cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stratifying Therapeutic Enoxaparin Dose in Morbidly Obese Patients by BMI Class: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Enoxaparin is a low-molecular weight heparin (LMWH) commonly used for treatment of venous thromboembolism and acute coronary syndromes. The recommended dose for these conditions is weight-based (1 mg/kg) and doesn’t require dose-capping. However, previous studies have shown that in those with a body mass index (BMI) > 40 kg/m2, this dose results in supratherapeutic levels. This study investigated enoxaparin dosing in morbidly obese patients with a goal of identifying a dose with the greatest chance of producing favorable anti-factor Xa (anti-Xa) levels. This retrospective cohort study by electronic chart review was used to record data of patients who received enoxaparin with anti-Xa level monitoring between 2012 and 2017. The primary outcome was the enoxaparin dose that results in a therapeutic anti-Xa level (0.5–1.0 IU/mL) among three BMI groups. Secondary outcomes were bleeding and thromboembolic events. Two hundred forty-one patients were included in the study, and 132 achieved a therapeutic dose. For those with a BMI of 40–50 kg/m2, the median therapeutic dose was 0.97 mg/kg every 12 h. In subjects with a BMI of 50–60 kg/m2, the median therapeutic dose was 0.70 mg/kg. Finally, the median therapeutic dose for subjects with a BMI over 60 kg/m2 was 0.71 mg/kg. In all three groups, 53–65% of patients had a supratherapeutic anti-Xa level while less than 10% had a subtherapeutic level. Relatively few patients (4.1%) experienced major bleeding and only one thromboembolic event was reported. Standard dosing of enoxaparin in morbidly obese patients will most likely lead to supratherapeutic anti-Xa levels and thus further investigation is warranted to better determine appropriate dosing.
When Deaths Are Dehumanized: Deathcare During COVID-19 as a Public Value Failure

The COVID-19 pandemic, which is still gripping the world, brought death front and center into many people’s lives. In the United States, however, some of the deaths were treated as “more tragic” th...
Blood Pressure Control in Acute Stroke: Labetalol or Nicardipine?

Abstract Purpose To assess the safety and efficacy of continuous infusion (CIV)-labetalol compared to -nicardipine in controlling blood pressure (BP) in the acute stroke setting. Materials Patients were eligible if they had a diagnosis of an acute stroke and were administered either CIV-labetalol or CIV-nicardipine. Study outcomes were assessed within the first 24 h of the antihypertensive infusion. Results A total of 3,093 patients were included with 3,008 patients in the CIV-nicardipine group and 85 in the CIV-labetalol group. No significant difference was observed in percent time at goal BP between the nicardipine (82%) and labetalol (85%) groups (p = 0.351). There was also no difference in BP variability between nicardipine (37%) and labetalol (39%) groups (p = 0.433). Labetalol was found to have a shorter time to goal BP as compared to nicardipine (24 min vs. 40 min; p = 0.021). While CIV-nicardipine did have a higher incidence of tachycardia compared to labetalol (17% vs. 4%; p Conclusions These results indicate that CIV-labetalol and CIV-nicardipine are comparable in safety and efficacy in controlling BP for patients with acute stroke.
Analysis of Linux As Real Time Operating System

This paper contains an analysis of Linux as a real-time kernel. Linux is used in numerous devices but not in the time critical devices. The performance of Linux as a RTOS is analyzed between the 4.18 and 2.4 Kernel. The analysis is done by using a benchmarking tool named LmBench. It in breif it can be stated that the real-time performance of Linux is increased a lot due by the introduction of PREEMPT_RT Linux real-time extensions, and now it is capable to handle the real-time task.
Prevalence, Demographics, and Risk of Severe Acute COVID-19.

Background: Our goal was to assess the demographics, risk factors, and hospital admission and length of stay (LOS) among patients with acute COVID-19 and to identify whether age, smoking status, race, risk factors, and sex significantly affect the severity of illness according to hospitalization or admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). Severity was defined as admission to the hospital or ICU. Methods: This retrospective cohort chart review included patients who received care from March 13 to August 17, 2020, at a single academic medical center. Age, COVID-19 risk factors, sex, race, smoking history, and hospital LOS were analyzed with hospital admission and ICU admission. Categorical variables were summarized. Results: The chart review assessed 1,697 adult patients with various degrees of severity of COVID-19 illness: 23 patients had been admitted to the hospital, and 7 had been admitted to the ICU. Older age and more COVID-19 risk factors, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, were significantly associated with hospital admissions, and longer LOS was statistically associated with ICU admission. Conclusions: Severe COVID-19 infection was associated with older age and more risk factors. Current smoking status, sex, and race were not significantly different between hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19 infection who were admitted to the ICU and those who were not admitted to the ICU.
Current Knowledge in Genetics, Molecular Diagnostic Tools, and Treatments for Mantle Cell Lymphomas

Mantle Cell lymphoma (MCL) is a mature B-cell lymphoma with a well-known hallmark genetic alteration in most cases, t(11;14)(q13q32)/CCND1-IGH. However, our understanding of the genetic and epigenetic alterations in MCL has evolved over the years, and it is now known that translocations involving CCND2, or cryptic insertion of enhancer elements of IGK or IGL gene, can also lead to MCL. On a molecular level, MCL can be broadly classified into two subtypes, conventional MCL (cMCL) and non-nodal MCL (nnMCL), each with different postulated tumor cell origin, clinical presentation and behavior, mutational pattern as well as genomic complexity. This article reviews both the common and rare alterations in MCL on a gene mutational, chromosomal arm, and epigenetic level, in the context of their contribution to the lymphomagenesis and disease evolution in MCL. This article also summarizes the important prognostic factors, molecular diagnostic tools, and treatment options based on the most recent MCL literature.
Molecular mobility of supercooled amorphous indomethacin, determined by dynamic mechanical analysis.

Purpose. To determine the viscosity and the frequency-dependent shear modulus of supercooled indomethacin as a function of temperature near and above its glass transition temperature and from these data to obtain a quantitative measure of its molecular mobility in the amorphous state.
Estimator for number of sources using minimum description length criterion for blind sparse source mixtures

In this paper I present a Minimum Description Length Estimator for number of sources in an anechoic mixture of sparse signals. The criterion is roughly equal to the sum of negative normalized maximum log-likelihood and the logarithm of number of sources. Numerical evidence supports this approach and compares favorabily to both the Akaike (AIC) and Bayesian (BIC) Information Criteria.
The operational evaluation of the Navy's globally relocatable tide model (PCTides)

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory has developed a globally relocatable tide/surge forecast system. This system runs on a UNIX platform but was designed originally for PC-based use and is referred to as PCTides. The core of the system is a 2-dimensional barotropic ocean model. The model is forced with boundary conditions from a global tide model and uses surface winds and pressures (if available) and/or astronomical forcing. The global ocean bathymetry is a 2-minute global database developed by the Naval Research Laboratory. Atmospheric forcing from the Navy's global or regional models is provided through the METCAST system and used to generate real time, wind driven forecasts. PCTides output includes time series of tidal height deviations at each grid point of the model and time series of tidal height deviations at higher frequency (usually 10-12 minutes) at specified point locations. Barotropic tidal currents are also produced by the system. PCTides has successfully completed its operational evaluation performed by the Naval operational centers located in Norfolk, Virginia and San Diego, California. PCTides was run daily in real time to forecast tidal height deviations from regions along the east and west coasts of the United States. The model forecasts were compared to real time observations from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) coastal tide gauges. Results from these evaluations showed an average amplitude error of 15 cm and a phase error of 30 minutes. Specific examples of PCTides hindcasts and forecasts for various areas are presented and discussed.
Cloning and characterization of two promoters for the human HSAL2 gene and their transcriptional repression by the Wilms tumor suppressor gene product.

HSAL2 is a member of a gene family that encodes a group of putative developmental transcription factors. The HSAL gene complex was originally identified on the basis of DNA sequence homology to a region-specific homeotic gene (SAL) in Drosophila. This study reveals a novel, functional 5′ exon for HSAL2 and demonstrates that two distinct HSAL2 gene transcripts arise from two overlapping transcription units, resulting in proteins that differ by 25 amino acids. By utilizing functional luciferase reporter assays, two distinct promoters for HSAL2, P1 for the proximal promoter (upstream of exon 1) and P2 for the distal promoter (upstream of exon 1A), were identified. Evaluation of mRNA prevalence and tissue specificity, with particular focus on adult tissues, revealed that production of mRNA from P1 was selective and relatively rare. Production of mRNA from P2 was demonstrably higher and was expressed by a greater number of tissues. In contradistinction,HSAL2 expression directed by P2 was undetectable in some malignant populations as opposed to their normal human counterparts, suggesting a potential role as a tumor suppressor gene. Consensus-binding sites were identified for several transcriptional factors, with multiple sites for WT-1, and Hox-1.3 present within both the P1 and P2 regions. In transient transfection assays, transcription from both HSAL2 P1 and P2 was strikingly repressed by the WT-1 tumor suppressor protein. These findings suggest that an intracellular WT-1 /HSAL2 pathway may play a role in development and hematopoiesis.
Intraoperative fluorescence angiography: a review of applications and outcomes in war-related trauma.

ABSTRACTAims: In the recent Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, survival rates from complex battlefield injuries have continued to improve. The resulting war-related wounds are challenging, with confounding issues making assessment of tissue perfusion subjective and variable. This review discusses the utility of intraoperative fluorescence angiography, and its usefulness as an objective tool to evaluate the perfusion of tissues in the face of complex war-related injuries. Methods: A retrospective review of all war-related traumatic and reconstructive cases employing intraoperative indocyanine green laser angiography (ICGLA) was performed. Data analyzed included indication for use, procedure success/failure rates, modifications performed, and perfusion-related complications. Anatomical regions assessed were extremity, head and neck, truncal, and intra-abdominal viscera. The endpoint of specific interest involved the decision for additional debridement of poorly perfused tissue, as based on the ICGLA findings. ...
Estudios en el género Myrsine (Myrsinaceae) de Colombia

During preparation of the treatment of the Myrsinaceae for the Flora de Colombia, two new species of the genus Myrsine L., M. cupuliformis Pipoly and M. perreticulata Pipoly, from the departments of Choco and Risaralda respectively, are described, illustrated and their phylogenetic relationships are discussed. Reasons for inclusion of Rapanea Aubi. as a taxonomic synonym of Myrsine L., are given. Three new combinations: M. andina (Mez) Pipoly, M. paramensis (Cuatrecasas) Pipoly and M. pearcei (Mez) Pipoly are proposed and synonymy for six other species is provided.
Phosphodiesterase inhibitors in airways disease

Phosphodiesterases hydrolyse intracellular cyclic nucleotides, cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) into inactive 5' monophosphates, and exist as 11 families. They are found in a variety of inflammatory and structural cells. Inhibitors of PDEs allow the elevation of cAMP and cGMP which lead to a variety of cellular effects including airway smooth muscle relaxation and inhibition of cellular inflammation or of immune responses. PDE4 inhibitors specifically prevent the hydrolysis of cAMP, and PDE4 isozymes are present in inflammatory cells. Selective PDE4 inhibitors have broad spectrum anti-inflammatory effects such as inhibition of cell trafficking, cytokine and chemokine release from inflammatory cells, such as neutrophils, eosinophils, macrophages and T cells. The second generation PDE4 inhibitors, cilomilast and roflumilast, have reached clinical trial stage and have some demonstrable beneficial effects in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The effectiveness of these PDE4 inhibitors may be limited by their clinical potency using doses that have minimal effects on nausea and vomiting. Topical administration of PDE4 inhibitors may provide a wider effective to side-effect profile. Development of inhibitors of other PDE classes, combined with PDE4 inhibition, may be another way forward. PDE5 is an inactivator of cGMP and may have beneficial effects on hypoxic pulmonary hypertension and vascular remodelling. PDE3 and PDE7 are other cAMP specific inactivators of cAMP. PDE7 is involved in T cell activation and a dual PDE4-PDE7 inhibitor may be more effective in asthma and COPD. A dual PDE3-PDE4 compound may provide more bronchodilator and bronchoprotective effect in addition to the beneficial PDE4 effects.
Transmission of singularities through a shock wave and the sound generation

The interaction of a plane shock wave of finite strength with a vortex line, point vortex, doublet or quadrupole of weak strength is studied. Based upon the physical condition that a free vortex line cannot support a pressure difference, rules are established which define the change of the linear intensity of the segment of the vortex line after its passage through the shock. The rules for point vortex, doublet, and quadrupole are then established as limiting cases. These rules can be useful for the construction of the solution of the entire flow field and for its physical interpretation. However, the solution can be obtained directly by the technique developed for shock diffraction problems. Explicit solutions and the associated sound generation are obtained for the passage of a point vortex through the shock wave.
The BioExtract Server: a web-based bioinformatic workflow platform

The BioExtract Server (bioextract.org) is an open, web-based system designed to aid researchers in the analysis of genomic data by providing a platform for the creation of bioinformatic workflows. Scientific workflows are created within the system by recording tasks performed by the user. These tasks may include querying multiple, distributed data sources, saving query results as searchable data extracts, and executing local and web-accessible analytic tools. The series of recorded tasks can then be saved as a reproducible, sharable workflow available for subsequent execution with the original or modified inputs and parameter settings. Integrated data resources include interfaces to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) nucleotide and protein databases, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL-Bank) non-redundant nucleotide database, the Universal Protein Resource (UniProt), and the UniProt Reference Clusters (UniRef) database. The system offers access to numerous preinstalled, curated analytic tools and also provides researchers with the option of selecting computational tools from a large list of web services including the European Molecular Biology Open Software Suite (EMBOSS), BioMoby, and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). The system further allows users to integrate local command line tools residing on their own computers through a client-side Java applet.
Movie Review: Requiem

STUDENT PERSPECTIVE AND REVIEW Requiem is a German film directed by Hans-Christian Schmid, starring Sandra Huller as the main character, Michaela Klinger. This film is based on the life and death of Anneliese Michel, a 23-year-old German woman diagnosed with epilepsy. Anneliese and her family were convinced that her seizures and hallucinations were due to demonic possession and she eventually died from starvation due to not eating as atonement during repeated exorcisms.
Myc Oncogene Expression and Nude Mouse Tumorigenicity and Metastasis Formation Are Higher in Alveolar than Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma Cell Lines

Accumulated clinical evidence suggests that alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS) is more aggressive than embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS). Here, we study six childhood rhabdomyosarcoma cell lines, three ERMS and three ARMS. We have assayed the ability of the tumor cells to grow in culture and in nude mice as well as their propensity for pulmonary metastasis formation by tail vein injection. We also compared levels of c- and N-myc oncogene expression and DNA copy number. We find no correlation of histologic tumor type (i.e. ERMS versus ARMS) with growth rate in culture, but we do find suggestive correlations of histologic type with tumorigenicity (mean tumor diameter in millimeters at 6 wk: ARMS 30, ERMS 10; p1 = 0.1) and metastasis formation (ARMS 12, ERMS 0; p1 = 0.1). These properties also correlate with uniform greater overexpression of c-myc in ARMS (mean 39.3-fold, range 16-83) compared with ERMS (mean 5.3, range 4-8) (p1 = 0.05, control fibroblasts = 1). Although c-myc was often amplified in vitro (four of six lines), there was no correlation with histologic type (2/3 ARMS, 2/3 ERMS). These data on rhabdomyosarcoma cell lines derived from verified ERMS and ARMS tumors support the impression from previous clinicopathologic observations that ARMS is a more malignant form of rhabdomyosarcoma than ERMS.
Graft material, length, and diameter determine the patency of small arterial prostheses in dogs

Abstract Thirty-two dogs were studied to determine the effects of graft material, length (L), and diameter (i.d.) on the patency of small arterial prostheses. Knitted Dacron (n = 15) and expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (e-PTFE, n = 17) were installed in the common carotid and common femoral arteries of dogs. The grafts were removed one month after implantation and their patency noted. Two of three Dacron grafts measuring 4 mm i.d. and 20 mm in length were patent, whereas none of the eight measuring 40 mm or more in length remained open (P = 0.01). With 4-mm e-PTFE grafts, 80% of the 40-mm and none of the 60-mm lengths of graft remained patent (n = 8, P = 0.03). When the grafts measured 4 mm i.d. and 40 mm in length, no Dacron grafts (n = 4) and 80% of the e-PTFE grafts (n = 5) remained patent (P = 0.016). With 3-mm grafts, the lengths had to be much shorter to insure that any grafts remained open, and even small differences approached significance: 60% of those 4 mm long were patent compared to 14% of those 8 mm long (P = 0.07). There was no difference between Dacron and e-PTFE. Given the clinical observation that much longer grafts made of both of these materials generally remain patent when i.d. = 6, equations predicting the maximum critical length consonant with a reasonable incidence of graft patency may be derived for each material. For e-PTFE: L c = r 4 (2.41 - 1.05r) , and for knitted Dacron: L c = r 4 (1.60 - 0.53r) , where Lc = maximumcriticallength of a particular graft and r = radius. We conclude that the patency of small arterial prostheses in dogs is a function of their length, the fourth power of their radius, and the material from which they are constructed.
Implications of DRGs for clinicians.

IN March 1983 Congress enacted a sweeping change in the payment mechanism for Medicare. The four-year transition (1984 to 1987) from retrospective, cost-based reimbursement to prospective pricing by diagnosis-related group (DRG) for most inpatient services will transform the economic incentives for physicians, hospitals, and insurers.1 2 3 Clinicians must become more knowledgeable about the new system and more active in influencing its further refinement. The purpose of this paper is to highlight what we think are the most critical issues in the implementation and improvement of the DRG-based payment system. Surgical versus Medical Treatment Regimens Many considerations come into play in physicians' . . .
The stereotypy-inducing effects of N-substituted benztropine analogs alone and in combination with cocaine do not account for their blockade of cocaine self-administration

Rationale Previous studies have demonstrated that several N-substituted 4′, 4″-diF-benztropine (BZT) analogs with high dopamine transporter affinity selectively decreased cocaine self-administration without affecting food-maintained behavior in rats.
Electron microscopic observations of vaginal development in untreated and neonatally estrogenized Balb/c Crgl mice.

Light and electron microscopic examinations of developing Mullerian vaginae were performed on untreated and neonatally estrogenized mice 1 to 12 days old. Vaginae of 1-day-old mice have an undifferentiated, pseudostratified columnar epithelium which slowly differentiates in untreated mice into an apparently mucus-secreting epithelium. By day 12 the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER), Golgi, and secretion granules are poorly developed features of the apical epithelial cells. In contrast, the stromal cells develop prominent RER and Golgi zones which in part are involved in the synthesis and secretion of collagen, which accumulates in the intercellular spaces. The effect of estradiol on developing vaginal epithelium is observed after 24 hours of exposure as an increase in RER and the Golgi. Estradiol (E) accelerates the differentiation of mucus-secreting apical epithelial cells, whose apices become filled with secretory granules, and also promotes the formation of a cornifying epithelium from the underlying basal cells. This latter process is associated with an increase in cellular proliferation, an increase in the occurrence of desmosomes and associated tonofilaments, and the development of extensive interdigitation of plasma membranes. In untreated and E-treated mice, the vaginal epithelium is separated from the stroma by a continuous, intact basal lamina. Transport of basal laminar material appears to occur via the processes of endo- and/or exocytosis in adjacent epithelial and stromal cells.
System level analysis of a smart optoelectronic database filter for relational database applications

A challenging task facing the designers for the next generation of archival storage system is to provide storage capacities several orders of magnitude larger than existing systems while maintaining current data access times. To meet this challenge, we have developed a smart optoelectronic database filter suitable for large capacity relational database systems that use page-oriented optical storage devices. The photonic VLSI device technology based database filter monolithically integrates optical detectors, photoreceiver circuits, data manipulation logic, and filter control circuitry onto a single CMOS chip. This paper presents the design and system level analysis of the database filter system. Simulation data suggested that a 32 X 32-bit filter fabricated in a 1.5 micrometers CMOS process could have an optical page read rate of 87 Mpages/s and support 123 Mrecords/s transfer rate to a host computer. Queuing theory is used to show that even with the limitation of finite queue capacity, a database filter chip could be controlled to work at near optimal performance where database search time is limited by the data transfer rate going into the host computer. Since only valid search data is passed through to the host computer, the introduction of a database filter can dramatically reduce database search time.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Thin layer chromatography-based assay of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase activity in tissue

Abstract Expression of the DNA repair enzyme O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) in tumor correlates with resistance to alkylating agents, and depletion of MGMT activity can enhance chemotherapy-induced tumor cytotoxicity. The most common assays of MGMT activity are time-consuming and employ radioactivity. The assay described here uses a fluorescently labeled O6-benzylguanine derivative in conjunction with thin layer chromatography to eliminate the use of radioactivity and allows MGMT activity to be rapidly measured in minimally prepared cell or tissue extracts.
An Electrophysiological Approach to the Study of Chemical Sensory Reception in Certain Insects

In the past twenty years or so many investigators have studied amplified electrical activity from nerve fibers supplving sensory receptors in many animals, including insects (see 2, 5, 8, 16, 19). With this technique much information has been secured concerning the characreristics of mechanical receptors (touch, pressure, sound, etc.) and photoreceptors. To a much lesser extent temperature, pain, taste and other chemical receptor activity in vertebrates has been studied although no electrical potentials appear to have been recorded from individual olfactory nerve fibers in any organism.
Correlation of donor characteristics with transplant coronary artery disease as assessed by intracoronary ultrasound and coronary angiography

Abstract The mechanisms responsible for transplant coronary artery disease (CAD) and its predisposing factors remain incompletely understood. The influence of donor characteristics as predisposing factors has not been studied systematically. We examined the correlation of donor demographic, clinical, and immunologic parameters with transplant CAD assessed by both intracoronary ultrasound (ICUS) and coronary angiography in 116 heart transplant recipients (age 44.7 ± 12.0 years) studied 3.4 years (range 1.0 to 14.6) after transplantation. Quantitative ultrasound data were obtained by calculating mean intimai thickness from several distinct coronary sites. Coronary angiograms were categorized visually as normal or showing any transplant CAD. By multivariate regression analysis, donor undersize of > 20% of recipient weight (p
Statistical Models of Senate Roll Call Voting

The purpose of this paper is to use statistical analysis to consider what factors influence the way senators vote and how important these influences are. The answers will be specific statements about individual senators' decision processes and quantitative estimates of the weights applied to the different variables in these models. The form of the voting models and the variables in them are developed from hypotheses about individual decision-making and descriptions of the legislative process.
Generalized Weber Problem with Rectangular Regions

The problem of locating one or more new facilities relative to a number of existing rectangular regions is treated for the case where the rectilinear norm is used. The new facilities are to be located such that the total weighted distance is minimized. If there is interfacility interaction among the new facilities, a gradient-free nonlinear search algorithm is utilized. Computational experience suggests that this algorithm is expedient even in the solution of large problems.
A 2–11 GHz reconfigurable multi-mode LNA in 0.13µm CMOS

This paper presents a reconfigurable multimode LNA capable of single band, concurrent dual-band, and ultra-wideband operation. The multi-mode operation is realized by incorporating a switched multi-tap transformer into the input matching network of an inductively degenerated common source amplifier. The proposed LNA achieves single band matching at 2.8 GHz, 3.3 GHz, and 4.6 GHz; concurrent dual-band matching at 2.05 GHz and 5.65 GHz; and ultra-wideband matching from 4.3 GHz to 10.8 GHz. The power dissipation is 6.4 mW from a 1.2 V supply. The chip was fabricated in 0.13µm CMOS and occupies an area of 1.04 × 0.7 mm2.
Electrostatic Interaction between Charybdotoxin and a Tetrameric Mutant of Shaker K+ Channels

The scorpion toxin, Charybdotoxin (CTX), blocks homotetrameric, voltage-gated K(+) channels by binding near the outer entrance to the pore in one of four indistinguishable orientations. We have determined the pH-dependence of CTX block of a tetrameric Shaker potassium channel with a single copy of a histidine replacing the wild-type phenylalanine at position 425. We compared this pH-dependence with that from homotetrameric channels with four copies of the mutation. We found that protonation of a single amino acid at position 425 had a large effect on the affinity of the channel for CTX-much larger than expected if only one of the four CTX binding orientations was disrupted. The pK(a) for the H(+)-ion induced protection from CTX block indicates that the electrostatic environment near position 425 is likely basic in nature, perhaps because of the proximity of lysine 427. We also examined the pH-dependence of block of channels with one and four copies of the histidine mutation by CTX containing neutralizing mutations of four basic residues on the active face of the toxin. The results suggested an orientation of CTX on the channel that places three of the positively charged CTX residues very near three of the four Shaker 425 positions.
Simple wideband microstrip ring bandpass filter by utilizing forced harmonic suppression and direct feed line coupling

A compact wideband microstrip ring bandpass filter is demonstrated in this article by means of forced harmonic suppression of a single square ring resonator with the absence of the feed line coupling gaps. Via-hole and slit-gap are incorporated as the forced boundary conditions of the resonator in the filter design. Both simulation and measurement results are provided and shown in good agreement. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 54:1968–1970, 2012; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.26935
Document Image Binarization: Evaluation Of Algorithms

The extraction of a binary image from a gray level image is a common image processing operation particularly for document image analysis and optical character recognition. Various methods for this task are described in the literature including global and adaptive binarization. This paper evaluates three adaptive binarization techniques viz., a contrast measure approach, a weighted running average approach and a second derivative approach, and compares them to global binarization methods. Experiments with noisy document (postal letter mail) images lead to the following conclusions. Image contrast binarization often yields nearly the same results as the edge operator, with considerably less computation and is less sensitive to parameter settings. In addition, the edge operator is more sensitive to image resolution than the contrast operator. The weighted running-average approach is highly sensitive to the parameters involved in the calculation of the average but produces a quick binarization.
Split ergativity based on nominal type

This paper argues that split ergativity based on nominal type is a morphological phenomenon, not a syntactic one. We use three tests to identify the source of this type of split ergativity as morphological syncretism: (i) case agreement, (ii) syntactic ergativity, (iii) coordination. We illustrate the complex patterns of attested splits, demonstrating that analyses positing a single dichotomy (e.g. between first and second person pronouns versus all other nominals) are insufficient. A morphological syncretism analysis is provided whereby ergative case is deleted in featurally-marked contexts.
Applications of neurocomputing in traffic management of ATM networks

In the near future, high speed integrated networks, employing asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) cell switching and multiplexing technique, will be used to provide new and diverse mixture of services and applications. Multimedia teleconferencing, video-on-demand, television broadcasting, and distant learning are some examples of these emerging services. The ATM technique is based on the principle of statistical multiplexing, which is flexible enough to support different types of traffic while providing efficient utilization of the network's resources. New classes of techniques such as neural networks and fuzzy logic have many adaptive, learning and computational capabilities that can be utilized to design effective traffic management algorithms. The subject of this paper is to demonstrate how such neurocomputing techniques can be used to address ATM traffic management issues such as traffic characterization, call admission control, usage parameters control and feedback congestion control.
Antimycobacterial Activity of Substituted Isosteres of Pyridine- and Pyrazinecarboxylic Acids

Pyridines and pyrazines substituted with 1,2,4-oxadiazole-5-ones, 1,2,4-oxadiazole-5-thiones, and 1,3,4-oxathiazoline-2-ones were synthesized and tested against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The two former ring systems were documented in the literature to act as carboxylic acid isosteres. The latter series was synthesized as possible synthetic intermediates to 1,2,4-thiadiazole-3-ones and was included in this study due to their interesting activity. Pivaloyloxymethyl derivatives of the isosteres were also prepared in order to increase their lipophilicity and therefore improve their cellular permeability. The derivatized isosteres were expected to be biotransformed by esterases to the active species after penetration of the mycobacterial cell wall. Biological properties of the compounds were compared with the unmodified polar isosteres of pyrazinoic and nicotinic acids. The majority of the compounds exhibited activities ranging from 0.5 to 16 times the potency of pyrazinamide.
The mechanism of cell membrane ruffling relies on a phospholipase D2 (PLD2), Grb2 and Rac2 association.

Abstract Membrane ruffling is the formation of actin rich membrane protrusions, essential for cell motility. The exact mechanism of ruffling is not fully known. Using YFP and CFP fluorescent chimeras, we show for the first time a co-localization of Phospholipase D2 (PLD2) and Growth factor Receptor Bound protein-2 (Grb2) with actin-rich membrane protrusions of macrophages. Grb2 cooperates with PLD2 in enhancing membrane ruffling, whether in resting cells or in cells stimulated with the growth factor M-CSF, although in the latter an increase in dorsal ruffles was observed, consistent with receptor–ligand internalization. Cells transfected with PLD2 mutated in the PH domain (Y169F) or with Grb2 mutated in the SH2 site (R86K) negate this effect, indicating an association PLD2(Y169)-SH2-Grb2 that was confirmed by immunoprecipitation and Western blotting. The association results in enhanced PLD activity, but the lipase activity can only partially explain the formation of membrane ruffles in vivo. A third component involves the Rho-GTPase Rac2 and it is only when Rac2 is overexpressed along with PLD2 and Rac2 that a full biological effect, including actin polymerization in vivo, is obtained. The mechanism involved is, then, as follows: PLD enzymatic action, after having been increased due to the binding to Grb2-SH2 via Y169, cooperates with Rac2, and the three molecules stimulate actin polymerization and consequently, membrane ruffle formation. Since membrane ruffling precedes cell migration, the results herein provide a novel mechanism for control of membrane dynamics, crucial for the physiology of leukocytes.
Clinical Approaches to the Out-of-Body Experience

The author reviews aspects of the out-of-body experience (OBE) related to psychic experiences and personality traits, and describes a continuum of experiences of altered mind/body perception, from the prototypical OBE on the healthy end to schizophrenia and organic brain syndromes on the other end. The impact of the OBE on the individual's life is described, with suggestions for a psychoeducational approach to the clinical management of the patient with and OBE to allow maximum growth from the consciouness-expanding effects of the experience.
Internal gating and somatization disorders: Proposing a yet un-described neural system

Medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) are a major medical burden and our current understanding of the pathophysiological process leading to their development remains minimal. While research has strongly linked chronic stress to the development of MUS the exact mechanisms and the reason for the many variations in the resultant symptomatology remain unclear. In this paper we advance the hypothesis that an internal (visceral) sensory gating system must exist akin to the much better studied external sensory gating system. The hypothesis is based on the observations that under normal conditions sensations of internal organs do not reach consciousness (i.e., filtered or gated out on a subconscious or preattentive level). As visceral sensations are usually perceived only when there is a pathological process affecting the organ, then failure of this internal gating system leading to the sensations arriving to consciousness must be interpreted by the brain to indicate pathology in this organ. If the hypothesis proves to be true and such a system does exist, the implications are many and significant including developing methods for assessing the system and possibly correcting it.
Learning and individual variation in bluegill foraging: habitat-specific techniques

Abstract Bluegill sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus, are generalist predators that feed routinely in the vegetated and open-water habitats of North American freshwater lakes. These habitats differ in physical structure and resident prey communities, each requiring different searching behaviours for effective foraging. Laboratory feeding trials were conducted in aquaria containing vegetation and open-water habitats to detail the behavioural modifications used by bluegill to improve their habitat-specific foraging rates. In general, bluegill foraging in the open-water habitat learned to increase their searching speed, whereas bluegill foraging in the vegetation learned to search more slowly. These changes are interpreted within the context of a model of bluegill searching behaviour. Although individuals modified their searching behaviour to match the requirements of particular prey types, density and habitat structure, individuals were not equally flexible and differed in their asymptotic searching tactics. These differences in searching tactics translate into differences in habitat-specific foraging efficiency.
Level set simulation of directed self-assembly during epitaxial growth

We study the effect of a spatially varying potential energy surface on the self-organization of nanoscale patterns during epitaxial growth. The computational approach is based on the level set method. Our results have an implication for guided self-assembly of nano patterns, which is a promising new technique for many technological applications. Both kinetic as well as thermodynamic effects can lead to ordering, and we discuss the competition between these two effects.
Suboptimal plant capacity in U.S. manufacturing

Abstract Here, a new statistical proxy, called suboptimal plant capacity, is developed and empirically analyzed for a large sample of census industries. Suboptimal plant capacity is closely related with previous indices of suboptimal capacity, and has a clear relationship to the ratio of actual to optimal plant sizes.
A Spam Filtering Scheme Based on Scalable Decision Tree

Nowadays, Internet has been flooded with spams, which not only disrupts routine network application, but also affects people’s normal life and work. Thus, an accurate and effective spam filtering scheme is indispensable. In this paper, the scalable decision tree is utilized to analyze feature information of email-header to obtain anti-spam rules, which can be further used to filter spams. As is shown in the test result that the proposed scheme has satisfying performance and it is feasible in spam filtering.
Conceptual design of mechanisms based on computational synthesis and simulation of kinematic building blocks

Although many ingenious mechanisms have been designed, the fundamental task of conceptualizing these devices is, to a great extent, still an art. While sophisticated computational tools for dynamic analysis of mechanisms exist, hardly any computational methods exist for generalized synthesis. To develop a computational model for synthesis, a formal foundation for mechanisms design must be laid by rationalizing the process of mechanical synthesis. Rationalization in synthesis implies that complex mechanical motions can be described in terms of primitives or building blocks. In this paper, we present a matrix methodology that forms the basis for a computable approach to design synthesis. In this methodology, the continuous design space of a mechanisms domain is discretized into functional subspaces, and each subspace is represented uniquely by a conceptual building block. The matrix scheme serves as a formal means to (a) represent and reason with the building blocks at different levels of abstraction, (b) generate alternate conceptual design configurations, and (c) facilitate rapid simulation of design concepts by connecting a series of building blocks.
The draft lottery and cognitive imbalance.

The resultant attitudes of college students toward the draft lottery were used in an empirical check on Heider's cognitive imbalance theory. Support for the theory was found in comparing a control ...
Who made the soup? Socializing the researcher and shaping her data

Abstract Ethnographers, their ethnographic subjects, and their ethnographic data are all forged through specific, power-inflected, dialogic exchanges. This paper examines in discursive detail the speech acts and metapragmatic cues by which an American ethnographer was socialized to understand a series of interactions while dining with her French subjects, to entextualize these with the transcribing aid of her French hosts, and to represent the analytic findings in reaction to the feedback of her French colleague. The resulting data, while fixed in this article as an appended text-artifact, are recognized as intrinsically open to ongoing investigation as is the socialization of the ethnographer.
Homeless Children in the United States: Mark of a Nation at Risk:

One of the most disturbing im ages to emerge in public conscious ness during the past decade is that of the homeless thild. Public concern grew as stories of homeless families filled the media. Books like Rachel and Her Children, by Jonathan Ko zol, roused the conscience of the na tion. Clearly, emergency shelters and welfare hotels like New York City's Martinique, so vividly de picted by Kozol, were not fertile ground for child development. Various attempts have been made to estimate the magnitude of the problem of homeless Americans, but, as the 1990 U.S. Census takers found, counting the homeless pre sents a host of definitional and meth odological issues. Consequently, es timates varied. Nonetheless, data converged on three conclusions: (1) the number of homeless Americans increased during the 1980s, (2) the problem was significant (even by conservative estimates), and (3) the number of homeless families with children was increasing both in ab solute terms and as a percentage of the total homeless population. The estimate published in 1988 by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences rep resented a midrange figure: Nation wide, it was estimated that 100,000 children were homeless on any given night, excluding minors on
Lie series and nonlinear ordinary differential equations

Abstract Lie series are used to calculate both closed form and approximate solutions for elementary nonlinear ordinary differential equations.
Phase II study of gemcitabine, oxaliplatin, and cetuximab in advanced pancreatic cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Little progress has been made in the treatment of pancreatic cancer (PC). This study evaluated the clinical activity of gemcitabine, oxaliplatin, and cetuximab (GOC) in patients with locally advanced or metastatic PC. METHODS: The study primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Eligible, chemotherapy-naive PC patients were treated with gemcitabine (1000 mg/m(2) over 100 min) on day 1, oxaliplatin (100 mg/m(2)) on day 2, every 2 weeks, and weekly cetuximab, (loading dose of 400 mg/m(2) on cycle 1 day 1 and 250 mg/m(2) thereafter). It was expected that GOC treatment would extend the median PFS from 5.8 to 7.54 months, a relative increase of 30%, compared with gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (historical control). RESULTS: A total of 41 evaluable patients were enrolled. The overall response rate was 24%. Median PFS time was 6.9 months and median overall survival (OS) was 11.3 months. Patients with locally advanced disease had longer median PFS (12.4 vs. 4.7 mo) and OS (15.7 vs. 6.4 mo) compared with patients with metastatic disease. The most common grade 3 to 4 toxicities included neutropenia (32%), infection (with normal or grade 1 to 2 neutropenia, in 24%), neuropathy (17%), fatigue (15%), and rash (7%). Five patients (12%) discontinued study treatment without evidence of progression. Rash was not a significant prognostic factor affecting PFS or OS. CONCLUSIONS: GOC is a feasible combination with an acceptable toxicity profile. However, GOC did not significantly extend PFS in the overall patient population to consider it for further development.
MO-FF-A3-03: Quantitative Assessment of Automatic Anatomy Segmentation of 4D CT Images Using a Deformable Image Registration Algorithm

Purpose: Quantify the accuracy of Small Deformation Inverse Consistent Linear Elastic (SICLE) deformable image registration to auto‐segment contours on 4D thoracic CTimages.Method and Materials: A process of automatic contouring based on SICLE deformable image registration of respiratory CT phases from 4DCT scans was integrated into our image‐guided‐radiotherapy‐computing‐framework. The gross tumor volumes (GTVs), right and left lungs, cord and esophagus were manually‐drawn by the same physician for all ten respiratory phases. Registrations were performed using three intensity windows: 0–900 (lung only), 900–1300 (remaining tissue excluding lung) and 0–1300 (whole image). For each respiratory phase, the differences between the manually‐drawn and deformably‐mapped contours for each phase were quantified using fractional volume differences (FVDiff), differences in center of mass coordinates (COMdiff) and volume overlap index (VOI) and 3D maps of perpendicular distance between manually‐drawn and deformably‐mapped boundaries. The results were also compared against the previously‐implemented viscous fluid‐based registration. Results: The VOI for GTV and heart varied from 0.85 to 0.90, from 0.9 to 0.97, respectively. As expected, the smallest FVDiff were found be for the lungs (<0.027). The SICLE (0–900) and viscous fluid methods yielded similar GTV COM in superior‐inferior direction. COMdiff were largest for the esophagus (∼0.36 cm) since the esophagus is difficult to visualize on CT, especially in the lower thorax. Overall, visual comparison of GTV manual and auto contours showed good agreement. However, large discrepancies (up to 2cm) were found at the most inferior portion of the lung. This disagreement was also very evident from 3D maps of perpendicular distances between manually‐drawn and deformably‐mapped contours. Conclusion: Automatically‐generated contours using SICLE algorithm can produce high quality contours on subsequent respiratory CT phases. Deformable image registration may reduce or even eliminate the manual contouring workload and can be used for manually‐drawn contour quality assurance. Supported by NIHgrant‐P01CA11602