cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rendition Operations: Does U.S. Law Impose Any Restrictions?

For centuries, the United States has seized individuals oversees and, outside any formal extradition process, brought such individuals to the United States to stand trial. A more recent wrinkle has been the transfer of such individuals to other countries for the purposes of prosecution or interrogation. Known as “rendition operations,” such transfers have often been criticized. Numerous commentators, asserting that many of these activities violate U.S. law, have called on the U.S. government to cease such operations and prosecute U.S. officials who engage in them. Nonetheless, a Special Task Force established by President Obama recently advocated the continued used of rendition operations, though with some policy changes. In order to effectuate such changes, and understand their impact, the Administration, as well as the critics and proponents of rendition operations, need to understand current U.S. law regarding renditions. Yet, despite all the focus, concern and criticism over rendition operations, no scholarly work to date has evaluated the entirety of U.S. law regarding such activities. This article proposes to do just that. It concludes that, upon close inspection of U.S. law, there are virtually no legal restrictions on these types of operations. Indeed, U.S. law does not even preclude the United States from rendering individuals to a third country in instances where the third country may subject the rendered individual to torture. The only restrictions that do exist under U.S. law preclude U.S. officials from themselves torturing or inflicting cruel and unusual punishment on individuals during rendition operations, or rendering individuals from a place of actual armed conflict or occupation – all of which prove to be narrow limitations indeed. Finally, few actual means exist to prosecute or sue U.S. officials engaged in rendition operations, due to limitations in civil and criminal statutory authority, as well as the courts’ continuous reluctance to consider such claims.
Using Complex Semidefinite Programming for Approximating MAX E2-LIN3

A number of recent papers on approximation algorithms have used the square roots of unity, -1 and 1 to represent binary decision variables for problems in combinatorial optimization, and have relaxed these to unit vectors in real space using semidefinite programming in order to obtain near optimal solutions to these problems. In this talk, we consider using the cube roots of unity, 1, ei2π/3, and ei4π/3, to represent ternary decision variables for problems in combinatorial optimization. Here the natural relaxation is that of unit vectors in complex space. We use an extension of semidefinite programming to complex space to solve the natural relaxation, and use a natural extension of the random hyperplane technique to obtain near-optimal solutions to the problems. In particular, we consider the problem of maximizing the total weight of satisfied equations xu - xv ≡ c (mod 3) and inequations xu - xv ≢ c (mod 3), where xu ∈ {0, 1, 2} for all u. This problem can be used to model the MAX 3-CUT problem and a directed variant we call MAX 3-DICUT. For the general problem, we obtaina 0.79373-approximationalgorithm. If the instance contains only inequations (as it does for MAX 3-CUT), we obtaina performance guarantee of 7/12 + 3/4π2 arccos2(-1/4) ≅ 0.83601. Although quite different at first glance, our relaxation and algorithm appear to be equivalent to those of Frieze and Jerrum (1997) and de Klerk, Pasechnik, and Warners (2000) for MAX 3-CUT, and the ones of Andersson, Engebretson, and Hastad (1999) for the general case.
Risk of respiratory hospital admission in preterm children

BACKGROUND Prematurely born children have many health features including respiratory morbidity. We investigate a risk of emergency respiratory hospital admission children during first 3 years of life associated with gestational age at birth. METHODS We analysed a population of 647 children born from 2006 to 2009 in Vinnitsa region in Ukraine who were prematurely born and were treated in Children's Regional Hospital due to different reasons. The main outcome measure was emergency respiratory hospital admission. RESULTS Children with gestational age less than 40 weeks had an increased risk of emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions compared with infants born on time (adjusted hazard ratio 1.10; 95% CI 1.06-1.15). The rate of admission in the first year of life was from 38.5 per 100 child-years for infants born before 33 weeks of gestation to 7.4 per 100 child-years for infants born up to 40 weeks of gestation. The risk of any emergency respiratory admission up to 3 years increased as gestational age decreased to <40 weeks. CONCLUSIONS The risk of emergency respiratory admission in premature children higher than in with normal gestational age up to age 3 years and it decreased with each next week in gestation up to 40 weeks.
The structure of a contact-dependent growth-inhibition (CDI) immunity protein from Neisseria meningitidis MC58.

Contact-dependent growth inhibition (CDI) is an important mechanism of intercellular competition between neighboring Gram-negative bacteria. CDI systems encode large surface-exposed CdiA effector proteins that carry a variety of C-terminal toxin domains (CdiA-CTs). All CDI+ bacteria also produce CdiI immunity proteins that specifically bind to the cognate CdiA-CT and neutralize its toxin activity to prevent auto-inhibition. Here, the X-ray crystal structure of a CdiI immunity protein from Neisseria meningitidis MC58 is presented at 1.45 A resolution. The CdiI protein has structural homology to the Whirly family of RNA-binding proteins, but appears to lack the characteristic nucleic acid-binding motif of this family. Sequence homology suggests that the cognate CdiA-CT is related to the eukaryotic EndoU family of RNA-processing enzymes. A homology model is presented of the CdiA-CT based on the structure of the XendoU nuclease from Xenopus laevis. Molecular-docking simulations predict that the CdiA-CT toxin active site is occluded upon binding to the CdiI immunity protein. Together, these observations suggest that the immunity protein neutralizes toxin activity by preventing access to RNA substrates.
Competition and the Residential Land Allocation Process

I. Introduction, 227.—II. The residential land allocation process, 228.—III. The socially efficient RLAP, 230.—IV. The competitive RLAP, 231.—V. Distortion and the property tax, 234.—VI. Conclusion, 240.—Appendix: statement of the necessary conditions for socially efficient RLAP's and proof of the equivalence theorem, 240.
Kinetics of spermatogenesis in the adult tick, Dermacentor veriabilis

Abstract A count of spermatocysts in the recently-ecdysed adult male Dermacentor variabilis indicates that spermatogonial mitosis continues at a high rate for the first few days of adult life and then declines to a low level. An earlier proposed model of spermatocyte accumulation is corrected for this activity and the theoretical curve generated by the model is compared to the empirical data. [ 3 H]-TdR labelling demonstrates a continuous low level of DNA synthesis during the adult pre-feeding period, although the cell population remains stable. The rate of DNA synthesis suggests that the spermatocyte pool is completely turned over about every two months. Degeneration of cysts of primary spermatocytes at the end of the ‘small growth’ period in the posterior extremity of the testis tubule is described and suggested to be an essential component in the maintenance of this stable spermatocyte pool in the light of a continued input through spermatogonial mitosis. A five-fold increase in spermatogonial division activity follows feeding. In addition, a marked decrease in duration of the first meiotic prophase also occurs.
Synthesis and deposition of TiC-Fe coatings by plasma spraying

Abstract TiC possesses a hardness so great that it has been considered for the development of wear-resis- tant coating materials. However, its brittleness and the difficulty in dispersing it homogeneously and finely in large volume proportions within a tough metal matrix have so far limited its application in the hard surfacing industry. Because the plasma spraying of premixed powder blends or composite powders containing TiC and metallic elements does not give coatings with homogeneous microstructures, a new method was developed for producing TiC composite coatings. It consists of the simultaneous synthesis and deposition of TiC-Fe materials by plasma spraying. Solid reagants bound together to form a single particle are injected into the plasma where a reaction occurs. The reaction products are propelled onto a substrate to form a coating. Microstructural analyses comprising X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that TiC was synthesized during spraying. Dense and thick coatings containing submicron TiC particles dispersed in an iron matrix were compared with those obtained by spraying composite powders comprising TiC and iron. With their unusual microstructure, these plasma spray-synthesized (PSS) coatings may be suitable for wear resistant applications. The low cost of starting materials makes these PSS TiC-Fe coatings very attractive as substitutes for strategic materials.
Improving the accuracy of shear wave speed reconstructions using 4D directional filters in the presence of reflection artifacts

Reflected waves from stiffness boundaries can lead to artifacts in shear wave speed (SWS) reconstructions. 2D directional filters are commonly used with planar imaging systems to reduce in-plane reflected waves; however SWS artifacts arise from both in and out-of imaging plane reflected waves. Herein, we quantify the reduction in image artifacts afforded by the use of volumetric SWS monitoring and 4D directional filters. A Gaussian acoustic radiation force impulse was simulated in a phantom with a Young's modulus (E) of 3 kPa with a 5 mm spherical lesion with E = 6, 12 or 18.75 kPa. 2D, 3D, and 4D directional filters were applied to the displacement profiles to reduce in and out-of-plane reflected wave artifacts. SWS images were reconstructed and RMS error and CNR were calculated for each image to evaluate the image accuracy and quality. Applying 3D directional filters as compared to 2D led to larger improvements in image accuracy and quality than the improvements seen using 4D directional filters over 3D. This improvement in image accuracy is significant because the processing of these data could be performed on displacement data from a traditional 1D linear array with reasonable computational time and resources. Although 4D directional filters can further reduce the impact of large magnitude out-of-plane reflection artifacts in SWS images, computational overhead and transducer costs may outweigh the modest improvements in image quality.
Management of Fibromyalgia

Despite extensive clinical study, no distinct consensus has emerged on the optimal management of fibromyalgia. This paper discusses the diagnosis, pathophysiology, and treatment of fibromyalgia.
Immunohistochemical demonstration of cytochrome b5 and hemopexin in rat liver parenchymal cells using horseradish peroxidase.

Abstract The membrane-bound hemoprotein, cytochrome b 5 , and the serum protein, hemopexin, were demonstrated in rat liver parenchymal cells using an immunohistochemical approach. Other liver cells contained neither protein. The immunological “sandwich” technique employs a complex of horseradish peroxidase with anti-horseradish peroxidase sequentially coupled to other antibodies including those to rat cytochrome b 5 and hemopexin.
Polyphosphate kinase 1 and the ocular virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

PURPOSE. To determine the role of polyphosphate kinase 1 (PPK1) in the ocular virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. METHODS. Using a mouse model of infection, P. aeruginosa strains PAO1, PAOM5 (an isogenic mutant of PAO1 deficient in PPK1), and PAOM5+PPK1 (the mutant complemented with PPK1 on plasmid pHEPAK11) were compared for ocular virulence. These strains were also characterized with respect to traits associated with survival and pathogenicity in an ocular environment. RESULTS. The PPK1-deficient strain PAOM5 was significantly less virulent than either wild-type PAO1 or the complemented mutant (P < 0.016). Loss of virulence was not associated with serum sensitivity or diminished adherence to the cornea. However, PAOM5 has an increased susceptibility to oxidative stress and was cleared from corneal tissue significantly better (P < 0.006) than either the wild-type or restored strain. Furthermore, the PPK1-deficient mutant produced significantly less (P < 0.022) pyocyanin. CONCLUSIONS. PPK1 is essential for a successful ocular infection by P. aeruginosa. The loss of ocular virulence is probably due to the dysregulation of multiple genes, including those responsible for stress response.
Thermal Damage of Blood Vessels in a Rat Skin-flap Window Chamber Using Indocyanine Green and a Pulsed Alexandrite Laser: A Feasibility Study

The design criteria and feasibility of specifically targeting blood vessels for thermal damage by using a pulsed alexandrite infra-red laser to heat an intravascularly injected infra-redabsorbing dye, namely indocyanine green (ICG), is demonstrated. Theoretical calculations map the distribution of light and heat in and around the subcutaneous blood vessels in a rat skin-flap window chamber as functions of dye concentration, vessel size, and vessel depth. Theoretical calculations showed that an injected dose of 6–24 mgkg−1 of ICG and a 120-μs, 1-J cm−2 alexandrite laser pulse at a wavelength of 785 nm would be sufficient to achieve selective vascular damage to a depth of at least 0.15 cm. Feasibility experiments were performed which illustrated that an irradiation of 1.27 J cm−2 of skin flaps in uninjected control rats showed no evidence of vascular damage while vascular damage was seen in skin flaps using an experimental protocol of 12 mg kg−1 i.v. of ICG and an energy fluence of 0.76 J cm−2. This procedure could conceivably prove useful in the treatment of vascular lesions or cancer.
Gill raker structure and development in indo‐pacific anchovies (Teleostei: Engrauloidea), with a discussion of the structural evolution of engrauloid gill rakers

The postlarval development of gill raker denticles is described for the engrauloid (anchovy) genera Coilia, Lycothrissa, Setipinna, Thryssa, Stolephorus, and Encrasicholina based on scanning electron microscopy. The raker structure of adult Papuengraulis is also described. In the coiliid genera Coilia, Lycothrissa, Setipinna, Thryssa, and Papuengraulis, denticle development is not confined to particular region(s) of the raker. With few exceptions, the proliferation of denticles with growth is greatest along the upper raker edge; denticles are smaller and less dense on the raker faces and along the lower raker edge. Some Thryssa and Setipinna have a derived condition of denticle clustering along the upper raker edge. In Stolephorus and Encrasicholina, denticle development is confined to the upper raker half and includes the development of a single row of denticles along each raker face. A phylogenetic analysis of engrauloid raker structure, incorporating data from Bornbusch ( 88: Copeia 1988:174-182) and based on outgroup comparisons, indicates that for the Engrauloidea: (1) the pattern of denticle development shared by coiliids is plesiomorphic; and (2) the pattern of denticle development shared by Stolephorus, Encrasicholina, and most other engraulids is synapomorphic for the Engraulidae. There is no evidence that the studied coiliids Stolephorus and Encrasicholina are suspension feeders. The engraulid pattern of raker denticle development which is retained in suspension feeding engraulids of the genus Engraulis was thus derived before the derivation of suspension feeding in Engraulis. Comparative morphological and phylogenetic studies of clupeomorph raker structures and feeding behaviors can infer the historical origins of morphology-behavior associations, help define possible directions for analyses of raker denticle function, and thereby help elucidate the significance of structure-function couplings in the evolution of such clupeomorph trophic behaviors as suspension feeding. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Breast conservation therapy: local tumor control in patients with pathologically clear margins who receive 5000 cGy breast irradiation without local boost

A retrospective study was performed to determine the value of pathological evaluation of inked primary tumor specimen margins in the local control of patients with stage I and II breast cancer. In 150 patients with 153 invasive breast cancers, treatment involved surgical resection of the primary tumor, pathological determination of tumor-free inked specimen margins, and 5000 cGy whole breast radiation therapy (RT) without tumor bed RT local boost. This approach yielded an actuarial five-year local control rate of 95%. The local control rate was 96% for T-1 cases and 93% for T-2 cases. The local control rate was 96% for patients with clear margins achieved at initial resection and 94% for patients with clear margins achieved at re-excision. Among patients with clear margins at re-excision, the local control rate was 97% for those with no residual cancer and 88% for those with residual cancer. Patients with surgical margins clear by 3 mm or less had a local control rate of 92% at five years. Local control rates appear to be comparable to other breast conservation approaches which routinely employ local RT boosts. In omitting the local RT boost in patients with clear margins, the overall RT course will be briefer and the cosmetic changes associated with high-dose, large volume local RT boosts can be avoided.
Methodological Review: HCLS 2.0/3.0: Health care and life sciences data mashup using Web 2.0/3.0

We describe the potential of current Web 2.0 technologies to achieve data mashup in the health care and life sciences (HCLS) domains, and compare that potential to the nascent trend of performing semantic mashup. After providing an overview of Web 2.0, we demonstrate two scenarios of data mashup, facilitated by the following Web 2.0 tools and sites: Yahoo! Pipes, Dapper, Google Maps and GeoCommons. In the first scenario, we exploited Dapper and Yahoo! Pipes to implement a challenging data integration task in the context of DNA microarray research. In the second scenario, we exploited Yahoo! Pipes, Google Maps, and GeoCommons to create a geographic information system (GIS) interface that allows visualization and integration of diverse categories of public health data, including cancer incidence and pollution prevalence data. Based on these two scenarios, we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these Web 2.0 mashup technologies. We then describe Semantic Web, the mainstream Web 3.0 technology that enables more powerful data integration over the Web. We discuss the areas of intersection of Web 2.0 and Semantic Web, and describe the potential benefits that can be brought to HCLS research by combining these two sets of technologies.
Seguindo Pierre Bourdieu no campo

Attending to Bourdieu's early field studies conducted concurrently in colonial Algeria and in his childhood village of Bearn in southwestern France sets his scientific approach and output into a new light: it reveals the twinned ethnographic roots of his theoretical enterprise; it dissolves the caricatural figure of the 'reproduction theorist' oblivious to historical change; and it dispels the academic fiction of the 'practice theorist' by displaying how Bourdieu's conceptual innovations (such as the reintroduction of habitus) were driven by questions of field research centered on social transformation, cultural disjuncture, and the fissuring of consciousness. Using each site as a living laboratory to cross-analyze the other enabled Bourdieu to discover the specificity of the 'universally prelogical logic of practice' and led him to break out of the structuralist paradigm. Recoupling his youthful inquiries in Kabylia and Bearn further reveals how, foreshadowing the 'repatriation' of anthropology after the close of the imperial age, Bourdieu revoked the dominant conception of ethnography as a heroic exploration of otherness and pioneered multi-sited ethnography as a means for controlling the construction of the object. Bourdieu's paired field studies of social structure and sentiment in the far-away colony and the mother-country not only efface in practice the disciplinary division between sociology and anthropology. They demonstrate that one can conduct 'insider ethnography' and acknowledge the social embeddedness and split subjectivity of the inquirer without reducing ethnography to story-telling and forsaking social theory for poetry.
Fusion of feature selection and optimized immune networks for hyperspectral image classification of urban landscapes

The urban landscape is dynamic and complex. As improved remote sensing data in terms of spatial and spectral characteristics became available, more sophisticated methods have been adopted for urban applications. This study proposed and evaluated a classification model incorporating feature selection, artificial immune networks and parameter optimization. Information gain, a broadly applied feature selection metric used in data mining techniques such as decision trees, was used for feature selection. Two types of information gain – binary-class entropy and multiple-class entropy – were investigated. Artificial immune networks have been recently applied to remote sensing classification and have been proven useful especially when multiple parameters of the networks are optimized through a genetic algorithm. The proposed model was tested for urban classification using hyperspectral (i.e. AISA and Hyperion) and LiDAR data over two urban study sites. Results show that the model considerably reduced processing t...
Maximum a posteriori filtering and smoothing algorithms

This paper presents the approximate solution of the non-linear two-point boundary value problem for maximum a posteriori estimation. Filtering, fixed point smoothing, fixed interval smoothing, and fixed lag smoothing algorithms are obtained by the discrete invariant embedding procedure. These are tabulated as well as the associated approximate error variances.
A GUI bug finding framework for Android applications

Users increasingly rely on mobile applications for computational needs. Google Android is a popular mobile platform, hence the correctness of Android applications is becoming increasingly important. Many Android correctness issues, however, fall outside the scope of traditional verification techniques, as they are due to the novelty of the platform and its activity- and event-oriented application construction paradigm. In this paper we present an approach for verifying Android applications with a focus on GUI bugs. We present techniques for detecting GUI bugs by automatic generation of test cases, feeding the application random events, instrumenting the VM, producing log/trace files and analyzing them post-run. These techniques have helped re-discover existing bugs and finding new bugs in Android applications.
Influence of temperature and salinity variations on an aquatic bug population in a tropical pond

Variation in sex ratio of Diplonychus indicus, living in a permanent pond in southern India, was studied in relation to seasonal variations in temperature and salinity. Males proved to be less susceptible to changes in these parameters. Protein content and survival of the insect were studied in relation to fluctuations of environmental conditions.
Nuclear Data Sheets for A -- 216, 220, 224, and 228

Abstract Detailed level schemes, decay schemes, and the experimental data on which they are based are presented for all nuclei with mass numbers A=216, 220, 224, and 228. The experimental data are evaluated; inconsistencies and discrepancies are noted; and adopted values for level and γ-ray energies, γ intensities, as well as for other nuclear properties are given.
The cross-scale science of CO2 capture and storage: from pore scale to regional scale

We describe state-of-the-art science and technology related to modeling of CO2 capture and storage (CCS) at four different process scales: pore, reservoir, site, and region scale. We present novel research at each scale to demonstrate why each scale is important for a comprehensive understanding of CCS. Further, we illustrate research linking adjacent process scales, such that critical information is passed from one process scale to the next adjacent scale. We demonstrate this cross-scale approach using real world CO2 capture and storage data, including a scenario managing CO2 emissions from a large U.S. electric utility. At the pore scale, we present a new method for incorporating pore-scale surface tension effects into a relative permeability model of CO2-brine multiphase flow at the reservoir scale. We benchmark a reduced complexity model for site-scale analysis against a rigorous physics-based reservoir simulator, and include new system level considerations including local site-scale pipeline routing analysis (i.e., reservoir to site scale). We also include costs associated with brine production and treatment at the site scale, a significant issue often overlooked in CCS studies. All models that comprise our total system include parameter uncertainty which leads to results that have ranges of probability. Results suggest that research at one scale is able to inform models at adjacent process scales, and that these scale connections can inform policy makers and utility managers of overall system behavior including the impacts of uncertainty.
Discrete quantum mechanics

Abstract Recently the possibility was raised that time can be regarded as a dynamical variable. This leads to the formulation of discrete mechanics, with the usual continuum mechanics appearing as an approximation. The difference between these two is examined in this paper.
Enhanced expression of bax in small preantral follicles during 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide-induced ovotoxicity in the rat.

4-Vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD) destroys small preantral (25-100 microns) ovarian follicles after repeated dosing in mice and rats. A previous study determined this follicular destruction is via apoptosis (physiological cell death). The purposes of this study were to examine the effects of VCD on amounts of mRNA for several genes that might be involved in this ovotoxic response and to determine the specificity of this response for small preantral follicles. The genes of interest were bax, a cell death gene; three forms of the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase (mitochondrial manganese-containing or MnSOD, cytosolic copper/zinc-containing or Cu/ZnSOD, and secreted or secSOD); and microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH), involved in detoxification of VCD. Female Fischer 344 rats were administered daily doses (10 days) of vehicle control (sesame oil) or VCD (80 mg/kg, ip). Four hours after the last injection, livers and ovaries were removed. Small (25-100 microns) and large (100-250 microns) preantral follicles were separated from the ovaries by gentle dissociation and collected by mouth pipeting. Total RNA was extracted from all tissues, reverse transcribed into first-strand cDNA, and amplified by polymerase chain reaction using oligonucleotide primers specific for each gene. Relative levels of mRNA were visualized by agarose gel electrophoresis and autoradiography and quantified by densitometric analysis. Coamplification of ribosomal protein L19 (constitutively expressed in ovarian tissue) was used for normalization in each sample. Increased levels of mRNA for bax (172 +/- 20% of control, p 0.05) in mRNA levels for bax or MnSOD in VCD-treated rats; however, mRNA levels for mEH were significantly decreased (79 +/- 4% of control, p < 0.05), compared with control. No changes in levels of mRNA for mEH were observed in liver from VCD-treated rats relative to control. Additionally, in liver VCD caused a significant decrease in mRNA levels for bax (31 +/- 5% of control, p < 0.05) and Cu-ZnSOD (56 +/- 17% of control, p < 0.05). In summary, dosing of rats with VCD enhanced expression of mRNA encoding several genes that might respond during the induction of ovotoxicity. The selective increase in bax in the population of follicles destroyed by repeated dosing with VCD may reflect their susceptibility to apoptosis.
Utility of Physiologically Based Absorption Modeling in Implementing Quality by Design in Drug Development

To implement Quality by Design (QbD) in drug development, scientists need tools that link drug products properties to in vivo performance. Physiologically based absorption models are potentially useful tools; yet, their utility of QbD implementation has not been discussed or explored much in the literature. We simulated pharmacokinetics (PK) of carbamazepine (CBZ) after administration of four oral formulations, immediate-release (IR) suspension, IR tablet, extended-release (XR) tablet and capsule, under fasted and fed conditions and presented a general diagram of a modeling and simulation strategy integrated with pharmaceutical development. We obtained PK parameters and absorption scale factors (ASFs) by deconvolution of the PK data for IR suspension under fasted condition. The model was validated for other PK profiles of IR formulations and used to predict PK for XR formulations. We explored three key areas where a modeling and simulation approach impacts QbD. First, the model was used to help identify optimal in vitro dissolution conditions for XR formulations. Second, identification of critical formulations variables was illustrated by a parameter sensitivity analysis of mean particle radius for the IR tablet that showed a PK shift with decreased particle radius, Cmax was increased and Tmax was decreased. Finally, virtual trial simulations allowed incorporation of inter-subject variability in the model. Virtual bioequivalence studies performed for two test formulations suggested that an in vitro dissolution test may be a more sensitive discriminative method than in vivo PK studies. In summary, a well-validated predictive model is a potentially useful tool for QbD implementation in drug development.
Gamma-Rays Associated with Selected Neutron-Induced Radioactivities

By means of photographic magnetic spectrometers located close to the heavy water moderated reactor, the following radioactive nuclei have been examined: ${\mathrm{Se}}^{77m}$ (17.5 sec), ${\mathrm{Se}}^{79m}$ (3.5 min), ${\mathrm{Se}}^{81m}$ (58 min), ${\mathrm{Se}}^{81}$ (17 min), ${\mathrm{Se}}^{83}$ (69 sec), ${\mathrm{Se}}^{83}$ (26 min), ${\mathrm{Nd}}^{147}$ (11.9 days), ${\mathrm{Nd}}^{149}$ (1.8 hr), ${\mathrm{Nd}}^{151}$ (12 min), ${\mathrm{Pm}}^{149}$ (50 hr), ${\mathrm{Pm}}^{151}$ (27.5 hr), ${\mathrm{Sm}}^{145}$ (410 days), ${\mathrm{Sm}}^{151}$ (g20 yr), ${\mathrm{Sm}}^{153}$ (46.5 hr), ${\mathrm{Sm}}^{155}$ (23.5 min), ${\mathrm{Eu}}^{155}$ (1.7 yr), ${\mathrm{Mo}}^{101}$ (14 min), ${\mathrm{Tc}}^{101}$ (15 min), and ${\mathrm{Th}}^{233}$ (23.6 min). The 27.5-hour activity assigned to ${\mathrm{Pm}}^{151}$ was discovered in this work. A new vacuum gate for the camera of the spectrometer permits the study of activities with half-lives as short as ten seconds. Energy level schemes for the product nuclei are proposed on the basis of a spectrographic analysis of the gamma-rays and also of coincidence and absorption measurements. Changes in spin and parity between many of the energy levels are determined from measurements of the $\frac{K}{L}$ ratios of the corresponding gamma-rays.
Ascending paralysis associated with measles

In a 7-year-old boy the association of a coincident measles virus infection to the clinical picture of a rapidly ascending paralysis without sensory loss was established by virologic studies. Electroencephalographic and electromyographic studies support the diagnosis of encephaloneuropathy. The pathogenesis of this exceedingly rare complication of measles is discussed.
A nationwide analysis of risk factors for mortality and time to endoscopy in upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage

Summary Background We analysed nationwide in-patient data from 2002 to 2007 to determine significant demographic variables when predicting mortality and receipt of prompt oesophagogastroduodenoscopy (OGD) for acute variceal haemorrhage (AVH) and nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage (NVUGIH). Aim To study the effects of demographic variables in predicting time to endoscopy and mortality in AVH and NVUGIH. Methods We analysed the United States' Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), for risk factors for mortality and receipt of OGD within 1 day of admission for upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage. Results Risk factors for increased mortality in AVH included: age >60, men, African Americans, comorbidities, insurance type and delayed OGD. Risk factors for increased mortality in NVUGIH were similar to AVH, except race which was not significant. After correction for factors such as insurance type, comorbidity, hospital location and time to endoscopy, this increased risk of mortality persisted, suggesting that none of these factors was the primary cause of the observed differences. For AVH, OGD within 1 day of admission was more likely in men, White Americans, patients aged 18–40 years, privately insured and those with no comorbidities. OGD within 1 day of admission in NVUGIH was more likely in men, patients age 40–60, Whites, Hispanics, privately insured and those with a single comorbidity. Conclusions In multivariate analysis, in-patient mortality in AVH and NVUGIH increased with age, comorbidity, male gender, and delayed time to endoscopy. Young, healthier men were most likely to receive OGD within 1 day of admission. African Americans were less likely to receive OGD within 1 day of admission and had increased mortality in cases of AVH.
Quantum electrodynamics as a supersymmetric theory of loops

Abstract It is shown that the Wilson loop is not a renormalizable operator even in free QED. A modification is suggested and proven to be renormalizable. Feynman's worldline formulation of QED is generalized to include spinning particles and matter loops, using this modified Wilson loop. QED formulated this way is shown to have a supersymmetry. A superfield formalism is found that describes it. QED is rewritten as a second quantized field theory of loop functionals.
Synthesis of 11-[3H]-arteether, an experimental antimalarial drug

The triphenylphosphine hydrobromide-catalyzed addition of a proton from ethanol to anhydrodihydroartemisinin (5) has been employed for the synthesis of 2 and 4 Use of 1.5 equivalents of EtO2H or EtO3H yielded 11-[3H]-β-arteether as the major product.
Audiometric "early flags" for occupational hearing loss.

AbstractObjective:OSHA criteria for recording occupational noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) do not ensure early detection, yet scientific consensus is lacking regarding optimal “early flags” for NIHL. This study compares early flag metrics to the subsequent development of recordable hearing loss.Me
Top-quark Pole Mass

The top quark decays more quickly than the strong-interaction time scale, ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{\mathrm{QCD}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, and might be expected to escape the effects of nonperturbative QCD. Nevertheless, the top-quark pole mass, like the pole mass of a stable heavy quark, is ambiguous by an amount proportional to ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{\mathrm{QCD}}$.
Aggregates of a β-amyloid peptide are required to induce calcium currents in neuron-like human teratocarcinoma cells: relation to Alzheimer's disease

Abstract We report that human hNT cells display neuron-like calcium channel activation. Patch-clamp experiments show that exposure of hNT cells to the Alzheimer-related amyloid peptide βAP(25–35) induces large and irreversible inward calcium currents at −80 mV in whole cell mode, with a linear current–voltage relationship. This behavior is suggestive of ionophore formation. An analogous peptide with scrambled sequence has no effect. These ionophore effects by the βAP(25–35) peptide, the first report in a human cell-line, are very rapid effects. The currents are large and stable, and are blocked by Al3+ but not by Cd2+. Filtration removes a peptide aggregate from the amyloid peptide βAP(25–35) solution and thereby abolishes the inward current. The residual soluble peptide has no effect. These data suggest that the initial step of the neurotoxic effect of βAP(25–35) may be due to the insertion of the aggregated peptide into the cellular membrane as a Ca2+-carrying ionophore. The relevance of calcium-mediated cell death, especially in Alzheimer's disease, is discussed.
A study of plasma stability in sheared magnetic fields

In this review paper the basic equations for the study of the stability of inhomogeneous plasma in sheared magnetic fields are derived and examined for normal mode and wave-packet perturbations. Special emphasis is placed on the detailed mathematical formalisms usually employed in the analysis of such problems, and numerous known examples are used as applications.
PATCHING AND SECTION OF THE PULMONARY ORIFICE OF THE HEART

These experiments show that it is possible to perform an operation, the object of which is to increase the circumference of the pulmonary orifice without involving much danger to the life of the animal. It is probable that operations of this type may come to be employed in the treatment of stenosis of the pulmonary artery in man.
Effect of a Sustained‐Release Formulation of Trimazosin in Mild to Moderate Hypertension

A single-blind study was conducted to evaluate the blood pressure (BP) reduction and side effects of a sustained-release (SR) formulation of trimazosin in patients with mild to moderate hypertension. Eighteen individuals (age, 21-65 yr; mean diastolic BP, greater than 95 mm Hg) with essential hypertension were enrolled into the study. Each patient's dose was titrated to a range of 150-900 mg/d, with polythiazide added as necessary to achieve BP control. Four hours following the maximum titrated dose of trimazosin, mean standing and supine diastolic BPs were significantly lower than baseline readings. Supine systolic BP and supine and standing heart rate were not significantly lower than baseline. At 24 hours after administration of the maximum dose, there were no significant differences in heart rate of BP compared with baseline readings. Five of 16 patients responded to trimazosin therapy alone. Of the 11 treatment failures with trimazosin alone, five were therapeutic failures and six discontinued because of side effects. Only two of these 11 patients achieved satisfactory results with the combination therapy. Trimazosin SR acutely lowers BP three to six hours after administration. It appears to have a duration of action longer than six hours, but it is not sustained for 24 hours. The proportion of patients failing to respond in this sample was very high and suggests that for similar patients, the drug does not appear to be a very useful antihypertensive agent.
The effects of the insulin-like growth factors and transforming growth factor beta on the Jun proto-oncogene family in MC3T3-E1 cells.

Previous studies have demonstrated that when cells of the mouse osteoblastic cell line MC3T3-E1 are exposed to IGF-I and IGF-II they exhibit rapid and transient induction of the transcript from the proto-oncogene c-fos [8]. To clarify the relationship between induction of cell proliferation and proto-oncogene expression in MC3T3-E1 cells, the acute affects of IGF-I and IGF-II, growth factors that stimulate cell proliferation, and of TGF-β1, which inhibits cell proliferation, northern analyses with cDNA-derived probes for the proto-oncogenes c-jun, jun-B, and jun-D were undertaken. Concurrent northern analyses with a probe for c-fos extended our previous results to include the effect of TGF-β1 on c-fos. IGF-I does not induce the c-jun, jun-B, or jun-D transcripts, the former and latter being produced at detectable levels constitutively. After 1 hour of exposure to IGF-II the c-jun transcript response ranges from onefold to 13-fold and the jun-D transcript response ranges around twofold. After 1 hour of exposure to TGF-β1, the jun-B transcript response ranges from eightfold to 24-fold, the c-fos transcript response ranges between sixfold and sevenfold. The differences observed in the magnitude and kinetics of the induction provoked by these growth factors is consistent with the presence of a regulatory circuit acting through the Jun family members which may act to stimulate transcription differentially when bound to DNA either as homodimers or, with Fos family proteins, as heterodimers.
Interventions in renal scintirenography

Nuclear nephrourology continues to develop and expand on traditional provocative physiological maneuvers, such as diuretic and captopril renography. In addition, newer interventions are conceived, such as aspirin renography, which test new and fascinating aspects of renal functional reserve. Since the last review of this topic in 1991, nephrourologic nuclear medicine has made considerable progress in diverse ways. Captopril and diuresis renography have made strides in establishing greater consensus of interpretation and procedure. Commonplace aspirin, the ubiquitous wonder drug, has revealed an unexpected role in renography by way of its inhibition of prostaglandin E2. Finally, further investigations of exercise renography in essential hypertension have deepened the plausibility of a renal role in the etiology of perhaps 50% of affected individuals.
The relationship between maternal serum zinc levels during pregnancy and birthweight.

A retrospective follow-up study to ascertain the relationship between the level of serum zinc and its rate of change during gestation and birthweight was conducted in 476 women of lower socioeconomic status. Serum zinc concentrations measured at approximately 16 (early) and 32 weeks (later) in gestation were both found to be significant predictors of birthweight. Even after controlling for gestational age at birth and other determinants of birthweight, for each μg/dl increase in serum zinc early and later in pregnancy, birthweight increased by 5.8 and 8.6 g, respectively. Furthermore, after adjustment for initial zinc levels both the total change (β = −7.0, P = 0.0007) and the rate of change (β = −60.8, P = 0.007) in serum zinc during pregnancy were inversely associated with birthweight, i.e., the larger the fall in serum zinc during pregnancy, the smaller the infant. Low serum zinc level (< 60 μg/dl) late in pregnancy was associated with greater than a five-fold increase in the odds (OR = 5.8, 95% CI = 1.8, 16.4) of giving birth to a low birthweight infant. The results of this study suggest a threshold for maternal serum zinc below which the prevalence of low birthweight increases rapidly.
Smooth muscle and epithelial cells express specific binding sites for the C1q component of complement

In injury and inflammation, interactions of complement C1q with C1q receptors may provide attachment sites for cell localization and tissue regeneration. Cultured smooth muscle cells (58%), epithelial cells (26%), and endothelial cells (25%) attach to C1q-coated surfaces, while only 6% of cultured B cells (Raji) attach. Endothelial and Raji cells express C1q receptors, but C1q receptors (C1qR) on smooth muscle cells and epithelial cells have not previously been demonstrated. Evidence is provided that smooth muscle cells express an average of 1.5 x 10(6) C1qR/cell (K alpha = 10(8) M-1) and that epithelial cells express an average of 0.7 x 10(6) C1qR/cell (K alpha = 1.4 x 10(8) M-1). Binding properties of C1qR, and immunoreactivity to anti-C1qR antibodies, are characterized. The antibodies specifically recognize a 67-kDa component of smooth muscle cell lysates and inhibit cell attachment to C1q substrates. We conclude that distribution of C1qR may be ubiquitous; binding properties, size, and antigenicity of various C1qR may be related, but adhesive function may be tissue specific.
Thermal Properties of Metal-Coated Vertically Aligned Single-Wall Nanotube Arrays

Owing to their high thermal conductivities, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are promising for use in advanced thermal interface materials. While there has been much previous research on the properties of isolated CNTs, there are few thermal data for aligned films of single wall nanotubes. Furthermore, such data for nanotube films do not separate volume from interface thermal resistances. This paper uses a thermoreflectance technique to measure the volumetric heat capacity and thermal interface resistance and to place a lower bound on the internal volume resistance of a vertically aligned single wall CNT array capped with an aluminum film and palladium adhesion layer. The total thermal resistance of the structure, including volume and interface contributions, is 12 m 2 K MW -1 . The data show that the top and bottom interfaces of the CNT array strongly reduce its effective vertical thermal conductivity. A low measured value for the effective volumetric heat capacity of the CNT array shows that only a small volume fraction of the CNTs participate in thermal transport by bridging the two interfaces. A thermal model of transport in the array exploits the volumetric heat capacity to extract an individual CNT-metal contact resistance of 10 m 2 K 1 GW -1 (based on the annular area A a =πdb), which is equivalent to the volume resistance of 14 nm of thermal SiO 2 . This work strongly indicates that increasing the fraction of CNT-metal contacts can reduce the total thermal resistance below 1 m 2 K MW -1 .
Carbohydrate and amino acid transport by mammalian cells grown in tissue culture

Abstract The transport of d -galactose and of the non-utilizable amino acid, α-amino-isobutyric acid, was studied in tissue culture strain L-cells. The uptake processes are stereospecific, as demonstrated by the occurrence of competitive inhibitions; they are also temperature and energy-dependent. Intracellularly accumulated galactose, galactose-1-phosphate and uridine diphosphogalactose appear to be in a state of dynamic equilibrium with the extracellular galactose. The kinetics of the amino acid and carbohydrate uptake follow an adsorption isotherm. Certain competitive inhibitors of galactose uptake such as phloretin, phloridzin and stilbestrol appear to have a different mode of action from that of sugars (e.g., glucose) which also inhibit galactose uptake competitively. Evidence is presented which suggests that the activity of cellular ATPase may be a common element in the transport of both carbohydrates and amino acids.
Beyond literacy and numeracy in patient provider communication: Focus groups suggest roles for empowerment, provider attitude and language

Background Although the number of people living in the United States with limited English proficiency (LEP) is substantial, the impact of language on patients' experience of provider-patient communication has been little explored.
Update on clinically important variants of papillary thyroid carcinoma

Abstract Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common thyroid malignancy, as well as the most common endocrine malignancy. Universally, PTC has an excellent clinical prognosis, even with local lymph node involvement at initial surgery. Over the past 20 years, numerous morphologic variants of PTC have been defined. These variants demonstrate a range of biologic aggressiveness, despite an overall favourable outcome for all variants. Molecular changes in PTC have been recognized for some time, most notably BRAF (V600E) mutations, but also mutations in KRAS , HRAS , NRAS , as well as RET/PTC rearrangements. Detection of these genetic anomalies may have diagnostic significance and possibly prognostic significance, since some of the more typically thought of aggressive variants have a higher rate of BRAF mutations. However, there is still a great deal of uncertainty as to which PTC will truly have aggressive biologic behaviour. In this article, we review clinically significant PTC variants, in terms of those with differences in biologic potential and clinical behaviour.