cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pharmacodynamic study of Disulfiram in Men with Non-metastatic Recurrent Prostate Cancer

Preclinical drug screens identified disulfiram as a potent in vitro inhibitor of prostate cancer (PCa) cell growth. Although many mechanisms for its anticancer activity have been proposed, tumor suppressor gene re-expression through promoter demethylation emerged as one of the more plausible. We conducted an open-label, dose escalation trial of disulfiram in men with non-metastatic recurrent PCa after local therapy. Dose escalation occurred if a demethylating ‘response’ (that is, ⩾10% decrease in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) global 5-methyl cytosine (5meC) content) was observed in <3 patients in cohort 1. Cohorts 1 and 2 received disulfiram 250 mg and 500 mg daily, respectively. The primary end point was the proportion of subjects with a demethylation response. Secondary end points included the rate of PSA progression at 6 months, changes in PSA doubling time and safety/tolerability. Changes in global 5meC content were observed in two of nine patients (22.2%) in cohort 1 and 3 of 10 (30.0%) in cohort 2. Only five subjects were on trial for ⩾6 months, all were in cohort 1 and all had PSA progression by 6 months. No changes in PSA kinetics were observed in either cohort. Disulfiram was poorly tolerated with six patients experiencing grade 3 adverse events (three per cohort). Three of the responders displayed pretreatment instability in their 5meC content. A minority of patients had transient global PBMC demethylation changes. Instability in 5meC may limit the reproducibility of these findings, limiting our ability to confirm our hypothesis. Given the toxicities and no clinical benefits, further development of disulfiram should not be pursued in this population.
THE RESPONSE OF PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA TO EPINEPHRINE AND TO ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE

DURING the past decade several authors have suspected that endocrine regulations participate in the allergic syndrome. Rackemann (1) in particular, emphasized the importance of nonspecific factors in the etiology of bronchial asthma and presented evidence for adrenal cortical deficiencies in 1 isolated case. He suggested that bronchial asthma might be one of the “diseases of adaptation” characterized by Selye (2). In order to evaluate further the significance of their findings, clinical, metabolic and hematologic changes were followed in patients with bronchial asthma before, during, and after therapy with epinephrine, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and ACTH combined with ascorbic acid. Epinephrine and ACTH were employed in order to study the effect of compounds acting at various levels of the pituitary-adrenal axis. Ascorbic acid was given for two reasons: first, to insure that, in all stages of the experiment, sufficient Vitamin C would be available to allow for synthesis of adrenal cortical hormon...
Does using heat with eutectic mixture of local anesthetic cream shorten analgesic onset time? A randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Abstract Study objectives: We determine whether the addition of heat to topical eutectic mixture of local anesthetic (EMLA) cream shortens the onset time to effective analgesia. We hypothesized that applying EMLA cream for 20 minutes with an external heat pack would be as effective as the standard 60-minute application time. Methods: In this prospective, double-blind study using adult volunteers, research subjects were randomized into groups undergoing either 20 minutes or 60 minutes of EMLA cream application time. Each research subject underwent randomized cream application over both hands and wrists in the following manner: EMLA cream with heat, EMLA cream without heat, placebo with heat, and placebo without heat. Research subjects then underwent a single attempt at intravenous catheterization over each of the 4 sites and scored the degree of pain using a 100-mm visual analog scale. Results: Seventy-six research subjects were enrolled: 39 were randomized to the 20-minute group, and 37 were randomized to the 60-minute group. EMLA cream applied for 20 minutes with heat (adjusted mean visual analog scale score of 31.9 mm) provided statistically and clinically significantly greater analgesia compared with that seen in the placebo groups with or without heat (46.6 and 46.1 mm, respectively), with estimated differences of −14.6 (95% confidence interval [CI] −21.2 to −8.1) and −14.1 (95% CI −20.8 to −7.3), respectively. However, applying EMLA cream for 60 minutes without heat (16.6 mm) provided better analgesia compared with that seen after 20 minutes of EMLA cream with heat (31.9 mm; estimated difference of −15.4 [95% CI −25.1 to −5.6]). Conclusion: Applying EMLA cream for 20 minutes with heat provides intermediate analgesia for intravenous catheter placement, although 60 minutes of application time remains superior. [ Ann Emerg Med. 2003;42:27-33.]
Violacein induces p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase-mediated solid tumor cell death and inhibits tumor cell migration

Microbial secondary metabolites have emerged as alternative novel drugs for the treatment of human cancers. Violacein, a purple pigment produced by Chromobacterium violaceum, was investigated in the present study for its anti-tumor properties in tumor cell lines. Clinically applicable concentrations of violacein were demonstrated to inhibit the proliferative capacity of tumor cell lines according to a crystal violet proliferation assay. The underlying mechanism was the promotion of apoptotic cell death, as indicated by poly(ADP ribose) polymerase cleavage and p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling determined by western blot analysis. Collectively, this provided mechanistic evidence that violacein elicits extracellular-signal regulated kinase-induced apoptosis via the intrinsic pathway. The anti-malignant properties of violacein in the present study were further demonstrated by its inhibitory effects on brain tumor cell migration, specifically glioblastomas, one of the most invasive and therapeutically resistant neoplasms in the clinic. Additionally, solid tumors examined in the present study displayed differential cellular responses and sensitivities to violacein as observed by morphologically induced cellular changes that contributed to its anti-migratory properties. In conclusion, violacein is a novel natural product with the potential to kill several types of human tumor cell lines, as well as prevent disease recurrence by antagonizing cellular processes that contribute to metastatic invasion.
Electromagnetic wave propagation in two-dimensional photonic crystals: A study of anomalous refractive effects

We systematically study a collection of refractive phenomena that can possibly occur at the interface of a two-dimensional photonic crystal with the use of the wave vector diagram formalism. Cases with a single propagating beam in the positive or negative direction as well as cases with birefringence were observed. We examine carefully the conditions to obtain a single propagating beam inside the photonic crystal lattice. Our results indicate that the presence of multiple reflected beams in the medium of incidence is neither a prerequisite nor does it imply multiple refracted beams. We characterize our results with respect to the origin of the propagating beam and the nature of propagation left-handed or not. We identified four distinct cases that lead to a negatively refracted beam. Under these findings, the definition of phase velocity in a periodic medium is reexamined and its physical interpretation discussed. To determine the “rightness” of propagation, we propose a wedge-type experiment. We discuss the intricate details for an appropriate wedge design for different types of cases in triangular and square structures. We extend our theoretical analysis and examine our conclusions as one moves from the limit of photonic crystals with high-index contrast between the constituent dielectrics to photonic crystals with low modulation of the refractive index. Finally, we examine the “rightness” of propagation in the one-dimensional multilayer medium and obtain conditions that are different from those of two-dimensional systems.
Experimental progress at the ARDEC electromagnetic launch facility

The Electric Gun Laboratory at the US Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) was established in 1981 as the Army's center for test and development of electric propulsion. The lab has grown into a center of electromagnetic propulsion research equipped with a 20 MJ homopolar generator, a 250 kJ capacitor bank, several electromagnetic launchers, and advanced diagnostics. The experiment work is supported by analytical research including railgun analysis and the investigation of segmented projectiles. The authors present the history of the laboratory, describe research in progress, and outline future plans. >
HANDS-ON ONLINE? AN INVESTIGATION OF EXPERIENTIAL DESIGN EDUCATION WITH ONLINE RESOURCES

Online education is becoming more prevalent in every field, especially with the advent of MOOCs and initiatives such as Coursera, Edx, MITx, Khan Academy and more. Product design education involves open-ended problem solving and prototyping with physical materials, so it presents a number of interesting challenges in an online educational setting.This paper describes an initial study to better understand the value proposition of offering hands-on product design education using different delivery methods, ranging from hands-on residential to fully online, and combinations in-between. A series of two-day workshops were used to teach students typical introductory product design coursework including opportunity identification and early-stage prototyping. Students attended one workshop session that was taught with one of three content delivery types: traditional (n = 9), online (n = 9), or hybrid (n = 8). Each student worked individually to identify a product opportunity and produce a preliminary prototype. The performance of the students was compared to elucidate any differences based on workshop delivery method.Based on the comparison of student work, as evaluated by academic product design experts, there were no statistically significant differences in performance between groups. This result suggests that all delivery methods have potential for successfully transferring knowledge to students. Furthermore, this preliminary evidence warrants more detailed investigations of the effects of delivery method on product design education. Interesting observations regarding workshop attendance identify motivation to complete courses as a point of interest in both residential and online settings. A number of insights gained and possible directions are discussed.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring in Spine Deformity Surgery

Abstract Although the incidence of neurologic injury in deformity surgery is low, the repercussions are devastating; therefore, every measure available should be adopted to minimize that risk. Advances in instrumentation have been paralleled by the development and improved understanding of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring which enables lower morbidity in increasingly complex surgeries. Currently, multimodality intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring includes somatosensory-evoked potentials, transcranial motor–evoked potentials, triggered electromyographic stimulation, and mixed neurogenic evoked potentials. The combination of these monitoring modalities provides the greatest sensitivity in detecting impending neurologic compromise during deformity surgery.
Free-convection similarity flows about two dimensional and axisymmetric bodies with closed lower ends

Abstract Families of bodies with closed lower ends are found that have similar velocity and temperature profiles along their entire extents. Several two-dimensional and axisymmetric bodies are presented, and growth of boundary-layer thickness and velocity along the surfaces, as well as the heat transfer, are computed for a wide range of Prandtl numbers. The effect of variable wall temperature is discussed, and the extension of the results to nonsimilar bodies is indicated.
TGF-β directly targets cytotoxic T cell functions during tumor evasion of immune surveillance

Summary Tumors escape from immune surveillance by producing the immunosuppressive cytokine TGF-β. However, the mechanism by which TGF-β inhibits T cell-mediated tumor clearance in vivo is unknown. We demonstrate that TGF-β acts on cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) to specifically inhibit the expression of five cytolytic gene products—namely, perforin, granzyme A, granzyme B, Fas ligand, and interferon γ—which are collectively responsible for CTL-mediated tumor cytotoxicity. Repression of granzyme B and interferon-γ involves binding of TGF-β-activated Smad and ATF1 transcription factors to their promoter regions, indicating direct and selective regulation by the TGF-β/Smad pathway. Neutralization of systemic TGF-β in mice enables tumor clearance with restoration of cytotoxic gene expression in antigen-specific CTLs in vivo. We suggest that TGF-β suppresses CTL function in vivo through an anticytotoxic program of transcriptional repression.
Soil Water Retention on Gold Mine Surfaces in the Mojave Desert

An experimental analysis of soil water retention was conducted on three substrates (an abandoned road, an overburden pile, and a heap leach) created by gold mining activities in the Mojave Desert in southeastern California. We mixed each substrate with straw, and the overburden pile and heap leach with growth medium, then applied surface rock mulch to half the plots in an attempt to increase soil water-holding capacity for revegetation efforts. For each of the six treatments (controls included) we monitored soil water with time domain reflectometry following both a simulation of a rainfall event and a natural rainfall that occurred immediately following the simulation. Both the simulation and the rainfall increased soil water between 3 and 8%, depending on the substrate. Water retention patterns in the two-week periods following each water addition were similar between the simulation and rainfall, and among all substrate types as values returned to background (pre-water) conditions. The abandoned road substrate had higher background water content (16.5%) than the overburden pile (6%) and heap leach (5%). The road also had three times higher organic matter and five times higher soil nitrogen than the other two sites. Soil water retention was improved on the overburden pile by the addition of just surface rock mulch or of straw-plus-rock mulch. On the heap leach, increases were found with rock mulch only or with growth medium-plus-rock mulch. Rock mulches did not improve soil water retention and straw additions decreased soil water on the abandoned road. Judicious use of soil amendments can improve soil water conditions and improve revegetation efforts on disturbed lands in desert environments.
Bounds on algorithms for string generation

The well-known lower bound of log2 n! on the number of comparisons required to sort n items is extended to cover algorithms, such as replacement selection, which produce a sorted string whose length is a random variable. The case of algorithms which produce several strings is also discussed and these results are then applied to obtain an upper bound on the length of strings produced by a class of string generation algorithms.
LEDs: convenient, inexpensive sources for visual experimentation.

Abstract This article presents the electrical and optical properties of LEDs for use as visual stimulators in neurophysiological and psychophysical research. One particular circuit is considered in detail which should enable an investigator with minimal technical expertise to build a high quality and versatile stimulator within a few hours and at a minimal cost. Improved circuits and anticipated developments in LED technology are discussed.
Hereditary disorders of connective tissue: A guide to the emerging differential diagnosis

Purpose: To create a practical desk reference for clinicians focused on the differential diagnosis of individuals presenting with features that suggest an inherited disorder of connective tissue. Methods: We searched the medical literature for distinct clinical entities that shared clinical features with Marfan syndrome and other classical inherited disorders of connective tissue. Results: Thirty-six distinct heritable disorders of connective tissue were identified that have overlapping features. These disorders were organized into two matrices according to clinical characteristics and according to causative genes. Conclusions: A broad differential diagnosis is emerging for individuals presenting with features suggestive of altered connective tissue. Recent advances in molecular genetics have aided in the delineation of these disorders.
The Role Of The Electric Utilities Industry In Developing The Use Of Thermal Effluent In Aquaculture

Economic and operating returns from utilization of waste heat in thermal effluent would be important benefits to the electric utilities industry and could contribute toward easing the burden on our energy resources. Aquaculture at power plant sites is one means of achieving these benefits. Waste heat can be used to accelerate the growth rates of marketable marine animals, and thereby reduce production time and costs. Several large public utilities have recognized the potential benefits of thermal effluent for aquaculture to such an extent that they are supporting laboratory, pilot, and commercial-scale operations. One such project, sponsored by the Southern California Edison Company, is described. Criteria for selection of pilot and commercial-scale aquaculture sites at generating stations, such as high temperature changes and stable effluent temperatures, water quality, and adequate space, are considered. Research is underway on the biology and culturing requirements of the American lobster (Homarus americanus) with thermal effluent as a culturing medium. Several problems remain to be solved and are under investigation. These include brood stock management, nutrition, and the development and evaluation of culture systems suitable for commercial production. Pilot-scale lobster aquaculture will depend on the results of this work. The pilot plant itself will be employed as a research tool, the last phase of a program to demonstrate a successful aquaculture technology involving use of thermal effluent.
Do Older Korean Immigrants Engage in End-of-Life Communication?

End-of-life communication is an important process as it allows individuals' treatment preferences to be known, yet not every culture is receptive to such discussions. Planning for end-of-life care is not readily supported in Asian culture, and little is known about individuals' communication with family and health care professionals among older Korean immigrants related to end-of-life care. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 195 older Korean immigrants on end-of-life communication. Measures include end-of-life communication, attitudes toward end-of-life communication, perceived burden, number of adult children in the United States, health status, and sociodemographic variables. Overall, 21.9% (n = 42) of participants reported to have discussed their end-of-life treatment preferences with others, primarily family members. Attitudes toward end-of-life discussions, perceived burden, religiosity, and the number of children in the U.S. significantly accounted for end-of-life communication. Culturally a...
Postcopulatory genital grooming in male rats: Prevention of sexually transmitted infections

Prevention of postcopulatory genital grooming in male rats increased the likelihood that they would be genitally infected with a marker microorganism (Staphylococcus aureus) inoculated previously into the vagina of female rats. Male as well as female rat saliva was found to have very minimal bactericidal effects on the marker organism indicating that physical washing during postcopulatory grooming can prevent the transmission of infectious organisms. Saliva of both male and female rats, however, was found to have bactericidal effects on 2 murine pathogens (Pasteurella pneumotropica and Mycoplasma pulmonis) that infect the genitalia of males and females, revealing that the physical washing effect can be enhanced by specific antibacterial properties of saliva for some reputed genital pathogens.
Identification and description of mobile dental programs--a brief communication.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify and describe mobile dental programs in California. Methods: The programs were identified by Internet searches, county health officers, local dental society directors, mobile program directors, and others. A cross-sectional survey was mailed to program directors if their programs provide clinical dental services beyond screening and education. Results: In California, 33 programs were identified; survey response rate was 70 percent. The populations most likely to be served were those with low-income (100 percent), elementary (77 percent) and preschool (68 percent) children, non-English speakers (64 percent), and the Medicaid-eligible (64 percent). At least half of the programs were providing services in designated Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas. Most program directors indicated that if their program was discontinued, it would be “very difficult” (61 percent) or “difficult” (35 percent) for the target populations to get dental services. Conclusions: Mobile dental programs are a highly variable, but important, strategy for bringing dental care to many underserved populations.
Directing self-assembly in macromolecular systems: Hydrogen bonding in ordered polymers

Hydrogen-bonded side-chain liquid-crystalline block copolymers (SCLCBCPs) containing block segments with proton donors were combined with functionalized meso- genic pendent groups. Studies of a wide range of mesogen and polymer combinations were carried out to study the relationship between morphology and mesophase behavior. The ther- mal behaviors of the resulting self-assembled microstructures were also examined. A model of the assembly process leading to mesogenic group organization corresponding to different compositions was proposed.
Application of Genetic Algorithms for Wrapper-based Image Segmentation and Classification

The traditional processing flow of segmentation followed by classification in computer vision assumes that the segmentation is able to successfully extract the object of interest. This is challenging without any prior knowledge about the object that is being extracted from the scene. We previously proposed a method of segmentation that uses the classification subsystem as an integral part of the segmentation, which provides contextual information regarding the objects to be segmented. Our approach integrated segmentation and classification in a manner analogous to wrapper methods in feature selection. We initially perform low-level segmentation to label the image as a set of non-overlapping blobs. We then use the wrapper framework to select the blobs that comprise the final segmentation based on the classification performance of the wrapper. In this paper, the process of combining the blobs and then evaluating these combinations is performed with a genetic algorithm. We show the performance of the genetic algorithm based wrapper segmentation on real-world complex images of automotive vehicle occupants, where our overall classification accuracy is roughly 88% and the resultant segmentations are extremely accurate.
Syntheses of 18F-labeled reduced haloperidol and 11C-labeled reduced 3-N-methylspiperone

18F-Labeled reduced haloperidol and 11C-labeled reduced 3-N-methylspiperone were synthesized in a convenient and quantitative one step reduction from 18F-labeled haloperidol and 11C-labeled N-methylspiperone, respectively. Both products were purified by semipreparative HPLC and were obtained at high specific activity and radiochemical purity.
Selection of thermotropic materials for overheat protection of polymer absorbers

Abstract Thermotropic materials offer the potential to provide passive overheat protection for polymer solar absorbers. These materials are comprised of a matrix in which a second material, referred to as the scattering domain, is dispersed as small particles. Overheat protection is provided by a change in transmittance and reflectance at elevated temperature. The magnitude of this change depends on the change in the relative refractive index between the matrix and the scattering domain, the volume fraction and size of the dispersed particles, and the thickness of the material. To predict the effect of these parameters on the normal-hemispherical transmittance and reflectance, thermotropic materials are modeled as a non-absorbing slab comprised of discrete, anisotropic scattering, spherical particles embedded in a matrix material. A Monte Carlo ray tracing algorithm predicts the transmittance and reflectance of the slab. The model predictions are compared with: the analytical solution for a slab of non-absorbing, non-scattering media, and the measured transmittance of 0.3 mm thick polymer samples containing 400 nm particles. A parametric study of the effects of the design parameters on the transmittance is presented to identify potential material combinations which will produce a thermotropic composite capable of providing overheat protection for flat plate solar collectors. Relatively short chain alkanes or low molecular mass polyethylene in a matrix of polycarbonate are identified as promising materials.
A novel platform simulating irregular motion to enhance assessment of respiration-correlated radiation therapy procedures

Respiratory motion continues to present challenges in the delivery of radiation therapy to tumors in the thorax and abdomen by causing movement of structures within those areas. Several approaches to account for this movement in the planning and delivery of treatment have been developed over the past several years. To assist in the development and assessment of various techniques for respirationcorrelated radiation therapy, a platform capable of programmable irregular longitudinal motion has been designed and fabricated to simulate intrafractional respiratory motion. A sliding platform and the base on which it was mounted were constructed from polycarbonate plastic, and a stepper motor provided platform motion. Respiratory motion data, either artificially generated on a spreadsheet or extracted from respiratory monitoring files, were converted to a format appropriate for driving the stepper motor. Various phantoms were placed on top of the platform and used in studies related to respiration-correlated radiation therapy. Several applications of the platform were demonstrated, such as improving the quality of acquisition of time-dependent computed tomography image datasets, comparing various methods of acquiring such datasets, and implementing feedback-guided breath hold treatment delivery procedures. This study showed that a platform capable of programmable irregular motion is a useful tool for the development and assessment of procedures related to the effects of respiratory motion in radiation therapy. PACS number: 87.66.Xa
Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Phase Transitions in Mixed Lipid Systems Containing LPA, DOPA, and DOPE Lipids

The mechanisms that mediate biomembrane shape transformations are of considerable interest in cell biology. Recent in vitro experiments show that the chemical transformation of minor membrane lipids can induce dramatic shape changes in biomembranes. Specifically, it was observed that the addition of DOPA to DOPE has no effect on the stability of the bilayer structure of the membrane. In contrast, the addition of LPA to DOPE stabilizes the bilayer phase of DOPE, increasing the temperature of a phase transition from the bilayer to the inverted hexagonal phase. This result suggests that the chemical conversion of DOPA to LPA is sufficient for triggering a dramatic change in the shape of biomembranes. The LPA/DOPA/DOPE mixture of lipids provides a simple model system for understanding the molecular events driving the shape change. In this work, we used coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to study the phase transitions of this lipid mixture. We show that despite the simplicity of the coarse-grained model, it reproduces the experimentally observed phase changes of: 1), pure LPA and DOPA with respect to changes in the concentration of cations; and 2), LPA/DOPE and DOPA/DOPE mixtures with respect to temperature. The good agreement between the model and experiments suggests that the computationally inexpensive coarse-grained approach can be used to infer macroscopic membrane properties. Furthermore, analysis of the shape of the lipid molecules demonstrates that the phase behavior of single-lipid systems is consistent with molecular packing theory. However, the phase stability of mixed lipid systems exhibits significant deviations from this theory, which suggests that the elastic energy of the lipids, neglected in the packing theory, plays an important role.
A Malaria Vaccine for Control: More Progress

Malaria remains the world's major parasitic infection, causing hundreds of millions of febrile episodes and 1-2 million deaths annually that is, 150-300 deaths occurring hourly day after day [1, 2]. It is well known that the greatest burden of falciparum malaria is borne by -children and pregnant women in tropical Africa. Yet, people living on the Indian subcontinent and in other parts of Asia, Latin America, and the Western Pacific also are substantially affected by malaria disease and malaria-associated death, including disease and death caused by Plasmodium vivaxy the toll of which is underappreciated (table 1) [2-4]. Malaria is also an important threat to nonimmune travelers to the tropics, causing thousands of cases of illness and occasional deaths. Global interest in controlling malaria disease and interrupting malaria transmission has increased greatly over the past decade. In 1997, the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria was developed with the goal of improving the capacity of Africa to perform malaria research [5]. Since then, the
TCS: estimating gene genealogies

Phylogentic analysis is becoming an increasingly important tool for customized drug treatments, epidemiological studies, and evolutionary analysis. The TCS method provides an important tool for dealing with genes at a population level. Existing software for TCS analysis takes an unreasonable amount of time for the analysis of significant numbers of Taxa. This paper presents the TCS algorithms and describes initial attempts at parallelization. Performance results are also presented for the algorithm on several data sets.
Industrial robots with seven joints

In a physical 3-dimensional free space at most six degrees of freedom can be independent, i.e. three for position and three for orientation. Intuitively robots with six joints are adequate to execute any tasks. However, in reality, constraints often exist under the complex environment so that six joints are not quite enough for the robots. An insertion of an additional joint into the robot may solve the problems. This paper discusses only the singularity problem at which the robot degenerates. The analysis, which is a continued investigation of a previous study, shows how the degeneracy entrapment could be escaped as rapidly as possible if the robot has seven joints; between which two joints the redundant joint should be inserted; and which type of joint (i.e revolute or prismatic) should be employed.
Exponential approximation and Stein's method of exchangeable pairs

We derive a new result for exponential approximation using Stein's method of exchangeable pairs. As an application, an exponential limit theorem with error term is derived for jTr(U)j 2 , where Tr(U) de- notes the trace of a matrix chosen from the Haar measure of the unitary group U(n;C).
The impacts of congestion on time-definitive urban freight distribution networks CO2 emission levels: Results from a case study in Portland, Oregon

Increased congestion during peak morning and afternoon periods in urban areas is increasing logistics costs. In addition, environmental, social, and political pressures to limit the impacts associated with CO2 emissions are mounting rapidly. A key challenge for transportation agencies and businesses is to improve the efficiency of urban freight and commercial vehicle movements while ensuring environmental quality, livable communities, and economic growth. However, research and policy efforts to analyze and quantify the impacts of congestion and freight public policies on CO2 emissions are hindered by the complexities of vehicle routing problems with time-dependent travel times and the lack of network-wide congestion data. This research focuses on the analysis of CO2 emissions for different levels of congestion and time-definitive customer demands. Travel time data from an extensive archive of freeway sensors, time-dependent vehicle routing algorithms, and problems-instances with different types of binding constraints are used to analyze the impacts of congestion on commercial vehicle emissions. Results from the case study indicate that the impacts of congestion or speed limits on commercial vehicle emissions are significant but difficult to predict since it is shown that it is possible to construct instances where total route distance or duration increases but emissions decrease. Public agencies should carefully study the implications of policies that regulate depot locations and travel speeds as they may have unintended negative consequences in terms of CO2 emissions.
Evaluation of the effect of filter apodization for volume PET imaging using the 3-D RP algorithm

We investigated the influence of filter apodization and cutoff frequency on the image quality of volume positron emission tomography (PET) imaging using the three-dimensional reprojection (3-D RP) algorithm. An important parameter in 3-D RP and other filtered backprojection algorithms is the choice of the filter window function. In this study, the Hann, Hamming, and Butterworth low-pass window functions were investigated. For each window, a range of cutoff frequencies was considered. Projection data were acquired by scanning a uniform cylindrical phantom, a cylindrical phantom containing four small lesion phantoms having diameters of 3, 4, 5, and 6 mm and the 3-D Hoffman brain phantom. All measurements were performed using the high-resolution PET camera developed at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (MDAPET), University of Texas, Houston, TX. This prototype camera, which is a multiring scanner with no septa, has an intrinsic transaxial resolution of 2.8 mm. The evaluation was performed by computing the noise level in the reconstructed images of the uniform phantom and the contrast recovery of the 6-mm hot lesion in a warm background and also by visually inspecting images, especially those of the Hoffman brain phantom. For this work, we mainly studied the central slices which are less affected by the incompleteness of the 3-D data. Overall, the Butterworth window offered a better contrast-noise performance over the Hann and Hamming windows. For our high statistics data, for the Hann and Hamming apodization functions a cutoff frequency of 0.6-0.8 of the Nyquist frequency resulted in a reasonable compromise between the contrast recovery and noise level and for the Butterworth window a cutoff frequency of 0.4-0.6 of the Nyquist frequency was a reasonable choice. For the low statistics data, use of lower cutoff frequencies was more appropriate.
Purine analogs in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and Waldenström's macroglobulinemia

The observation of lymphopenia in children deficient in adenosine deaminase (ADA) led to exploration of an inhibitor of the enzyme in lymphoid malignancies; thus deoxycoformycin was the first purine nucleotide used in human trials. Fludarabine and 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine (2-CdA), agents resistant to deamination by ADA, have been utilized in the past decade. All of these drugs act as competitors for deoxyadenosine triphosphate at the A sites of the elongating DNA strand, terminating DNA synthesis. However, their remarkable efficacy in indolent lymphoid malignancies is not well explained by this mechanism of action. The induction of apoptosis and resultant cytotoxicity may be important in their activity. As a single agent, fludarabine has been associated with overall remission rates as high as 55% in previously treated patients and 79% in previously untreated patients. With this agent, a dosage regimen of 25-30 mg/m2 daily over 5 days seems to be the most effective to date. Fludarabine has shown more favorable remission rates than the traditional salvage regimens incorporating anthracyclines and alkylating agents. Regimens combining fludarabine with mitoxantrone and with doxorubicin have shown minimal therapeutic advantage in CLL, while combination with cyclophosphamide appears promising. Remission rates with deoxycoformycin have been lower than with fludarabine, but studies have been small in patient numbers. The agent 2-CdA, first successful in hairy-cell leukemia, has shown overall response rates in chronic lymphocytic leukemia similar to those seen with fludarabine. Whether or not cross-resistance occurs among the purine analogs has not been fully determined, but occasional patients with disease refractory to fludarabine have responded to 2-CdA. Cumulative myelosuppression and immunosuppression may be experienced however. In the B-cell neoplastic entity, Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia, fludarabine therapy in patients previously treated with alkylating agents and/or steroids produced a 36% response rate. Only two previously untreated patients received fludarabine, and both responded. A similar response rate of 40% was seen when 2-CdA was administered to previously treated patients. This response rate increased to 85% in a study of 26 previously untreated patients, making this one of the most effective drugs yet investigated in this condition.
Computing association probabilities using parallel Boltzmann machines

A new computational method is presented for solving the data association problem using parallel Boltzmann machines. It is shown that the association probabilities can be computed with arbitrarily small errors if a sufficient number of parallel Boltzmann machines are available. The probability beta /sub i//sup j/ that the ith measurement emanated from the jth target can be obtained simply by observing the relative frequency with which neuron v(i,j) in a two-dimensional network is on throughout the layers. Some simple tracking examples comparing the performance of the Boltzmann algorithm to the exact data association solution and with the performance of an alternative parallel method using the Hopfield neural network are also presented. >
MSn characterization of protonated cyclic peptides and metal complexes

MSn experiments involving low energy collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) in a quadrupole ion trap were used to characterize the fragmentation of alkali, alkaline earth and transition metal complexes of five cyclic peptides, and the results were compared with those obtained for protonated cyclic peptides. Complexes with metal ions produced enhanced abundances of the most diagnostic fragments for elucidating the primary structures. For cyclosporin A, nickel and lithium complexes gave additional sequence information compared with the protonated peptide. For depsipeptides, sodium and lead complexes were superior to the protonated peptide or other metal complexes for sequencing residues, and CAD of the lead complexes led to preferential cleavage of two residues at a time. For cyclic lipopeptides, complexes with silver, nickel and strontium ions provided enhanced abundances of key fragment ions.
Wave–Mean Flow Statistics

Abstract A relation between the statistics of large-scale waves and the mean flow is derived from the potential enstrophy equations integrated over an isobaric surface. The difference between time-averaged zonal-mean state and the radiative-dynamical equilibrium state due to the symmetric circulation is determined by three components: the steady wave enstrophy, the variance in the wave enstrophy and the variance mean flow enstrophy. With some simplifications, the relationship between these components can be used to estimate the maximum amplitude for Rossby waves derived from a statistical data set. We obtain an upper limit of ∼1200 gpm for a wave disturbance with a meridional scale of ∼1800 km. If the Rossby wave amplitudes are observed near that upper limit, then the wave energy spectrum should exhibit a −5 power law. The three enstrophy components are estimated for a parameterized model of wave–mean flow interaction at a single level. We find that the steady wave enstrophy, the wave enstrophy variance a...
Phylogenetic utility of avian ovomucoid intron G : a comparison of nuclear and mitochondrial phylogenies in Galliformes

Abstract A novel nuclear marker, the avian ovomucoid intron G (OVOG) was sequenced from 19 galliform taxa. Results of the phylogenetic analyses using OVOG were compared to those obtained using the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) gene to determine the phylogenetic utility of OVOG. OVOG appeared to have strong phylogenetic signal for reconstructing relationships among genera and families, and the only difference between OVOG and cytb was in the placement of the New World quail (Odontophoridae). Genetic distances estimated using OVOG are approximately half of those estimated using cytb, although that relationship was not linear. OVOG exhibited patterns of nucleotide substitution very different from cytb, with OVOG having little base compositional bias, a relatively low transition–transversion ratio, and little among-site rate heterogeneity.
Ethnobryology: traditional uses and folk classification of bryophytes

Abstract The term “ethnobryology” was introduced about 50 years ago in a paper about the bryophytes used by the Gosiute people of Utah (Flowers 1957). Although there are fewer literature reports about human uses of bryophytes than those about vascular plants, a number of references about ethnobotanically important bryophytes do exist. These instances of ethnobryological use are all the more interesting both because of their relative rarity, and for the insights they can provide about the relation between people and small plants, like bryophytes, that lie on the cusp of human perception. This paper presents a summary of traditional uses and folk classifications of bryophytes around the world. Comparisons are made about the way that bryophytes are classified in different cultures. A list of about 150 ethnobotanical species of bryophytes is given. Many of these species have reported uses in Traditional Chinese Medicine (∼27%) and by Native North Americans (∼28%). The most common use of bryophytes is for medi...
The Prescriptive Relationship in Academic Advising as an Appropriate Developmental Intervention With Multicultural Populations

In his seminal 1972 article on academic advising, Burns B. Crookston set a prescriptive advising relationship in opposition to a developmental advising relationship, with the developmental approach proffered as the better way of working with students to promote their growth. We argue that prescriptive advising, rather t han being incompatible with a developmental ap proach to advising, is in fact a significant and necessary part of a thorough developmental advising methodology, one which gives due consideration to individual and group differences and needs. Additionally, it is our position that as part of a developmental advising continuum, the prescriptitte advising relationship is relevant and appropriate for many students of color. Crookston writes that "the traditional relationship between the academic advisor and the student may be described as prescriptiz~e . . . [wherein] the advisor is the doctor and the student the patient." He goes on to argue that in prescriptive advising the student seldom takes responsibility for wrong decisions because the onus of responsibility is placed on the advisor; "if the advice turns out badly the student
The Learning Curve in Percutaneous Repair of Paravalvular Prosthetic Regurgitation: An Analysis of 200 Cases

Objectives This study sought to assess the learning curve for percutaneous repair of paravalvular prosthetic regurgitation. Background Percutaneous repair of prosthetic paravalvular regurgitation is a complex procedure. There is a paucity of data on the professional experience and tools needed to achieve optimal clinical outcomes. Methods We examined the chronological experience of 200 patients (age 66 ± 13 years; 57% men) who underwent percutaneous closure of paravalvular prosthetic regurgitation at our institution. A sequence number of the patient was assigned as a continuous variable for analysis. Results A total of 243 paravalvular defects (74% mitral; 26% aortic) were treated. Device delivery was successful in 92% with an average procedural time of 139 ± 47 min. The 30-day rate of major adverse cardiovascular events was 7%. With increased case experience and adoption of dedicated imaging and catheter techniques, there were decreases in procedural time, fluoroscopy time, contrast volume administered, length of hospital stay, and major adverse cardiovascular events. Procedural success remained unchanged throughout the experience. The predominant reason for procedural failure was prosthetic leaflet impingement, which accounted for 9 of 21 failed cases. Conclusions In this single-center experience, there was evidence of a learning curve that occurred with the adoption of dedicated techniques for catheter delivery and echocardiographic imaging. In experienced operators, the potential for prosthetic leaflet impingement is the predominant limitation of the procedure. These data have implications for physician training and performance in complex structural heart disease interventions.
LEGO/Logo and Electronic Bricks: Creating a Scienceland for Children

LEGO/Logo is a computer-based system whereby children can build mechanical projects (such as cars, ferris wheels, and legged “animals”) out of plastic LEGO parts, and control them using an extended version of the Logo programming language.
A new course and textbook on Physical Models of Living Systems, for science and engineering undergraduates

I’ll describe an intermediate-level undergraduate course developed over several years at University of Pennsylvania and elsewhere. The only prerequisite is first-year university physics and calculus. The course is a response to rapidly growing interest among undergraduates in several science and engineering departments.Students acquire several research skills that are often not addressed in traditional courses:• Basic modeling skills• Probabilistic modeling skills• Data analysis methods• Computer programming using a general-purpose platform like MATLAB or Python• Dynamical systems, particularly feedback control.These basic skills, which are relevant to nearly any field of science or engineering, are presented in the context of case studies from living systems, including:• Virus dynamics• Bacterial genetics and evolution of drug resistance• Statistical inference• Superresolution microscopy• Synthetic biology• Naturally evolved cellular circuits.Publication of a new textbook by WH Freeman and Co. is scheduled for December 2014.
Understanding the “Complexity of Experience”: Modeling Faculty Research Practices

Abstract Despite the amount of research that faculty do and the influence they have over their students' use of the library, faculty research is not well understood by the academic libraries trying to support it. Rather “research” is often considered synonymous with information seeking and other information behaviors. This grounded theory study interviewed nine internationally recognized scholars about their research practices, and proposes a model of research that is complex and intimately connected to the other areas of academic practice (teaching and service). This model includes information seeking as one aspect, but also considers social, environmental, organizational, and dissemination components, and how those components interact. Having a better understanding of research equips academic libraries to better support faculty, and through the faculty, their students.