cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relationship of serum C-reactive protein and blood glucose levels with injury severity and patient morbidity in a pediatric trauma population.

Abstract Purpose Serum markers of inflammation and of glucose production are known to reflect the immediate metabolic response to injury. We hypothesized that monitoring of the early C-reactive protein (CRP) and blood glucose (BG) concentrations would correlate with clinical morbidity and outcome measures in pediatric trauma patients. Methods A five-year retrospective chart review of pediatric trauma patients admitted to our Level I pediatric trauma center was conducted to establish the relationships between early (first 3 hospital days) serum CRP and BG concentrations, Injury Severity Score (ISS), and hospital length of stay (HLOS). Statistical significance ( P Results Forty-two trauma patients (8.0 ± 5.2 years) were evaluated. The early inflammatory response (CRP ≥ 10 vs P P = 0.003). Both increased inflammatory response (CRP;8.1 ± 6.4 vs 2.5 ± 3.5 mg/dL) and increased glycemic response (BG;111 ± 15.9 vs 97.4 ± 11.7 mg/dL) were independently and significantly associated with prolonged hospitalization (HLOS > 7 vs ≤7 days, P Conclusion This study establishes a significant relationship between the early inflammatory and glycemic injury response and the association of that response with pediatric trauma patient morbidity and outcome measures.
Properties of Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections at One AU During 1995 – 2004

We present a comprehensive survey of 230 interplanetary CMEs (ICMEs) during 1995 – 2004 using Wind and ACE in situ observations near one AU, and examine the solar-cycle variation of the occurrence rate, shock association rate, scale size, velocity change, and other properties of ICMEs. The ICME occurrence rate increases (from 5 in 1996 to 40 in 2001) with solar activity; and 66% of all ICMEs occurred with shock(s). A compound parameter, the total pressure perpendicular to the magnetic field (Pt), i.e., the sum of magnetic and perpendicular plasma thermal pressures, assists us in effectively distinguishing ICMEs from other solar-wind structures such as stream interactions, and in quantifying the interaction strength. We interpret the characteristic signatures of the Pt temporal variation in terms of the inferred distance perpendicular to the flow to the center of the obstacle. Group 1 includes events that appear to be traversed near the ICME center, showing an apparent enhanced central Pt; Group 3 represents ICMEs passed far away from the center, displaying a rapid rise and then gradual decay in Pt; and Group 2 includes events with intermediate signatures. About 36% of 198 classifiable ICMEs are Group 1 events, consistent with the conventional wisdom that at one AU a magnetic cloud is found during crossings of only ~1/3 of ICMEs. Our set of Group 1 ICMEs and the set of magnetic clouds from other researchers have significant overlap and a similar solar-cycle dependence. The rough decline of the Group 1 fraction as solar activity increases, is consistent with rough increases of scale size, shock percentage, and peak Pt. These results call into question the need to have different mechanisms to create differently appearing ICMEs. Rather it is possible that all ICMEs have a central flux rope that is traversed about 33% of the time, but in the majority of cases is missed by the spacecraft.
Fine-needle aspiration cytology in pancreatic endocrine tumors.

Pancreatic endocrine tumors (PETs) are relatively uncommon neoplasms. Although their histologic patterns have been widely studied, their cytologic features as they appear in fine-needle aspiration (FNA) specimens have rarely been reported. In this study, aspirates of seven PETs, four primary and three metastatic lesions (two to liver and one to bone), are described. The tumors occurred in seven men ranging in age from 37 to 72 yr. Six tumors presented as nonfunctioning masses and one produced Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. Three were located in the head of the pancreas and four in the body and tail. The pancreatic and liver aspirations were performed under computed tomographic guidance and the bone lesion, under fluoroscopy. The aspiration specimens were hypercellular. The tumor cells occurred singly and in small clusters. In three cases, there was a tendency toward acinar formations. In two cases, there were prominent, thin-walled, branching blood vessels with tumor cells attached to the vascular walls. The cells were round or polygonal with a moderate amount of finely granular, well-defined cytoplasm. The nuclei were eccentrically located and round-to-oval—with one or two small nucleoli and finely granular, evenly-dispersed chromatin. The diagnosis was confirmed by immunocytochemistry (two cases) and electron microscopy (four cases) of the aspirated material and histology sections of the resected tumors (two cases). The results of this study demonstrate that FNA is a useful method to establish the diagnosis of PETs. Diagn Cytopathol 1987;3:35–40.
Very Strong Binding of Lithocholic Acid to β-Cyclodextrin

Lithocholic acid binds to β-cyclodextrin in water with a binding constant exceeding one million M−1, much higher than that of other substrates. The A,B ring cis fusion permits better filling of the cyclodextrin cavity. © 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.
The effect of dietary phosphate supplements on dental caries incidence in tropical Brazil.

Abstract A comparison of caries increment was made in 216 children aged 6–13 years in Fordlandia, Northern Brazil, whose mandioca was supplemented with 2% dicalcium phosphate, and 165 children in the adjacent control town of Belterra. The high mandioca diet eaten in both towns had an extremely low calcium content. After 30 months' use of the phosphate-enriched mandioca, 39.8 per cent of the initially sound teeth and 17.4 per cent of the sound surfaces in the Fordlandia children had become carious, whereas the figures for Belterra were 45.4 and 20.7 per cent respectively. The greatest differences in caries increment were found in the occlusal and buccal surfaces of the first molars. In both the second molars and premolars which erupted during the study there was significantly (P
Superior Temporal Gyrus, Language Function, and Autism

Deficits in language are a core feature of autism. The superior temporal gyrus (STG) is involved in auditory processing, including language, but also has been implicated as a critical structure in social cognition. It was hypothesized that subjects with autism would display different size-function relationships between the STG and intellectual-language-based abilities when compared to controls. Intellectual ability was assessed by either the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III) or Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III), where three intellectual quotients (IQ) were computed: verbal (VIQ), performance (PIQ), and full-scale (FSIQ). Language ability was assessed by the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Third Edition (CELF-3), also divided into three index scores: receptive, expressive, and total. Seven to 19-year-old rigorously diagnosed subjects with autism (n = 30) were compared to controls (n = 39; 13 of whom had a deficit in reading) of similar age who were matched on education, PIQ, and head circumference. STG volumes were computed based on 1.5 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). IQ and CELF-3 performance were highly interrelated regardless of whether subjects had autism or were controls. Both IQ and CELF-3 ability were positively correlated with STG in controls, but a different pattern was observed in subjects with autism. In controls, left STG gray matter was significantly (r = .42, p < or = .05) related to receptive language on the CELF-3; in contrast, a zero order correlation was found with autism. When plotted by age, potential differences in growth trajectories related to language development associated with STG were observed between controls and those subjects with autism. Taken together, these findings suggest a possible failure in left hemisphere lateralization of language function involving the STG in autism.
Synthesis and Characterization of Hyperbranched Polyazomethine Ablators for Space Exploration Applications

A novel series of ablative composites containing a hyperbranched polyazomethine synthesized inside a carbon fiber preform (HyPAZA) were prepared, which have similar density to phenolic impregnated carbon ablators (∼0.3 g/cc). A novel method of synthesizing strong hyperbranched polyazomethine thermosets has been developed, enabling polyazomethines to be studied in ablators for the first time. Several formulations of HyPAZA perform better than the phenolic impregnated carbon ablator in terms of polymer char yield, composite mechanical strength, CO2 laser ablation tests at heat fluxes of 550 and 1100 W/cm2, and small-scale arcjet testing at a heat flux of 400 W/cm2. Char yields of hyperbranched polyazomethines were as high as 79% at 1000°C by thermogravimetric analysis. This is one of the highest char yields ever reported for a fully organic polymer. Some HyPAZA composites are over 10 times stronger than the carbon fiber preform, as determined by compression tests. Specimens were also tested in an arcjet ...
Compensation in International Licensing Agreements

This study examines licensing agreements between independent firms based on their compensation structures. We first suggest that a licensor's ability to monitor and influence foreign licensees is related to the type of compensation used in structuring the relationship. Next, we identify a set of factors, related to host country conditions where the technology is licensed, stage in the technology life cycle, and licensor firm characteristics, that impact the choice between different compensation structures. Empirical findings based on a survey of U.S. firms generally support the hypotheses proposed in this study.
STOVE: Strict, Observable, Verifiable Data and Execution Models for Untrusted Applications

The massive growth in mobile devices is likely to give rise to the leasing out of compute and data resources on mobile devices to third-parties to enable applications to be run across multiple mobile devices. However, users who lease their mobile devices out need to run applications from unknown third-parties, and these untrusted applications may harm their devices or access unauthorized personal data. We propose STOVE, a data and execution model for structuring untrusted applications to be secure by construction, to achieve strict and verifiable execution isolation, and observable access control for data. STOVE uses formal logic to verify that untrusted code meets isolation properties which imply that hosts running the code cannot be harmed, and that untrusted code cannot directly access host data. STOVE performs all data accesses on behalf of untrusted code, allowing all access control decisions to be reliably performed in one place. Thus, users can run untrusted applications structured using the STOVE model on their systems, with strong guarantees, based on formal proofs, that these applications will not harm their system nor access unauthorized data.
Towards a global fund for the health MDGs

2110 www.thelancet.com Vol 373 June 20, 2009 renal denervation in our study were less than we saw with offi ce blood pressure measurements. Neither approach will completely overcome the problem of placebo and Hawthorne eff ects since this requires a control group, which was not formally included in this fi rst-inman study. It was always the intention that, if the fi rst-in-man study provided positive safety and effi cacy signals, a randomised controlled trial would then be done, with all patients undergoing ABPM as well as offi ce measurements to provide more defi nitive data on the size of the blood pressure response to this technique. This is indeed the design of the ongoing Ardian Symplicity HTN-2 randomised controlled trial of catheter-based denervation in patients with resistant hypertension.
Low doses of carbon monoxide protect against experimental focal brain ischemia

Carbon monoxide (CO) is associated with central nervous system toxicity. However, evidence also indicates that CO can be protective, depending on its concentration. To determine if CO can be neuroprotective after ischemic brain injury, we subjected mice to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion and exposed them to different concentrations of CO. We found that in mice, low CO levels protected the brain from injury following 90-min transient focal ischemia and 48 h of reperfusion. When inhalation of 125 or 250 ppm CO began immediately at the onset of reperfusion, total hemispheric infarct volume was reduced by 32.1 ± 8.9% and 62.2 ± 14.4%, respectively; with an extended therapeutic window of 1–3 h after ischemia, CO inhalation also attenuated infarct volume significantly. Furthermore, early CO exposure limited brain edema formation by 3.2 ± 0.8% (125 ppm) and 2.6 ± 0.3% (250 ppm). Finally, CO inhalation significantly improved neurological deficit scores at 48 h of survival time after ischemia. Transient elevation of carboxyhemoglobin levels returned rapidly to baseline when CO exposure was stopped. These findings suggest a potential application of CO to treat brain ischemic stroke.
The transcription factor neural retina leucine zipper (NRL) controls photoreceptor-specific expression of myocyte enhancer factor Mef2c from an alternative promoter.

Neural retina leucine zipper (NRL) is an essential transcription factor for cell fate specification and functional maintenance of rod photoreceptors in the mammalian retina. In the Nrl−/− mouse retina, photoreceptor precursors fail to produce rods and generate functional cone photoreceptors that predominantly express S-opsin. Previous global expression analysis using microarrays revealed dramatically reduced expression of myocyte enhancer factor Mef2c in the adult Nrl−/− retina. We undertook this study to examine the biological relevance of Mef2c expression in retinal rod photoreceptors. Bioinformatics analysis, rapid analysis of cDNA ends (5′-RACE), and reverse transcription coupled with qPCR using splice site-specific oligonucleotides suggested that Mef2c is expressed in the mature retina from an alternative promoter. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) studies showed the association of active RNA polymerase II and acetylated histone H3 just upstream of Mef2c exon 4, providing additional evidence for the utilization of an alternative promoter in the retina. In concordance, we observed the binding of NRL to a putative NRL-response element (NRE) at this location by ChIP-seq and electrophoretic mobility shift assays. NRL also activated the Mef2c alternative promoter in vitro and in vivo. Notably, MEF2C could support Rhodopsin promoter activity in rod photoreceptors. We conclude that Mef2c expression from an alternative promoter in the retina is regulated by NRL. Our studies also implicate MEF2C as a transcriptional regulator of homeostasis in rod photoreceptor cells.
Elimination of the diffuse layer by specific adsorption of anions on mercury from dilute aqueous solutions

Summary The electronic surface charge density of mercury electrodes has been measured as a function of their potentials in solutions of 1 mM MX, 1 mM MX+50 μM Na2SO4, and 1 mM MX+50 μM LaCl3, where MX is NaF, NaN3, NaCl, KNO3, KI, and NaH2PO4. In the cases of NaN3, NaCl, and KNO3, plots of the surface charge density vs. potential on the positive side of the potential of zero charge are essentially identical whether or not the multiply-charged ions are present. This indicates that there is no diffuse layer present, that the potential at the outer Helmholtz layer is zero, and that the amount of anion specifically adsorbed is equal in magnitude to the surface charge density, in accord with previous conclusions based on differential capacity measurements. In the case of 1 mM KI, the anion adsorption slightly exceeds the surface charge density at all positive values of the electronic surface charge density but may match it at lower concentrations. As fluoride is added to dilute chloride solutions no diffuse layer appears until fluoride concentrations in excess of 10 mM are reached. The observed behavior is qualitatively explained on the basis of ideas previously discussed by others5,15.
MODELING AND EXPERIMENTS OF LASER-INDUCED IGNITION OF NITRAMINE PROPELLANTS

The objective of the work is to develop and experimentally verify a model for CO2 laser-induced ignition of nitramine-based propellants. The one-dimensional model considers heat conduction in the condensed-phase coupled to heat and mass transport with global chemical kinetics of a heterogeneous propellant in the gas-phase region. The highly nonlinear model was solved numerically. Experimentally, increases in heat  ux [125– 375 W/cm (193– 578 cal/s-in.)] lowered the ignition delay time, but changes in pressure [1.38–3.79 MPa (200–550 psia)] had very little effect. This supports the assumption that cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine decomposition is primarily temperature controlled. These trends are correctly predicted by the model. Predictions of ignition delay time match the experimental data within the measurement uncertainty. Sensitivities of the numerical solution to the material properties and kinetic rate constants are addressed.
The dynamic behavior of continuous solution polymerization reactors—IX. Effects of inhibition

In a previous paper Pinto and Ray (1995, Chem. Engng Sci.50, 715–736) developed a mathematical model to describe the dynamic behavior of continuous free-radical solution copolymerization reactors and validated the model with experimental results obtained for the copolymerization of vinyl acetate (VA) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) in tert-butanol (TB). The model is now extended to allow the analysis of the dynamic effects induced by the presence of inhibitors in the reaction environment. It is shown both theoretically and experimentally that the existence of small amounts of inhibitors in the feed stream may lead to the development of unstable operation; in particular, oscillatory behavior and multiple steady-state conditions.
Radiation Modifiers: Treatment Overview and Future Investigations

Many radiosensitizers are in current clinical use. In addition, a myriad of potential new targeted therapies, which may also interact with radiation, are in clinical development. The clinical utility of new targeted therapies, in combination with existing radiation sensitizers (chemotherapies) requires further evaluation, as does the understanding of their acute and late radiation effects. Free radical scavengers appear to show promise as radioprotectors, but data for mucoprotection are less convincing.
Separability of electrostatic and hydrodynamic forces in particle electrophoresis

By use of optical tweezers we explicitly measure the electrostatic and hydrodynamic forces that determine the electrophoretic mobility of a charged colloidal particle. We test the ansatz of O'Brien and White [J. Chem. Soc. Faraday II 74, 1607 (1978)] that the electrostatically and hydrodynamically coupled electrophoresis problem is separable into two simpler problems: (1) a particle held fixed in an applied electric field with no flow field and (2) a particle held fixed in a flow field with no applied electric field. For a system in the Helmholtz-Smoluchowski and Debye-Huckel regimes, we find that the electrostatic and hydrodynamic forces measured independently accurately predict the electrophoretic mobility within our measurement precision of 7%; the O'Brien and White ansatz holds under the conditions of our experiment.
The computer: An essential fraud detection tool

As white collar crime has mushroomed, the computer has become an essential tool for uncovering fraud. How can auditors use it to turn the tables on fraudsters? © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Determinants of developing country debt: the revolving door of debt rescheduling through the Paris Club and export credits

Programmes designed to alleviate developing country debt have been implemented by bilateral, commercial and multilateral creditors and sovereign debt has been restructured under Paris Club negotiations. These strategies have not been very successful at reducing the debt levels of developing countries, in part because they continue to receive export credit insurance facilities through export credit agencies (ecas). The purpose of this paper is to examine the high percentages of developing country debt owed to governmental ecas. Analysis of the external debt of low-income and lower middle-income economies at five year intervals from 1980 to 2010 finds a substantial part of the indebtedness of these economies is held by ecas. Analysis of specific sub-Saharan African countries undergoing debt rescheduling and forgiveness through Paris Club negotiations was done for Ghana and Kenya. These results show that, following debt restructuring, new export credit guarantees and/or loans were forthcoming to these countr...
Tire Stress and Deformation from Composite Theory

Abstract The pneumatic tire is treated as a laminated, anisotropic, toroidal shell of revolution possessing bending rigidity. The plies, which are constructed of elastic textile cords embedded in an elastic rubber matrix, are considered homogeneous and orthotropic on a macroscopic scale. The tire shell is considered to deform according to the classical Love hypothesis. The equilibrium, strain‐displacement, and laminate constitutive equations governing the tire shell are reduced to a system of six first order, nonlinear, ordinary differential equations with variable coefficients which are solved numerically by a multi‐segment forward integration technique. The geometrical nonlinearities due to finite displacements are accounted for by an incrementing process using transient coordinates. The theory is illustrated by a numerical calculation which shows good agreement with actual measurements.
Maternal hypoxia increases the activity of MMPs and decreases the expression of TIMPs in the brain of neonatal rats

A recent study has shown that increased activity of matrix metalloproteinases-2 and metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-2 and MMP-9) has detrimental effect on the brain after neonatal hypoxia. The present study determined the effect of maternal hypoxia on neuronal survivability and the activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9, as well as the expression of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase 1 and 2 (TIMP-1 and TIMP-2) in the brain of neonatal rats. Pregnant rats were exposed to 10.5% oxygen for 6 days from the gestation day 15 to day 21. Pups were sacrificed at day 0, 4, 7, 14, and 21 after birth. Body weight and brain weight of the pups were measured at each time point. The activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9 and the protein abundance of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 were determined by zymography and Western blotting, respectively. The tissue distribution of MMPs was examined by immunofluorescence staining. The neuronal death was detected by Nissl staining. Maternal hypoxia caused significant decreases in body and brain size, increased activity of MMP-2 at day 0, and increased MMP-9 at day 0 and 4. The increased activity of the MMPs was accompanied by an overall tendency towards a reduced expression of TIMPs at all ages with the significance observed for TIMPs at day 0, 4, and 7. Immunofluorescence analysis showed an increased expression of MMP-2, MMP-9 in the hippocampus at day 0 and 4. Nissl staining revealed significant cell death in the hippocampus at day 0, 4, and 7. Functional tests showed worse neurobehavioral outcomes in the hypoxic animals.
Comparison of the Effect of Intra-Arterial Versus Intravenous Heparin on Radial Artery Occlusion After Transradial Catheterization

Radial artery occlusion (RAO) is an infrequent, asymptomatic, complication of transradial catheterization and probably 1 of the few. Intravenous heparin and patent hemostasis lower its incidence. A possible local effect of intra-arterially administered heparin during transradial procedures has not been evaluated. We studied 500 consecutive patients randomized to an intravenous group (n = 250), receiving 50 U/kg of unfractionated heparin (maximal dose 5,000 U) intravenously, and an intra-arterial group (n = 250) receiving the same dose intra-arterially. All patients received a vasodilator "cocktail" intra-arterially and underwent cardiac catheterization using a 5F introducer sheath and catheters. The activated clotting time was measured at the end of the procedure. All patients received hemostasis with a radial compression device (TR Band), applied after sheath removal, for 2 hours. A plethysmographic evaluation for RAO was performed at 24 hours and 30 days after the procedure. Early RAO occurred in 5.6% (n = 14) of the intravenous group and 6% (n = 15) of the intra-arterial group. The difference was not statistically significant (chi-square = 0.037, p >0.8). Chronic RAO occurred in 3.2%, (n = 8) of the intravenous group compared to 4% (n = 10) of the intra-arterial group. The difference was not statistically significant (chi-square = 0.231, p >0.6). The activated clotting time was 211 +/- 16 seconds in the intravenous group and 213 +/- 17 seconds in the intra-arterial group, a statistically insignificant difference (t = -1.095, p >0.2). In conclusion, intra-arterial and intravenous heparin administration provide comparable efficacy in preventing RAO, favoring a probable systemically mediated mechanism of action, rather than a local effect.
Wildlife as sentinels for human health hazards: a review of study designs

A systematic search of the peer-reviewed biomedical literature was performed for original studies linking environmental hazards with health effects in wild animal populations. Some 104 original studies were identified in the BIOSIS and Medline databases since 1966 and classified in terms of study design. A marked increase in published studies has occurred over the past decade, examining a wide range of hazards and outcomes. Most analytic studies were ecologic or cross-sectional in nature. All cross-sectional studies sampled subjects on the basis of exposure, using a reference population for the selection of controls. Studies of wild animal populations may hold unique advantages for toxicant hazard identification, yet the current range of study designs appears restricted. Increased use of study approaches such as sampling based on outcome, intra-population comparisons, as well as cohort and case-control designs may improve hazard identification and priority setting for confirmatory toxicologic and human studies of effects seen in wildlife. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
RNA Aptamer Blockade of Osteopontin Inhibits Growth and Metastasis of MDA-MB231 Breast Cancer Cells

Osteopontin (OPN) is a secreted phosphoprotein which mediates tumorigenesis, local growth, and metastasis in a variety of cancers. It is a potential therapeutic target for the regulation of cancer metastasis. RNA aptamer technology targeting OPN may represent a clinically viable therapy. In this study, we characterize the critical sequence of an RNA aptamer, termed OPN-R3, directed against human OPN. It has a Kd of 18 nmol/l and binds specifically to human OPN as determined by RNA electrophoretic mobility assays. In MDA-MB231 human breast cancer cells examined under fluorescence microscopy, OPN-R3 ablates cell surface binding of OPN to its cell surface CD44 and αvβ3 integrin receptors. Critical enzymatic components of the OPN signal transduction pathways, PI3K, JNK1/2, Src and Akt, and mediators of extracellular matrix degradation, matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) and uroplasminogen activator (uPA), are significantly decreased following exposure to OPN-R3. OPN-R3 inhibits MDA-MB231 in vitro adhesion, migration, and invasion characteristics by 60, 50, and 65%, respectively. In an in vivo xenograft model of breast cancer, OPN-R3 significantly decreases local progression and distant metastases. On the basis of this “proof-of-concept” study, we conclude that RNA aptamer targeting of OPN has biologically relevance for modifying tumor growth and metastasis.
COMPASS-based ureter segmentation in CT urography (CTU)

We are developing a computerized system for automated segmentation of ureters in CT urography (CTU), referred to as COmbined Model-guided Path-finding Analysis and Segmentation System (COMPASS). Ureter segmentation is a critical component for computer-aided diagnosis of ureter cancer. A challenge for ureter segmentation is the presence of regions not well opacified with intravenous (IV) contrast. COMPASS consists of three stages: (1) adaptive thresholding and region growing, (2) path-finding and propagation, and (3) edge profile extraction and feature analysis. One hundred fourteen ureters in 74 CTU scans with IV contrast were collected from 74 patient files. On average, the ureters spanned 283 CT slices (range: 116 to 399, median: 301). More than half of the ureters contained malignant or benign lesions and some had ureter wall thickening due to malignancy. A starting point for each of the 114 ureters was selected manually to initialize the tracking by COMPASS. Path-finding and segmentation were guided by the anatomical knowledge of ureters in CTU. The segmentation performance was quantitatively assessed by estimating the percentage of the length that was successfully tracked and segmented for each ureter. Of the 114 ureters, 110 (96%) were segmented completely (100%), 111 (97%) were segmented through at least 70% of its length, and 113 (99%) were segmented at least 50%. In comparison, using our previous method, 79 (69%) ureters were segmented completely (100%), 92 (81%) were segmented through at least 70% of its length, and 98 (86%) were segmented at least 50%. COMPASS improved significantly the ureter tracking, including regions across ureter lesions, wall thickening and the narrowing of the lumen.
Mind, Matter and the Implicate Order by Paavo T.I. Pylkkänen

David Bohm (1917-1992) was a major figure in 20th century physics and one of its most original thinkers. From the time of his classic textbook Quantum theory (1951), through Causality and chance in modern physics (1957), The special theory of relativity (1965), to Wholeness and the implicate order (1980), Bohm was concerned with deep philosophical issues, even more than Niels Bohr. Bohm’s ontological emphasis was “holonomic,” that is, ontology under the law of the whole. The Bohmian program continues to be carried forward today in physics by Basil Hiley and in philosophy by Paavo Pylkkanen.
Interpolated Poincaré map and application to mixing problems

Abstract The interpolated Poincare map is proposed based on numerical integration in one period or less and spline interpolation. Efficiency and applicability of this method is illustrated via a study of mixing of fluids in a co-rotating discontinuous cavity flow.
GSK3 and PKB/Akt are associated with integrin‐mediated regulation of PTHrP, IL‐6 and IL‐8 expression in FG pancreatic cancer cells

We have demonstrated recently that PTHrP is upregulated in pancreatic adenocarcinoma and that the ECM exerts regulatory control, at least in part, over PTHrP expression. In our present study, we examined the potential signaling interactions between these 2 pathways. Our results demonstrate that, under serum-free conditions, adhesion of FG pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells on Fn is mediated by the alpha5beta1 integrin, whereas adhesion to Type I collagen is mediated by the alpha2beta1 integrin. alpha5beta1 integrin-mediated adhesion to Fn results in a phenotype that includes a reduction in cell proliferation, increased E-cadherin localization in cell-cell contacts, increased beta-catenin localization throughout the cell, inhibition of haptokinetic cell migration, and increased expression of PTHrP, IL-6 and IL-8 relative to alpha2beta1 integrin-mediated adhesion on Type I collagen. A phosphoprotein immunoblotting screen of FG pancreatic cancer cells grown on either Fn or Type I collagen indicates that GSK3 and PKB/Akt are differentially phosphorylated on these 2 substrates. These results implicate GSK3 and PKB/Akt in the integrin-mediated regulation of PTHrP, IL-6 and IL-8 in pancreatic cancer.
Numerical Modelling of Bubble Columns for High Temperature Glass Melting Applications

Bottom heating approach for glass melting offers potential benefits of higher efficiency and lower emissions compared to the conventional surface fired melters with burners above the bath surface. Recent advances in the enabling technologies such as burners, controls, heat recovery and refractive materials have led to successful demonstration of bottom heating Submerged Combustion Melting (SCM) of glass. In the proposed reactor, combustion products of natural gas oxy combustion are bubbled through the three phase re-circulating tank reactor. The turbulence generated by the rising bubble column would result in rapid heating and mixing of the charge resulting in fast melting and homogeneous composition of the product. Detailed understanding of such two-phase gas liquid flows is imperative for developing efficient multi-phase reactors through precise control of mixing and reaction kinetics. The bubble column, without any phase change and heating, is a good apparatus for an elementary experimental study and numerical modeling of such flows. In this study, the hydrodynamics of the bubble column are investigated using two different numerical approaches i) Using ANSYS FLUENT with an Eulerian-Eulerian approach to model the bubble and continuous phases and ii) Using a Navier-Stokes solver with the Eulerian-Lagrangian method with the Particle-in-Ball approach. The results thus obtained are discussed in detail in comparison with the experimental data available. Experiments have been conducted to gain a deeper understanding of the behaviour of the bubbles in very viscous media.© 2014 ASME
The impact of surgical trainee participation on sinus surgery outcomes

Objectives/Hypothesis To determine the effect of otolaryngology trainee participation on clinical outcomes in patients who undergo endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) for chronic rhinosinusitis. Study Design Secondary analysis of prospectively collected data. Methods Patients enrolled in a sinus surgery outcomes study between May 2011 and March 2013 were stratified into two groups—those who were operated on by an attending alone and those operated on by an attending with a trainee present (resident, fellow, or both). Patients completed quality of life (QOL) surveys including the Chronic Sinusitis Survey (CSS), 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22), and EuroQol 5-dimension survey preoperatively and 1 year postoperatively. Operative time, estimated blood loss (EBL), complication rates, and survey scores were compared between groups. Results The study population consisted of 452 patients. The attending alone (n = 119) and trainee (n = 333) groups were statistically comparable in terms of patient demographics, disease severity, and extent of surgery. Mean operative time was significantly shorter in the attending-alone group (80.0 vs. 90.6 minutes, P < .01). Mean EBL (105 mL attending vs. 117 mL trainee, P = .39) and complication rates (3.3% attending vs. 0.6% trainee, P = .07) were similar between groups. Observed changes in QOL measures following ESS were comparable between groups, although absolute improvement in the SNOT-22 scores (19.0 attending vs. 24.5 trainee, P = .05) did show a trend toward greater improvement in the trainee group. Conclusions Trainee participation in ESS is associated with prolongation in surgical time; however, such participation was not found to adversely affect patient safety or clinical outcomes. Level of Evidence 2b Laryngoscope, 2015
Safety practices in surgical pathology: practical steps to reduce error in the pre-analytic, analytic, and post-analytic phases of surgical pathology

Abstract The production and interpretation of a haematoxylin-eosin stained slide from a patient specimen is a complex, multi-step process. An error within any of the steps may cause patient harm. The steps in this process can be divided into the pre-analytic, analytic and post-analytic phases. This paper will review benchmarking and published error rates, where available, across all three phases. Practical, evidence-based, methods to reduce errors in all three phases will be discussed with emphasis placed upon the benefits and limits of benchmarking and six-sigma. The concept of striving for zero defects through lean production methods and the Toyota Production System will be discussed as it applies to all three phases of surgical pathology.
Different types of ganglion cell share a synaptic pattern

Retinal ganglion cells comprise about 10 morphological types that also differ functionally. To determine whether functional differences might arise partially from differences in excitatory input, we quantified the distributions of ribbon contacts to four mammalian ganglion cell types [brisk-transient (BT), brisk-sustained (BS), local edge (LE), directionally selective (DS)], comparing small vs. large and “sluggish” vs. “brisk.” Cells in guinea pig retina were filled with fluorescent dye, immunostained for synaptic ribbons, and reconstructed with their ribbon contacts by confocal microscopy. False-positive contacts were corrected by performing the same analysis on processes that lack synapses: glial stalks and rod bipolar axons. All types shared a domed distribution of membrane that was well fit by a Gaussian function (R 2 0.96 0.01); they also shared a constant density of contacts on the dendritic membrane, both across each arbor and across cell types (19 1 contacts/100 m 2 membrane). However, the distributions of membrane across the retina differed markedly in width (BT DS BS LE) and peak density (BS DS LE BT). Correspondingly, types differed in peak density of contacts (BS DS LE BT) and total number (BS BT DS LE). These differences between cell types in spatial extent and local concentration of membrane and synapses help to explain certain functional differences. J. Comp. Neurol. 507:1871-1878, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Indexing terms: retinal ganglion cell; dendrite; ribbon synapse; sluggish; brisk; guinea pig; membrane; microcircuit; retina; synaptic; visual; w-cell; x-cell; y-cell
Raman scattering temperature measurements for water vapor in non-equilibrium dispersed two-phase flow

The objective of this investigation was to determine the feasibility of using Raman scattering as a nonintrusive technique to measure vapor temperatures in dispersed two-phase flow. The Raman system developed for this investigation is described, including alignment of optics and optimization of the photodetector for photon pulse counting. Experimentally obtained Raman spectra are presented for the following single- and two-phase samples: liquid water, atmospheric nitrogen, superheated steam, nitrogen and water droplets in a high void fraction air/water mist, and superheated water vapor in nonequilibrium dispersed flow.
Characteristics of the old and homeless: identifying distinct service needs.

Objectives: Research suggests that being older and homeless is associated with unique characteristics and potential barriers to improved living conditions. Additional research is needed to better understand the vulnerabilities associated with this population. The purpose of this study was to identify characteristics related to aging and homelessness. It was hypothesized that older adults would exhibit more vulnerability compared to other age groups related to health, social support proximity, occupational perceptions, and recent living conditions prior to seeking assistance at an emergency shelter. It was also hypothesized that these age-related characteristics would predict the amount of time that individuals resided in the emergency shelter.Method: A cross-sectional sample of young, middle-aged, and older homeless adults seeking shelter at two emergency homeless shelters was utilized for this study. Data included information obtained during a structured interview after participants arrived at the shelte...
Urbanization and Counterurbanization in the United States

Urbanization, the process of population concentration, has been succeeded in the United States by counterurbanization, a process of population deconcentration characterized by smaller sizes, decreasing densities, and increasing local homogeneity, set within widening radii of national interdependence. This article reviews this shift, the means by which a national society is producing a national settlement system.
Quality-Oriented Video Delivery over LTE

Long-term evolution (LTE) is emerging as a major candidate for 4G cellular networks to satisfy the increasing demands for mobile broadband services, particularly multimedia delivery. Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology combined with orthogonal frequency division multiple access and more efficient modulation/coding schemes (MCS) are key physical layer technologies in LTE networks. However, in order to fully utilize the benefits of the advances in physical layer technologies, the MIMO configuration and MCS need to be dynamically adjusted to derive the promised gains of 4G at the application level. This paper provides a performance evaluation of video traffic with variations in the physical layer transmission parameters to suit the varying channel conditions. A quantitative analysis is provided using the perceived video quality as a video quality measure (evaluated using no-reference blocking and blurring metrics), as well as transmission delay. Experiments are performed to measure the performance with changes in modulation and code rates in poor and good channel conditions. We discuss how an adaptive scheme can optimize the performance over a varying channel.
Complementation of the Arabidopsis pds1 Mutation with the Gene Encoding p-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate Dioxygenase

Plastoquinone and tocopherols are the two major quinone compounds in higher plant chloroplasts and are synthesized by a common pathway. In previous studies we characterized two loci in Arabidopsis defining key steps of this biosynthetic pathway. Mutation of the PDS1 locus disrupts the activity of p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPDase), the first committed step in the synthesis of both plastoquinone and tocopherols in plants. Although plants homozygous for the pds1 mutation could be rescued by growth in the presence of homogentisic acid, the product of HPPDase, we were unable to determine if the mutation directly or indirectly disrupted HPPDase activity. This paper reports the isolation of a cDNA, pHPPD, encoding Arabidopsis HPPDase and its functional characterization by expression in both plants and Escherichia coli. pHPPD encodes a 50-kD polypeptide with homology to previously identified HPPDases, including 37 highly conserved amino acid residues clustered in the carboxyl region of the protein. Expression of pHPPD in E. coli catalyzes the accumulation of homogentisic acid, indicating that it encodes a functional HPPDase enzyme. Mapping of pHPPD and co-segregation analysis of the pds1 mutation and the HPPD gene indicate tight linkage. Constitutive expression of pHPPD in a pds1 mutant background complements this mutation. Finally, comparison of the HPPD genomic sequences from wild type and pds1 identified a 17-bp deletion in the pds1 allele that results in deletion of the carboxyterminal 26 amino acids of the HPPDase protein. Together, these data conclusively demonstrate that pds1 is a mutation in the HPPDase structural gene.
Acute whisker removal reduces neuronal activity in barrels of mouse sml cortex

The autoradiographic 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) method has been used to map relative changes in metabolic activity in the CNS during various functional states (Plum et al., '76). Here we describe the application of the 2-DG method to assay regional activity in the posteromedial barrel subfield (PMBSF) region of the mouse SmI cortex after acute removal of mystacial vibrissae. One day prior to isotope injection, various combinations of vibrissae (e.g., all vibrissae, row-C only, rows-B and -D only) were plucked from adult male Swiss Webster mice under anesthetic. The next day, 5 μCi of 14C-2-DG were injected into a tail vein, and the mice were allowed to actively explore an empty cage for 45 minutes. The animals were then sacrificed, the brains quickly removed, frozen, and sectioned either parallel or perpendicular to the pia at 80 μm in a cryostat. The sections were mounted, dried on coverslips, and were used to expose X-ray film, after which the sections were stained with thionin and the X-ray film developed. The tissue sections and matching autoradiograms were compared directly from photomicrographs of each. The autoradiograms showed areas of higher activity in barrels for which corresponding vibrissae were present and lower activity in barrels for which appropriate vibrissae were missing. In tangential sections from animals with all vibrissae intact, the PMBSF was uniformly and consistently higher in activity than in cases with all vibrissae missing. The removal of row-C or rows-B and -D resulted in strips of decreased activity in the corresponding PMBSF rows. The same patterns of increased or decreased activity were also seen in sections normal to the pia, but the changes in activity, while greatest in layer IV, extended through all layers of the cortex. Finally, in a number of the autoradiograms, density patterns could be recognized which later were shown to relate directly to sides of individual barrels. The results indicate: (1) Acute removal of the peripheral vibrissal hairs is sufficient to deprive the related contralateral cortical barrel neurons of normal activity. Thus in the mouse somatosensory system it may be possible to determine the relative importance of sensory deprivation and neonatal peripheral lesions in normal cortical development. (2) The barrels are part of a functional cortical columnar organization similar to that in other sensory systems. And, (3) the 14C-2-DG-X-ray technique is sufficiently sensitive to reveal parts of individual barrels in autoradiograms and thus, with some modification, may be suitable for the study of small populations of neurons.
Regeneration of the Soft Tissue Defects of the External Auditory Meatus

The aim of this study is to establish a regenerative treatment for soft tissue defects of the external auditory meatus (EAM) without conventional surgical therapy. Thirty patients with new or old EAM defects without active inflammation were randomly selected. Ages ranged from 15 to 82 (average age of 55). Gelatin sponge, basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF), fibrin glue, and waterproof transparent dressing were used in the repair procedure. Patients were divided into two groups: treatment with (n = 20) and without (n = 10) b-FGF. After mechanically disrupting the edge of the EAM defect, gelatin sponge immersed in b-FGF was placed over the defect and covered with fibrin glue. In cases of extensive EAM defects, the EAM was filled with gelatin sponge/b-FGF, and the auricle was wrapped in waterproof dressing. Three weeks post-procedure, crust over the defect was removed. If complete defect closure was not achieved after one treatment course, the treatment was repeated until three times. Evaluation of complete closure of EAM defects was performed 3 months posttreatment. Complete closure of the EAM defect was achieved within three treatment courses in 90 % (18/20) and 20 % (2/10) of the patients with or without b-FGF, respectively. No inflammation/infection or severe sequelae were observed.