cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cytokines in Cancer Immunotherapy

Cytokines are effector molecules of the immune system that act as messengers for cell to cell communications. Cytokines play an indispensable role in immune regulation and are involved in cell proliferation, cell death, inflammation, tissue repair, and cellular homeostasis. In recent years, with the advent of modern innovative technologies, our understanding of the immune system has expanded significantly. This increased understanding about our immune system has enabled us to target several immune mediators, including cytokines, in different diseases, ranging from autoimmunity to cancers. Recent success in the development of checkpoint blockade immunotherapies, targeting PD1 and CTLA-4, in treatment of cancers has revolutionized cancer treatment and sparked renewed interest among cancer immunologists for the discovery of new potential targets. Despite significant success, the response rate with checkpoint blockade therapies still remains limited to a fraction of patients and is often associated with several life-threatening side effects. Therefore, heightened efforts are being made to develop new and better therapies or improve current therapies for cancer treatment. Because of their pleiotropic effects on immune cells and their role in immune activation, cytokines have emerged as potential candidates for cancer immunotherapy and hold a central stage in this whole process of cancer immunotherapeutics. This chapter discusses about the major cytokines involved in cancer immunotherapy and their targeting strategies.
Comparison of Outcomes between Obese and Non-Obese Patients in a Colorectal Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Program: A Single-Center Cohort Study.

Introduction Obese patients are considered at increased risk of postoperative adverse events after colorectal surgery. Objective The objective of the present study was to compare postoperative outcomes between obese and non-obese patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery in an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program. Methods A retrospective analysis of a prospective cohort including patients who underwent elective colorectal surgery and were included in an ERAS protocol between February 2014 and December 2017 at Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland, was performed. Postoperative outcomes of obese and non-obese patients were compared. Results Data of 460 patients were analyzed, including 374 (81%) non-obese and 86 (19%) obese patients. Overall, there was no difference in postoperative outcomes between the 2 groups. Among patients undergoing oncologic surgery, obese subjects had a significantly higher rate of conversion to laparotomy (11.9 vs. 2.1%, p = 0.01) and longer time until return of bowel function (2.38 vs. 1.98 days, p = 0.03), without increased morbidity or longer length of stay. Conclusion Obese and non-obese patients had similar postoperative outcomes after elective colorectal surgery with ERAS management. ERAS can potentially reduce the increased morbidity usually observed in obese patients following elective colorectal surgery.
Safety Guidelines Concerning the Use of Protective Eyewear and Gauze During Laser Procedures.

With the advancement of laser technology, its use has gained popularity across a wide range of specialties to treat patient diseases, as well as address aesthetic concerns. In order to protect both the patient and healthcare personnel providing treatment, instruction and knowledge of laser safety remain of utmost importance. In this paper, we discuss the classification of laser systems, review ocular injuries that may be caused by inappropriate laser exposure, and provide background on laser protective eyewear. In addition, we highlight the current recommendations for proper eyewear during laser use outlined in the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z 136.3, Safe Use of Lasers in Health Care Facilities. Finally, although it is common in some healthcare facilities to place gauze under external eye shields or use gauze alone over eyes during laser procedures, this practice poses an extreme safety risk to both patients and healthcare personnel. Therefore, we discuss why its use under eyewear for any laser procedures is not recommended and instead, offer suggestions to consider when acquiring safe and comfortable patient eyewear.
Comparative transcriptome analyses define genes and gene modules differing between two Populus genotypes with contrasting stem growth rates

Wood provides an important biomass resource for biofuel production around the world. The radial growth of tree stems is central to biomass production for forestry and biofuels, but it is challenging to dissect genetically because it is a complex trait influenced by many genes. In this study, we adopted methods of physiology, transcriptomics and genetics to investigate the regulatory mechanisms of tree radial growth and wood development. Physiological comparison showed that two Populus genotypes presented different rates of radial growth of stems and accumulation of woody biomass. A comparative transcriptional network approach was used to define and characterize functional differences between two Populus genotypes. Analyses of transcript profiles from wood-forming tissue of the two genotypes showed that 1542, 2295 and 2110 genes were differentially expressed in the pre-growth, fast-growth and post-growth stages, respectively. The co-expression analyses identified modules of co-expressed genes that displayed distinct expression profiles. Modules were further characterized by correlating transcript levels with genotypes and physiological traits. The results showed enrichment of genes that participated in cell cycle and division, whose expression change was consistent with the variation of radial growth rates. Genes related to secondary vascular development were up-regulated in the faster-growing genotype in the pre-growth stage. We characterized a BEL1-like (BELL) transcription factor, PeuBELL15, which was up-regulated in the faster-growing genotype. Analyses of transgenic Populus overexpressing as well as CRISPR/Cas9-induced mutants for BELL15 showed that PeuBELL15 improved accumulation of glucan and lignin, and it promoted secondary vascular growth by regulating the expression of genes relevant for cellulose synthases and lignin biosynthesis. This study illustrated that active division and expansion of vascular cambium cells and secondary cell wall deposition of xylem cells contribute to stem radial increment and biomass accumulation, and it identified relevant genes for these complex growth traits, including a BELL transcription factor gene PeuBELL15. This provides genetic resources for improving and breeding elite genotypes with fast growth and high wood biomass.
Valproic acid treated female Long-Evans rats are impaired on attentional set-shifting.

Abstract Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social deficits, communication impairments, restrictive behaviors, and cognitive flexibility deficits. The valproic acid (VPA) model of autism has been widely used to examine changes in rodent behavior and neurobiology to better understand ASD. This study examined social and anxiety behavior as well as cognitive flexibility in VPA and control offspring. Results for social behavior were consistent with prior studies showing reduced sociability in VPA rats and increased self-grooming, which may be viewed as a repetitive behavior. VPA rats also had deficits in performing the set-shifting task, with female VPA rats demonstrating greater impairment compared to female control rats and male VPA rats. These results support the hypothesis that females diagnosed with ASD may suffer from different symptoms and present a unique behavioral profile compared to males with ASD. Female VPA rats were also less likely to form an attentional set; offering evidence that the VPA model of autism is encompassing executive function deficits similar to those observed in humans with ASD.
The Comparison Between Bronchial Occlusion and Artificial Pneumothorax for Thoracoscopic Lobectomy in Infants.

Objective To compare the difference between single-lung ventilation with bronchial occlusion and double-lung ventilation with carbon dioxide artificial pneumothorax for thoracoscopic lobectomy in infants. Design This was a retrospective study. Setting It was done in a teaching hospital. Participants Between March 2017 and April 2020, a total of 72 infants underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy in the authors’ hospital. Interventions Twenty-one patients received single-lung ventilation with bronchial occlusion, and 51 patients received carbon dioxide (CO2) artificial pneumothorax. Measurements The patient data included the endotracheal tube length, surgical exposure, intraoperative blood loss, and surgery duration. The mean arterial pressure (MAP), central venous pressure (CVP) and peak inspiratory pressure (Ppeak), partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood (PaO2), and partial pressure of carbon dioxide in arterial blood (PaCO2) were measured at four points: time of bilateral lung ventilation before the thoracic surgery (T0), 10 minutes after the surgery started (T1), 30 minutes after the surgery started (T2), 60 minutes after the surgery started (T3), and 10 minutes after the surgery was over (T4). Main Results Compared to artificial pneumothorax, the bronchial occlusion group has the following advantages: the surgical exposure was better, the surgery duration was shorter, there was less intraoperative bleeding, and the duration of tracheal intubation was shorter (p 0.05). Conclusion Compared with CO2 artificial pneumothorax, bronchial occlusion is more favorable for thoracoscopic lobectomy in infants.
The Fallacy behind the Inflated Flats - Will Standardizing Terms Make Residential-Market Prices in China Collapse?

In China, the price of residential property mainly depends on its size. But when calculating the property’s price, the Net Floor Area (NFA) is not used. Instead, China uses the Gross Floor Area (GFA), which the general public cannot easily calculate. Since the difference between the NFA and the GFA varies, many advocate using the NFA as the sole basis for calculating residential prices. In general, this would provide more reliable information to buyers. Real estate developers object to this proposal because the price of the properties may collapse if their NFA is far below their GFA. The author asserts that these arguments are invalid because buyers and sellers will adjust to the new standard even though the properties are traded in the second-hand market.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVES IN EGYPT

The current study aimed at formulating a sound vision for improving the capital formation of agricultural cooperatives through developing their financing sources. The study used a Descriptive method. A sample of agricultural coops from Sharkia Governorate was selected to conduct this study. The main results showed that the total numbers of projects related to credit agricultural coops amounted to 20 distributed in the different activities such as; 13 animal fathening with capital LE 2.179 million represented about 42.7%of the grand sum, 2 house bees with capital LE 51 thousand represented about 1%of the grand sum, finally 5 projects in different activities with capital LE 318.1 thousand represented about 6.24%of the grand sum. As for agrarian reform agricultural coops, it is noticed that, the total number of projects related amounted to 76 distributed in the different activities such as; 27 machinery project with capital amounted to LE 1.95 million, 23 project animal fathening with capital amounted to LE 3.89 million , 6 projects amounted to LE 6.59 million distributed to 2 for chicken immunization and 2 duck production and 2 marketing outlets , finally 2 project one for cheep breeding and the other for veterinary pharmacy with capital LE 125 thousand. Studying the capital and the distribution of investments through the different activities of agricultural cooperatives indicated the following results.
What’s Shining in Your Spine? – An Unusual Case of Locked-in Syndrome (648)

Objective: To describe a unique case of locked-in syndrome due to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Background: Primary central nervous system large B-cell lymphoma (PCNSBL) is an uncommon variant of extra-nodal non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Clinical symptoms can vary with focal neurological deficits, headache, cognitive decline, nausea, and vomiting. Radiologically, enhancing lesions are common supratentorially, while infrequent infratentorially and in spinal cord. PCNSBL can mimic neoplasm, infection and inflammation. Diagnostic confirmation is by tissue biopsy, and even then, tissue corroboration may be altered by inflammatory overlay. We report a case of PCNSBL presenting with progressive deficits and imaging convincingly mimicking neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD). Design/Methods: Retrospective chart review and literature search. Results: 59-year-old female transferred after four weeks of ascending weakness to the level of upper extremities with bowel and bladder incontinence. Prior to transfer she had received three doses of intravenous methylprednisolone. Upon presentation, patient was ventilator dependent, locked-in, but reported normal sensation through eye-blinking. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain and cervical-spine revealed diffusion restriction in right corona radiata, T2 prolongation in anterior medulla and upper cervical cord, and enhancement to C2–C3 levels, respectively, suggestive of NMOSD. Cerebrospinal fluid cytomorphology and flow cytometry were inconclusive for lymphoma/leukemia, but oligoclonal bands were present. NMOSD serology was negative. MR spectroscopy demonstrated NAA reduction, mild lipid lactate peak, and relative reduction of choline on the side of the lesion, favoring demyelination. Patient received 5-days of IV methylprednisolone, followed by 7 sessions of plasma exchange without clinical improvement. A stereotactic needle biopsy demonstrated proliferation of perivascular large lymphoid cells with eosinophilic bodies and positivity for CD20, CD45 & BCL-6, MUM-1 indicative of a B-cell lymphoma. Conclusions: PCNSBL can mimic a demyelinating process like multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders early on. Early steroid treatment could disrupt B-cell lymphoma cells, thus masking the diagnosis of PCNSBL. Disclosure: Dr. Gargiulo has nothing to disclose. Dr. Natteru has nothing to disclose. Dr. Shekhar has nothing to disclose. Dr. Uschmann has nothing to disclose.
An Unfolding Crisis in the Satisfaction and Supply of Teachers in Illinois

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the professional realities of teachers were upended to a degree experienced by few other professionals. Yet, the importance of high-quality, well-supported teachers was never more apparent. This Policy Spotlight contextualizes the professional and personal challenges experienced by K-12 educators during the COVID-19 pandemic within the policy issue of the ongoing Illinois teacher shortage. Drawing from a qualitative study of Illinois teachers’ well-being and professional efficacy during the pandemic, the Policy Spotlight provides specific examples of the intensified challenges teachers faced during the Summer and Fall of 2020. These included pandemic-induced threats to their or their families’ health, safety, and financial stability. Further, teachers reported deep concern for the safety and well-being of their students, some of whom they feared were caught in situations of adversity or trauma. Teachers also shared concern that the urgent transition to remote or blended learning disrupted their successful routines and threatened their sense of professional efficacy. Despite the best efforts of school leaders, many teachers were not supplied with the appropriate resources or support to transition modalities. Although educators, administrators, and school personnel across the state worked hard to plan and implement schooling that best responded to the needs of families and communities, numerous challenges, fears, and concerns persisted. These fears and challenges carried the potential to lead to increased teacher attrition. To stave off or lessen severe teacher shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the author argues for the revitalization of policy and community supports that would enable teacher retention. These include investments in teacher preparation, continuing education, school staffing, and other structural supports.
Integration of authentication and mobility management in third generation and WLAN data networks: Research Articles

The successful deployment of wireless local area networks (WLAN) for high speed data transmission and cellular systems for wide coverage and global roaming has emerged to be a complementary platform for wireless data communications. In order to fully exploit potentials in 3G/WLAN integration, authentication of roaming users crossing different networks, must be coupled with mobility management, which is a challenging, yet not resolved issue. The focus of this paper is on state-of-art solutions to Wi-Fi and cellular networks based on IP infrastructure. Moreover, we introduce a new authentication architecture for fast authentication during inter-networking handoff and large-scale heterogeneous networks. We show that the new architecture can reduce authentication latency significantly and be adaptive to user mobility and traffic. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Controlling who tracks me (transcript of discussion)

Our group is looking for applications in everyday life that involve information processing. Not Internet connected things, not things that are on the network, but things that are in everyday life. For instance, you may forget to buy milk; that’s an information processing problem. If your car gets a flat tyre, that’s probably not an information processing problem, but there may be information processing that can assist you. One basic idea is to track your daily activities for your personal benefit. For instance, you may use devices that give you location awareness, or detect categories in your daily routine. If every Tuesday you throw your laundry in the car and go to the dry cleaners, then a device could conceivably detect this, and if on Tuesday morning it finds you in your car and you don’t have your laundry with you, it lets you know, beep, and tells you that something’s different; and you can either choose to ignore it or run back and get your laundry.
2.6 GHz high-speed visible light communication of 450 nm GaN laser diode by direct modulation

Gallium Nitride (GaN) based light emitting diodes (LEDs) has been considered as a next generation lighting source due to its high efficiency, long lifetime, and high brightness. In addition to the lighting purpose, visible light communication (VLC) on LEDs has been studied since it is easily available in the existing light infrastructure. Exponentially increasing wireless data traffic in radio frequency (RF) also motivated the need for VLC. However, the modulation bandwidth of LEDs with a long carrier recombination lifetime (∼ns) is limited up to ∼ 400 MHz even though orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) rather than direct modulation could improve data rate up to 3 Gbit/s [1]. It can be seen that laser based VLC is necessary because the modulation bandwidth of laser diodes is limited by photon lifetime (∼ps). In addition, since Denault et al. reported 76 lm/W efficacy for 442 nm laser based white lighting, the blue laser is promising lighting source readily available for white lighting communication, which is also called light fidelity (Li-Fi) [2]. Recent progress on high-speed VLC using a 422 nm laser diode showed 1.4 GHz bandwidth and 2.5 Gbps. Even if this is about three times larger bandwidth than blue LED VLC, the system was limited by the bandwidth of the photo detector (PD) due to the absence of commercially available high speed PD covering in the blue region with enough responsivity [3]. Our study demonstrated the first novel VLC system limited by the bandwidth of 450 nm laser diode with a high-speed UV-extended PD giving 2.6 GHz modulation bandwidth and 4 Gbit/s data transmission rate.
An Arnoldi-type method for the Sylvester-OB server equation

We propose a new Arnoldi-type method for constructing an orthogonal solution for the Sylvester-observer matrix equation arising in the design of Luenberger observer. The method generalizes the single-output Datta-Saad method [6] for the equation.
Gallium-arsenide deep-level devices for 1.55 /spl mu/m fiber-optics

The first light emitting diode (LED) emitting at 1.5 /spl mu/m fiber-optic wavelengths in GaAs utilizing arsenic-antisite (As/sub Ga/) deep-level optical-transitions is demonstrated. This is an enabling technology for fiber-optic components lattice-matched to GaAs ICs. The first tunnel diodes utilizing deep-levels in low-temperature-grown (LTG) GaAs and the experimental results for significant internal optical power (24 mW) and speed (THz) from GaAs deep-level optical emitters are also demonstrated. The first measurement of room-temperature electroluminescence from As/sub GA/ is studied.
Geriatric Rehabilitation: Perspectives From the United Kingdom

Abstract Although rehabilitation professionals acknowledge the need for more services for the aging American society, only recently has there been large-scale discussion on the state of geriatric rehabilitation in the United States. In contrast, geriatric rehabilitation has been a central component of British health planning since the beginning of the National Health Service in 1948. In the hope of stimulating discussion, this article examines geriatric rehabilitation services in the United Kingdom. Contrasts between the UK and US are drawn to highlight the relative strengths and weaknesses of each system of care. The importance of cultural determinants to health care services is emphasized.
Dominance of organic nitrogen from headwater streams to large rivers across the conterminous United States

[1] The frequency and magnitude of hypoxic areas in coastal waterbodies are increasing across the globe, partially in response to the increase in nitrogen delivery from the landscape (Diaz, 2001; Rabalais et al., 2002). Although studies of annual total nitrogen and nitrate yields have greatly improved understanding of the contaminant sources that contribute to riverine nitrogen loads (Alexander et al., 2000; Caraco and Cole, 1999), the emphasis of these studies on annual timescales and selected nitrogen forms is not sufficient to understand the factors that control the cycling, transport, and fate of reactive nitrogen. Here we use data from 850 river stations to calculate long-term mean-annual and interannual loads of organic, ammonia, and nitrate-nitrite nitrogen suitable for spatial analysis. We find that organic nitrogen is the dominant nitrogen pool within rivers across most of the United States and is significant even in basins with high anthropogenic sources of nitrogen. Downstream organic nitrogen patterns illustrate that organic nitrogen is an abundant fraction of the nitrogen loads in all regions. Although the longitudinal patterns are not consistent across regions, these patterns are suggestive of cycling between ON and NO3− on seasonal timescales influenced by land use, stream morphology, and riparian connectivity with active floodplains. Future regional studies need to incorporate multinitrogen species at intraannual timescales, as well as stream characteristics beyond channel depth, to elucidate the roles of nitrogen sources and in-stream transformations on the fate and reactivity of riverine nitrogen transported to coastal seas.
Utilization of health care services and willingness to participate in future medical research: the role of race and social support.

OBJECTIVES: Utilization of health care services and participation in medical research are 2 distinct yet closely related areas. The goal of this study was to investigate the similarities and differences in factors that are associated with health care service utilization and future participation in medical research, and the influence of race and social support. METHOD: We used data from the Greater Pittsburgh Randomized Household Health Survey, which consisted of a weighted sample of 741 white and 277 black respondents from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. RESULTS: Logistic regression analyses revealed that utilization of health care services was associated with being younger (OR, 0.98; p < .001), being female (OR, 1.55; p < .05), high self-rated health (OR poor health, 2.29; OR average health, 2.18; p < .001; both in comparison to high self-rated health group) and high perceived quality of health care (OR poor quality, 3.63; OR average quality, 1.79; p < .001; both in Comparison to high perceived quality group), while future participation in medical research was associated with greater awareness of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study (none OR, 0.07; p < .01; only a little OR, 0.13; p < .01), more favorable opinions toward medical research (unfavorable OR; p < .001; neutral OR, 0.35; p < .05), and increased research incentives (free medical care OR, 1.27; p < .05; free transportation OR, 1.29; p < .05; money OR, 1.25; p < .05; free medication OR, 1.50; p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: While utilization of health care services and willingness to participate in future research are related, the factors associated with each vary greatly. Implications for health research and policy are discussed.
BaseStation assisted TCP: a simple way to improve wireless TCP

In recent years, extensive research effort has been devoted to TCP congestion control in hybrid wired-wireless networks. A general agreement is that the TCP sender should respond differently to wireless losses and disconnection, i.e., not slow down as drastically as for congestion losses. Thus, research focus for wireless TCP congestion control is the discrimination between the wireless inherent packet losses and the network congestion packet losses in wired network. In addition, researchers attempt to detect temporary or lengthy wireless disconnection. This paper proposes a simple but novel strategy, dubbed BSA-TCP (Base Station Assisted TCP), (1) to accurately discriminate wireless losses from wired network congestion losses and (2) to detect and notify a TCP sender about wireless disconnections. The key distinctive feature of the proposed scheme is its general use for most issues at stake for TCP over wireless: loss discrimination, wireless disconnection and handoffs. It also circumvents the asymmetric problem that acknowledgements might follow different paths from those of data packets. Such asymmetry problem is common to mechanisms that buffer and retransmit wireless lost data packets locally at the base station. The proposed method also addresses energy efficiency
Microbiological Degradation of Organic Components in Oil Shale Retort Water: Organic Acids

The losses of benzoic acid and a homologous series of both mono- and dibasic aliphatic acids in oil shale retort water were monitored with time (21 days) in liquid culture (4% retort water, vol/vol) inoculated with soil. The organic acids constituted approximately 12% of the dissolved organic carbon in retort water, which served as the sole source of carbon and energy in these studies. The levels of the acids in solution were reduced by 80 to 90% within 9 days of incubation. From mass balance calculations, the decrease in dissolved organic carbon with time of incubation was equal to the formation of CO2 and bacterial cell carbon. The decrease in the level of the acid components, either from degradation to CO2 or incorporation into bacteria, would account for ∼70% of the loss in dissolved organic carbon within the first 9 days of incubation and would account for ∼50% of the loss over the entire 21-day incubation period.
Communication with Classroom Faculty

After surveying City University of New York librarians the author concludes that if librarians spoke out a little more, many problems between faculty and librarians could probably be avoided. They should communicate more about what they would like professors to do for them as well as advertise what they can do for the professors.
A decoupled rigid bender model for the anharmonic force field of octahedral molecules

Abstract The molecular vibrational Hamiltonian for an octahedral molecule is derived to fourth order, subject to the constraint that the bond lengths are held constant. By assuming that the force field for the bending motions is a points-on-a-sphere potential, the location of the first difference bands for the pure bending motions is calculated; mode couplings are neglected. With these results, systematic trends in the anharmonic shifts can be predicted for the complete family of metal-hexafluorides. The effects of mode couplings and the importance of these calculations for understanding the initial process in the multiphoton dissociation of SF 6 are briefly discussed.
Kakutani-type fixed point theorems: A survey

A Kakutani-type fixed point theorem refers to a theorem of the following kind: Given a group or semigroup S of continuous affine transformations s : Q → Q, where Q is a nonempty compact convex subset of a Hausdorff locally convex linear topological space, then under suitable conditions S has a common fixed point in Q, i.e., a point $${a \in Q}$$ such that s(a) = a for each $${s \in S}$$ . In 1938, Kakutani gave two conditions under each of which a common fixed point of S in Q exists. They are (1) the condition that S be a commutative semigroup, and (2) the condition that S be an equicontinuous group. The present survey discusses subsequent generalizations of Kakutani’s two theorems above.
Estimating the relative phase parameters of complex wavelet coefficients in noise

This paper proposes a method to estimate the parameters of the relative phase probability density function (RP pdf) of the complex coefficients when an image is corrupted by additive white Gaussian noise. With the complex Gaussian scale mixture (CGSM) assumption of the clean coefficients, we first introduce the relative phase mixture (RPM) pdf by deriving the pdf of the relative phase of the noisy coefficients. Along with the derived pdf, a parameter estimation method based on the maximum likelihood approach is proposed by exploiting the relationships between the pdf's parameters and the complex covariance matrix of the corresponding complex coefficient vector. Simulation studies using simulated data are performed to show the effectiveness of the estimation method. Moreover, we use the proposed estimation method in the application of texture retrieval in a noisy environment. The results show that the proposed method can estimate the parameters of the clean vector well in the case of simulated data and that the proposed estimation method improves the retrieval accuracy rate.
Semi-automated data processing of hydrogen exchange mass spectra using HX-Express

A Microsoft Excel utility, HX-Express, that significantly accelerates the analysis of hydrogen exchange mass spectrometry data is described. HX-Express generates deuterium uptake and peak width plots from peaks in mass spectral data. Data analysis is intentionally semi-automated, requiring that the user find the peaks to be analyzed. The peaks are entered in the form of x, y lists of m/z versus intensity or can be directly imported from Waters MassLynx software. Analysis of data with HX-Express provides the same results as manual data processing but is substantially faster. In addition to speed, HX-Express provides and preserves visual and numeric displays of the analysis process for quality control.
Diagnostic perspectives on the family: Process, structural and historical contextual models

Abstract In the past 30 years we have witnessed a proliferation of theories of family function, dysfunction and therapeutic change. Recently there have been efforts to take stock of these developments. This paper will attempt to order the various diagnostic perspectives for viewing dysfunctional families. Three general types of models, organized along a continuum from most descriptive to most inferential, are presented. The process models are at the most descriptive level. These models attempt to describe the dynamic process of family interaction. The structural model operates at a more inferential level, attempting to define the organizational structure which undergirds the interactional patterns described by the process models. Finally, the historical model is the most inferential, attempting to trace the development of family structure as it has envolved over several genera-tions.
Effects of water-contaminated air on blowoff limits of opposed jet hydrogen-air diffusion flames

The effects of water-contaminated air on the extinction and flame restoration of the central portion of N2-diluted H2 versus air counterflow diffusion flames are investigated using a coaxial tubular opposed jet burner. The results show that the replacement of N2 contaminant in air by water on a mole for mole basis decreases the maximum sustainable H2 mass flow, just prior to extinction, of the flame. This result contrasts strongly with the analogous substitution of water for N2 in a relatively hot premixed H2-O2-N2 flame, which was shown by Koroll and Mulpuru (1986) to lead to a significant, kinetically controlled increase in laminar burning velocity.
Effect of nitrogen on the band structure of III-N-V alloys

Incorporation of a few percent of nitrogen into conventional III-V compounds to form III-N-V alloys such as GaNAs and GaNP leads to a large reduction of the fundamental band gap. We show experimentally and theoretically that the effect originates from an anti-crossing interaction between the extended conduction-band states and a narrow resonant band formed by localized N states. The interaction significantly alters the electronic band structure by splitting the conduction band into two nonparabolic subbands. The downward shift of the lower conduction subband edge is responsible for the N-induced reduction of the fundamental band-gap energy.
The damage mechanisms of several plasma-sprayed ceramic coatings in controlled scratching

Abstract The damage mechanisms of several widely used plasma-sprayed ceramic coatings were studied by single point scratch tests using diamond indenters. The ceramic coatings investigated were Al2O3, Al2O3/13% TiO2 and Cr2O3. Single scratching on polished virgin surface, repeated scratching over the same track and parallel interacting scratching were investigated. Microstructures of the coatings, their surface and subsurface damage patterns due to the scratching, and the morphology of wear debris were examined. It was found that the unique microstructure of the coatings determined their wear and related damage mechanisms. The predominant mechanism of material removal in the scratching of Al2O3 and Al2O3/13% TiO2 coatings was microfracture within the plastic region, which takes place preferentially at pre-existing microcracks and micropores and is driven by plastic strain. The mechanism of material removal in the scratching of the Cr2O3 coating depended on contact load and contact geometry. When the contact load was less than a critical value that was related to contact geometry, the predominant mechanism of material removal was the same as that of Al2O3 and Al2O3/13% TiO2 coatings. When the contact load exceeded the critical value, the predominant mechanism of material removal was macro-fracture controlled by lateral cracking.
Representation of the Potential in the Schrödinger Equation

Results from the solution of the inverse-scattering problem in three dimensions are used to obtain representations of the potential and of the zero-energy wave function in terms of the scattering amplitude, the bound states, and the positive-energy wave functions. Some simple consequences are derived.
A Structure-Based Sliding-Rebinding Mechanism for Catch Bonds

Catch bonds, whose lifetimes are prolonged by force, have been observed in selectin-ligand interactions and other systems. Several biophysical models have been proposed to explain this counterintuitive phenomenon, but none was based on the structure of the interacting molecules and the noncovalent interactions at the binding interface. Here we used molecular dynamics simulations to study changes in structure and atomic-level interactions during forced unbinding of P-selectin from P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1. A mechanistic model for catch bonds was developed based on these observations. In the model, “catch” results from forced opening of an interdomain hinge that tilts the binding interface to allow two sides of the contact to slide against each other. Sliding promotes formation of new interactions and even rebinding to the original state, thereby slowing dissociation and prolonging bond lifetimes. Properties of this sliding-rebinding mechanism were explored using a pseudoatom representation and Monte Carlo simulations. The model has been supported by its ability to fit experimental data and can be related to previously proposed two-pathway models.
Why Darwin delayed, or interesting problems and models in the history of science.

Though Darwin had formulated his theory of evolution by natural selection by early fall of 1837, he did not publish it until 1859 in the Origin of Species. Darwin thus delayed publicly revealing his theory for some twenty years. Why did he wait so long? Initially this may not seem an important or interesting question, but many historians have so regarded it. They have developed a variety of historiographically different explanations. This essay considers these several explanations, though with a larger purpose in mind: to suggest what makes for interesting problems in history of science and what kinds of historiographic models will best handle them.
Novel magnetic-semiconductors in modified iron titanates for radhard electronics

Some members of the modified iron titanate family show remarkable tolerance to radiation and are well suited for radhard electronics. Of particular interest are solid solutions of ilmenite–hematite (IH) represented by (1 − x) FeTiO3.xFe2O3 where x varies from 0 to 1; and pseudobrookite, Fe2TiO5 (PsB). These multifunctional oxides can be both ferrimagnetic and wide bandgap semiconductors, and can be exploited in a variety of ways in radhard electronics, microelectronics and spintronics technologies. In this paper we emphasize the potential applications of the modified Fe-titanates with special emphasis on: (a) response of the non-linear current–voltage (I–V) characteristics to a magnetic field; (b) how the introduction of a biasing voltage might be used to produce bipolar currents in circuits and fabrication of voltage tunable varistors; and (c) the response of non-linear current–voltage characteristics when irradiated with neutrons, protons and heavy Fe-ions. Based on these observations, we will identify a few applications for which we can make use of the unique multifunctional nature of modified Fe-titanates.
Determination of the function of the internal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve after thyroidectomy

Background. Several unique complications of thyroidectomy exist because of its regional anatomy; they are well studied and reported. A majority of thyroidectomy patients report vague upper aerodigestive tract complaints. Despite this, no formal assessment of the integrity of the internal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve after thyroidectomy exists in the literature. Methods. Thirty three patients undergoing thyroidectomy were prospectively evaluated with preoperative and postoperative laryngopharyngeal sensory testing. Results. Preoperatively, 16 patients (49%) reported dysphagia, and 19 (58%) complained of globus sensation. Postoperatively, 24 (73%) patients complained of dysphagia, and 25 (76%) reported globus sensation. Preoperative sensory testing showed a mean sensory threshold of 2.79 ± 0.51 mm Hg. The mean change in thresholds postoperatively was trivial (0.07 ± 0.29 mm Hg), and did not differ significantly from zero (p = .19). Conclusions. Although most patients report significant difficulty swallowing after thyroidectomy, the sensory nerve to the laryngopharynx remains intact and is not at risk during thyroid surgery. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2008
Microfluidics and cancer: are we there yet?

More than two decades ago, microfluidics began to show its impact in biological research. Since then, the field of microfluidics has evolving rapidly. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Microfluidics holds great promise in cancer diagnosis and also serves as an emerging tool for understanding cancer biology. Microfluidics can be valuable for cancer investigation due to its high sensitivity, high throughput, less material-consumption, low cost, and enhanced spatio-temporal control. The physical laws on microscale offer an advantage enabling the control of physics, biology, chemistry and physiology at cellular level. Furthermore, microfluidic based platforms are portable and can be easily designed for point-of-care diagnostics. Developing and applying the state of the art microfluidic technologies to address the unmet challenges in cancer can expand the horizons of not only fundamental biology but also the management of disease and patient care. Despite the various microfluidic technologies available in the field, few have been tested clinically, which can be attributed to the various challenges existing in bridging the gap between the emerging technology and real world applications. We present a review of role of microlfuidcs in cancer research, including the history, recent advances and future directions to explore where the field stand currently in addressing complex clinical challenges and future of it. This review identifies four critical areas in cancer research, in which microfluidics can change the current paradigm. These include cancer cell isolation, molecular diagnostics, tumor biology and high-throughput screening for therapeutics. In addition, some of our lab’s current research is presented in the corresponding sections.
Massive gauge fields and associated pseudoscalar mesons

Abstract The massive gauge field, either free or coupled to a massless fermion field, is shown to be the Lagrangian equivalent of a composite massless field containing pseudoscalar as well as vector components. These fields are minimally coupled to each other while the pseudoscalar part has no direct fermion interaction (vector dominance). In general the total boson field consists of both vector and pseudoscalar components, but there exists a privileged gauge in which the pseudoscalar components are transformed away. The vector field in this special gauge is formally identical to the pseudoscalar current in the general gauge; therefore the field algebra in the privileged gauge is identical to the current algebra in the general gauge. That is, vector fields go into pseudoscalar currents under a local gauge transformation. In the formalism the pseudoscalar field plays the role of a coordinate system on the group space while the vector field correlates the group space at distinct space-time points. The nonlinear Lagrangian may be expressed in terms of geometric invariants of the group space and is manifestly invariant under general transformation of the pseudoscalar field.
Linear frequency chirp generation employing optoelectronic feedback loop and integrated silicon photonics

We demonstrate generation of linear frequency chirps exhibiting an excursion of 50 GHz (λ 0 =1548nm) using an optoelectronic phase-locked loop and integrated silicon photonics interferometer (FSR=3.0GHz), demonstrating the feasibility of an integrated chip-scale frequency-modulated continuous-wave LADAR source.
Population densities in relation to bladder cancer mortality rates in America from 1950 to 1994.

Previous studies have reported that bladder cancer risks are elevated in industrial and urban areas. The cause is believed to be the result of occupational exposure from industries located in urban areas. Recent studies suggest that traffic air pollution may also increase bladder cancer risks. The study purpose is to investigate the relationship between bladder cancer mortality and population density of counties in America. Another objective is to explore traffic air pollution and industrial exposures as risk factors. Bladder cancer mortality rates for white men and women from 1950 to 1994 and population densities (population per 10 square miles) of 2,248 counties were the basis of the study. A linear regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between bladder cancer mortality rates and population densities after log transforming the population density data set. In addition, the counties were divided into quartiles based on bladder cancer mortality rates. Mean population density values with 95% confidence intervals for the quartiles were computed. Correlation coefficients (R) between bladder cancer mortality rates and the population densities were R = .37, P < .001 for men and R = .28, P < .001 for women. In addition, population densities increased with increasing bladder cancer mortality rates across all quartiles. The mean population density of the highest quartile was more than ten times higher than the lowest. In this study, we found a strong association between bladder cancer mortality and population density. Traffic air pollution is a potential cause.
The protein kinase C activator phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate enhances cyclic AMP accumulation in pheochromocytoma cells

The protein kinase C activator, phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA), augments the cyclic AMP accumulation induced by forskolin in pheochromocytoma (PC 12) cells with an EC50 value of 14 nM, while having no effect on basal values. At a concentration of 100 nM PMA markedly augmented the magnitude of the forskolin response and, in addition, caused a slight increase in the potency of forskolin. PMA also enhanced the maximal cyclic AMP accumulation produced by 2-chloroadenosine, and caused a slight increase in potency of the adenosine analog. Since PMA mimics the effect of diacylglycerols that form during the turnover of the membrane lipid, phosphatidylinositol, the results suggest an interrelationship between the systems involved in phosphatidylinositol turnover and cyclic AMP generation in PC 12 cells.
Long-term fate of the aneurysmal sac after endoluminal exclusion of abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Abstract Purpose: Shrinkage of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is the hallmark of successful endoluminal treatment. Our goal was to prospectively assess the midterm to long-term shrinkage of the AAA sac after endovascular repair. Methods: A total of 123 patients with AAA underwent endoluminal treatment with the Ancure device at our institution between February 1996 and February 2000. At least a 1-year follow-up was available for 70 of the 123 patients. AAA sac size, presence of endoleaks, calcifications, and outcome data were collected on these patients at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months after repair and compared with the preoperative AAA size and characteristics. All endoleaks found at the 6-month follow-up visit were treated aggressively with embolotherapy. An AAA sac regression of 0.5 cm or more was considered the minimum measurable decrease. Regression of the sac diameter to 3.5 cm or less was considered a complete collapse of the sac. Results: Successful endoluminal repair was accomplished in 119 of 123 patients. The mortality rate was 0.8% (1/123). There was a steady decrease in AAA sac size from baseline (5.56 ± 0.1 cm), to 6 months (5.0 ± 0.14 cm, P =.0006), to 12 months (4.65 ± 0.13 cm, P =.04), and to 24 months (4.26 ± 0.16 cm, P =.03). At 24 months, 74% (29/39) had a decrease in sac size of 0.5 cm or more, with 28% (11/39) complete collapse. Patients with initial endoleaks had the same likelihood of regression of sac size (≥ 0.5 cm) when compared with the group of patients with no endoleaks at the 24-month evaluation (64% vs 76%, P =.09). Conclusion: Endoluminal AAA repair resulted in a significant reduction in sac size that continues up to 2 years. Significant shrinkage occurs as early as 6 months after placement. The initial presence of endoleaks does not predict the lack of sac regression.(J Vasc Surg 2000;32:689-96.)