transfer of entropy, rather than total energy. In the light of these results the notion of ‘heat transport’ in a fluid is discussed.
The dispersion of fibrous amphiboles by glacial processes in the area surrounding Libby, Montana, USA

Mining operations began at a world-class vermiculite deposit at Vermiculite Mountain near Libby, Montana, circa 1920 and ended in 1990. Fibrous and asbestiform amphiboles intergrown with vermiculite ore are suspected to be a causative factor in an abnormally high number of cases of respiratory diseases in former mine and mill workers, and in residents of Libby. The question addressed in this report is whether some of the amphibole from Vermiculite Mountain could have been dispersed by Pleistocene glacial processes rather than by human activity after vermiculite mining began. The history of Pinedale glaciation in the Libby area provides a framework for estimating the presence and distribution of asbestiform amphiboles derived from Vermiculite Mountain and found in naturally occurring sediments of Glacial Lake Kootenai that underlie the Libby Valley area. There were two situations where sediments derived from Vermiculite Mountain were deposited into Glacial Lake Kootenai: (1) as lake-bottom sediments derived from meltwater flowing down Rainy Creek when the valley south of Vermiculite Mountain was free of ice but active ice still covered Vermiculite Mountain; and (2) as lake-bottom sediments eroded from the Rainy Creek outwash and re-deposited during a re-advance of the Purcell Trench Glacier lobe near Moyie Springs, Idaho.
EPR Spectroscopy of the C-terminal Domain of the M2 Protein from Influenza A Virus

The M2 protein from influenza A is a pH-activated proton channel that plays an essential role in the viral life cycle and serves as a drug target. Using spin labeling EPR spectroscopy we studied a 38-residue M2 peptide spanning the transmembrane region and its C-terminal extension. We obtained residue-specific environmental parameters under both high and low pH conditions for eleven consecutive C-terminal sites. We have also collected data in the presence of the antiviral drugs amantadine and rimantadine. The C-terminal region forms a membrane surface helix at both high and low pH although the arrangement of the monomers within the tetramer changes with pH and drug binding.
Choice between Negative Alternatives: Dissonance Reduction or Regret?

Summary.-In 1962 an experiment investigated whether or nor individuals commonly experience regret after making decisions. Results suggesred Ss probably experienced more regret as time passed. There was no ev~dence that they ever succeeded in reducing dissonance. One of three current interpretations is that the more negative the choice alternatives, the more post-decisional regret a decision maker should experience. An experimental design to test alternative interpretations is proposed.
ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF OSTEOSCLEREIDS IN SEED COATS OF PISUM SATIVUM L.

Summary The development of osteosclereids during seed-coat maturation in Pisum sativum was observed by light and electron microscopy. Osteosclereid precursors are small, densely staining cells which elongate and mature after the macrosclereids. The lateral cell walls in the region of the cell equator become heavily thickened preventing further expansion, while the ends of the cells retain their thin walls and continue to expand. This growth creates the bone-shaped cell typical of osteosclereids. The cells become separated from each other by accelerated circumferential expansion of the cell layers above and below them and by cell layers. Cell wall synthesis in osteosclereids involves coated and smooth vesicles from the Golgi, and vesicles with fibrillar contents from the endoplasmic reticulum.
Chemical shift referencing in MAS solid state NMR.

Abstract Solid state 13 C magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectra are typically referenced externally using a probe which does not incorporate a field frequency lock. Solution NMR shifts on the other hand are more often determined with respect to an internal reference and using a deuterium based field frequency lock. Further differences arise in solution NMR of proteins and nucleic acids where both 13 C and 1 H shifts are referenced by recording the frequency of the 1 H resonance of DSS (sodium salt of 2,2-dimethyl-2-silapentane-5-sulphonic acid) instead of TMS (tetramethylsilane). In this note we investigate the difficulties in relating shifts measured relative to TMS and DSS by these various approaches in solution and solids NMR, and calibrate adamantane as an external 13 C standard for solids NMR. We find that external chemical shift referencing of magic angle spinning spectra is typically quite reproducible and accurate, with better than ±0.03 ppm accuracy being straight forward to achieve. Solid state and liquid phase NMR shifts obtained by magic angle spinning with external referencing agree with those measured using typical solution NMR hardware with the sample tube aligned with the applied field as long as magnetic susceptibility corrections and solvent shifts are taken into account. The DSS and TMS reference scales for 13 C and 1 H are related accurately using MAS NMR. Large solvent shifts for the 13 C resonance in TMS in either deuterochloroform or methanol are observed, being +0.71 ppm and −0.74 ppm from external TMS, respectively. The ratio of the 13 C resonance frequencies for the two carbons in solid adamantane to the 1 H resonance of TMS is reported.
Analytical solutions for the unsteady MHD rotating flow over a rotating sphere near the equator

In this paper we investigate the three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) rotating flow of a viscous fluid over a rotating sphere near the equator. The Navier-Stokes equations in spherical polar coordinates are reduced to a coupled system of nonlinear partial differential equations. Self-similar solutions are obtained for the steady state system, resulting from a coupled system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations. Analytical solutions are obtained and are used to study the effects of the magnetic field and the suction/injection parameter on the flow characteristics. The analytical solutions agree well with the numerical solutions of Chamkha et al. [31]. Moreover, the obtained analytical solutions for the steady state are used to obtain the unsteady state results. Furthermore, for various values of the temporal variable, we obtain analytical solutions for the flow field and present through figures.
A robust regression technique using compound estimation

Least squares fitting of regression models is a widely used technique. The presence of outliers in the data can have an adverse effect on the method of least squares, resulting in a model that does not adequately fit to the bulk of the data. For this situation, robust regression techniques have been proposed as an improvement to the method of least squares. We propose a robust regression procedure that performs well relative to the current robust methods against a variety of dataset types. Evaluations are performed using datasets without outliers (testing efficiency), with a large percentage of outliers (testing breakdown), and with high leverage outliers (testing bounded influence). The datasets are based on 2-level factorial designs that include axial points to evaluate leverage effects. A Monte Carlo simulation approach is used to evaluate the estimating capability of the proposed procedure relative to several competing methods. We also provide an application to estimating costs for government satellites. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 45: 125–139, 1998
A Comparison of Sensory Difference Testing Procedures: Sequential Sensitivity Analysis and Aspects of Taste Adaptation

The greater sensitivity of the‘one strong, two weak stimuli’over the‘one weak, two strong stimuli’versions of the triangle and duo-trio tests was confirmed using a model system of salt and water stimuli. The relative distinguishability of salt and water, in adaptation states varied by prerinses, was measured using an R-index procedure. The relative distinguishabilities were used as the basis for a predictive model, 'sequential sensitivity analysis', to explain the relative sensitivity of versions of the triangular and duo-trio protocols. Adaptation did not furnish a complete explanation of their relative sensitivity.
Right heart failure caused by metastatic renal cell carcinoma masquerading as an obstructive cardiac tumour

We present a rare case of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in a 58-year-old Hispanic woman presenting with progressive shortness of breath of 2 months duration. Physical examination was remarkable for jugular venous distension, pedal oedema and left flank fullness. An initial transthoracic echocardiogram revealed a large, greater than 4×3 cm solid mass extending from the inferior vena cava (IVC) into the right atrium (figure 1). Subsequently, a 64-slice contrast-enhanced axial helical CT scan of the chest, abdomen and pelvis revealed a very large lobulated heterogeneously enhancing mass …
Curcumin-induced GADD153 gene up-regulation in human colon cancer cells

Ingestion of plant products containing the phenolic phytochemical, curcumin, has been linked to lower incidences of colon cancer, suggesting that curcumin has cancer chemopreventive effects. Supporting this suggestion at the cellular level, apoptosis occurs in human colon cancer cells exposed to curcumin. However, the mechanism is unclear, prompting this investigation to further clarify the molecular effects of curcumin. HCT-116 colonocytes were incubated with 0-20 mM curcumin for 0-48 h. In concentration-dependent and time-dependent manners, curcumin induced DNA damage, resulting later in the appearance of cellular features characteristic of apoptosis. To identify a potential pro-apoptotic gene that could be responsive to the DNA damage in curcumin-treated cells, growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible gene 153 (GADD153) was considered. Curcumin increased GADD153 mRNA (and also protein) expression, which was prevented by actinomycin D and also by a broad protein kinase C inhibitor, but not by selective MAPK inhibitors. These findings suggest that curcumin-induced up-regulation of GADD153 mRNA expression was at the level of transcription, but apparently without depending on upstream MAPK. In determining the involvement of reactive oxygen species in mediating the effect of curcumin on GADD153, the antioxidants pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate and N-acetylcysteine (NAC), but neither a-tocopherol nor catalase, also blunted or prevented up-regulation of GADD153 mRNA expression caused by curcumin. Most noteworthy, when NAC was tested, it inhibited the DNA damage and apoptosis caused by curcumin. Because expression of GADD153 protein was detected before the appearance of apoptotic features, this observation raises the possibility that GADD153 protein might be important for curcumin-induced apoptosis.
Mechanistic details of a protein-protein association pathway revealed by paramagnetic relaxation enhancement titration measurements

Protein–protein association generally proceeds via the intermediary of a transient, lowly populated, encounter complex ensemble. The mechanism whereby the interacting molecules in this ensemble locate their final stereospecific structure is poorly understood. Further, a fundamental question is whether the encounter complex ensemble is an effectively homogeneous population of nonspecific complexes or whether it comprises a set of distinct structural and thermodynamic states. Here we use intermolecular paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE), a technique that is exquisitely sensitive to lowly populated states in the fast exchange regime, to characterize the mechanistic details of the transient encounter complex interactions between the N-terminal domain of Enzyme I (EIN) and the histidine-containing phosphocarrier protein (HPr), two major bacterial signaling proteins. Experiments were conducted at an ionic strength of 150 mM NaCl to eliminate any spurious nonspecific associations not relevant under physiological conditions. By monitoring the dependence of the intermolecular transverse PRE (Γ2) rates measured on 15N-labeled EIN on the concentration of paramagnetically labeled HPr, two distinct types of encounter complex configurations along the association pathway are identified and dissected. The first class, which is in equilibrium with and sterically occluded by the specific complex, probably involves rigid body rotations and small translations near or at the active site. In contrast, the second class of encounter complex configurations can coexist with the specific complex to form a ternary complex ensemble, which may help EIN compete with other HPr binding partners in vivo by increasing the effective local concentration of HPr even when the active site of EIN is occupied.
Epoetin delta in the management of renal anaemia: results of a 6-month study.

Background. Epoetin delta is an epoetin that, unlike existing agents, is produced in a human cell line. The present study investigated the efficacy and tolerability of intravenous (i.v.) epoetin delta compared with i.v. epoetin alfa. Methods. This was a 6-month, multicentre, randomized, double-blind trial in haemodialysis patients previously receiving epoetin alfa. Haematological parameters were assessed, and adverse events monitored. Equivalent efficacy was defined as a difference in mean haemoglobin between the two agents over weeks 12–24 of � 1 g/dl with a 90% confidence interval (CI) within the range –1 to 1 g/dl. Results. In total, 560 patients received epoetin delta while 192 received epoetin alfa, and 76.8% and 79.7% of patients, respectively, completed the study. Both agents showed similar efficacy in controlling anaemia: the point estimate for the difference in mean haemoglobin over weeks 12–24 was 0.01 g/dl (90% CI, –0.13, 0.15 g/dl), confirming equivalence. Adverse events were those expected in dialysis patients. Events possibly related to treatment occurred in 9.2% of patients receiving epoetin delta and 8.4% receiving epoetin alfa. Serious adverse events (SAEs) occurred in 33.0% and 26.7% of patients in the epoetin delta and epoetin alfa groups, respectively. Six patients in the epoetin delta group experienced an SAE considered possibly related to treatment (mostly access-related clotting), compared with no patient in the epoetin delta group. None of these SAEs were life threatening. Conclusions. Epoetin delta was shown to have an equivalent efficacy and safety profile to epoetin alfa in this 6-month study.
From Relativistic Paradoxes to Absolute Space and Time Physics

Contradicting Maxwell, Larmor, Heaviside, Hertz, and others, Voigt (1887), Lorentz (1904), and Einstein (1905) introduced the hypothesis that Maxwell’s equations and the electromagnetic (EM) wave equations hold in this form not only in the ether frame S°(0) but in all other inertial frames (IF) S(w) with ether velocities w ≠ 0, too.1 This proposition is physically equivalent to the questionable assumptions: (i) an EM wave carrier or ether (vacuum substratum) does not exist, (j) the velocity of a light signal has the same value c in all IFs, and (k) electrodynamic phenomena are relative to the observer (nonexistence of a preferred or substratum frame S°).
Optimum Balancing of Combined Shaking Force, Shaking Moment, and Torque Fluctuations in High-Speed Linkages

This paper presents an analytical and computer-aided procedure on the balancing of high-speed linkages. The method allows for the trade-offs necessary to achieve optimum dynamic response of the linkage in the design stage. These trade-offs involve a balance among the shaking force, the shaking moment, bearing reactions, and input-torque fluctuations by mass distribution of the links or counterweighting the linkage. Analytical mechanics and heuristic optimization techniques have been demonstrated to be useful tools in developing such a trade-off. The first part of this paper concerns the development of an optimality criterion in which an integrated approach is presented using both the Lagrangian and the Newtonian formulations, and consequently, a higher computational efficiency is achieved. Based on this theoretical development, the remainder of the paper focuses on the formulation of an optimization problem for linkage balancing and the solution of the problem by the Heuristic Optimization Technique of Lee and Freudenstein. The theory and computation are illustrated by numerical examples in the case of four-bar linkages.
Advancing High-Quality Preschool Inclusion: A Discussion and Recommendations for the Field

Although considerable progress has been achieved regarding the research and laws supporting preschool inclusion, access to inclusive preschool environments remains intangible for many children with...
Retrograde Fluxes of Focal Adhesion Proteins in Response to Cell Migration and Mechanical Signals

Recent studies suggest that mechanical signals mediated by the extracellular matrix play an essential role in various physiological and pathological processes; yet, how cells respond to mechanical stimuli remains elusive. Using live cell fluorescence imaging, we found that actin filaments, in association with a number of focal adhesion proteins, including zyxin and vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein, undergo retrograde fluxes at focal adhesions in the lamella region. This flux is inversely related to cell migration, such that it is amplified in fibroblasts immobilized on micropatterned islands. In addition, the flux is regulated by mechanical signals, including stretching forces applied to flexible substrates and substrate stiffness. Conditions favoring the flux share the common feature of causing large retrograde displacements of the interior actin cytoskeleton relative to the substrate anchorage site, which may function as a switch translating mechanical input into chemical signals, such as tyrosine phosphorylation. In turn, the stimulation of actin flux at focal adhesions may function as part of a feedback mechanism, regulating structural assembly and force production in relation to cell migration and mechanical load. The retrograde transport of associated focal adhesion proteins may play additional roles in delivering signals from focal adhesions to the interior of the cell.
DWELLING ON POTENTIAL THREAT CUES: AN EYE MOVEMENT MARKER FOR COMBAT‐RELATED PTSD

BACKGROUND: Although several studies have documented an attentional bias toward threat in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the nature of this bias has not been clearly delineated. The present study utilized eye tracking technology to delineate the time course and components of attentional bias for threat cues in combat-related PTSD. METHODS: Veterans with PTSD (n = 21), combat-exposed veterans without PTSD (n = 16), and nonveteran controls (n = 21) viewed emotional expressions (fearful, disgusted, happy) paired with neutral expressions for 3 s presentations. RESULTS: Veterans with PTSD maintained attention longer on the fearful and disgusted expressions relative to the happy expression. This negativity bias was sustained over the course of the 3 s trials, and robustly distinguished veterans with PTSD from both veterans without PTSD and nonveteran controls. CONCLUSIONS: Dwelling on potential threat cues may reflect current PTSD symptoms, or it could reflect a cognitive vulnerability factor for PTSD. Language: en
Threshold voltage dependence on channel length in small geometry MOSFETs

Threshold voltage dependence on channel length of short channel MOSFETs is remodelled from simple one D-approximation of 2D-problem taking into considerartion the flat-band voltage change in the short channel region. Effect of source/drain junction depths and back gate bias is also taken into account. It is shown that in the short channel region, flat-band voltage increases with decrease in channel length and reaches to a limiting value of 2VFB. Threshold voltage variation with the channel length further reduces due to change in flat-band voltage and results in performance unsuitable for logic designs.
Treatment of anxiety in autism spectrum disorders using cognitive behaviour therapy: A systematic review

Objective: To review studies involving the treatment of anxiety in people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) using Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) with the intent to inform practice and to identify areas for future research. Methods: Systematic searches of electronic databases, reference lists and journals identified nine studies. Each identified study that met pre-determined inclusion criteria was analysed and summarized in terms of: (a) participants, (b) intervention procedures, (c) dependent variables, (d) results of intervention and (e) certainty of evidence. To assess the certainty of evidence, each study’s design and related methodological details were critically appraised. Results: Positive outcomes were ubiquitous, suggesting CBT is an effective treatment for anxiety in individuals with Asperger’s. However, data involving other ASD diagnostic sub-types is limited. Conclusions: CBT has been modified for individuals with ASD by adding intervention components typically associated with applied behaviour analysis (e.g. systematic prompting and differential reinforcement). Future research involving a component analysis could potentially elucidate the mechanisms by which CBT reduces anxiety in individuals with ASD, ultimately leading to more efficient or effective interventions.
Time-Dependent Delays at Traffic Merges

The expected wait of a side-road driver at an unsignalized intersection or merge point is investigated. The method is that of numerical inversion of the Laplace transform of the time-dependent expected wait in a simple queuing model. The effect of various operational factors, such as mix of "fast" and "slow" side-road drivers, upon approach to conventional steady-state values is exhibited. The development of waits when the intersection is saturated is also illustrated. An approximation procedure is suggested; numerical evaluation suggests that it will often be adequate.
Radiative renormalization analysis of optical double resonance

One- and two-photon renormalization is applied to three-level optical double resonance. An exact steady-state solution to the optical Bloch equations is given for arbitrarily strong, near-resonant, monochromatic fields connecting any two of the three possible level pairings. The results are discussed under various conditions and limits.
What must we do with the overwhelming amount of information

The Information Age has put for us almost unlimited amount of information that it cannot be analyzed rationally. Rising in its place Conceptual Age stands for giving a meaning for it. Anybody can create information but the problem is how to reduce it. Visualization is the best representation method for turning complex data into information. Visual literacy must be positioned in the same way as language or numeric literacy and information literacy. Now we can create visuals faster than ever before but what good is it if we cannot interpret them. In the Conceptual Age we need to see a larger picture, analyze more processes instead of facts.
Identification of odors from overripe mango that attract vinegar flies, Drosophila melanogaster.

Bioassays with a variety of overripe fruits, including mango, plum, pear, and grape, and their extracts showed that odors from overripe mango were most attractive to adult vinegar flies, Drosophila melanogaster. Combined gas chromatography–electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) analyses of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and Tenax extracts of overripe mango odors showed that several volatile compounds, including ethanol, acetic acid, amyl acetate, 2-phenylethanol, and phenylethyl acetate elicited significant EAG responses from antennae of female flies. Most of the volatile compounds in the extracts were identified by mass spectral and retention index comparisons with synthetic standards. In cage bioassays, lures with a blend of ethanol, acetic acid, and 2-phenylethanol in a ratio of 1:22:5 attracted six times more flies than any single EAG-active compound. This blend also attracted four times more flies than traps baited with overripe mango or unripe mango. However, in field trials, the blend was not as attractive as suggested by the laboratory bioassay.