cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fast and robust volumetric refractive index measurement by unified background-oriented schlieren tomography

We propose a novel approach to background-oriented schlieren (BOS) tomography (BOST) that unifies the deflection sensing and reconstruction algorithms. BOS is a 2D flow visualization technique that renders light deflections due to refraction in the fluid. Simultaneous BOS measurements from unique views can be reconstructed by tomography to estimate the fluid’s 3D refractive index field. The cameras are focused through the fluid on textured background patterns. Deflections between an undistorted reference image and distorted image are typically determined by gradient-based optical flow (OF), which is a complex inverse problem and potential source of error in BOST. This paper presents an alternative approach to BOST that unifies the OF equations and deflection model. Our new operator simultaneously calculates the image distortions seen by each camera for a discrete refractive index distribution. Unified BOST (UBOST) thus reconstructs observed image distortions instead of inferred deflections, which are influenced by user-selected OF parameters. The UBOST operator has one third as many equations as the classical BOST operator. We show that our formulation reduces the effects of model error and the computational cost of reconstruction. These advantages are demonstrated with a numerical experiment using phantoms of varied complexity. Best practice UBOST reconstructions were more accurate than classical reconstructions of the exact deflections for each phantom. Moreover, UBOST estimates converged substantially faster, resulting in a $$\ge $$ 62.5% speedup with our solver.
IN VITRO PHARMACODYNAMIC EFFECTS OF CANGRELOR ON PLATELET P2Y12 RECEPTOR MEDIATED SIGNALING IN TICAGRELOR TREATED PATIENTS

Variability in the onset of platelet inhibitory effects induced by oral P2Y12 receptor antagonists, including ticagrelor, has been shown in high-risk settings. These findings underscore the need for intravenous P2Y12 inhibiting therapies, such as cangrelor, with immediate effects. However, to date
Upper Motor Neuron Diseases and Laryngeal Presentations

The purpose of this manuscript is to review laryngeal manifestations of upper motor neuron disease. A review of the relevant neuroanatomy is performed as well as a description of common laryngeal signs of upper motor neuron disease and the disease entities that cause them. Upper motor neuron lesions must occur in the brainstem or in the bilateral cerebral hemisphere in order to cause signs and symptoms in the larynx. The presence of bilateral vocal fold paralysis or paresis with concurrent signs of myoclonus, tremor, rigidity, hyperactive gag reflex, and/or laryngospasm episodes should prompt an investigation for possible medullary brainstem or bilateral cerebral cortex pathology.
Are We Kidding Ourselves That Research Leads Practice

The importance of learning from practice is underscored by the analysis in the articles on innovation and development in urban planning of this journal’s thematic issue.
The Healing Art of Arsenic in Various Malignancies

Malignant growth is a significant weight of illness around the world. Internationally, one in every five men and one out of six women will become a potential victim of malignancy prior to the age of 75. The World Health Organization (WHO) is alerted of a worldwide “tsunami” of malignant growth and declared that by 2035, around 24 million individuals will have the ailment. Along with recognizable discoveries in therapy as well as in counteraction of cardiovascular illnesses, malignancy has or will turn into the main executioner in numerous places of the world. Malignant growth is a main source of monetary misfortune through sudden passing and inability around the world in view of the immense whole spent on treatment yet additionally in lost monetary and social action. Arsenic trioxide (As2O3) is an aged medication that has lately been restored as a therapeutic option for different malignancies. All in all, arsenic is known to be a natural toxic substance fit for evoking an assortment of risky antagonistic impacts. In spite of its present reputation as a toxic substance, arsenic is viewed as one of the world’s most miracle medications, utilized for quite a long time as a therapy for diseases running from contamination to malignancy. Arsenic trioxide (As2O3) is a successful forthright enemy of disease, has been utilized as a medication for more than 2000 years, and has been revived due to its exceptional therapeutic efficacy in case with APL (acute promyelocytic leukemia). Arsenic trioxide (ATO) alone or in blend with different therapeutics has been found to be effective against different cancer types of human origin. Notwithstanding, the specific systems by which ATO hinders malignancies are not completely clarified. In this chapter we will explain the likely mechanisms of action about the healing craft of ATO towards different human malignancies. These data will most likely urge clinical examiners to sanely join ATO with extra chemotherapeutic agents in treating patients determined to have malignant growth is a main sources of death on this planet.
Interactions between Diameter, Myelination and the Na/K pump Affect Axonal Resilience to High Frequency Spiking

Axons reliably conduct action potentials between neurons and/or other targets. Axons have widely variable diameters and can be myelinated or unmyelinated. Although the effect of these factors on propagation speed is well studied, how they constrain axonal resilience to high frequency spiking is incompletely understood. Maximal firing frequencies range from ~ 1 Hz to > 300 Hz across neurons, but the process by which Na/K pumps counteract Na+ influx is slow, and it is unclear the extent to which slow Na+ removal is compatible with high frequency spiking. Modeling the process of Na+ removal in unmyelinated and myelinated axons shows that both increasing diameter and myelination slow down [Na+] accumulation and increase axonal resilience to high frequency spiking. Increasing pump density alleviates [Na+] accumulation, but can paradoxically reduce the resilience. We speculate that [Na+] accumulation may contribute to fatigue after continuous high frequency firing. SignificanceThe reliability of spike propagation in axons is determined by complex interactions between ionic currents, ion pumps and morphological properties. We use compartment-based modeling to uncover that interactions of diameter, myelination and the Na/K pump determine axonal resilience to high frequency spiking. The Na/K pump can play a double-edged sword role in affecting axonal excitability. Our findings suggest that slow sodium removal influences axonal resilience to high frequency spiking, and may also contribute to fatigue.
Accented Speech Recognition Inspired by Human Perception.

While improvements have been made in automatic speech recognition performance over the last several years, machines continue to have significantly lower performance on accented speech than humans. In addition, the most significant improvements on accented speech primarily arise by overwhelming the problem with hundreds or even thousands of hours of data. Humans typically require much less data to adapt to a new accent. This paper explores methods that are inspired by human perception to evaluate possible performance improvements for recognition of accented speech, with a specific focus on recognizing speech with a novel accent relative to that of the training data. Our experiments are run on small, accessible datasets that are available to the research community. We explore four methodologies: pre-exposure to multiple accents, grapheme and phoneme-based pronunciations, dropout (to improve generalization to a novel accent), and the identification of the layers in the neural network that can specifically be associated with accent modeling. Our results indicate that methods based on human perception are promising in reducing WER and understanding how accented speech is modeled in neural networks for novel accents.
ALCOHOL, DRUGS AND ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS OF RURAL COLLEGE STUDENTS

The extent of alcohol and drug abuse among rural college students is identified and its effect upon road traffic accidents is examined. Data were obtained from a sample population of rural college students enrolled in four small institutions. Approximately 600 randomly chosen students were interviewed and asked to fill in questionnaires, 459 of which were completed. Subjects consisted of 226 male and 233 female students. All of those sampled had experimented with alcohol and half of them had taken drugs. Although the effect of socio-economic characteristics upon alcohol and drug consumption proved to be negligible, more frequent users came from lower income facilies. Nearly 3/4 of the sample observations reported "sometimes" driving after drinking and/or taking drugs. Close to 1/2 of the total sample had experienced at least one road traffic accident, 4/10 and 1/10 of which were alcohol and drug-related, respectively.
Mars: die rote Wüste

Mars ist von der Sonne aus gesehen der vierte Planet und kann uns in Opposition als zweithellster Himmelskorper nach Venus erscheinen. Er hat die Menschen schon in prahistorischer Zeit vor allem wegen seiner roten Farbung fasziniert. Die alten Gelehrten verbanden mit ihm den Krieg, so das ihn die Babylonier, Griechen und Romer nach ihren Kriegsgottern Nirgal, Ares und Mars benannten.
To culture on not to culture? That is the question for the primary care physician

In spite of the increase in number of non-invasive diagnostic tools for Helicobacter pylori in children, the ultimate solution (gold standard) has not yet been discovered. This reality is not unexpected, considering the various factors that may affect the accuracy rate of any diagnostic tool. Those factors include the prevalence of the disease in the tested community, the number of infected children included in the study, the demographic data of the children involved (young vs. older age, race and ethnicity), the commercial availability of the tested tool, its reliable cut-off value for the pediatric age group, and more. It is thus understandable, why different expert committees from Europe and North America are “chasing” the published data every so often, and revising their recommendations accordingly [1–3]. In this issue of Journal of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Argentieri et al. [4] reported the accuracy of various invasive and non-invasive diagnostic tools for detection of H. pylori infection in Italian children. In this presumed retrospective study, 215 children were evaluated for H. pylori infection by invasive [tissue biopsy, rapid urease test (RUT), and culture], and noninvasive (stool antigen) methods. The authors chose
Association of CD2 with tubulin : evidence for a role of the cytoskeleton in T cell activation

In addition to the antigen-specific T cell receptor, a number of other T cell surface molecules contribute to T cell adhesion and activation. CD2 is a 50-kDa glycoprotein found on the surface of human T lymphocytes which plays a role in T cell adhesion and stimulation. The intracellular mechanisms by which CD2 functions are, however, not fully defined. Here we show that the T cell surface molecule CD2 physically interacts with tubulin. This interaction appears to involve the membrane-proximal part of the cytoplasmic domain of the CD2 molecule, suggesting that CD2 binds to the tubulin fraction previously shown to be present in membranes. Stimulation of T cells with activating pairs of anti-CD2 antibodies, capable of initiating lymphokine production and T cell proliferation, disrupts the CD2-tubulin complexes, suggesting that the dynamic interaction of CD2 with tubulin may play a role in T cell activation.
Building an Intelligent Second Language Tutoring System from Whatever Bits you Happen to Have Lying Around

The Computing Research Laboratory (CRL) at New Mexico State University is currently engaged in the design of language teaching software, based on previously developed mature artificial intelligence and machine translation technologies within CRL. Our approach is unique because it uses the robustness of a natural language processing (NLP) system which incorporates both general world knowledge and task domain knowledge (Metallel), beliefs ascription (ViewGen), and semantic parsing techniques (PREMO) in the service of better student-system interaction.
Two years later: Hurricane Katrina still poses significant human resource problems for local governments

This study explores the impact of Hurricane Katrina on local government HR management for several cities along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The authors interviewed mayors, city managers, chief admin...
The Anyboard: a rapid-prototyping system for use in teaching digital circuit design

A rapid prototyping system for teaching digital design is described. The system uses electronically-reconfigurable field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) to implement a specific logic design without requiring any physical changes to the prototyping system. The user specifies designs using a text based description language. The prototyping system partitions the input logic among the available FPGA resources while observing constraints on gate density and chip I/O. The combinational logic blocks (CLBs) in each individual FPGA are then placed and the interconnections are routed. Once programmed, the system can be exercised using a pattern generator and logic analyzer. The Anyboard system reduces the time required to implement a design and avoids some of the problems associated with the use of wire-wrap or prototyping board implementations. >
Hemagglutination of Human Group A Erythrocytes by Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Isolated from Adults with Diarrhea: Correlation with Colonization Factor

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) of several different serotypes isolated from adults with diarrhea and known to possess the colonization factor antigen (CFA) were found to cause mannose-resistant hemagglutination (HA) of human group A erythrocytes. CFA-negative E. coli isolated during the same study did not possess the mannose-resistant hemagglutinin, although some non-ETEC, CFA-negative isolates did exhibit mannose-sensitive HA activity. The mannoseresistant hemagglutinin of ETEC was found to possess many characteristics previously associated with CFA, which is a surface-associated fimbriate heatlabile antigen, and the functionally and morphologically similar K88 and K99 antigens of animal-specific ETEC. Mannose-resistant HA and CFA titers were maximal when ETEC cells were grown on an agar medium (CFA agar) composed primarily of 1% Casamino Acids and 0.15% yeast extract, pH 7.4. Neither CFA nor HA were produced at a growth temperature of 18°C; HA was completely inhibited by pretreatment of CFA-positive cells with the anti-CFA serum. The mannose-resistant hemagglutinin was lost spontaneously and simultaneously with CFA when clinical ETEC isolates were passaged on artificial medium in the laboratory, indicating plasmid control of both entities. The mannose-resistant hemagglutinin of ETEC was shown to be thermolabile, i.e., sensitive to heating at 65°C, as was the CFA. Also, there was correlation between possession of CFA, as detected serologically and by demonstration of biological activity (adherence in the infant rabbit small intestine), presence of CFA-type fimbriae, and the ability of various E. coli isolates to cause mannose-resistant HA of human group A erythrocytes. These results indicate that the mannose-resistant HA of ETEC is another manifestation of CFA.
Glycerol reduces food intake in diabetic rats

Abstract Streptozotocin diabetic rats received four daily subcutaneous injections of glycerol or a glycerol solution in place of water for a seven day period. Both night and total food intake in the subcutaneous glycerol group were significantly suppressed below untreated diabetic controls. The oral glycerol group showed a nonsignificant decrease in night food intake and a significant reduction in day and total food intake. Consumption of additional fluid calories by the oral glycerol group contributed to the suppression of food intake in this group, but suppression in the subcutaneous group was unrelated to calculated calories obtained from glycerol. The oral glycerol group also consumed more of the glycerol solution than the other diabetic groups did of water. Results of this study support previous findings that subcutaneous and oral glycerol suppress food intake in normal rats although suppression with oral glycerol may have been related to caloric intake, and suggest that low plasma concentrations of insulin do not interfere with the effects obtained with glycerol in normal animals.
Hot Pliocene climate explained by ozone and aerosol emissions

The Pliocene (5.3 to 2.5 million years ago) is an extensively studied epoch because its hot, wet climate can serve as a possible analog for what might happen if today's atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2 ) concentrations rise unchecked. During the Pliocene, the two main factors believed to influence the climate—atmospheric CO2 concentrations and the geographic position of the continents—were nearly identical to modern times. But climate scientists have long puzzled over why the Pliocene's global temperatures were so much warmer than Earth's preindustrial climate.
Study of sintering of poly(methyl methacrylate)

Sintering of poly(methyl metacrylate) spheres to the blocks of the same material was studied at temperatures ranging from 127° to 207°C. The analysis of the data based on the empirical Ostwald relation indicates that the predominant mechanism responsible for this process is non-Newtonian viscous flow. The type of the flow changes with temperature of sintering, being pseudo-plastic at lower temperatures and tending to dilatancy at higher ones.
Role of metalloelastase in a model of allergic lung responses induced by cockroach allergen.

Our laboratory and others have shown an important role of metalloelastase (MMP-12) in the pathogenesis of acute and chronic lung injury. Because chronic asthma is characterized by airway inflammation and alterations in the airway extracellular matrix, we explored the role of metalloelastase in a model of allergic airway inflammation induced by cockroach antigen (CRA). Using MMP-12-deficient mice we found a significant reduction in CRA-induced inflammatory injury, as evidenced by fewer peribronchial leukocytes, significantly less protein in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, and a significant reduction in the number of infiltrating neutrophils, eosinophils, and macrophages, relative to wild-type mice. Although we did not find a significant reduction in the number of T cells in the injured MMP-12-deficient animals as compared to controls, levels of the chemotactic factors interleukin-5, macrophage inflammatory protein-1α, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, thymus activation regulated chemokine, and the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α were significantly reduced in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of CRA-challenged MMP-12-deficient mice, relative to CRA-challenged control animals. These studies indicate that MMP-12 plays an important proinflammatory role in the development of allergic inflammation in the CRA model. Alterations in the levels of chemotactic factors and other proinflammatory cytokines in the MMP-12-deficient mice may underlie the decrease in leukocyte recruitment into inflamed lungs.
Barriers to the implementation of checklists in the office-based procedural setting.

Background Patient safety is critical for the patients, providers, and risk managers in the office-based procedural setting, and the same standard of care should be maintained regardless of the healthcare environment. Checklists may improve patient safety and potentially decrease risk. This study explored utilization of checklists in the office-based setting and the potential barriers to their implementation. Methods A cross-sectional prospective study was performed by using a 19-question anonymous survey designed with REDCap®. Medical providers including physicians and nurses from 25 different offices that performed procedures participated, and 38 individual responses were included in the study. Results Only 50% of offices surveyed use safety checklists in their practice. Only 34% had checklists or equivalent protocol for emergencies such as anaphylaxis or failed airway. As many as 23.7% of respondents indicated that they encountered barriers to implementing checklists. The top barriers identified in the study were no incentive to use a checklist (77.8%), no mandate from a local or federal regulatory agency (44.4%), being too time consuming (33.3%), and lack of training (33.3%). Reasons identified that would encourage providers to use checklists included a clear mandate (36.8%) and evidence-based research (26.3%). Conclusions Checklists are not being universally utilized in the office-based setting. There are barriers preventing their successful implementation. Risk managers may be able to improve patient safety and decrease risk by encouraging practitioners, possibly through incentives, to use customizable safety checklists.
The Process Values of University Research: A new research funding system is needed for federal support of the process values of university research

The process values of university research are important in the context of several significant social and economic trends in American life. These values are being taken into account in the design and administration of federal programs. Federal programs to support these values should be distinguished from programs to support the product values of research. Failure to distinguish between these two types of programs will lead to a further dilution of quality in programs designed to advance science as a legitimate end in itself. The scientific community can best protect its own interests by helping federal agencies and universities and colleges develop a funding system to support the process values of university research on a cooperative, regional basis.
Abstract 3581: Impact of Nrf2 on the development of ethyl carbamate/ butylated hydroxytoluene-induced lung tumorigenesis in mice.

Chronic inflammation has been linked to the development of various types of cancers and has been recently recognized as the seventh hallmark of cancer. Accumulating evidence suggests that Nrf2 plays a pivotal role in protection against oxidative tissue damage and inflammation. Previous findings from ours as well as other laboratories have demonstrated that Nrf2 possesses the protection effects in the inflammation-associated carcinogenesis in preclinical models. The aim of the present study is to investigate the role of Nrf2 in butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)-induced pulmonary inflammation and BHT-urethane/ethyl carbamate (EC) induced two-stage lung carcinogenesis. Nrf2 deficient mice showed an increased susceptibility to BHT-induced pulmonary inflammation, whereas Nrf2 WT mice have higher antioxidant proteins level and lower pro-inflammatory markers. Although lung inflammation was slightly more severe in Nrf2KO mice as compared to their wildtype counterpart, the tumor incidence and tumor multiplicity were found to be significantly lower in Nrf2KO mice treated with EC-BHT. Tumor multiplicity was also lower in Nrf2KO mice treated with EC alone. In summary, on one hand, Nrf2 is required to dampen inflammation, but Nrf2 may be disadvantage in EC or BHT-EC mediated lung tumorigenesis. Citation Format: Tien-Yuan Wu, Tin Oo Khor, Ka-Lung Cheung, Ah-Ng Kong. Impact of Nrf2 on the development of ethyl carbamate/ butylated hydroxytoluene-induced lung tumorigenesis in mice. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3581. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-3581
Virtual watersheds: simulating the water balance of the Rio Grande Basin

Managers of water resources in arid and semi-arid regions must allocate increasingly variable surface water supplies and limited groundwater resources. This challenge is leading to a new generation of detailed computational models that can link multiple sources to a wide range of demands. Detailed computational models of complex natural-human systems can help decision makers allocate scarce natural resources such as water. This article describes a virtual watershed model, the Los Alamos Distributed Hydrologic System (LADHS), which contains the essential physics of all elements of a regional hydrosphere and allows feedback between them. Unlike real watersheds, researchers can perform experiments on virtual watersheds, produce them relatively cheaply (once a modeling framework is established), and run them faster than real time. Furthermore, physics-based virtual watersheds do not require extensive tuning and are flexible enough to accommodate novel boundary conditions such as land-use change or increased climate variability. Essentially, virtual watersheds help resource managers evaluate the risks of alternatives once uncertainties have been quantified.
Performance Errors in Weight Training and Their Correction

(2002). Performance Errors in Weight Training and Their Correction. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance: Vol. 73, No. 9, pp. 44-52.
DNA sequence polymorphisms revitalize linkage approaches in human genetics

Abstract Linkage approaches using genetic markers based on DNA sequence polymorphisms represent an emerging trend in human genetic analysis. A well-developed map of arbitrary loci derived from normal DNA polymorphisms, now well underway, is a promising potential tool for linkage studies on the etiology of many human diseases.
Secondary aortoenteric fistula.

Table I. Patient demographics resents a graft enteric fistula (GEF) and is the more common type of SAEF. A breakdown of the enteric wall overlying the graft resulting in bathing of the graft by enteric contents and chronic graft infection without direct involvement of a suture line represents the less common graft enteric erosion (GEE). The rare SAEFs occurring between the bowel lumen and an aortic suture line in the absence of a prosthetic graft (such as after aortic repair for trauma, aortic endarterectomy or aortic stump closure after removal of a previously placed aortic graft) are considered separately in this report, but
Submerged intraoral device for mandibular lengthening

The authors report a new technique for mandibular distraction. Lengthening of the mandible by gradual intraoral distraction was obtained in nine young patients. An intraoral device was used in order to avoid external scars. Seven patients had hemifacial microsomia, one patient had a ramus hypoplasia after TMJ ankylosis and one patient had the Treacher-Collins syndrome. The amount of mandibular lengthening ranged from 12 to 28 mm depending on the duration of expansion. Retention after expansion, to allow ossification to take place, lasted for 3 weeks on average. The follow-up period ranged from a minimum of 5 months to a maximum of 44 months.
Plasma tail evolution in comet P/Halley 1985–1986

Plasma tail phenomena in comet P/Halley from mid-November, 1985 to mid-June, 1986, are examined, using data from the International Halley Watch. The evolution of the plasma tail is discussed, focusing on the turn-on/turn-off of plasma tail activity, and observations of disconnection events. The interaction between the comet tail and the solar wind is considered. Also, predictions are made of the turn-on/turn-off distances and of the association of disconnection events with the proposed solar-wind causes.
Fully phase encoded key and biometrics for security verification

We investigate an all-phase-encoding technique in the input plane for security verification. In this technique, a primary amplitude image is first phase encoded and then multiplied by a random phase code. We investigate the performance of this technique by evaluating the discrimination between different biometrics images and between different random codes using Fourier-plane nonlinear filtering such as nonlinear joint transform correlators. The amplitude images can be any biometrics, and in this study we use fingerprints. We show that we can properly choose the nonlinearity of the filter and the coding weight for the random code to ensure good discrimination against unauthorized random codes and fingerprints. We also study the robustness of the all-phase-encoding technique to input image distortions such as rotation.
CALCULATION OF EXPECTED VALUES OF OBSERVABLES IN SOME PROBLEMS OF STATISTICAL GEOMORPHOLOGY

Abstract In statistical hydrology, three different methods have been used to calculate the expected values of observable quantities in an ensemble. The first is to use an observable as a parameter to characterize the “states” of the ensemble and then to calculate the average value of the observable over all possible states; this is the expected value. The second method is to use an observable as a parameter to characterize the “states” and then to designate the most probable value of the observable as the expected value; this is known as the “minimum variance principle”. Finally, the third method is to use a parameter different from an observable to characterize the “states” and then to take the value of the observable for the most probable state as the expected value. Of all these different methods, only the first one is, in principle, physically correct. Thus, a study was made to determine the situations where methods other than the first can be used to calculate the expectation values of observables. I...
A Rare Occurrence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Metastasis to the Mandible: Report of a Case and Review of the Literature

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer globally, with 626,000 new cases per year, and is the third leading cause of global cancer-related mortality, with 598,000 deaths per year. In the United States, HCC is the ninth leading cause of cancer-related deaths. From 2001 through 2006, 48,596 cases of HCC were reported in the United States according to the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The incidence f HCC is estimated to be 3 per 100,000 individuals, ith an expectation for increasing numbers in comng years because of the higher incidence of hepaitis C infection during the 1960s through the 990s. Distant metastasis has been reported in 10% to 20% of patients with HCC. Metastatic disease to the orofacial region, however, is a rare occurrence. The objective of this article was to review the relevant body of literature and report a clinical case of metastatic disease to the mandible as the initial presenting symptom of HCC in a 72-year-old man.
Decomposing Longitudinal from Cross-Unit Effects in Panel and Pooled Cross-Sectional Designs

This article proposes a method for analyzing data from panels and pooled cross-sections that can separate the effects of exogenous variables on the endogenous variable into cross-unit and longitudinal components. Monte Carlo results suggest that estimation using estimated generalized least squares is close to theoritical expectations for unbiasedness and reasonably reproduces the expected distribution of confidence intervals for a variety of combinations of number of units and time points. To illustrate the substantive utility of the decomposition, an analysis is presented of the effects of unionization and economic conditions on race-gender group industrial earnings inequality that yields dramatically different longitudinal and cross-unit effects.
Design and implementation of a PCO-based protocol for sensor networks

Sensor networks have been used in a wide range of applications. Considerable research effort is currently devoted to design protocols that allow networks of inexpensive sensors to perform reliable remote control and monitoring functions, in spite of the limitations of each device.Our objective is to demonstrate a fully software implementation of the so called Pulse Coupled Oscillator Protocol, proposed in [2, 6] for the decentralized synchronization of radio devices. The PCO protocol is inspired by a model found in mathematical biology [5]. It is decentralized, scalable and simple, as we will show in our demonstration.
Analyses of benzene levels in unleaded gasoline vapors during commingling

Abstract Gas chromatographic measurements were made for benzene levels of straight gasoline mixed with alcohol-additive unleaded gasoline vapors. Commingled fuels with equivalent volumes of straight gasoline and 10% alcohol-additive gasoline had increased benzene vapor concentrations as opposed to gasolines that were not mixed.
Silicon Micropin-Fin Heat Sink With Integrated TSVs for 3-D ICs: Tradeoff Analysis and Experimental Testing

Microfluidic cooling is proposed as a solution to reject heat from a 3-D IC stack of high power chips. However, the integration of interlayer microfluidic cooling in 3-D ICs inevitably increases wafer thickness and thus presents possible challenges for through-silicon via (TSV) integration. This paper discusses the thermal and electrical co-design of a microfluidic heat sink compatible with TSV technology. A TSV-compatible micropin-fin heat sink (MPFHS) with a height of 200 μm, a micropin-fin diameter of 150 μm, and a pitch of 225 μm is fabricated. The fabricated MPFHS is experimentally shown to maintain the chip junction temperature at a power density for a flow rate of 70 mL/min. The thermal results are benchmarked with an air-cooled heat sink and a chip junction temperature reduction of is observed. A 3 × 3 array of TSVs, each with a diameter of 10 μm and a height of 178 μm (18:1 aspect ratio), is integrated into each micropin-fin. This results in a TSV density of 17424 cm-2 in the microfluidic heat sinks. Using four-point probing, the measured resistance of TSVs is 36.5±1.5 mΩ.
Interaction of the SPG21 protein ACP33/maspardin with the aldehyde dehydrogenase ALDH16A1.

Mast syndrome (SPG21) is an autosomal-recessive complicated form of hereditary spastic paraplegia characterized by dementia, thin corpus callosum, white matter abnormalities, and cerebellar and extrapyramidal signs in addition to spastic paraparesis. A nucleotide insertion resulting in premature truncation of the SPG21 gene product acidic cluster protein 33 (ACP33)/maspardin underlies this disorder, likely causing loss of protein function. However, little is known about the function of maspardin. Here, we report that maspardin localizes prominently to cytoplasm as well as to membranes, possibly at trans-Golgi network/late endosomal compartments. Immunoprecipitation of maspardin with identification of coprecipitating proteins by mass spectrometry revealed the aldehyde dehydrogenase ALDH16A1 as an interacting protein. This interaction was confirmed using overexpressed proteins as well as by fusion protein pull down experiments, and these proteins colocalized in cells. Further studies of the function of ALDH16A1 and the role of the maspardin–ALDH16A1 interaction in neuronal cells may clarify the cellular pathogenesis of Mast syndrome.
The application of gas phase and solid state X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to the investigation of derivatives containing the repeating SN unit

Abstract Solid state X-ray photoelectron spectra of S 2 N 2 , S 4 N 4 , (SNBr 0.04 ) x , and (SNBr 0.25 ) x have been obtained and the gas phase spectrum of S 2 N 2 is also reported. Both the solid state and gas phase core level spectra, as well as MNDO and CHELEQ calculations, show that there is greater S → N charge transfer in S 4 N 4 than in S 2 N 2 . The solid state data indicate that the charge distributions in S 2 N 2 and (SN) x are the same. All of the data can be satisfactorily explained without recourse to N p π → S d π bonding. Bromination of an (SN) x film and single crystals results in complicated, broad N 1s and S 2p envelopes. Changes in the relative core level intensities on bromination suggest that the bromine resides largely between and/or on the (SN) x fibrils, rather than penetrating into the fibrils.
The ligand-gated chloride channel gene family of Drosophila melanogaster

The antagonism of cellular excitability in insects is mediated by a family of ionotropic receptors, the ligand-gated chloride channels. In insects these inhibitory receptors include synaptic GABA and histamine receptors, functionally analogous to vertebrate GABA and glycine receptors, and glutamate receptors that appear to be unique to invertebrates. The ligand-gated chloride channel family in insects includes two well-validated targets for insect control agents: GABA receptors, which are the targets for a structural variety of small-molecule insecticides (polychlorocycloalkanes such as dieldrin and phenylpyrazoles such as fipronil) that have been used widely in agriculture; and glutamate receptors, which are the targets of macrocyclic lactone natural products (the avermectins) that have yielded not only commercial insecticides but also anthelminthic agents (i.e., ivermectin) employed in animal and human health. The availability of the complete genome sequence of the insect model system Drosophila melanogaster has permitted the identification of all of the genes encoding proteins with structural similarity to known ligand-gated chloride channel subunits (ligand-gated chloride channel homologs or LCCHs). Here, we review the present status of knowledge of the structure and function of the proteins encoded by this compact gene family. The 12 LCCH genes of D. melanogaster exhibit a surprising degree of structural diversity, which is further enhanced for some subunits by a variety of post-transcriptional and post-translational modifications. Although the structures of the gene products encoded by this small gene family are now well characterized, surprisingly little is known of the biological functions of the majority of them and the structures of most native receptors remain unknown.
Capacity loss in rechargeable lithium cells during cycle life testing: The importance of determining state-of-charge

Determining state-of-charge (SoC) in a battery has been an important subject for the industry for decades. Despite significant efforts in the past focusing on methodologies to accurately estimate SoC in a battery, the fundamental understanding of the SoC issue has not been clear, at least in the industry where testing, control, and operation are concerned. Recently, we have been working on developing reliable techniques to identify capacity loss mechanism in rechargeable lithium batteries and to quantify contributions to capacity loss from different origins. That prompted us to re-visit the SoC issue. Strictly speaking, SoC is a static thermodynamic property of battery chemistry, which should be determined at equilibrium. On the other hand, cell capacity is a quantity of practical interest often determined by kinetics; thus, it is rate dependent. We conducted a few experiments to illustrate the accurate estimate of SoC through proper measurements. We also explained the proper correlation between SoC and rate capacity. A better understanding of the charge and discharge behavior in a battery under different rates in relation to the SoC is therefore derived.
Membrane curvature and its generation by BAR proteins

Membranes are flexible barriers that surround the cell and its compartments. To execute vital functions such as locomotion or receptor turnover, cells need to control the shapes of their membranes. In part, this control is achieved through membrane-bending proteins, such as the Bin/amphiphysin/Rvs (BAR) domain proteins. Many open questions remain about the mechanisms by which membrane-bending proteins function. Addressing this shortfall, recent structures of BAR protein:membrane complexes support existing mechanistic models, but also produced novel insights into how BAR domain proteins sense, stabilize, and generate curvature. Here we review these recent findings, focusing on how BAR proteins interact with the membrane, and how the resulting scaffold structures might aid the recruitment of other proteins to the sites where membranes are bent.
Chronic administration of nerve growth factor and other neurotrophic factors to the brain

Intracerebral chronic administration of nerve growth factor (NGF) is able to counteract age-related cholinergic dysfunction. This finding suggests that Intracerebral administration of neurotrophic factors may become a generally valuable approach when attempting to ameliorate age-related neuronal deficits in experimental animals and humans. This commentary briefly discusses possible strategies for the development of such “neurotrophic factor treatments.”
A survey of cross-sectional and time-series literature on factors affecting child welfare

Abstract This paper reviews the literature on the socio-economic determinants of child welfare. Cross-sectional evidence is first analysed. The relevant literature is subdivided into four groups of studies depending on the main factors influencing child welfare: demographic; related to family circumstances; related to health care and sanitation; and economic. The very few time-series studies on this subject are then examined. While the existing literature does not allow definitive conclusions to be drawn on the predominance or relative importance of these four sets of factors, this paper identifies three related research areas for which particularly severe gaps seem to emerge and for which additional investigation appears necessary. These are: over-time studies, studies for low-income, high-mortality countries of Africa, for middle-income countries and for high-income, high-mortality countries, and studies measuring impact on the basis of indicators of welfare other than infant mortality rates.
Crime Indicators for Alcohol and Drug Abuse

This study investigated the relationship between crimes that are specifically alcohol- or drug-related and those that are not, using principal components analysis (PCA) to develop indicators of alcohol or drug abuse. The grouping of the crimes into alcohol and drug factors was generally consistent with the literature on crimes perpetrated by alcohol and drug abusers, and was similar for males and females. The only gender differences were that aggravated assault loaded highly on the alcohol factor only for males, and liquor law violations loaded highly only for females. In general, the results indicate that the PCA is a useful tool for developing crime indicators for alcohol and drug abuse.
Processing PET bottles into high-purity flake

This work gives a quantitative insight to the parameters governing a series of unit operations which were assembled to convert poly( ethylene terephthalate) (PET) bottles into a high-purity flake of PET suitable for end use or further chemical conversion. The interest in developing a relatively simple but effective mechanical system for processing PET bottles is related to the fact that approximately 75% of the more than 400,000 Mg of PET consumed in the U.S. is used in the manufacture of soft-drink containers [ 11. Other estimates [ 21 give somewhat lower amounts, corresponding to PET bottles yielding 165,000 Mg of PET and 60,000 Mg of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) per year. Although it is believed that as much as 25% of these containers are returned, their fate in terms of the manner of processing, reuse etc. is not clear. Present practice would indicate that the majority of the PET bottles become part of municipal solid waste streams destined for conventional disposal via landfill, incineration, etc. Various social and technical issues influence the manner in which PET can be reused. For example, although there is no regulation barring the reuse of PET bottles for food containers [ 31, general sanitary considerations [ 2, 41 presently preclude this mode of reuse. Presumably, the subsequent thermal processing of recovered PET would negate these concerns. However, a valid technical concern regarding the reuse of PET, for example for the popular twoliter bottles, is related to the fact that the slight decrease in intrinsic viscosity of the polymer which occurs in the reprocessed material has a deliterious effect on strength and formability when new bottles are made [ 31. In addition, recycled PET from two-liter bottles does not have the preferred molecular weight for film or textile fiber applications [ 21. Consequently, contrary to the claims made in 1977 regarding the ease of recycling, when polyester containers were first introduced [ 51, it appears that in addition to the limited applications as a filler material (fiber fill, stuffing, etc.) the promise for recycling PET lies in
The Economic Effects of Right to Work Laws

Right to work (RTW) laws have had growing labor market importance, as the proportion of Americans living in RTW states has risen over time, mainly because of a large in-migration of labor and capital. In the 2000–2009 period alone, over 5 million Americans moved into RTW states from non-RTW jurisdictions. This resource movement has led to greater output growth in RTW states. Controlling for other factors, it appears RTW is positively associated with rising income per capita as well, and arguably an improved quality of life if migration statistics are any indicator. The long term political equilibrium that has led to little change over time in the adoption of RTW laws could end as pro-RTW forces gain political clout relative to their union opponents.
The rapid disability rating scale-2.

A revised version of the Rapid Disability Rating Scale (RDRS-2) is presented. Item definitions have been sharpened and directions expanded to indicate that ratings are based upon the patient's performance in regard to behavior, and that prostheses normally used by the patient should be included in the assessment. Three items have been added to increase the breadth of the scale. Response items have been changed from three-point to four-point ratings in order to increase group discrimination and make the scale more sensitive to changes in treatment. The new appraisals of reliability, factor structure, and validity are reported, along with the potential uses of the scale.
Statistical mechanics models and the modular group

A lattice homogeneous under the modular group γ of fractional linear transformations is constructed. The generating function for close packed dimer configurations on this infinite lattice is found directly, without doing it first for a finite lattice, using the Pfaffian method. This requires orienting the lattice. The group SL(2, ℤ) is used to this end. Computation of the generating function is reduced to a particular case of the problem of finding the number of words reducible to the identity for a group which is the free product of two cyclic groups. Solution of this problem gives the dimer generating function as the solution of an algebraic equation. Considered as a function of the activities, the free energy has a logarithmic singularity.
Membrane fatty acid analysis of Antarctic bacteria

Randomly selected strains of a bacterial collection of marine sea-ice bacteria from Antarctica were analyzed to obtain a profile of the membrane fatty acids. Results showed that short chain saturated and unsaturated fatty acids were more common in the psychrotrophs when compared to psychrophiles. In contrast, branched-chain fatty acids were more abundant in the psychrophiles.
5-Methylthioribose 1-phosphate: A product of partially purified, rat liver 5′-methylthioadenosine phosphorylase activity

Abstract 5′-Methylthioadenosine phosphorylase from rat liver has been purified 112-fold. A molecular weight of 90 000 for the enzyme was estimated from gel filtration on Sephadex G-150. The K m for 5′-methylthioadenosine was 4.7 · 10−7 M, while the K m for phosphate was 2 · 10−4 M. The products of the reaction were isolated and identified as adenine and 5-methylthioribose 1-phosphate. In addition to 5′-methylthioadenosine the nucleoside analogues 5′-ethylthioadenosine and 5′-n- propylthioadenosine also served as substrates for the enzyme. The 7-deaza analogue 5′-methylthiotubercidin was found to be an inhibitor of the reaction, but was inactive as a substrate.
So what is strategy

Abstract This paper contrasts the notion of strategy that has developed in the field of business policy over the past decade or so with the conceptions of strategy that prevail in other loosely related fields—most notably the fields of military practice and of futures research.