cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An aerodynamic valve in the avian primary bronchus

The segmentum accelerans in geese is a constriction in the caudal end of the primary bronchus. Experimental evidence suggests that this part of the airway functions as an inspiratory aerodynamic valve, accelerating the incoming airstream past the ventrobronchial openings. The luminal diameter of the segmentum accelerans dilates in the presence of elevated CO2 levels, probably through relaxation of smooth muscle. Physiological control of the segmentum accelerans may permit inspiratory aerodynamic valving to be maintained throughout a wide range of ventilatory flows.
Procaine impairs the function of 5-HT3 receptor-ion channel complex in rat sensory ganglion neurons

Previous studies have shown that local anesthetics block voltage-dependent Na+ channels and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. The present study investigated the effect of the local anesthetic, procaine on another ligand-gated ion channel, the 5-HT3 receptor, in rat nodose ganglion neurons. Procaine (0.01-100 microM) inhibited the 5-HT3 receptor-mediated inward current in the whole-cell patch clamp recording. The inhibition was fully reversible, concentration-dependent but not sensitive to changes in membrane potential. Concentration-response curves indicated that procaine appears to produce a competitive inhibition on 5-HT3 receptors with a KD of 1.7 microM. These observations suggest that one of the actions of procaine in nervous system is on 5-HT3 receptors.
Effects of group-selection opening size on the distribution and reproductive success of an early-successional shrubland bird

Abstract Group-selection is a widely used silvicultural technique, and although recent studies have compared the ecology of birds inhabiting patches of regenerating forest created by group-selection with that of birds in clearcuts, little is known about the effect of opening size and shape on the ecology of early-successional shrubland birds within stands treated with group-selection. We studied chestnut-sided warblers ( Dendroica pensylvanica ), which are an early-successional shrubland bird, nesting in 29 patches of regenerating (4–5 years old) northern hardwoods forest 0.15–0.69 ha in area to determine whether the ecology of this species is affected by patch size or shape. Chestnut-sided warbler density decreased with patch size, however nests were initiated earlier in larger patches. There were no relationships between patch area and number of young fledged per territory or nest predation rates. Similarly, there were no relationships between patch shape (defined as the ratio of the patch perimeter to the perimeter of a circle of the same area) and territory density, date of initiation of first nests, number of young fledged per territory, or nest predation rates. These results contrast with the results of studies of area sensitivity of mature forest and grassland birds, in which bird density is negatively related to patch area. However, later nest initiation in smaller patches suggests that smaller patches are lower quality habitat, which is consistent with the negative relationships between patch area and habitat quality reported in studies of birds nesting in patches of mature forest.
Polymer electrolytes based on polysilane comb polymers

Abstract Polysilane comb polymers, which incorporate ethoxyethoxybutane in the side chain of the polymer, have been used as polymer electrolyte hosts. The polysilane polymers solubilize lithium triflate, allowing polymer electrolytes of a range of compositions to be prepared and studied. [(CH 3 CH 2 OCH 2 CH 2 O(CH 2 ) 4 )Si(CH 3 )] n containing lithium triflate at a concentration of four oxygens per lithium cation has a room temperature ionic conductivity of 1.2 × 10 −7 S cm −1 .
Development and preliminary validation of the Concise Neuropsychological Screening Inventory (CNSI): A clinical tool for use in psychiatric settings

We describe the development and preliminary validation of the Concise Neuropsychological Screening Inventory (CNSI), designed to afford clinical psychologists working in psychiatric settings a simple, rapid, and objective assessment of 10 vital left- and right-hemisphere brain functions: (1) Receptive and Expressive Language, (2) Orientation, (3) Attention/Concentration/Immediate Memory, (4) Recent Auditory and Visual Memory, (5) Remote Memory, (6) Motor/Sensory/Tactile Functioning, (7) Visual/Spatial/Motor Integration, (8) Academic Functioning, (9) Intellectual Processes, and (10) Judgment and Reasoning. Preliminary findings suggest that the CNSI can discriminate patients diagnosed with organic mental syndrome from patients with various psychiatric disorders, including chronic schizophrenia (i.e., specificity in screening). Moreover, with regard to predicting neuropsychological differences among various diagnostic groups, the CNSI is superior to some of the most commonly employed tests by psychologists in psychiatric settings (e.g., WAIS-R Digit Span, Digit Symbol, and Bender-Gestalt).
Optical measurements of frequency-dependent linear viscoelastic moduli of complex fluids.

In this Letter, we present a novel method for measuring the linear viscoelastic properties of a complex fluid over an extended range of frequencies. We show that the response of the fluid to thermal fluctuations, as probed by the average motion of small particles dispersed within the fluid, provides a close representation of the response of the bulk fluid to an imposed shear strain. The essential physics of this approach is that the bulk mechanical susceptibility of the fluid determines the response of a small particle excited by the thermal stochastic forces which lead to Brownian motion. We use dynamic light scattering to measure the mean square displacement of a probe particle, kDr 2 stdl, and relate this to G p svd by describing the motion of the particle with a generalized Langevin equation, incorporating a memory function to account for the viscoelasticity. We compare this G p svd to that measured by conventional mechanical means. Remarkably good agreement is found. We demonstrate the flexibility of this new technique by measuring the moduli of a variety of complex fluids, and illustrate its potential to determine new behavior. We describe the motion of a small, neutrally buoyant particle dispersed in a complex fluid by means of generalized Langevin equation [2,3],
Optical rotatory dispersion studies. Configurational assignments among the aporphine alkaloids.

Les configurations absolues de certains alkaloides de l'aporphine ont ete determinees a partir de leurs courbes de dispersion rotatoire.
A metastable state in folding simulations of a protein model

The native state of a protein is generally believed to be the global free energy minimum. However, there is increasing evidence that kinetically selected states play a role in the biological function of some proteins. In a recent folding study of a 125-residue heteropolymer model, one of 200 sequences was found to fold repeatedly to a particular local minimum that did not interconvert to the global minimum. The kinetic preference for this 'metastable' state is shown to derive from an entropic barrier associated with inserting a tail segment into the protein interior of the serpin-like global minimum structure. The relation of the present results to the role of metastable states in functioning and pathogenic proteins is discussed.
Optimized asset planning for minimizing latency in wireless sensor networks

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) has been attracting lots of interest in recent years. In such networks sensors data are collected over multi-hop routes at one or multiple base-stations (gateway nodes) for processing. In many WSN applications such as disaster management and combat field surveillance, rapid response to detected events is necessary and thus data latency should be minimal. Given the sensor's energy and radio range constraints, direct communication with the gateway is inefficient and often infeasible for most deployed sensors. An intuitive approach to limit data latency is to increase the population of gateways and place them in the vicinity of sensors. However, gateway nodes are typically costly and thus it is desired to limit their count. Therefore, there is a need to balance between such conflicting requirements. In this paper, we pursue an integrated approach to asset planning in WSNs so that the data latency is minimized. The goal is to determine the least number of gateways and identify where to place them in the network in order to achieve a certain delay bound on data delivery. We formulate an optimization model for the asset planning problem and present effective algorithms for solving it. The proposed solution scheme employs contemporary search heuristics such as k-means and genetic algorithms. Validation results confirm the effectiveness of our approach in achieving the desired design goals.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae Homologs of Mammalian B and B′ Subunits of Protein Phosphatase 2A Direct the Enzyme to Distinct Cellular Functions

Abstract Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a major cellular serine/threonine protein phosphatase, present in the cell in a variety of heterotrimeric forms that differ in their associated regulatory B-subunit. Cloning of the mammalian B′ subunit has allowed the identification of a highly homologous Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene, RTS1. Disruption of the gene results in a temperature-sensitive growth defect that can be suppressed by expression of rabbit B′α or B′γ isoforms. The B′α subunit is much more effective in restoring normal growth at 37 °C than B′γ. Immunoprecipitated Rts1p was found associated with type 2A-specific protein phosphatase activity that is sensitive to 2 nM okadaic acid, but not to 100 nM phosphatase inhibitor-2, and to be phosphorylated in vivo. However, overexpression of RTS1 was unable to suppress the cold sensitivity, defective cytokinesis, and abnormal cell morphology resulting from defects in the CDC55 gene, which encodes the yeast homolog of a different B subunit of another form of 2A phosphatase, PP2A1. These results indicate that Rts1p is a yeast homolog of the mammalian B′ subunit and that the various regulatory B-subunits of PP2A are not functionally redundant but direct the enzyme to distinct cellular functions.
Measuring Nonpathological Compulsiveness

The purpose of this study was to refine the Leyton Obsessional Inventory for use among a normal population. A subset of 25 items from the Leyton inventory was administered to 563 college students along with several self-report personality tests. A factor analysis of the Leyton items yielded three subscales pertaining to the tendency to be overly concerned that decisions and tasks are completed perfectly according to a rigid procedure. The construct validity of the subscales was evaluated in terms of intercorrelations with scores on the other personality tests.
Characterization of a high-activity mutant of human butyrylcholinesterase against (-)-cocaine.

Abstract Cocaine addiction and overdose are a well-known public health problem. There is no approved medication available for cocaine abuse treatment. Our recently designed and discovered high-activity mutant (A199S/S287G/A328W/Y332G) of human butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) has been recognized to be worth exploring for clinical application in humans as a potential anti-cocaine medication. The catalytic rate constant (kcat) and Michaelis–Menten constant (KM) for (−)-cocaine hydrolysis catalyzed by A199S/S287G/A328W/Y332G BChE (without fusion with any other peptide) have been determined to be 3060 min−1 and 3.1 μM, respectively, in the present study. The determined kinetic parameters reveal that the un-fused A199S/S287G/A328W/Y332G mutant has a ∼1080-fold improved catalytic efficiency (kcat/KM) against (−)-cocaine compared to the wild-type BChE. The ∼1080-fold improvement in the catalytic efficiency of the un-fused A199S/S287G/A328W/Y332G mutant is very close to the previously reported the ∼1000-fold improvement in the catalytic efficiency of the A199S/S287G/A328W/Y332G mutant fused with human serum albumin. These results suggest that the albumin fusion did not significantly change the catalytic efficiency of the BChE mutant while extending the plasma half-life. In addition, we have also examined the catalytic activities of the A199S/S287G/A328W/Y332G mutant against two other substrates, acetylthiocholine (ATC) and butyrylthiocholine (BTC). It has been shown that the A199S/S287G/A328W/Y332G mutations actually decreased the catalytic efficiencies of BChE against ATC and BTC, while considerably improving the catalytic efficiency of BChE against (−)-cocaine.
Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty Following Failed Combined Phacoemulsification Cataract Extraction and Ab Interno Trabeculectomy

Purpose To assess the effect of selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) following failed phacoemulsification cataract extraction combined with ab interno trabeculectomy (AIT) using the Trabectome (phaco-trabectome). Design Randomized, interventional case series. Methods Retrospectively, the medical records of patients who underwent SLT between March 2010 and July 2012 by 1 surgeon at a single center after a failed phaco-AIT were evaluated. Inclusion criteria were age ≥18 years with no upper limit and prior failed phaco-AIT attributable to glaucoma progression. Exclusion criterion was performance of any additional glaucoma procedure with influence on intraocular pressure (IOP) during follow-up and a follow-up after surgery of 3 mm Hg and 20% and number of antiglaucoma medications equal to or less than baseline. Main outcome measures were IOP, antiglaucoma medications, time to failure, and Kaplan-Meier survival curve. Results Fourteen eyes of 13 subjects were included. Mean follow-up after SLT was 12.9 ± 8.7 months. Total laser energy was 59.5 ± 8.7 mJ. Baseline IOP was 17.9 ± 3.3 mm Hg and number of antiglaucoma medications at baseline was 2.0 ± 1.0. All SLT procedures failed. Median time to failure after SLT was 3.6 ± 0.8 (range 2.1-5.1) months. Number of antiglaucoma medications did not change. Conclusions In eyes in which the IOP was no longer controlled following phaco-trabectome, SLT had a limited duration of significant IOP-lowering effect. Other alternatives, such as incisional filtration surgery, should be considered following failed phaco-trabectome.
“Invisible trumpet in the unseen marketplace.” Food in three media: Print, radio and TV

All the literate, sequential, lineal cookbooks and aural recipes on radio cannot compete with the instantaneously embodied image on our TVs. TV has allowed cooking to be born as a public image, different from the text. As Marshall McLuhan noted long ago, “In audile-tactile Europe TV has intensified the visual sense, spurring them toward American styles of packaging and dressing. In America, the intensely visual culture, TV has opened the doors of audile-tactile perception to the non-visual world of spoken languages and food and the plastic arts.” Until TV we have been unable to re-present cooking at a distance. Now we can see it, finally. As McLuhan noted, the TV age is “the age of consciousness of the unconscious.” What lay hidden in the inarticulate language of our limbs has been exposed to light. Of course it would be even better if we could smell it, taste it or touch it, but that is another story. The changing performances of gourmet American food in print, radio and television explore the technological, aesthetic and rhetorical limits of each of them as a medium.
Concomitant use of stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) and magnetoencephalographic (MEG) in the surgical treatment of refractory focal epilepsy.

In patients with refractory focal epilepsy, the success in localzing and completely resecting the epileptic focus has been shown o be the most important predictor of seizure freedom in patients houndergo surgical resections [1]. In order to achieve these goals, arious non-invasive conventional tools are available, including nalysis of seizure semiology, prolonged video-scalp electroenephalographic (video-EEG) recordings, ictal SPECT and PET scans. hen no non-invasive data congruency is achieved, additional ocalizing methods may be required. At our institution and others, tereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) and magenetoencephalogaphy (MEG) have increasingly been used as complimentary ocalizing tools to assist with the localization of the EZ in patients ith “difficult to localize” medically refractory focal epilepsy [2,3]. The authors report a case of a 29-year-old male with nonesional epilepsywho underwentmultiple non-invasive studies for reoperative work-up of epilepsy. After multidisciplinary Epilepsy anagement Conference, the decision was made to perform SEEG mplantation for the localization of the EZ. A MEG study was erformed with SEEG electrodes in place and both studies localzed the EZ to a small area in the right peri-rolandic opercular egion. Currently, there are no reports describing the utility of
Action Learning at Virginia Commonwealth University: Blending Action, Reflection, Critical Incident Methodologies, and Portfolio Assessment

The action-learning-related approaches incorporated in the Adult Education and Human Resource Development Master's Degree Program at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) are considered unique in their overall design. They replaced a long-established and much more traditional curriculum design in 1995. The final capstone course in the program was shifted to an action learning format, with students directly involved with real, highly complex problems in the community and elsewhere which they were expected to help clarify and resolve. The basic fabric of the Master's Degree Program was re-engineered to promote the linkage between action and reflection, the questioning of underlying assumptions, and incorporation of portfolio assessment techniques. In each course, students are now encouraged to keep learning logs, determine their own best work for the semester, and prepare a “reflective essay” indexed to their own self-assessment of critical incidents (e.g., the point at which they were most engaged or distanced from what was occurring and why). Overall evolution of the VCU program and its benefits are outlined as well as how to go about implementing such an approach.
Bosak, Dauphas, Fiore, Maloof, and Schoof receive 2011 James B. Macelwane medals: Response from Arlene M. Fiore

Tanja Bosak, Nicolas Dauphas, Arlene M. Fiore, Adam C. Maloof, and Christian Schoof were awarded the 2011 James B. Macelwane Medal at the AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony, held on 7 December 2011 in San Francisco, Calif. The medal is for “significant contributions to the geophysical sciences by an outstanding young scientist.”
Quantitation in the analysis of transesterified soybean oil by capillary gas chromatography 1

A rapid quantitative capillary gas Chromatographic method has been developed for studying transesterification of soybean oil (SBO) to fatty esters. Standard solutions containing methyl linoleate, mono- , di- and trilinolein were analyzed with a 1.8 m X 0.32 mm SE- 30 fused silica column. The effect of carrier gas flow on reproducibility was determined. Prior to analysis, mono- (MG) and diglycerides (DG) were silylated with N,O- bis(trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide.Tridecanoin was used as an internal standard. From plots of area and weight relationships, slopes and intercepts for all four compound classes were determined. Agreement between the measured and calculated compositions of the standard solutions was good; the overall standard deviation was 0.4. Slopes and intercepts also were determined for SBO and its methyl and butyl esters. Complete separation of ester, MG, DG and triglyceride was obtained in 12 min by temperature programming from 160 to 350 C. This method of analysis gave excellent results when used in a kinetic study of SBO transesterification.
Response of cowpea to variations in planting density and nutrient level

A greenhouse study was carried out using cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) grown in Perlite® and inoculated with Nitragin® to investigate the concentration of plant nutrients and planting density required for optimum biomass production. Five concentrations (full, 0.5, 0.2, 0.1 and 0.05 strength) of Bisseling's nutrient solution and five planting densities (one to five plants per pot) were tested in a factorial randomized Graeco-Latin square design. Growth was determined as fresh and dry weights of leaves, stems, petioles, roots, flowers and pods, and whole plant.
Building a Neuroscience Legacy

The greatest chance of vanquishing neurological disease lies not with what is on the bench, but with who is working at the bench . Although great discoveries are aided by technological advance, not a single great discovery was ever made by a technology. Discovery comes from a scientist testing a
Registration algorithms for interventional MRI-guided treatment of the prostate

We are investigating interventional MRI (iMRI) guided radiofrequency (RF) thermal ablation for the minimally invasive treatment of prostate cancer. Nuclear medicine and MR spectroscopy can detect and localize tumor in the prostate not reliably seen in MR. We are investigating methods to combine the advantages of functional images such as SPECT with iMRI-guided treatments. Our concept is to first register the low-resolution functional images with a high resolution MRI. Then by registering the high-resolution MR volume with live-time iMRI acquisitions, we can, in turn, map the functional data and high-resolution anatomic information to iMRI images for improved tumor targeting. To achieve robust, accurate, and fast registration, we extensively compared different registration algorithms to align iMRI images with a high-resolution MR volume. Then by registering the high-resolution MR image with live-time iMRI acquisitions, we can, in turn, map the functional data and high-resolution anatomic information to iMRI images for improved tumor targeting. In this study, we registered noisy, thick iMRI image slices with high-resolution MR volumes and called this slice-to-volume registration. We investigated two similarity measures, i.e., mutual information and correlation coefficient, and three interpolation methods, i.e., tri-linear, re-normalized sinc, and nearest neighbor. To assess the quality of registration, we calculated 3D displacement on a voxel-by-voxel basis over a volume of interest between slice-to-volume registation and volume-to-volume registration that was previously shown to be quite accurate for these image pairs. Over 300 registration experiments showed that transverse slice images covering the prostate work best with a registration error of only 0.4 ± 0.2 mm. Error was greater at other slice orientations and positions. Since live-time iMRI images are used for guidance and registered images are used for adjunctive information, the accuracy and robustness of slice-to-volume registration is very probably adequate.
Within-culture complexities: multifaceted and interrelated autonomy and connectedness characteristics in late adolescent selves.

The complexities of autonomy and connectedness in the self-conceptions of late adolescent European Americans provide empirical support for the theoretical position that autonomy and connectedness are multifaceted and interrelated self-characteristics that reflect cultural values about individuals in relation to others.
Prevalence and Characterization of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from Retail Meat and Humans in Georgia

There is increasing interest in the presence of Staphylococcus aureus, specifically methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), on retail meat products. In this study, staphylococci were isolated from retail pork and retail beef in Georgia, and MRSA from the products was compared to human MRSA from the same geographic area using broth microdilution antimicrobial susceptibility testing, multilocus sequence typing (MLST), spa typing, SCCmec typing, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). S. aureus was isolated from 45% (45/100) of pork products and 63% (63/100) of beef products; mecA was detected in S. aureus from both pork (3/100; 3%) and beef (4/100; 4%). Fifty percent (50/100) of human S. aureus also contained mecA. Multidrug resistance was detected among MRSA from all sources. All MRSA (n = 57) was SCCmec type IV, and nine different spa types were present among the isolates (t002, t008, t012, t024, t179, t337, t548, t681, and t1062). Four sequence types (ST5, ST8, ST9, and ST30) were detected using MLST; the majority of MRSA isolates belonged to ST8, followed by ST5. One retail beef MRSA isolate belonged to ST8, while the remaining three were ST5. In retail pork MRSA, ST5, ST9, and ST30 were observed. The majority of human MRSA isolates belonged to ST8. Thirty-seven MRSA isolates, one of which was a retail beef MRSA isolate, were pvl+. Using PFGE, MLST, and spa typing, three retail beef MRSA isolates were found to be identical in PFGE pattern, ST, and spa type to two human clonal MRSA isolates (USA100 and USA300). One additional retail beef MRSA isolate had a PFGE pattern similar to that of a human MRSA isolate, whereas none of the retail pork MRSA isolates had PFGE patterns similar to those of human MRSA isolates. These data suggest that the retail beef samples were contaminated by a human source, possibly during processing of the meat, and may present a source of MRSA for consumers and others who handle raw meat.
Reconstruction with most likely trajectory for proton computed tomography

Advantages of proton computed tomography (pCT) have been recognized in the past decades. However, the quality of pCT images is limited due to the stochastic nature of the proton path inside the object. Numerous small angle scatters by the nuclei Coulomb field cause the exact proton path impossible to trace. The reconstruction from measurements of the proton energy-loss has a spatial resolution limit due to these deflections. However, it has been shown that the proton path inside a uniform medium follows certain probability distribution so that a most likely trajectory (MLT) can be derived analytically for each proton. For real scan of a regular non-uniform object in pCT, the internal trajectory is better approximated by the MLT rather than a straight-line estimation. In this report, we presented preliminary studies on how the curved trajectories would affect the quality of the reconstructed images, and how much improvement we can achieve in reconstruction with the exact trajectory information. Analytical simulations with three phantoms, including a uniform disk phantom, multi-hole Aluminum phantom and Shepp-Logan phantom, were performed using artificial internal trajectories calculated based on the entrance and exit proton information. Reconstructions with the exact paths were compared to those with the straight-line path estimation. Significant improvement in density uniformity and spatial resolution were observed in the reconstructions with the path information.
IMAGING IMPLICATIONS IN THE EVALUATION OF PERMANENT NEEDLE ACUPUNCTURE

Traditional Chinese acupuncture involves placing needles into the subcutaneous tissues along predefined meridians, and later totally removing the needles. A peculiar form of acupuncture exists called "Hari", which involves the permanent placement of fine needles into the subcutaneous tissues. Although this form of acupuncture is uncommon, it is still practiced in both the Orient and the West. Following treatment, the patient's skin is imbedded with hundreds of these fine needles, which remain in the skin for the rest of the patient's life. Several reports have appeared describing their curious radiologic appearance. We present plain films, sonograms, and computed tomography findings of three patients who have undergone this form of acupuncture, and describe their implications in radiographic and clinical evaluation.
Directional Thermal Conductivities of Graphite/Epoxy Composites: 0/90 and 0/ + or - 45/90

Abstract : This work and a predecessor investigation form a two-part experimental research program on the effective thermal conductivities of graphite-epoxy composites - the type which is used extensively in aerospace structures and other applications. Effective thermal conductivities were determined from 90 F to 250 F for composites with fibers arranged in the 0/90 and 0/+ or - 45/90 patterns. The fiber content was 60% by volume. Analysis of the data in this work and the predecessor study established a correspondence principle between the directional effective conductivities of composites with uni-directional fibers and conductivities of other types of fiber arrangements. The correspondence principle allows an approximate but rapid estimate of the quasi-isotropic conductivities of the commonly used balanced-composites. Originator-supplied keywords included: Thermal conductivities, Graphite/Epoxy, and Test equipment.
Territory's Continuing Allure

The role of the territorial state has changed in recent decades in the wake of the communications revolution; the explosion of transnational social, political, and economic formations; accelerated ...
Internet Marketing in Tourism in Asia: An Evaluation of the Performance of East Asian National Tourism Organization Websites

ABSTRACT Despite the increasing importance of the Internet as a marketing tool among national tourism organizations (NTOs) and the importance of tourism in the East Asia region, relatively few studies have been done on measuring the marketing effectiveness of NTO Websites and this exploratory study was designed to fill this gap. It included an extensive content analysis to compare NTO Websites in the East Asia region and identify their Internet marketing strengths and weaknesses. The results indicated that all of the NTOs in the East Asia region were not fully utilizing their Websites. In particular, among the four groups of criteria evaluated, it was found that East Asian NTOs were not very effective in using their Websites in the marketing role. The results of the study delivered a significant message for the NTOs in East Asia.
Aspirin and lung cancer in women

The association between aspirin use and lung cancer risk in women was examined in a case–control study nested in the New York University Women's Health Study, a large cohort in New York. Case subjects were all the 81 incident lung cancer cases who had provided information about aspirin use at enrollment and during the 1994–1996 follow up. Ten controls per case were randomly selected from among study participants who matched a case by age, menopausal status, and dates of enrollment and follow-up. Relative to no aspirin use, the odds ratio for lung cancer (all histological sub-types combined) among subjects who reported aspirin use three or more times per week for at least 6 months was 0.66 (95% confidence interval 0.34–1.28), after adjustment for smoking and education. A stronger inverse association was observed in analyses restricted to non-small cell lung cancer (adjusted odds ratio 0.39, 95% confidence interval 0.16–0.96). These results suggest that regular aspirin use might be inversely associated with risk of lung cancer in women, particularly the non-small cell sub-type. British Journal of Cancer (2002) 87, 49–53. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6600370 www.bjcancer.com © 2002 Cancer Research UK
Microvascular spasm is mediated by vasopressin fibers in the rat hippocampal slice

Microvessels in the rat hippocampal slice can be used as an in vitro model for the study of cerebral vasospasm. Serum from coagulated blood causes prompt and long-lasting microvascular constriction that is neurogenic in nature. Here we show that a candidate spasmogen, thromboxane B2, has excitatory action on neural elements in the slice. However, spasmogenic serum lacks this excitatory effect. Instead, it is inhibitory for a major population of slice neurons. Thus, neurogenic microvascular spasm is produced by a subpopulation of slice neurons or projection fibers, not all neurons acting in concert. Arginine vasopressin (AVP) is contained in fibers that project to the hippocampus, and hippocampal microvessels contain pressor (V1) receptors for the peptide. AVP causes vasoconstriction in the slice, and a specific V1 antagonist for the peptide blocks the microvascular spasm induced by blood serum. The results are interpreted to mean that neurogenic microvascular spasm is mediated by locally released AVP.
Toward a Theory of Geometric Tolerancing

Manual drafting is rapidly being replaced by modern, computerized systems for defining the geometry of mechanical parts and assemblies, and a new generation of powerful systems, called geometric (solid) modeling systems (GMSs), is entering industrial use. Solid models are beginning to play an important role in off-line robot programming, model- driven vision, and other industrial robotic applications.A major deficiency of current GMSs is their lack of facilities for specifying tolerancing information, which is essential for design analysis, process planning, assembly planning for tightly toleranced components, and other applications of solid modeling. This paper proposes a mathe matical theory of tolerancing that formalizes and generalizes current practices and is a suitable basis for incorporating tolerances into GMSs.A tolerance specification in the proposed theory is a collection ofgeometric constraints on an object's surface features, which are two-dimensional subsets of the object's boundary. An obje...
Prions and haemophilia: assessment of risk

Summary. Based on information accumulated to date, it is still difficult to assess the risk of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and blood transfusion with any degree of confidence. However, it is reasonable to conclude that CJD is produced by a transmittable agent which is probably contained in low titer in the blood of infected people and animals. From the present clinical and epidemiological studies, transmission by blood or blood products appears to be a rare or non-existent cause of current and past cases of CJD in humans. Since blood products are necessary to prevent the immediate risk of death or significant morbidity in many clinical conditions, therapeutic decisions should be made after consideration of the known risk in these situations vs the theoretical long-term risk of the rare occurrence of CJD.
Growth inhibition of carcinogen-transformed MCF-12F breast epithelial cells and hormone-sensitive BT-474 breast cancer cells by 1α-hydroxyvitamin D5

Several studies have established the active form of vitamin D(3) as an effective tumor-suppressing agent; however, its antitumor activity is achieved at doses that are hypercalcemic in vivo. Therefore, less calcemic vitamin D(3) analog, 1alpha-hydroxy-24-ethyl-cholecalciferol (1alpha[OH]D5), was evaluated for its potential use in breast cancer chemoprevention. Previously, 1alpha(OH)D5 showed anticarcinogenic activity in several in vivo and in vitro models. However, its effects on growth of normal tissue were not known. The present study was conducted to determine the effects of 1alpha(OH)D5 on the growth of normal mouse mammary gland and normal-like human breast epithelial MCF-12F cells and to compare these effects with carcinogen-transformed MCF-12F and breast cancer cells. No significant difference was observed in the growth or morphology of cultured mouse mammary gland and MCF-12F cells in the presence of 1alpha(OH)D5. However, the transformed MCF-12F cells underwent growth inhibition (40-60%, P < 0.05) upon 1alpha(OH)D5 treatment as determined by cell viability assays. Cell cycle analysis showed marked increase (50%) in G-1 phase for cells treated with 1alpha(OH)D5 compared with the controls. Moreover, the percentage of cells in the synthesis (S) phase of cell cycle was decreased by 70% in transformed MCF-12F, BT-474 and MCF-7 cells. The growth arrest was preceded by an increase in expression of cell cycle regulatory proteins p21(Waf-1) and p27(Kip-1). In addition, differential expression studies of parent and transformed MCF-12F cell lines using microarrays showed that prohibitin mRNA was increased 4-fold in the transformed cells. These results indicate that the growth inhibitory effect of 1alpha(OH)D5 was achieved in both carcinogen-transformed MCF-12F and breast cancer cells at a dose that was non-inhibitory in normal-like breast epithelial cells.
Integrated batch production and distribution scheduling with limited vehicle capacity

Abstract We study a variation of the Integrated Production and Distribution Problem ( IPDP ) in which orders are processed and delivered in batches with limited vehicle capacity. We emphasize the no-wait condition between the production and distribution of each batch, and prove that the general version of this integrated operational scheduling problem is strongly NP -hard. Two special cases, with identical order processing time and identical delivery time respectively, are investigated to explore the optimal solution structures, such as how orders should be sequenced based on their processing and delivery time. These optimal solution structures not only help the design of polynomial time algorithms for the special cases, but also reveal insights that facilitate the development of the heuristic for the general problem. We also offer the analytical worst case error bound of this heuristic in solving the general problem by providing a performance ratio less than two, and numerically demonstrate the effectiveness of our heuristic in terms of accuracy and speed. Statistical tests are carried out to investigate the impacts of problem parameters, including order number, vehicle capacity, and variety of order processing time and delivery time, on the accuracy of the heuristic.
Sodium absorption, volume control and potassium channels: in tribute to a great biologist.

It is well established, for all Na-absorbing epithelia, that an increase in the rate of transcellular Na + absorption is accompanied by an increase in the conductance of the basolateral membrane to K + For the case of small intestinal epithelial cells from the salamander Necturus maculosus, where the rate of transcellular Na + absorption can be increased manyfold by the addition of sugars or amino acids to the luminal bathing solution, it appears that this parallelism between Na-K pump rate and basolateral membrane K conductance is closely related to volume regulation by the enterocyte. Recent studies have disclosed the presence of stretch-activated K + channels, in a highly enriched basolateral membrane fraction isolated from these epithelial cells, whose activity is increased by an increase in vesicle volume and inhibited by a decrease in vesicle volume or ATP. The activity of this channel also appears to be regulated by the degree of organization of the cortical actin cytoskeleton; activity is increased by depolymerization of the actin cytoskeleton and decreased by repolymerization of that structure. We postulate that the inhibitory effect of ATP is related to its role in promoting the polymerization of G-actin to form F-actin. We propose that enterocyte swelling that results from the intracellular accumulation of sugars or amino acids in osmotically active forms brings about disorganization of the cortical actin cytoskeleton and activates these channels and is, at least in part, responsible for the "pump-leak parallelism" in this amphibian.
THE SUPERIORITY OF THE MINIMAL SPANNING TREE IN PERCOLATION ANALYSES OF COSMOLOGICAL DATA SETS

In this work we demonstrate the ability of the Minimal Spanning Tree to duplicate the information contained within a percolation analysis for a point dataset. We show how to construct the percolation properties from the Minimal Spanning Tree, finding roughly an order of magnitude improvement in the computer time required. We apply these statistics to Particle-Mesh simulations of large-scale structure formation. We consider purely scale-free Gaussian initial conditions ($P(k) \propto k^n$, with $n = -2, -1, 0 \ \& +1$) in a critical density universe. We find in general the mass of the percolating cluster is a much better quantity by which to judge the onset of percolation than the length of the percolating cluster.
Teachingless grinding robot depending on three force information

When an industrial robot grinds a curved surface of a workpiece, an operator must teach the robot the contour of the surface accurately. This instruction, however, is a very troublesome job because of the large number of teaching points. This paper proposes a grinding robot that requires no teaching. The robot system consists of a manipulator mounted on a cylindrical grinding wheel on the end effector, instruments to measure the three different forces and a computer equipped with an A/D converter. The force information consists of the grinding torque and the two components of the grinding force which is applied to the grinding wheel from the workpiece. The coordinates of the points where the wheel contacts the workpiece are calculated from the force information by the computer. Therefore, the robot is able to recognize the contour of the workpiece and to grind it without teaching. Experiments using an articulated robot arm with five degrees of freedom show that the proposed robot system is applicable to t...
Hesitations in children's speech during explanation and description

Twenty-four children, six each from the kindergarten, second, fourth, and sixth grades, were shown three simple physical demonstrations. They described and explained what they saw. For children of all ages, explanation compared with description was characterized by more words, pauses, hesitations, longer pauses, and a slower rate of speaking.
Field use of a cone penetrometer gamma probe for radioactive‐waste detection.

A novel probe for the detection and identification of radionuclides in subsurface soil was developed for on-site characterization of the soil subsurface with the use of the Site Characterization and Analysis Penetrometer System (SCAPS). 1 The device uses a Nal scintillation crystal to detect gamma radiation directly in soil. The emitted gamma rays from radioactive waste that may be present in soil are collected and analyzed to diagnose their identity and relative concentration. The design has been optimized and has been used successfully to investigate Cs 137 contamination at the Department of Energy Savannah River Site, SC.
Trigeminal neuralgia: Diagnosis and treatment

Trigeminal neuralgia is considered to be one of the most severe forms of pain in the human experience. In this discussion, classical neurology, current advances in medical science, and the relief of human suffering converge in a single nerve. Improvements in the resolution of neuroimaging have elucidated neurovascular relationships in striking detail. The availability of new antiepileptic medications has expanded the range of therapeutic options for patients whose pain cannot be controlled by first-line agents. Further developments in neurosurgical and radiosurgical techniques have provided effective treatments with increasingly wider margins of safety. Significant advances in cortical stimulation technology are also making headway into pain relief and delineating the central mechanisms of chronic neuropathic pain.
The need for a simple animal model to understand sleep

Simple animal models have allowed biologists to apply the tools of modern molecular genetics to such complex behaviors as circadian rhythms and long-term memory consolidation. The mechanisms and molecules discovered in these simple animals are evolutionarily conserved in other species, including mammals. Sleep research lacks a simple animal model because criteria based on the electroencephalogram have been met only in birds and mammals. We argue that straightforward behavioral criteria could allow the identification of a sleep-like rest state that might be useful for molecular investigations to understand the regulation and function of sleep. Candidate model systems are discussed, leading to the conclusion that several species have complementary strengths. Specifically, techniques developed for larval zebrafish can be used to visualize neural firing patterns in the living animal, and the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has been used successfully for molecular and genetic dissection of complex behaviors. We conclude with a hypothesis that one putative function of sleep, the optimization of neural plasticity, would also have adaptive value in simple organisms and might therefore be evolutionarily conserved.
Some Evidence for Aquatic Macrophytes as Repellents for a Limnetic Species of Daphnia

Under controlled laboratory conditions Daphnia rosea SARS is strongly repelled by substances secreted by Elodea, Nitella, and Myriophyllum. This phenomenon can be easily demonstrated in a large glass U-tube having a small sprig of hydrophyte at the surface of the water on one side of the U-tube. It can also be demonstrated in a long narrow aquarium having an incomplete vertical plastic divider at the center, and with the hydrophyte on one side of the divider. Simulated plastic aquarium vegetation in control aquaria has only a slight repellent or „shading” effect. The implications of this phenomenon in the hydrophyte zone of lakes and ponds are discussed.
Magnetic flux shielding for the precision muon g-2 storage ring superconducting inflector

A muon g-2 experiment (E821) at the AGS requires knowledge of the magnetic field over muon orbits at the level of 0.1 ppm. The superconducting inflector involves a double cosine theta winding; this design approximately cancels its fringe field. Nevertheless its residual field would effect the homogeneity of the storage ring magnetic field. A method of using a superconducting sheet surrounding the inflector to further reduce the fringe field was proposed by one of the authors, W. Meng. An experimental program to explore this technique is described. Part of the test results are presented. >
Voltage dependence of self-clamped inductive switching (SCIS) energy capability of IGBTs

Self-clamped inductive switching (SCIS) energy capability is the most important device parameter for insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) used in automotive ignition applications. We have experimentally characterized the dependence of IGBTs SCIS energy capability on the clamp voltage for an ambient temperature range of -50 to 175/spl deg/C. It is found that the SCIS energy of an IGBT increases by nearly 70% when the clamp voltage is reduced from 400 to 100 V. Such a significant increase is attributed to the lower maximum junction temperature that is reached in an IGBT with a lower clamp voltage during the SCIS testing. Two-dimensional (2-D) electrothermal device simulations have been performed to analyze such phenomena. The results provide critical information for device design and product development.
Assessing Need for Long-Term Oxygen Therapy: A Comparison of Conventional Evaluation and Measures of Ambulatory Oximetry Monitoring

BACKGROUND: Appropriate identification of hypoxic patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is important because of the demonstrated survival benefit of long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) and its associated cost. Resting oxygen saturation (measured via pulse oximetry [SpO2]) and lowest exercise SpO2 (during a 6-min walk test) is the standard method of determining LTOT requirements, but that method does not measure the patient's oxygenation during sleep or activities of daily living. We hypothesized that values obtained via the standard method would correlate poorly with values obtained via ambulatory oximetry monitoring. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, cohort study in an out-patient pulmonary clinic in a tertiary care referral center, with 20 stable COPD patients who were being evaluated for LTOT with conventional evaluation versus 16-24 hours of ambulatory oximetry. RESULTS: The resting SpO2 did not correlate well with mean ambulatory SpO2 (r = 0.64) or the percent of monitored time spent with SpO2 10% of the monitored time with SpO2 < 88%. CONCLUSION: There was a poor relationship between the conventional oxygenation assessment method and continuous ambulatory oximetry during LTOT screening with COPD patients.