cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Symmetric Sessile Drop

We consider a connected drop of liquid of prescribed volume V resting on a horizontal plane П in a vertical gravity field directed toward П,and we suppose the plane to be of homogeneous material so that the contact angle γ will be constant, 0≤γ≤π. Wente has proved [186] that under these conditions any equilibrium surface is generated by an interval of disks centered on a line segment orthogonal to П, so we may restrict attention to that case (see Fig. 3.1). According to (1.51), at a point on the free surface L where the fluid is below L, the height u(x, y) of L above П will satisfy $$ divTu = ku + \lambda $$ (3.1) for some constant (Lagrange multiplier) λ.
Marked enhancement in gene expression by targeting the human insulin receptor

Background Exogenous genes can be delivered to cells without viral vectors using an “artificial virus” comprised of nonviral plasmid DNA encapsulated in the interior of 85 nm pegylated immunoliposomes (PIL). The liposomes are targeted to cells with receptor-specific targeting ligands such as receptor-specific peptidomimetic monoclonal antibodies. Methods The levels of luciferase gene expression in human or rat glioma cells are measured after targeting the PIL-encapsulated plasmid DNA via the human insulin receptor, the human epidermal growth factor receptor, or the rat transferrin receptor. The luciferase expression plasmids were either derived from pCEP4, which contains the Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen-1/oriP replication system, or from pGL2, which lacks this system for episomal replication of plasmid DNA. Results Depending on the plasmid construct used and the receptor targeted, the peak luciferase gene expression varied more than 200-fold from 1.8 ± 0.1 to 419 ± 31 pg luciferase per mg cell protein. With the same plasmid, the peak level of gene expression following delivery to the cell via the human insulin receptor was 100–200-fold higher than gene expression following delivery via either the epidermal growth factor receptor or the transferrin receptor. There was no gene expression if the targeting ligand on the PIL was replaced with a nonspecific isotype control antibody. Conclusions The extent to which an exogenous gene is expressed within a cell via a nonviral, receptor-mediated gene transfer technology is determined by the receptor specificity of the targeting ligand. The highest levels of gene expression are obtained after targeting the insulin receptor, and this may derive from the nuclear targeting properties of this receptor system. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Treatment of BK Viremia after Renal Transplantation: Are Fluoroquinolones a False Dawn?

Fluoroquinolones, DNA gyrase inhibitors, display anti-BK properties through inhibition of DNA topoisomerase and polyomavirus-associated large T-antigen helicase ([1][1],[2][2]). An in vitro analysis using older fluoroquinolone compounds, nalidixic acid and oxolinic acid, demonstrated that these
Effect of biochar amendment on sorption and leaching of nitrate, ammonium, and phosphate in a sandy soil.

When applied to soils, it is unclear whether and how biochar can affect soil nutrients. This has implications both to the availability of nutrients to plants or microbes, as well as to the question of whether biochar soil amendment may enhance or reduce the leaching of nutrients. In this work, a range of laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the effect of biochar amendment on sorption and leaching of nitrate, ammonium, and phosphate in a sandy soil. A total of thirteen biochars were tested in laboratory sorption experiments and most of them showed little/no ability to sorb nitrate or phosphate. However, nine biochars could remove ammonium from aqueous solution. Biochars made from Brazilian pepperwood and peanut hull at 600 C (PH600 and BP600, respectively) were used in a column leaching experiment to assess their ability to hold nutrients in a sandy soil. The BP600 biochar effectively reduced the total amount of nitrate, ammonium, and phosphate in the leachates by 34.0%, 34.7%, and 20.6%, respectively, relative to the soil alone. The PH600 biochar also reduced the leaching of nitrate and ammonium by 34% and 14%, respectively, but caused additional phosphate release from the soil columns. These results indicate that the effect of biochar on the leaching of agricultural nutrients in soils is not uniform and varies by biochar and nutrient type. Therefore, the nutrient sorption characteristics of a biochar should be studied prior to its use in a particular soil amendment project.
Performance aware secure code partitioning

Many embedded applications exist where decisions are made using sensitive information. A critical issue in such applications is to ensure that data is accessed only by authorized computing entities. In many scenarios, these entities do not rely on each other, yet they need to work on a secure application in parallel to complete application execution under the specified deadline. Our focus in this paper is on compiler-guided secure code partitioning among a set of hosts. The scenario targeted involves a set of hosts that want to execute a secure embedded application in parallel. The various hosts have different levels of access to the data structures manipulated in the application. Our approach partitions the application among the hosts such that the load imbalance across hosts is minimized to reduce execution time while ensuring that no security leak occurs.
Group-specific antibody levels surrounding invasive pneumococcal illness in children infected with human immunodeficiency virus.

Pneumococcal antibody levels surrounding systemic pneumococcal illness (SPI) were measured in children infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Archived serum samples were collected from 28 HIV-infected children who had 34 cases of SPI, caused by pneumococcal groups 4, 6, 9, 14, 19, and 23. Serum samples collected within 23 weeks before and 13 weeks after the SPI were assayed by ELISA for antipneumococcal polysaccharide (PnPs) IgG antibody to 6 representative pneumococcal serotypes. There was a wide range (0.16-30.80 μg/ mL) of pre-SPI anti-PnPs antibody levels to the presumed infecting serotypes, with a geometric mean level of 0.83 μg/mL (n = 34). Seventy-six percent of the antibody values were <2.0 μg/ mL, and 95% were <5.0 μg/mL. Homologous seroresponses (≥4-fold rise in anti-PnPs antibody) were detected in only 4 (27%) of 15 paired serum samples. Heterologous, noninfecting group seroresponses were detected frequently (72%) in the paired serum samples from these 4 homologous group seroresponders.
Simplified procedures for designing composite bolted joints

Simplified procedures are described to design and analyze single and multi-bolt composite joints. Numerical examples illustrate the use of these methods. Factors affecting composite bolted joints are summarized. References are cited where more detailed discussion is presented on specific aspects of composite bolted joints. Design variables associated with these joints are summarized in the appendix.
Constructing fertility tables for Soviet populations.

Because the 1970 Soviet Union census does not provide information on the age structure of men and women separately by sex and according to their ethnic affiliation, the 1959 USSR census data serve as the basis to infer knowledge about ethnic fertility. The model takes into account (1) the total number of births in 1960, estimated from the child-woman ratio in 1959, (2) the age structure of women in 1959, and (3) the assumed pattern of age-specific birth rates structured in terms of the modal age at childbearing and the length of the fertility age span. The results show that Ukrainians among the Slav populations ranked as the lowest with 2.07 children born per woman. Their total fertility contrasts with that of Kazakhs native to Central Asia, who reportedly according to Soviet sources had 7.46 children per woman in 1958-1959, and whose estimated rate is around 8.59 children. Extreme variations appear in the estimates of fertility among nationalities of the Caucasus region, Volga Basin, and to a lesser degree in Siberia. Official Soviet calculations of crude birth rates and age-specific rates for 15 Union Republics in 1967–1968 are transcribed and compared with the estimates for nationalities in 1959–1960. The same theoretical model used to generate the Soviet rates may be adapted under different assumptions to non-Soviet populations in other situations where the data are scanty or incomplete.
Timing of Surgical Intervention in Chronic Mitral Regurgitation Is Vigilance Enough

Timing of surgical intervention in chronic mitral regurgitation (MR) is a complex problem that has been studied extensively. Surgical technique in the treatment of MR has improved considerably over the last decades. Our knowledge of the pathophysiological mechanisms whereby MR exerts its deleterious effects on survival has also increased. Early reports in the literature and newer prospective studies suggest that severe MR is not a benign condition and that, left untreated, it has a high morbidity and eventually mortality. It therefore makes sense to periodically reexamine the rationale and safety of existing practice guidelines. The article by Rosenhek and colleagues1 in this issue of Circulation provides an interesting and important insight into the long-term outcomes when asymptomatic degenerative MR is managed in accordance with the current American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines.2 However, it is important in employing these guidelines to first understand the pathophysiological construct and studies that have led to their generation. Article p 2238 MR produces volume overload of the left ventricle and left atrium. The left ventricle develops eccentric hypertrophy whereby the sarcomeres elongate. Preload increases and the left ventricle dilates in order to maintain a normal forward flow. The increase in afterload resulting from left ventricular dilatation is offset by the fact that the ventricle is pumping much of its volume (regurgitant volume) into a low-impedance circuit (the left atrium). Therefore, afterload may be variably reduced initially in MR and typically only becomes elevated in later stages of the disease as left ventricular size increases further. Thus, ejection indices such as ejection fraction are not considered reliable measures of left ventricular contractile function and remain in the normal range when contractility is already impaired. Load-independent measures of contractile function, such as elastance, are more reliable. However, these measurements are both time consuming …
Shift in metabolic substrate uptake by the heart during development of alloxan-induced diabetes

Inhibition of endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase (eNOS) is associated with an increase in glucose uptake by the heart. We have already shown that Type I diabetes also causes a decrease in eNOS ...
Processing and Characterization of Flame Retardant Cotton Blend Nonwovens for Soft Furnishings to Meet Federal Flammability Standards

Effective from July 1, 2007 it is mandatory that all mattress sets meet the federal flammability standard CFR 1633. It is necessary to impart flame resistance that would provide at least 30 min for occupants to escape fire. Changes in the flammability laws are expected on other soft furnishings of sleep products like comforters and pillows. Generally these products are often the first to be engulfed by the fire. Currently many inherently flame retardant (FR) fibers and chemicals are available in the market. We have developed barrier fabrics with FR properties by incorporating these fibers in blends with cotton that either meet or exceed the standard. Results from this ongoing research are discussed in this article.
Changing Project Delivery Strategy: An Implementation Framework

For organizations such as departments of transportation, other public agencies, and private companies, adopting a new approach to procure services for delivery of construction projects requires sig...
A quantitative study of radionuclide characteristics for radioimmunotherapy from 3D reconstructions using serial autoradiography

Abstract Purpose: Using 131 I-labeled monoclonal antibody (MoAb) data, assess the dosimetrical impact of labeling the same MoAb with 186 Re or 90 Y, under the assumption that the biodistribution of the radiolabeled MoAb in tumor relative to blood is independent of the radionuclide. Methods and Materials: Radial radioactivity and dose-rate distributions at 1, 4, and 7 days postinjection were derived from three dimensional (3D) reconstructions of serial autoradiographs of LS174T human colon cancer xenografts in athymic nude mice treated with a single intraperitoneal administration of 300 μCi 131 I-labeled MoAb 17-1A. Bone marrow dose was calculated taking into account energy deposited external to the bone marrow cavity due to the range of the beta particles. Results: For 1 cm diameter tumors, uptake was mostly at the tumor surface for earlier postinjection times, but exhibited comparable activity levels from the surface to the core of the 7-day sample. The computed dose-rate distributions for 186 Re and 90 Y were more uniform than for 131 I, but smaller fractions of the dose were deposited within the tumor volume due to the larger mean energies of 90 Y and 186 Re beta particles relative to those for 131 I. However, when the tumor doses were normalized to the production of equivalent bone marrow doses, in the case of athymic nude mice, the tumor doses were calculated to be 15.3 Gy ( 131 I), 14.1 Gy ( 186 Re), and 12.0 Gy ( 90 Y). For comparison, these calculations were extended to the case of human therapy, yielding tumor doses of 16.7 Gy ( 131 I), 18.2 Gy ( 186 Re), and 13.4 Gy ( 90 Y). Conclusion: In the case of colon cancer xenografts where the MoAb uptake is initally concentrated at the tumor surface, we find a decreasing tumor dose per constant bone marrow dose for radionuclides of increasing mean beta energies and decreasing half-lives. However, a radionuclide with larger mean beta energy such as 90 Y generates a significantly more uniform dose deposition within the tumor, especially concerning the core of the tumor, compared to 131 I. For human therapy, a gamma component adds little to the tumor dose but increases dose to the marrow.
Prognostic Gleason grade grouping: Data based on the modified Gleason scoring system

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? The Gleason scoring system is a well-established predictor of pathological stage and oncological outcomes for men with prostate cancer. Modifications throughout the last few decades – most recently by the International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) in 2005 – have attempted to improve the correlation between biopsy and radical prostatectomy Gleason sum and better stratify patients to predict clinical outcomes. Based on these clinical outcomes and the excellent prognosis for patients with low Gleason scores, we recommend Gleason grades incorporating a prognostic grade grouping which accurately reflect prognosis and are clearly understood by physicians and patients alike. Objective To investigate pathological and short-term outcomes since the most recent Gleason system modifications by the International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) in an attempt to divide the current Gleason grading system into prognostically accurate Gleason grade groups. Patients and Methods We queried the Johns Hopkins Radical Prostatectomy Database (1982–2011), approved by the institutional review board, for men undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP) without a tertiary pattern since 2004 and identified 7869 men. Multivariable models were created using preoperative and postoperative variables; prognostic grade group (Gleason grade ≤6; 3 + 4; 4 + 3; 8; 9–10) was among the strongest predictors of biochemical recurrence-free (BFS) survival. Results Significant differences were noted among the Gleason grade groups at biopsy; differences were noted in the race, PSA level, clinical stage, number of positive cores at biopsy and the maximum percentage of positive cores among the Gleason grade groups at RP. With a median (range) follow-up of 2 (1–7) years, 5-year BFS rates for men with Gleason grade ≤6, 3 + 4, 4 + 3, 8 and 9–10 tumours at biopsy were 94.6, 82.7, 65.1, 63.1 and 34.5%, respectively (P < 0.001 for trend); and 96.6, 88.1, 69.7, 63.7 and 34.5%, respectively (P < 0.001), based on RP pathology. Conclusions The 2005 ISUP modifications to the Gleason grading system for prostate carcinoma accurately categorize patients by pathological findings and short-term biochemical outcomes but, while retaining the essence of the Gleason system, there is a need for a change in its reporting to more closely reflect tumour behaviour. We propose reporting Gleason grades, including prognostic grade groups which accurately reflect prognosis as follows: Gleason score ≤6 (prognostic grade group I); Gleason score 3+4=7 (prognostic grade group II); Gleason score 4+3=7 (prognostic grade group III); Gleason score 4+4=8 (prognostic grade group (IV); and Gleason score 9–10 (prognostic grade group (V).
Thymoquinone enhances cisplatin-response through direct tumor effects in a syngeneic mouse model of ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy characterized by the frequent development of resistance to platinum chemotherapy. Finding new drug combinations to overcome platinum resistance is a key clinical challenge. Thymoquinone (TQ) is a component of black seed oil that exerts multiple anti-tumorigenic effects on cells, including inhibition of NF-κB and promotion of DNA damage. We aimed to determine whether TQ enhances cisplatin cytotoxicity in cultured ovarian cancer cells and in an established murine syngeneic model of ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer cell viability in vitro was measured by sulforhodamine B (SRB) assays, and drug interactions tested for synergism by isobologram analysis. ID8-NGL mouse ovarian cancer cells stably expressing an NF-κB reporter transgene were injected intra-peritoneally into C57BL/6 mice. After 30 day TQ and/or cisplatin treatment, we measured the following indices: tumor burden (ascites volume, number of peritoneal implants and mesenteric tumor mass); NF-κB reporter activity (luciferase assay); protein expression of the double-strand DNA break marker, pH2AX(ser139), the proliferation markers, Ki67/mib-1 and PCNA, and the apoptosis markers, cleaved caspase-3, cleaved PARP and Bax; and mRNA expression of NF-κB targets, TNF-α and IL-1β. Two-tailed Mann–Whitney tests were used for measuring differences between groups in mouse experiments. In SRB assays, TQ and cisplatin synergized in ID8-NGL cells. In mice, cisplatin significantly reduced cell proliferation and increased apoptosis in tumors, resulting in decreased overall tumor burden. Combining TQ with cisplatin further decreased these indices, indicating co-operative effects between the drugs. TQ treatment promoted cisplatin-induced pH2AX expression in cultured cells and in tumors. While NF-κB inhibition by TQ induced anti-tumor effects in vitro, we made the unexpected observation that TQ alone increased both tumor NF-κB activity and formation of ascites in vivo. TQ enhanced cisplatin-mediated cytoxicity in ovarian cancer cells in vitro and in a mouse syngeneic model, effects associated with increased DNA damage. However, our results strongly caution that TQ treatment alone may have an overall deleterious effect in the immunocompetent host through stimulation of ascites. Since TQ is a potential candidate for future clinical trials in ovarian cancer patients, this finding has considerable potential relevance to the clinic.
Enhancement and Optimization of Planar Impingement Heat Transfer for Thermoelectric Power Generation

We present an analytic model and optimization of impingement heat transfer in fluid-to-fluid heat exchangers with integrating a thermoelectric (TE) generator between the hot and cold fluid flows. In power generation systems, designing for maximum power output generally involves balancing the external thermal resistances while the generator contacts the hot and cold temperature reservoirs. In fluid-to-fluid heat exchangers, fluid temperatures are not constant or uniform. They gradually change along the flow direction. In general, counter-flow heat exchangers outperform parallel flow configurations in maximizing TE power generation using internal fluid flows. We show here the performance of our impingement model compared with a counter-flow configuration as the base line.To obtain the maximum power output from practical thermoelectric materials (ZT values are 1.2–1.8), the enhancement of liquid-to-wall heat transfer is significant. An array of traditional impinging jet orifices provides a uniformly planar and focused heat transfer process that spatially targets the TE elements. This approach provides more uniform hot and cold side temperatures among the TE elements. We investigate the impact of introducing impingement orifices directly at the locations of the TE elements. The major focus of this work is the trade-off between the advantage of increasing power generation by impingement and the disadvantage of introducing additional pressure drop.Decreasing the external thermal resistances yields not only a larger maximum power output but also requires thinner TE elements. This enables lower cost per power generation capacity approaching the 0.2–0.3 $/W range as well as a more lightweight design. We report here the associated cost impacts for the impinging jet arrangement.Design optimization depends on the specific constraints and parameters, such as TE material and substrate thickness, flow design to avoid the stagnation, and required exit temperatures. In some cases, active pumping by an additional actuator can augment the enhancement, while a fraction of generated power is consumed for the actuation. In the paper, we show examples of gas and liquid flow cases.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
The Importance of Subgroup Analysis in Drug-Eluting Stent Trials.

Cardiovascular drugs and devices may have different safety and efficacy profiles in certain populations. Performance of separate trials or subgroup analysis is important if there is a biological reason, either intrinsic and/or extrinsic, for a varied response to a therapy. For example, compared with
Bill Miller and Value Trust

Set in the autumn of 2005, this case recounts the remarkable performance record of Value Trust, a mutual fund managed by William H. "Bill" Miller III at Legg Mason, Inc. The case describes the investment style of Miller, whose record with Value Trust has beaten the S&P 500 14 years in a row. The tasks for the student are to assess the performance of the fund, consider the sources of its success, and decide on the sustainability of Miller's performance. Consistent with the introductory nature of the case, the analysis requires no numerical calculations. The instructor should not be deceived, however: the absorption of capital-market background and the implications of financial concepts in the case will fully occupy the novice. This case updates and replaces "Peter Lynch and the Fidelity Magellan Fund" (UVA-F-0777) and "The Fidelity Magellan Fund, 1995" (UVA-F-1126). The case is intended for use in the opening stages of a finance course. It provides a nontechnical introduction to the U.S. equity markets and lays the foundation for some basic concepts in finance.
Are Bioprosthetic Valves Appropriate for Aortic Valve Replacement in Young Patients

Selection of a prosthetic aortic valve for use in the young patient is complicated by a variety of important considerations. Age, growth potential, activity and life style expectations, child bearing, and social factors, in addition to anatomic considerations, are all important to the recommendation of a prosthetic valve choice. We review the clinical experience and expectations of currently available prosthetic aortic valves available for the young patient, and describe the advantages and disadvantages for each.
Atomic Transformations and Quantum Transport in Carbon Nanotubes

High strain conditions can lead to a variety of atomic transformations in nanotubes, which usually occur via successive bond rotations. The energetic barrier for the rotation is dramatically lowered by strain, and ab initio results for its strain dependence are presented. While very high strain rates must lead to tube breakage, (n,m) nanotubes with n, m < 14 can display plastic flow under suitable conditions. This occurs through the formation of a 5-7-7-5 defect, which then splits into two 5-7 pairs. The index of the tube changes between the 5-7 pairs, potentially leading to metal-semiconductor junctions. The high strain conditions can be imposed on the tube via, e.g., AFM tip manipulations, and we show that such procedures can lead to intratube device formation. The defects and the index changes occurring during the mechanical transformations also affect the electrical properties of nanotubes. We have computed the quantum conductances of strained defective and deformed tubes using the tight binding method. The results show that the defect density and the contacts play key roles in reducing the conductance at the Fermi energy. We also explored the role of bending in changing the electrical properties and found that mechanical deformations affect differently the transport properties of achiral and chiral nanotubes. Our results are in good agreement with recent experimental data.
Quick-Reference Protocol Manual for Nuclear Medicine Technologists

M.B. Farrell, Ed. Reston, VA: Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, 2014, 344 pages, $83.95 The new publication Quick-Reference Protocol Manual for Nuclear Medicine Technologists, published by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) in 2014, is a great addition
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance of H 1 and Nb 93 in the Niobium-Hydrogen System

The nuclear magnetic resonance of H and ${\mathrm{Nb}}^{93}$ have been observed in the $\mathrm{Nb}{\mathrm{H}}_{x}$ system as a function of hydrogen concentration and temperature. It is shown that line narrowing of the steady-state absorption resonance is limited at high temperatures by inhomogeneous broadening due to a distribution of fields caused by bulk paramagnetism of the samples. A sharp, though not discontinuous, change of hydrogen diffusion is observed at temperatures that range from 60 to 100\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C and that depends on hydrogen concentration. Niobium resonance linewidth and intensity changes indicate that sharp change in proton diffusion is associated with the phase transition to the high-temperature cubic phase of the hydrides. The activation energy of Nb${\mathrm{H}}_{0.7}$ is ${E}_{a}=5$ kcal/mole in the low-temperature (orthorhombic) phase and ${E}_{a}=3.7$ kcal/mole in the high-temperature (cubic) phase. The niobium resonance is observable at all hydrogen concentrations. As the hydrogen concentration increases, the Nb Knight shift decreases. The fractional change in shift is $\frac{\ensuremath{\Delta}K}{K}=\ensuremath{-}9%$ at Nb${\mathrm{H}}_{0.7}$.
Using Conflict Theory: Application to the Civil Rights Struggle

even when one has a general understanding of why conflicts occur, one may wish to know why a specific conflict has occurred. This chapter addresses that concern by applying the theory of the preceding chapter to the civil rights struggle in the United States. The African American Struggle for Equality The most common type of internal conflict develops out of unjust inequality. It is often manifested as the domination of one economic, cultural, or racial group by another. Such dominance produces the potential for conflict of such magnitude that it literally tears a society apart. Most Americans would agree that the struggle between African Americans and American whites has been largely due to the unfair treatment of blacks, first as slaves, then as second- or third-class citizens. The blacks' goal of equality has been incompatible with the goal of continued dominance by whites. As obvious as that explanation might seem in the light of history, in this book we take nothing for granted, not even a universally held belief. We shall use our theory and known facts to determine whether this belief is correct. Most of the facts of the case can be summarized in a brief history of that struggle. Before the Civil War, most African Americans were held in slavery. In the South their legal enslavement was soon thereafter replaced by Jim Crow segregation, from which they then struggled to escape for nearly a century.
Energy efficient scheduling for a stream of applications on an MPSoC under throughput constraints

With the increasing utilization of multiprocessors System-on-a-Chip (MPSoC), many research problems are arising as challenging. One main issue is to increase throughput. However, this usually results in an increase in power and energy consumption. Increased power consumption is a major contributor to the formation of hotspots in the system. Hotspot can compromise the reliability and lifetime of the system. Dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) is a technique widely used to reduce power consumption. However, power-aware scheduling does not always guarantee thermal safety and hence thermal-aware techniques are developed. In this paper, we design, test and compare scheduling techniques for a stream of applications under the objectives of maximum speed, maximum throughput, reduced power consumption under deadline constraints or reduced hot spots under deadline constraints.
Medial and lateral antebrachial cutaneous nerve blocks: an easily learned regional anesthetic for forearm arteriovenous fistula surgery.

Background and Objectives Forearm arteriovenous fistula insertion is commonly performed to facilitate hemodialysis. This study was undertaken to assess the use of medial and lateral antebrachial cutaneous nerve blocks to provide anesthesia for this surgery. Methods Twelve patients with end-stage renal failure, presenting for insertion or revision of a forearm Gortex arteriovenous fistula, were anesthetized by local block of the medial and lateral antebrachial cutaneous nerves with a mepivacaine-bupivacaine mixture. Results Ten patients required no further local anesthetic for surgery. Two patients required minor local anesthetic supplementation in the proximal radial nerve distribution. Conclusions Anesthesia for forearm arteriovenous fistula insertion can be provided by an easily performed regional anesthetic technique, which may have advantages over brachial plexus blocks and incisional field blocks.
An undergraduate research platform for cooperative control and swarm robotics

Cooperative control is playing increasing important roles in fields as diverse as robotics, computer science, industrial automation, surveillance, economics, biology, and power systems. Cooperative control is directly affected by the communication strategy adopted for exchanging information, which makes the overall system analysis and design complicated. We build a swarm robotic platform that is simple enough for undergraduate students to study cooperative control, yet flexible enough to incorporate complicated control and communication strategies. The robotic platform is a seamless integration of Arduino Uno microcontrollers, iRobot Create 2 which is capable to emulate various holonomous and nonholonomous vehicles, and RF communication modules which are capable of exchanging information with extreme simplicity and low latency.
Differential Patterns of Transcriptional Protein Expression May Explain Functional Differences between Hematopoietic Progenitors Derived from Human ESC’s and Fetal Hematopoietic Tissues.

Recent studies suggest that development of human embryoid body-derived hematopoietic progenitor cells (EB-HPC’s) mirrors that of primitive yolk sac-derived hematopoietic progenitors (YS-HPC’s) in their expression of transcription factors known to be critically associated with hematopoietic development. However, the findings of these studies were limited to molecular characterization of heterogeneous EB cultures rather than analysis of hematopoietic lineage-committed cell subsets. We wondered: 1) if the expression patterns were consistent at the protein level in both bulk EB cultures and subsets of hematopoietic-lineage committed cells; and 2) if these expression patterns differed from those found in definitive HPC’s harvested from early fetal hematopoietic tissues. To answer these questions, we compared the intracellular expression of critical transcriptional regulatory proteins from human and rhesus EB-derived HPC’s (hEB-HPC’s and rEB-HPC’s) with hematopoietic progenitors from rhesus fetal liver (rFL-HPC’s) and rhesus placental blood HPC’s (rPB-HPC’s). Rhesus macaque fetal tissue was used in lieu of scarce human fetal tissues. Using multi-color intracellular flow cytometry we correlated the expression of transcriptional proteins (SCL/TAL1, GATA-1, GATA-2, Oct-3/4, HOXB4) with cell surface determinants of hematopoietic commitment (CD34, CD31, CD45) in hEB-HPC’s, rEB-HPC’s, rFL-HPC’s and rPB-HPC’s. Human and rhesus EB16 cells were harvested from identical culture conditions and compared to 0.34 gestation rFL-HPC’s and rPB-HPC’s. The frequency of CD45+ cells was higher in hEB-HPC’s (31%) and rPB-HPC’s (46%) compared to rFL-HPC’s and rEB-HPC’s. A much higher frequency of GATA-1 and HOXB4 expressing cells was seen in both of the fetal cell types when compared to either rhesus or human EB’s. Additionally, the frequency of GATA-2 and SCL expressing cells was comparable in all cell types. Lastly, the expression of Oct3/4 was higher in rPB-HPC’s and rFL-HPC’s when compared to bulk EB cultures. However, analysis of subsets of EB cells expressing hematopoietic antigens (CD45, CD34) revealed co-expression of Oct-3/4 on both CD45+ and CD34+ cell fractions. From these findings, we conclude: critical differences exist in GATA-1 and HOXB4 expression between HPC’s derived from EB cultures and HPC’s harvested during early definitive fetal hematopoietic development; and human EB-derived hematopoietic progenitor cells express persistently high levels of Oct-3/4. The differences in the expression of these critical transcriptional factors at the protein level may explain the observed functional differences between EB-derived HPC’s and definitive HPC’s from fetal and adult sources.
Perceptually accurate display of two greyscale images as a single colour image.

Summary Life scientists often desire to display the signal from two different molecular probes as a single colour image, so as to convey information about the probes’ relative concentrations as well as their spatial corelationship. Traditionally, such colour images are created through a merge display, where each greyscale signal is assigned to different channels of an RGB colour image. However, human perception of colour and greyscale intensity is not equivalent. Thus, a merged image display conveys to the typical viewer only a subset of the absolute and relative intensity information present in and between two greyscale images. The Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage L*a*b* colour space (CIELAB) has been designed to specify colours according to the perceptually defined quantities of hue (perceived colour) and luminosity (perceived brightness). Here, we use the CIELAB colour space to encode two dimensions of information about two greyscale images within these two perceptual dimensions of a single colour image. We term our method a Perceptually Uniform Projection display and show using biological image examples how these displays convey more information about two greyscale signals than comparable RGB colour space-based techniques.
Seas of Molten Rock

JPL volcanologist Rosaly Lopes takes us farther back in time, where we witness pelagic expanses of lava that covered planets and moons in their formative years. The Moon’s dark plains, once thought to be watery oceans, were, in fact, seas of molten rock. Similar lava lakes washed across shores of Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.
Territorialidade e demarcação de terras indígenas no Tocantins: o histórico dos Karajá do Norte

This article intends to analyze the demarcation of the Xambioa Indigenous Land, located in Santa Fe do Araguaia, State of Tocantins. Our objective is to demonstrate how the Brazilian government, through indigenous policies, ignores indigenous territoriality and makes it difficult to regularize these lands, benefiting the interests of those agents who intend to economically exploit the spaces occupied by these original peoples.
The Genetics of Alcoholism

The observation that alcoholism runs in families is relatively certain. Medical experts seem to agree on this point more than any other. Any given alcoholic has a 50% chance of having at least one family member with alcoholism, and a family that has at least one alcoholic is likely to have others; that is, there is a 90% chance of having two or more family members with alcoholism. Furthermore, alcoholics with a family history of alcoholism tend to have a more severe course with greater adverse consequences from alcoholism. Alcoholic parents have alcoholic children about four to five times more often than do parents who are not alcoholics (1,2,3).
Physical Attractiveness Stereotyping

The physical attractiveness stereotype affects evaluation of individuals within significant life contexts (e.g., friendships, romantic relationships, school, and work). More positive judgments of attractive than unattractive persons translate to better treatment of attractive than unattractive individuals. Attractive persons also display more positive behaviors and self-perceptions of themselves than unattractive persons, possibly as a result of this differential treatment or because the behavioral differences are inherent among individuals varying in attractiveness. Origins of the stereotype are evident during infancy, but more research is needed to understand the origins of the behavioral differences.
Beyond a Binary Classification of Sex: An Examination of Brain Sex Differentiation, Psychopathology, and Genotype.

Objective Sex differences in the brain are traditionally treated as binary. We present new evidence that a continuous measure of sex differentiation of the brain can explain sex differences in psychopathology. The degree of sex-differentiated brain features (ie, features that are more common in one sex) may predispose individuals toward sex-biased psychopathology and may also be influenced by the genome. We hypothesized that individuals with a female-biased differentiation score would have greater female-biased psychopathology (internalizing symptoms, such as anxiety and depression), whereas individuals with a male-biased differentiation score would have greater male-biased psychopathology (externalizing symptoms, such as disruptive behaviors). Method Using the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort database acquired from database of Genotypes and Phenotypes, we calculated the sex differentiation measure, a continuous data-driven calculation of each individual’s degree of sex-differentiating features extracted from multimodal brain imaging data (magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] /diffusion MRI) from the imaged participants (n = 866, 407 female and 459 male). Results In male individuals, higher differentiation scores were correlated with higher levels of externalizing symptoms (r = 0.119, p = .016). The differentiation measure reached genome-wide association study significance (p Conclusion The sex differentiation measure provides an initial topography of quantifying male and female brain features. This demonstration that the sex of the human brain can be conceptualized on a continuum has implications for both the presentation of psychopathology and the relation of the brain with genetic variants that may be associated with brain differentiation.
A High-Throughput Absolute-Level Quantification of Protein-Bound Amino Acids in Seeds

In this unit, we describe a high-throughput absolute quantification protocol for 16 protein-bound amino acids (PBAAs) that combines a microscale protein hydrolysis step and an absolute quantification step using multiple reaction monitoring-based liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry detection. The approach facilitates analysis of a few hundred samples per week by using a 96-well-plate extraction setup and avoiding use of additives. Importantly, the method uses only ∼3 mg of tissue per sample and includes 12 heavy-amino-acid internal standards to enable quantification of the absolute levels of PBAAs with high precision, accuracy, and reproducibility. The protocol described herein has been optimized for seed samples but is applicable to other plant tissues. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Seismic capacity and fragility analysis of an ASR-affected nuclear containment vessel structure

Abstract Alkali silica reaction (ASR) is a nefarious one that has been observed in many dams. Its recent discovery in a nuclear containment vessel structure (NCVS) in the U.S. has taken the industry by surprise, and has spurred much interest. Of particular concern is whether the degraded concrete will result in diminished resistance to seismic excitation of a NCVS. This three parts paper will first contextualize fragility analysis within the general framework of the Seismic Probabilistic Risk Assessment (SPRA) described by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Also reviewed are the challenges confronting the nuclear industry in the twenty first century. The second part is an extensive literature survey on published work related to seismic analysis of NCVS. Finally, the third part will develop a detailed seismic analysis of a fictitious NCVS suffering from ASR. Starting with the theoretical underpinning and concluding with the structure capacity and fragility curves. The study will show that ASR can reduce the structural capacity of a NCVS, and the impact will be much greater for high probability low intensity ground motions (such as the operating based one) than for the low probability high intensity ones.
Morality and Phenomenology

Phenomenology, in its traditional encounters with ethics, has commonly aimed at a more descriptive rather than prescriptive goal. That is, the project is often one of describing the structures of the ethical experience and of moral action. This comes as no great surprise as it is the aim of phenomenology to investigate such structures of consciousness and thereby achieve understanding.
Novel GSK-3 inhibitors with improved cellular activity

A novel series of [1-(1H-benzimidazol-7-yl)-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidin-4-yl] arylhydrazones was synthesized and shown to potently inhibit glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3). In light of detailed structure-activity relationships and structural knowledge of the GSK-3 binding pocket, a benzimidazole substituent was incorporated onto the pyrazolopyrimidine core resulting in improved potency over previous analogs. More importantly, these derivatives show low nanomolar efficacy for stimulating glycogen synthesis in vitro and therefore may be useful in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
When Sensitivity Is a Liability

When Sensitivity Is a Liability By the time the young man, having overdosed fresh out of rehab, arrives in the ED, EMS has been working on him for half an hour with no success. After further futile...
The Grace Machine: Of Turns, Wheels and Limbs

The following essay revolves around the notion of the figure and its relationship with grace. The figure, both object and event, is posited as what emerges in what is called ‘the gap between habit and inhabitation’. The essay is structured in three parts that each contribute to the argument that habit and inhabitation are part of the ancient structure of grace, which extends to many domains such as religion, economy and art, but above all to technology. The first part establishes the concept of grace within gift exchange where the aesthetics of gracefulness is not defined by gesture or action, but by the combination of a cyclical rhythm and the verticality of stance. The second part restructures the cycle as one of habit, linking our relationship with technology to gift exchange, while developing the central argument of grace as a machine. The final and third part expands the role of play and mimesis in the functioning of the grace machine while defining the gap between habit and inhabitation as a double gap, consisting of a temporal axis that leads from habit to the figure of grace, which again is suspended between object and field on the spatial axis.
An improved GPU-accelerated heuristic technique applied to the capacitated vehicle routing problem

The capacitated vehicle routing problem (CVRP) is a well-known NP-hard combinatorial problem. Genetic algorithms (GAs) are often used for solving CVRPs. However, the computational effort required to find a feasible solution becomes problematic for very large instances. Parallel-computation technology can significantly improve the performance of CVRP solution algorithms to deal with large problem sets, especially when using GAs. In this paper, an improved genetic algorithm is designed to be entirely executed on an NVIDIA GPU, taking advantage of the special CUDA GPU architecture to solving the CVRP. By distributing array elements over the GPU grid and using GPU kernel functions, the proposed algorithm successfully provides high-quality solutions within reasonable computational times, and near-optimal solutions for smaller benchmark problems. Within this framework, we address the execution speed problem in CVRPs by developing an algorithm that is entirely running on an NVIDIA GPU, investigate how to incorporate local search algorithms with the GA, and develop comparisons between the algorithm performance on both the CPU and the GPU. The utility of improved local search algorithms in the overall performance of the GA is also reported.
Discrete Versus Continuous Parametrization of Bank Credit Rating Systems Optimization Using Differential Evolution

Bank credit rating system is a clustering problem that aims to achieve the optimal classification of the clients’ probability of defaults (PDs) into discrete buckets under a number of constraints. This global optimization problem can be parametrized either using continuous or discrete decision variables, and treated using basically the same differential evolution (DE) method that takes into account of real-world constraints imposed by the recent Basel Accord on Banking Supervision. This enables us to make interesting comparisons between continuous versus discrete parametrization of the same problem in terms of the efficiency, robustness and the rate of convergence. It turns out to be beneficial to use discrete parameters for all of these reasons. In addition we have also explored the use of the elitist as well as the classic strategies within the DE approach. The former choice turns out to perform better in terms of efficiency, robustness, and faster convergence, except when the number of required buckets is large.