cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stripping voltammetry with the electrode material acting as a `built-in' internal standard

Abstract The oxidation peak of the bismuth layer of bismuth-film electrodes is used as an internal standard in anodic stripping voltammetry. Such use of the electrode material as a `built-in' internal standard simplifies the analytical protocol (as it obviates the need for an external standard or long calibration and standard additions procedures) while correcting for run-to-run variations due to uncertainties (e.g., changes in mass transport, surface area, or other variables). The new internal standard strategy relies on common in situ plated film electrodes, where the deposition of both the analyte and electrode material is subject to the same variations. Such one-step quantitation and improvements are illustrated for trace measurements of lead. The use of the intrinsic signal of the system for obtaining the concentration of the target analyte is unique not only for electroanalysis, but for analytical chemistry in general.
Synchrotron radiation-induced X-ray emission to identify metal ions in preparations of purified protein.

The suitability of synchrotron radiation-induced X-ray emission (SRIXE) for the detection and identification of metal ions in preparations of purified, soluble proteins was tested. Glutathione S-tr...
PREFORM DIE SHAPE DESIGN IN METAL FORMING USING AN OPTIMIZATION METHOD

An optimization algorithm for preform die shape design in metal-forming processes is developed in this paper. The preform die shapes are represented by cubic B-spline curves. The control points of the B-spline are used as the design variables. The optimization objective is to reduce the difference between the realized and desired final forging shapes. The sensitivities of the objective function with respect to the design variables are developed in detail. The numerical examples show that the optimization method and the sensitivity analysis developed in this paper are very useful and the design results are satisfactory. Importantly, the preform die shapes designed by this method are easily manufacturable and can be implemented in practical metal-forming operations. This optimization method and the sensitivity analysis can also be applied in the preform design of complex industrial metal-forming problems. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
CADMIUM AND LEAD CONTENT OF SOYBEAN PRODUCTS

Soybeans grown on sludge-amended soil high in cadmium content were analyzed for cadmium and lead, then fractionated to simulate industrial food processing. Of these fractions, oil retained the least cadmium, which accumulated in the protein-enriched fractions. Protein products prepared in the laboratory by simulated industrial processes showed no practical differences in cadmium levels. Commercial soybean products for human consumption obtained from manufacturers and markets showed no elevated cadmium levels. Lead levels were high in isolated instances, presumably from contamination during processing. Cadmium in high-cadmium soybeans is retained by protein products consumed by humans; increased cadmium application to soils may be hazardous to humans. However, soybean products presently being marketed do not contain excessive cadmium or lead.
Methodology to determine the impact of linewidth variation on chip scale copper/low-k backend dielectric breakdown

Low-k time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) has been found to be a function of metal linewidth, when the distance between the lines is constant. Modeling requires determining the relationship between TDDB and layout geometries. To determine this relationship, comb test structures have been design and implemented in 45 nm technology. In this work, low-k dielectric breakdown, low-k dielectric vulnerable areas, and linewidth variation are linked to full chip lifetimes.
“What Can I Do to Avoid Getting Too Much Radiation and What Imaging Test Is Right for Me?” Selecting the Best Imaging Test for the Right Patient and the Right Reason

The best imaging test for you depends on the specific medical questions that need to be answered and if you have other medical conditions that limit the choices. Limiting conditions include allergy to intravenous contrast, kidney disease, pregnancy, or a pacemaker or other metal implant. The best test is the one with the highest likelihood of providing correct information with a low risk of harm. In some situations, the best test involves radiation.
Who Cares What They Wear? Media, Gender, and the Influence of Candidate Appearance ∗

Objectives. This article seeks to determine whether candidate appearance influences election outcomes, and if so, whether the effect depends on the politician’s sex. For all of the scholarly attention these questions have received in recent years, the way that media coverage of candidate appearance shapes voters’ evaluations remains unclear. Methods. We report the results of an experiment designed to shed light on these questions. We exposed a national sample of subjects to news coverage of candidates for a seat in the U.S. Congress. We varied whether the candidate was a man or a woman, and whether the candidate’s appearance was covered positively, negatively, neutrally, or not mentioned at all. Results. Our analysis reveals that only negative appearance coverage has an effect, driving down evaluations by lowering voters’ assessments of candidates’ professionalism. Critically, though, the effect is identical for male and female candidates. Regardless of whether we examine overall candidate favorability, assessments of traits, or perceptions of issue-handling ability, female politicians do not pay a disproportionate price when the media focus on how they look. Conclusions. Ultimately, even though candidate sex and physical appearance can matter to voters, these factors are unlikely to displace incumbency, partisanship, and ideology as principal drivers of election outcomes. Doescandidateappearanceinfluenceelectionoutcomes?Andifso,doesthe effect depend on whether the politician is a man or a woman? Not only have thesequestionsgarneredsignificantscholarlyattentioninrecentyears,butthey have also arguably taken on greater importance in the lead-up to the 2016 presidentialrace.ThepotentialcandidaciesofformerSecretaryofStateHillary Clinton and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie have led to a spate of news stories about their physical appearance. Major newspaper headlines calling
Extreme anoxia tolerance in embryos of the annual killifish Austrofundulus limnaeus: insights from a metabolomics analysis

SUMMARY The annual killifish Austrofundulus limnaeus survives in ephemeral pond habitats by producing drought-tolerant diapausing embryos. These embryos probably experience oxygen deprivation as part of their normal developmental environment. We assessed the anoxia tolerance of A. limnaeus embryos across the duration of embryonic development. Embryos develop a substantial tolerance to anoxia during early development, which peaks during diapause II. This extreme tolerance of anoxia is retained during the first 4 days of post-diapause II development and is then lost. Metabolism during anoxia appears to be supported mainly by production of lactate, with alanine and succinate production contributing to a lesser degree. Anoxic embryos also accumulate large quantities of γ-aminobutyrate (GABA), a potential protector of neural function. It appears that the suite of characters associated with normal development and entry into diapause II in this species prepares the embryos for long-term survival in anoxia even while the embryos are exposed to aerobic conditions. This is the first report of such extreme anoxia tolerance in a vertebrate embryo, and introduces a new model for the study of anoxia tolerance in vertebrates.
Mining for Co-Changes in the Context of Web Localization

An approach for mining repositories of web-based user documentation for patterns of evolutionary change in the context of internationalization and localization is presented. Sets of documents that are changed together during the translation process are uncovered and documented to support future evolution of the system. A sequential-pattern mining technique is used to uncover the patterns from Subversion repositories. The approach is applied to the open source KDE system. KDE maintains documentation for over fifty different natural languages and presents a prime example of the problem. Characteristics of the uncovered patterns such as size, frequency, and occurrences within a single language or across multiple languages are discussed. Such patterns help provide insight as to the effort required in retranslation due to a change in the documentation and help user communities estimated the progress of documentation in their respective languages.
The cloning and reintroduction into animal cells of a functional CAD gene, a dominant amplifiable genetic marker

Rodent cells resistant to PALA, a specific inhibitor of the aspartate transcarbamylase activity of the multifunctional CAD protein, overproduce CAD as a result of amplification of the CAD gene. We cloned a functional CAD gene from Syrian hamster cells using a cosmid vector. Two independently isolated cosmids containing CAD genes have inserts 40 and 45 kb long. We introduced the cloned genes into CAD-deficient Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell mutants by fusing them with protoplasts of Escherichia coli containing the cosmids. We also introduced the cloned genes into wild-type CHO cells by selecting cells that became resistant to high concentrations of PALA following protoplast fusion. The transformants of the mutant and wild-type CHO cells contain multiple active copies of the donated Syrian hamster CAD genes. The cloned genes in three independent transformants are integrated into host-cell chromosomes at single locations identified by in situ hybridization. In two of these transformants, the genes are located in one X chromosome or in a chromosome resembling the X. In the third case, the genes are located in a small metacentric or rearranged chromosome.
The Nutritive Value of Corn Silage for Milking Cows

Summary Sixteen cows were depleted of their milk-producing factors on an all-hay ration to determine the effect on milk production when part of the hay was replaced with corn silage. An increase occurred in 22 of 23 trials in the amount of FCM produced per pound of TDN consumed when the cows were fed corn silage. In 11 trials, FCM increased even when the TDN intake was less during the silage-feeding periods than when on the all-hay ration. Corn fields were randomized just prior to ensiling in four different years, and the data indicate that each 100lb. of corn silage was equivalent to 22 to 27lb. of hay and contained from 13 to 17.4lb. of corn grain, excluding the Eureka corn. No significant differences occurred in the per cent of butterfat in the milk or in the body weight of the cows when part of the hay was replaced with corn silage. The data show conclusively that the grain in corn silage contributes the unidentified grain factor(s) which is needed to balance the TDN in roughage; therefore, corn silage should not be considered a true roughage, but a mixture of roughage and grain.
Mesozoic thermal history and timing of structural events for the Yukon-Tanana Upland, east-central Alaska: 40Ar/39Ar data from metamorphic and plutonic rocks

We present new 40 Ar/ 39 Ar ages for hornblende, muscovite, and biotite from metamorphic and plutonic rocks from the Yukon-Tanana Upland, Alaska. Integration of our data with published 40 Ar/ 39 Ar, kinematic, and metamorphic pressure (P) and temperature (T) data confirms and refines the complex interaction of metamorphism and tectonism proposed for the region. The oldest metamorphic episode(s) postdates Middle Permian magmatism and predates the intrusion of Late Triassic (215-212 Ma) granitoids into the Fortymile River assemblage (Taylor Mountain assemblage of previous papers). In the eastern Eagle quadrangle, rapid and widespread Early Jurassic cooling is indicated by 188-186 Ma 40 Ar/ 39 Ar plateau ages for hornblende from plutons that intrude the Fortymile River assemblage, and for metamorphic minerals from the Fortymile River assemblage and the structurally underlying Nasina assemblage. We interpret these Early Jurassic ages to represent cooling resulting from northwest-directed contraction that emplaced the Fortymile River assemblage onto the Nasina assemblage to the north as well as the Lake George assemblage to the south. This cooling was the final stage of a continuum of subduction-related contraction that produced crustal thicken- ing, intermediate- to high-P metamorphism within both the Fortymile River assemblage and the structurally underlying Lake George assemblage, and Late Triassic and Early Jurassic plutonism in the Fortymile River and Nasina assemblages. Although a few metamorphic samples from the Lake George assemblage yield Jurassic 40 Ar/ 39 Ar cooling ages, most yield Early Cretaceous 40 Ar/ 39 Ar ages: hornblende 135-115 Ma, and muscovite and biotite 110-108 Ma. We interpret the Early Cretaceous metamorphic cooling, in most areas, to have resulted from regional extension and exhumation of the lower plate, previously tectonically thickened during Early Jurassic and older convergence. 1051
As Macrophages Indulge, Atherosclerotic Lesions Bulge

See related article, pages 1492–1501 Lipid-laden macrophages are the predominant cell type in the formative stages of atherosclerosis in most animal models and humans.1–3 Lipid deposition appears as large numbers of intracellular droplets that have a foam-like appearance when paraffin-embedded tissue sections are viewed at high magnification. Consequently, the descriptive name of foam cells is applied to these lipid-laden macrophages. Originating from recruited monocytes, it has been hypothesized that foam cells remove lipoproteins that have been retained and modified in the subendothelial space.4 For this function to be beneficial, lipid-laden macrophages would subsequently egress from the area of the forming lesion. However, the system frequently goes awry. Macrophages recruited to the arterial wall become grossly engorged with lipid, presumably because of an imbalance in lipid metabolism. In this greatly hypertrophied state, macrophages are unable to transit through the endothelium and be transferred back to the blood compartment. Therefore, instead of exiting the artery, these cells are retained and accumulate. In addition to these cells forming the mass of the evolving lesions, there is also the potential for secretion of many bioactive molecules that may perpetuate and modify the atherogenic process. There have been many approaches to modify the development of foam cells by manipulating intracellular transport, intracellular storage, or efflux of lipids. The transport of extracellular lipid to form intracellular droplets is presumed to occur via endocytosis through lipoprotein receptors that are not downregulated by increased cholesterol content. There are many classes of scavenger receptors that transport modified lipoproteins into macrophages, of which the most intensely studied has been class A scavenger receptor (SR-A) and CD36.5 However, genetic manipulation of SR-A and CD36 has generated inconsistent findings for effects on atherosclerosis.6–8 Once inside the cell, lipoprotein-derived cholesterol ester is cleaved in lysosomes by an acidic …
From pilot studies to confirmatory studies.

Pilot studies serve an important role in clinical research. They provide information needed to design large confirmatory studies that aim to provide definitive evidence on the efficacy/effectiveness of novel interventions. In the drug development process, phase I and II studies are used to prepare for the conduct of confirmatory phase III trials. In investigator-initiated studies supported by the government such a long developmental process is usually unfeasible, so pilot studies for these projects typically use smaller samples over shorter periods of time than planned for the main study. As a planning tool, pilot studies can be used for a variety of objectives. First, pilot studies can be used to assess the feasibility of confirmatory studies, to rule out those that might sound appealing on paper but cannot be implemented effectively in practice. Second, pilot studies can be used to ‘debug’ the protocols of confirmatory studies, to help identify remedies necessary to ensure the success for the subsequent confirmatory studies. Third, pilot studies can be used to guide the prioritization of resource allocation, to pursue the most promising interventions, and to withhold further efforts from not-so-promising interventions. It should be noted that a pilot study cannot be a stand-alone study. Rather, it is necessary for a pilot study to be designed and evaluated along with its companion confirmatory study, which is to be conducted after the pilot study if the findings from the pilot study support the decision to move forward with the confirmatory study. As a planning tool for the confirmatory study, the pilot study should be designed specifically to address the needs of the confirmatory study. Therefore, I assume for the rest of this essay that the pilot study and the confirmatory study are being considered jointly.
Enhanced Design Flow and Optimizations for Multiproject Wafers

The aggressive scaling of very large-scale integration feature size and the pervasive use of advanced reticle enhancement technologies lead to dramatic increases in mask costs, pushing prototype and low-volume production designs to the limit of economic feasibility. Multiproject wafers (MPWs), or "shuttle" runs, provide an attractive solution for such designs by providing a mechanism to share the cost of mask tooling among up to tens of designs. However, MPW reticle floorplanning and wafer dicing introduce complexities that are not encountered in typical single-project wafers. Recent works on wafer dicing adopt one or more of the following assumptions to reduce problem complexity: 1) equal production volume requirement for all designs; 2) same dicing plan used for all wafers or for all rows/columns of reticle images on a wafer; 3) unrealistic wafer models such as a rectangular array of projections; and 4) fixed wafer shot-map. Although using one or more of the aforementioned assumptions makes the problem solvable, the performance of the solutions is degraded. In this paper, a comprehensive MPW flow aimed at minimizing the number of wafers needed to fulfil given die production volumes is proposed. The proposed flow includes two main steps: 1) multiproject reticle floorplanning and 2) wafer shot-map and dicing plan definition. For each of these steps, improved algorithms are proposed as follows. The proposed reticle floorplanner uses a hierarchical quadrisection combined with simulated annealing to generate "diceable" floorplans, observing given maximum reticle sizes. The proposed dicing planner allows multiple side-to-side dicing plans for different wafers and different reticle projection rows/columns within a wafer and further improves the dicing yield by partitioning each wafer into a small number of parts before individual die extraction. A wafer shot-map definition heuristic is also proposed in order to fully utilize round wafer real estate by extracting the maximum number of functional dies from both fully and partially printed reticle images. Experiments on industry test cases show that the proposed methods outperform significantly not only previous methods in the literature but also reticle floorplans manually designed by experienced engineers
Automated CT Scan Scores of Bronchiectasis and Air Trapping in Cystic Fibrosis

Background Computer analysis of high-resolution CT (HRCT) scans may improve the assessment of structural lung injury in children with cystic fibrosis (CF). The goal of this cross-sectional pilot study was to validate automated, observer-independent image analysis software to establish objective, simple criteria for bronchiectasis and air trapping. Methods HRCT scans of the chest were performed in 35 children with CF and compared with scans from 12 disease control subjects. Automated image analysis software was developed to count visible airways on inspiratory images and to measure a low attenuation density (LAD) index on expiratory images. Among the children with CF, relationships among automated measures, Brody HRCT scanning scores, lung function, and sputum markers of inflammation were assessed. Results The number of total, central, and peripheral airways on inspiratory images and LAD (%) on expiratory images were significantly higher in children with CF compared with control subjects. Among subjects with CF, peripheral airway counts correlated strongly with Brody bronchiectasis scores by two raters ( r = 0.86, P r = 0.91, P r = 0.83, P r = 0.69, P Conclusions Quantitative airway counts and LAD (%) on HRCT scans appear to be useful surrogates for bronchiectasis and air trapping in children with CF. Our automated methodology provides objective quantitative measures of bronchiectasis and air trapping that may serve as end points in CF clinical trials.
The Microphysical Structure and Evolution of Hawaiian Rainband Clouds. Part I: Radar Observations of Rainbands Containing High Reflectivity Cores

Abstract Radar reflectivity factors exceeding 60 dBZ are documented within shallow ( 0°C), summertime tropical rainbands offshore of the island of Hawaii. Dual-Doppler radar measurements from the Hawaiian Rainband Project are used to document the formation, evolution, and kinematic structure of the high reflectivity cores. The authors show that extremely high radar reflectivities (50–60 dBZ) can develop from echo free regions (−20 dBZ) within approximately 15 min and are preceded by 5–9 m s−1 peak updrafts. High reflectivities (>50 dBZ) typically first formed in the middle or upper part of the clouds. Over the next 10–15 min, the mature high reflectivity cores extended vertically through the cloud depth and then collapsed to the surface as the updrafts weakened. A near-upright orientation of most updrafts producing these high reflectivity cores is conceptually consistent with the idea that large raindrops grow in the highest liquid water content while falling through the updraft core. Strong...
A directory of families of infinitely extendible Archimedean copulas

This article introduces families of strict multivariate Archimedean copulas, C, the ordering of copulas within these families, and associated boundary copulas. The new families are compared with the Clayton, Frank, and Gumbel families with regard to measures of dependence, including tail dependence, Kendall's tau, and Spearman's rho for dimensions 2, 3, and 4. A new inequality that gives maximal values of C ( u , v ) - u v is conjectured.
Microfabricated Silicon Carbide Microengine Structures

A research and development program is underway to develop technology for a MEMS-based microgas turbine engine. The thermodynamic requirements of power-generating turbomachinery drive the design towards high rotational speeds and high temperatures. To achieve the specified performance requires materials with high specific strength and creep resistance at elevated temperatures. The thermal and mechanical properties of silicon carbide make it an attractive candidate for such an application. Silicon carbide as well as silicon-silicon carbide hybrid structures are being designed and fabricated utilizing chemical vapor deposition of relatively thick silicon carbide layers (10–100 µm) over time multiplexed deep etched silicon molds. The silicon can be selectively dissolved away to yield high aspect ratio silicon carbide structures with features that are hundreds of microns tall. Research has been performed to characterize the capabilities of this process. Specimens obtained to date show very good conformality and step coverage with a fine (≈0.1 µm dia.) columnar microstructure. Surface roughness (Rq) of the films is on the order of 100 nm, becoming rougher with thicker deposition. Residual stress limits the achievable thickness, as the strain energy contained within the compressive film increases its susceptibility to cracking. Room temperature biaxial mechanical testing of CVD silicon carbide exhibits a reference strength of 724 MPa with a Weibull modulus, m =16.0.
Abstract 2153: Active PAK6 induces aneuploidy in breast cancer cells

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL The natural history of breast cancer remains largely undefined. More than 50% of the clinical specimen exhibits aneuploidy. Among these aneuploid cancers, 50% has chromosome copy number near tetraploid. The high incidence of aneupoidy in advanced breast cancer is thought to be a byproduct of chromosome mis-segregation resulting from mutations of checkpoint-regulating tumor suppressor genes associated with disease progression. However, new large-scale sequencing projects reveal that most tumors contain approximately 14-20 different mutant genes, suggesting that genomes and karyotypes of cancer cells are equally heterogeneous. This notion revives the old concept that aneuploidy resulting from chromosome mis-segregation or other similar mechanisms may play an active role leading to transformation and disease progression. A novel p21-activated kinase 6 (PAK6) was recently identified to be an androgen receptor (AR) and estrogen receptor (ER) interacting protein. An estrogen-stimulated PAK6 activation was observed in breast cancer BT474 cells. This activation is mediated by estrogen-stimulated activation of PKA. At the cellular level, active PAK6 promotes breast cancer MCF7 cell metastatic phenotypes including increased cell motility, matrigel invasion and soft agar growth. Further characterization of breast cancer MCF7 cells expressing PAK6 constitutive active mutant revealed an accumulation of cells with higher ploidy as compared to that of parental MCF7. Using a proteomic approach to determine the PAK6 downstream target, we identified that Cdt1, a DNA pre-replicative complex (pre-RC) subunit, is overexpressed in response to PAK6 activation. In eukaryotes, the expression and stability of Cdt1 are strictly regulated to ensure only one round of DNA replication in each cell cycle. Deregulated overexpression of Cdt1 has previously been demonstrated to induce aneuploidy and malignant transformation due to re-initiation of DNA replication within the same S-phase. The identification of Cdt1 overexpression in response to PAK6 activation provides a plausible mechanism for the observed accumulation of higher ploidy cells in MCF7 expressing active PAK6. These findings directly link the hormonal signals to the DNA replication process and maintenance of genomic integrity. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2153. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-2153
Does my patient have HIT? There should be an app for that

In this issue of Blood, Nagler et al present a systematic review and meta-analysis on the diagnostic accuracy of immunoassays for heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). Their data, when combined with the 4T score, provide an easy-to-use, evidence-based framework for estimating the probability of HIT
EFFECTS OF La ON STRUCTURES AND PROPERTIES OF Al-Mg-Li ALLOY

The effects of La on structures and properties of Al-Mg-Li alloys were in-vestigated.Experiments results show:at peak aging condition,strength and elongation in-crease in the Al-5Mg-2.4Li alloy added by rare earth element La,which is resulted fromthe refinement Al_2MgLi particales and particles bearing transition elements,repressingrecrystallization,the decrease in size of δ′phase and proportion of intercrystalline fracture.
A nucleotide receptor in vascular endothelial cells is specifically activated by the fully ionized forms of ATP and UTP

Extracellular ATP causes an increase in the concentration of cytoplasmic free calcium ([Ca2+]i) in bovine pulmonary-artery endothelial (BPAE) cells that results in the synthesis and release of prostacyclin (PGI2), a potent vasodilator and inhibitor of platelet aggregation. We show here that PGI2 release in BPAE cells correlates with the concentration of the fully ionized form of extracellular ATP (ATP4-) and not with the concentration of other ionic forms of ATP. Concentrations as low as 10 nM-ATP4- elicited an increase in PGI2 release [EC50 (concn. giving half-maximal stimulation) 3 microM] in BPAE cells incubated in an iso-osmotic medium, pH 7.4, lacking Ca2+ and Mg2+. When the pH or the Mg2+ concentration of the medium was varied so as to maintain a constant level of ATP4-, while varying the concentration of proton-ATP (HATP3-) or MgATP2- respectively, PGI2 release remained constant. An inhibitory effect of extracellular Mg2+ on PGI2 release could be attributed solely to a decrease in the concentration of ATP4-. In contrast with Mg2+, extracellular Ca2+ stimulated PGI2 release induced by ATP. Several results suggest that extracellular Ca2+ modulates PGI2 release by increasing Ca2+ uptake through an ATP(4-)-activated plasma-membrane channel. In BPAE cells incubated in Ca(2+)-free medium, ATP elicited a transient increase in [Ca2+]i that declined to the basal level within 60 s. In cells incubated in Ca(2+)-containing medium, ATP caused an increase in [Ca2+]i that had two components: a transient peak in [Ca2+]i (0-60 s) and a sustained increase in [Ca2+]i that was maintained for several minutes after ATP addition. Increasing the concentration of extracellular calcium from 0.25 mM to 10 mM had no effect on the transient rise in [Ca2+]i induced by ATP, but significantly enhanced the magnitude of the sustained increase in [Ca2+]i. Alterations in the magnitude of the sustained increase in [Ca2+]i would likely modulate PGI2 release, which was not complete until 2 min after ATP addition. Extracellular Ca2+ also stimulated PGI2 release induced by bradykinin. Bradykinin caused a sustained increase in [Ca2+]i in BPAE cells in the presence of extracellular Ca2+. Finally, the magnitude of PGI2 release induced by UTP, a more potent agonist than ATP, correlated with the concentration of extracellular fully ionized UTP (UTP4-). These findings support the hypothesis that nucleotide receptors in BPAE cells recognize the fully ionized form of ATP and UTP and are coupled to signal-transduction pathways involving the mobilization of intracellular Ca2+, the influx of extracellular Ca2+ and the subsequent release of PGI2.
Inflammatory fibrous polyp (pseudotumor) of ileum.

Clinically and grossly, an inflammatory fibrous polyp of the ileum may resemble an ulcerated polypoid carcinoma and may produce intussusception or partial bowel obstruction. Only eight cases of this distinctive lesion have been reported in the literature; the findings in these cases and in three new cases discussed here.
Critical evaluation of chemical neurolysis of the sympathetic axis for cancer pain.

Background Patients with pain caused by cancer frequently experience visceral pain. In addition to oral pharmacologic therapy to manage pain, neurolytic blocks of the sympathetic axis are also effective in controlling visceral cancer pain. Methods Four types of neurolytic blocks (interpleural phenol, celiac plexus, superior hypogastric plexus, and ganglion impar) used in the treatment of visceral cancer pain are reviewed. Results Several studies have documented the efficacy of neurolytic blocks in reducing pain intensity and opioid consumption. However, the narrow risk-benefit ratio associated with neurolysis techniques requires knowledge of the implications associated with the different neurolytic blocks to minimize undesirable effects. Conclusions Neurolysis of the sympathetic axis has been shown to be an effective and safe approach to treat visceral pain in cancer patients and should be incorporated in the armamentarium of the pain specialist as a useful adjunct to oral pharmacologic therapy.
Approximation ofk-Monotone Functions

It is shown that an algebraic polynomial of degree ?k?1 which interpolates ak-monotone functionfatkpoints, sufficiently approximates it, even if the points of interpolation are close to each other. It is well known that this result is not true in general for non-k-monotone functions. As an application, we prove a (positive) result on simultaneous approximation of ak-monotone function and its derivatives inLp,0
Biological characteristics of lower Amur grayling Thymallus tugarinae (Salmoniformes: Thymallidae): 3. reproductive biology

We discuss peculiarities of the reproductive biology of lower Amur grayling Thymallus tugarinae. The sex ratio in most of the studied samples was close to 1 : 1, but sometimes it might differ due to various reasons. Females dominated among the specimens entering the first reproduction period; the rate of females decreased in the fish older than 5 years. Maturation was usual in fish that reached 20-cm body length, which referred to the age 3+. The males became mature a year after the females of the same age in a half of the studied rivers. Absolute fecundity, egg size and weight, as well as gonad-somatic index, correlated positively to the age of the fish, its body weight, and length. The lower Amur grayling spawned from the end of April through the last decade of May at the water temperatures exceeding +6°C in the downwelling areas located upstream the riffles, on the small-size gravel bottom sediments, at the depths of 0.8 m and less, where the current velocity was less than 0.7 m/s. The spawning grounds in the main riverbed and tributaries of the lower stream of the Anyui River comprised 426.3 ± 148.6 m2 per km2, or 0.32 ± 0.11% of the water-surface area.
Medical Support for Expedition-Length Adventure Races

Expedition-length adventure races are competitive team events held on courses covering hundreds of miles requiring athletes to perform in multiple disciplines including trail running, trekking, mountaineering, technical climbing, orienteering, caving, white-water boating, mountain biking, and horseback riding. The first races started in 1980 and have developed into internationally televised events.
A method for the automatic generation of inverse kinematic maps in modular robotic systems

Flexible manufacturing based on rapidly reconfigurable robotic systems will enable factories to meet time-sensitive and fast-changing industrial demands. However, with the rise of modular systems there is also the need to quickly and easily determine which configuration is optimal for performing a certain task. In this article, we present a path-based ad hoc technique for determining the inverse and forward kinematics map based on relative joint space variable to reduce the computational complexity. The proposed technique is nonsingular and suits kinematic analysis and optimization of robotic systems with undetermined configuration, and it can be extended to solve generalized inverse kinematic of robotics system involving large number of joint variable.
Microbial and Quality Assessment of Household Food Discards1

Quality aspects and microbial counts of household food discards were determined. Samples were analyzed for total aerobic and anaerobic plate counts, total coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus , total anaerobes, Clostridium perfringens , and molds. The length of household storage time, the householder's reason for discard, the householder's safety assessment of the food and laboratory panel evaluations of off-odor, off-color and off-texture were compared to the laboratory microbial analyses. In 62% of the microbiologically analyzed foods, the householder did not make correct safety assessments. In 9% of the microbiologically analyzed foods, an assessment of safe was made by the householder for foods which wre determined to be at risk. Aerobic plate counts (APC) were made after incubation at 5, 20, and 35°C. Panel odor scores were more closely related to APC at 5°C than to those at 20 or 35°C.
Cost-Effectiveness of Staphylococcus aureus Decolonization Strategies in High-Risk Total Joint Arthroplasty Patients

Abstract Background The risk of prosthetic joint infection increases with Staphylococcus aureus colonization. The cost-effectiveness of decolonization is controversial. We evaluated cost-effectiveness decolonization protocols in high-risk arthroplasty patients. Methods An analytical model evaluated risk under 3 protocols: 4 swabs, 2 swabs, and nasal swab alone. These were compared to no-screening and universal decolonization strategies. Cost-effectiveness was evaluated from the hospital, patient, and societal perspective. Results Under base case conditions, universal decolonization and 4-swab strategies were most effective. The 2-swab and universal decolonization strategy were most cost-effective from patient and societal perspectives. From the hospital perspective, universal decolonization was the dominant strategy (much less costly and more effective). Conclusion S aureus decolonization may be cost-effective for reducing prosthetic joint infections in high-risk patients. These results may have important implications for treatment of patients and for cost containment in a bundled payment system.
Evaluation of combined low-salinity water and microgel treatments to improve oil recovery using partial fractured carbonate models

Abstract Combining two methods in one process to enhance oil recovery represents a needed cost savings in the oil industry. Microgels are used as conformance control agents to improve oil sweep efficiency and control excess water production. Low-salinity waterflooding (LSWF) is used as a wettability alteration agent in carbonate reservoirs and improves displacement efficiency. This paper offers a comprehensive understanding of the combined technology through laboratory experiments. The focus of this study is to see how microgels and low water salinity perform in porous media by creating flow resistance to injected fluid thereby changing the wettability and enhancing the sweep and displacement efficiency. This study elucidates the influence of swelling ratio, fracture width, microgel-placed pressure, and wettability on the oil recovery factor and water residual resistance factor (Frrw). A set of carbonate cores from Indiana Limestone was used to evaluate the performance of the combined method in partially open fractures. The model was constructed of two acrylic plates, and microgels and brine movements were visible through a transparent side of the model. Result shows that oil recovery factor increases with swelling ratio and microgel placed pressure but decreases with the increase of fracture width. It was shown that oil recovery improved by 10% when the swelling ratio increased from 40% to 160% and improved by 9% when fracture width decreased from 0.8 cm to 0.2 cm. Also, the combined method shows larger effect in the oil-wet core when compared to the water-wet core. Frrw increases with the increase in swelling ratio and microgel-placed pressure but decreases with the increase of fracture width.
Radiation Dose and Procedure Time for 994 CT-guided Spine Pain Control Procedures.

BACKGROUND Image guidance for spine pain control procedures, including epidural steroid injection, nerve root block, and facet block, can be performed with either computed tomography (CT) or conventional fluoroscopy. CT has the advantage of improved anatomic localization and use of air for contrast; however, there are concerns that CT leads to higher radiation dose and longer procedure time. OBJECTIVE To evaluate procedure time and radiation dose for multiple types of spine pain control procedures performed under CT guidance. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective evaluation. SETTING Department of radiology in single academic medical center. METHODS Institutional review board approval was obtained. We reviewed CT-guided spine procedures performed over a 12-month period from January 2012 to December 2012. Procedure type, procedure time, and dose-length product were recorded. Patient age and gender were recorded for each case; additionally, demographic and medical history data were obtained for a sub-group of patients. RESULTS Nine hundred ninety-four studies (performed in 699 patients) were reviewed, including 585 epidural steroid injections, 228 nerve root blocks, and 90 facet blocks. For all studies, procedure time averaged 7:34 ± 5:05, and dose-length product averaged 75 mGy·cm ± 61. Additional medical history (available for 483 patients) revealed high rate of obesity (body mass index [BMI] = 30 ± 6.8, with 76% of patients overweight [BMI > 25] and 42% obese [BMI > 30]), and frequent medical comorbidities (including hypertension [n = 179], diabetes [n = 101], renal failure [n = 30], and heart failure [n = 17]). LIMITATIONS This study was performed retrospectively, and limited to a single institution. CONCLUSION These findings add to the growing evidence that CT guidance is a safe and effective technique for epidural steroid injection. These results further demonstrate that other spine intervention procedures, including nerve root block and facet block, can also be performed under CT guidance with short procedure time and reasonable levels of radiation exposure. This approach can be effectively used in a patient population with a high rate of obesity and medical comorbidities.
Acting on Outcome-Based Evaluation Results

Chapter 10 focused on reporting OBE analyses so that one is both credible and communicative. This is not the same as acting on the analysis. Many bookshelves (if not rooms) are filled with evaluation reports that are both credible and communicative, yet are collecting more dust than readers or action. Thus a logical question is “Why aren’t more evaluation studies acted on?”
In Vivo Knockdown of the Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Latency-Associated Transcript Reduces Reactivation from Latency

During herpes simplex virus (HSV) latency, most viral genes are silenced, with the exception of one region of the genome encoding the latency-associated transcript (LAT). This long noncoding RNA was originally described as having a role in enhancing HSV-1 reactivation. However, subsequent evidence showing that the LAT blocked apoptosis and promoted efficient establishment of latency suggested that its effects on reactivation were secondary to establishment. Here, we utilized an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector to deliver a LAT-targeting hammerhead ribozyme to HSV-1-infected neurons of rabbits after the establishment of HSV-1 latency. The rabbits were then induced to reactivate latent HSV-1. Using this model, we show that decreasing LAT levels in neurons following the establishment of latency reduced the ability of the virus to reactivate. This demonstrates that the HSV-1 LAT RNA has a role in reactivation that is independent of its function in establishment of latency. In addition, these results suggest the potential of AAV vectors expressing LAT-targeting ribozymes as a potential therapy for recurrent HSV disease such as herpes stromal keratitis, a leading cause of infectious blindness.IMPORTANCE Herpes simplex virus (HSV) establishes a lifelong infection and remains dormant (latent) in our nerve cells. Occasionally HSV reactivates to cause disease, with HSV-1 typically causing cold sores whereas HSV-2 is the most common cause of genital herpes. The details of how HSV reactivates are largely unknown. Most of HSV's genes are silent during latency, with the exception of RNAs made from the latency-associated transcript (LAT) region. While viruses that make less LAT do not reactivate efficiently, these viruses also do not establish latency as efficiently. Here we deliver a ribozyme that can degrade the LAT to the nerve cells of latently infected rabbits using a gene therapy vector. We show that this treatment blocks reactivation in the majority of the rabbits. This work shows that the LAT RNA is important for reactivation and suggests the potential of this treatment as a therapy for treating HSV infections.
The Evaluation of Debt Exchanges

An approach is presented for analyzing debt-for-debt exchanges from the perspective of the exchange`s impact on the country`s contractual obligations and from the perspective of the creditors whose participation is sought. A general model is developed for valuing partially guaranteed debt instruments and an intuitive motivation is suggested for upper and lower bounds on the valuation of instruments carrying specific as well as rolling guarantees. An appendix presents several easily employed rules of thumb which have been suggested in the literature for valuing collateralized instruments and for estimating the possible net debt reduction achievable through their issuance.
A proposed classification of familial Alzheimer’s disease based on analysis of 32 multigeneration pedigrees

We propose a classification of familial Alzheimer’s disease (FAD) based on our clinical and pathological analysis of 32 kindreds with multigeneration dementia. The classification can briefly be stated as follows I. Early onset FAD with mean age of onset before 50 years; II. Late onset FAD with mean age of onset after 60 years; III. Intermediate/variable onset FAD; IV. Familial dementia with atypical Alzheimer changes; V. FAD without multigeneration involvement.
Identity and Public Policy: Do Female State Legislators Affect Crime in the US?

Current research argues that female politicians steer funding away from correction institutions toward other activities related to their policy preferences, such as health care, and that this diversion negatively affects the state spending on prisons. This paper shows that female politicians in the US do not have any immediate negative effect on actual crime rates. The OLS estimates show that female politicians have a significant but negligible effect on crime. To address any endogeniety concerns, I use success rates of female politicians in close elections against male politicians as an instrument. The instrumental variable results show that female politicians do not have a statistically significant effect on crime rates. I then make recommendations for future research, taking into account the diversity of policy makers' identities. To the best of my knowledge this is the first paper which links economics of crime to the growing literature on identity of policy makers.
Meropenem synovial fluid concentrations after intravenous regional limb perfusion in standing horses.

Objective To determine meropenem concentrations in radiocarpal (RC) joint fluid and plasma after intravenous regional limb perfusion (IVRLP). Study design In vivo experimental study. Animals Nine healthy adult mares. Methods Meropenem (500 mg) was injected in the forelimb of standing sedated horses via IVRLP with a pneumatic tourniquet inflated to 400 mmHg. Synovial fluid was collected from RC joints at 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 18 hours after meropenem injection. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein at the same time points and at 5 and 15 minutes following injection. Meropenem concentrations were determined by using a microbiological bioassay. Results Median synovial fluid concentrations reached a time of maximum synovial fluid concentration 0.5 hours after IVRLP. Synovial fluid concentrations varied greatly, with a mean maximum synovial fluid concentration of 25.6 µg/mL (range, below limit of quantitation to 75.5). Concentrations remained above the breakpoint for susceptibility (1 µg/mL) for 3 hours (last nonzero concentration measured, median) and 4.1 hours (predicted, mean). Concentrations >6 µg/mL were measured for 2 hours (observed, median) and 1.7 hours (predicted, mean). Six horses had mild swelling at the injection site. Conclusion Administration of 500 mg meropenem resulted in highly variable concentrations between horses and achieved levels above clinically relevant minimum inhibitory concentration for a minor portion of a once-daily dosing interval. Clinical significance If time-dependent pharmacodynamics apply, IVRLP with 500 mg of meropenem may be ineffective and would likely promote resistance.