cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Picosecond Spectroscopy of Solutions, Proteins and Photosynthetic Membranes

The photophysics of tryptophan is discussed and a model capable of rationalizing the photophysics of almost twenty derivatives of tryptophan is proposed. The model is based on conformers about the C α — C β bond and the relative rates of charge transfer from indole to various electrophiles. Three new tryptophan derivatives were synthesized to test the model. Accurate predictions concerning the relative fluorescence lifetimes and the form of the fluorescence decay law are made for tryptophan and seventeen of its derivatives, including the three new derivatives.The fluorescence decay kinetics from chloroplasts from green plants are described. New data are presented on the fluorescence decays obtained from genetic mutants of chlamydomonas which lack specific components of the photosynthetic apparatus. The interpretation of the green plant chloroplast data in terms of the two photosystems and the light harvesting array is discussed in terms of the data from the mutant algae. Our data indicate that the major short component (∼100 ps) obtained in the fluorescence decay of chloroplasts results from photochemical trapping by both photosystem I and photosystem II.A synchronously pumped dye laser which produces two, independently tunable, synchronized picosecond pulse trains will be described. An application of the laser to time and frequency resolved polarization spectroscopy will be given. The results are used to estimate the homogeneous linewidth of the S0 → S1 transition of a large molecule in solution. The optical heterodyne technique is applied to separate the real and imagninary contributions of the third order nonlinear susceptibility.
Thalidomide Costimulates Primary Human T Lymphocytes, Preferentially Inducing Proliferation, Cytokine Production, and Cytotoxic Responses in the CD8+ Subset

The efficacy of thalidomide (α-phthalimido-glutarimide) therapy in leprosy patients with erythema nodosum leprosum is thought to be due to inhibition of tumor necrosis factor α. In other diseases reported to respond to thalidomide, the mechanism of action of the drug is unclear. We show that thalidomide is a potent costimulator of primary human T cells in vitro, synergizing with stimulation via the T cell receptor complex to increase interleukin 2–mediated T cell proliferation and interferon γ production. The costimulatory effect is greater on the CD8+ than the CD4+ T cell subset. The drug also increases the primary CD8+ cytotoxic T cell response induced by allogeneic dendritic cells in the absence of CD4+ T cells. Therefore, human T cell costimulation can be achieved pharmacologically with thalidomide, and preferentially in the CD8+ T cell subset.
Numerical integral method for diffusion modeling

The authors present a numerically efficient mathematical approach, the numerical integral method, for diffusion modeling. This method extends the boundary integral methods to solve linear and nonlinear diffusion problems with physically based diffusivity models to account for concentration-dependent effects, oxidizing ambient effects, electric field effects, etc. The algorithm for solving nonlinear diffusion problems and its implementation in a computer program are described. Results from example problems are shown. This new numerical method provides the potential for achieving a diffusion simulation which is computationally efficient, numerically stable, and sufficiently accurate in an engineering environment. Such an efficient and yet accurate diffusion simulation is especially important in statistical simulation of VLSI processes. >
Mean Field Approach to the Algebraic Treatment of Molecules

We study recently proposed algebraic models for diatomic and simple poly-atomic molecules in the mean field approximation. In this approach, we recover the harmonic molecular spectra efficiently and accurately and more importantly, we are able to explore the geometrical meaning of boson operators with an eye to suggesting boson Hamiltonians that have close links to molecular geometries.
Role of Bulk Defect States in Limiting CIGS Device Properties

We have used sustained light-soaking in the near-infrared (780 nm wavelength) to modify the properties of the absorber layer in CIGS solar cells, and thus study the relationship between the absorber electronic properties and the device performance. Through this light-soaking treatment we can increase the hole carrier density in the CIGS absorber, as well as the density of the commonly observed 0.3 eV bulk deep acceptor, by up to a factor of 5. The device performance was periodically recorded under the same 780 nm light, and was found to degrade due to a reduction in fill factor and short circuit current. We demonstrate that these changes can be largely attributed to a reduction in the photogenerated carrier collection, due to a decrease in the depletion width. Based on these data, we estimate the minority carrier diffusion length to be about 0.2 ?m. At the same time, no change in open circuit voltage was observed, indicating that the recombination rate through the dominant recombination channel remained nearly constant. This means that it cannot be the 0.3 eV bulk defect. Detailed SCAPS modeling was carried out and reinforces this conclusion.
FURTHER ANALYSIS OF PROBLEM BEHAVIOR IN RESPONSE CLASS HIERARCHIES

A functional analysis identified the reinforcers for 3 participants' problem behavior, but only relatively mild problem behaviors (e.g., screaming, disruption) were observed when all topographies produced tested consequences. We then conducted an extinction analysis in which specific topographies produced a reinforcer while all other topographies were on extinction. The extinction analysis confirmed that the same reinforcer identified in the initial functional analysis maintained more severe topographies of problem behavior (e.g., aggression). In addition, results of the extinction analysis indicated that 2 of the participants displayed patterns of responding consistent with a response class hierarchy hypothesis, in which less severe problem behavior frequently occurred prior to more severe topographies. The 3rd participant displayed a response pattern indicative of differential reinforcement effects.
Exogenous insulin replacement in type 2 diabetes reverses excessive hepatic glucose release, but not excessive renal glucose release and impaired free fatty acid clearance.

In type 2 diabetes renal and hepatic glucose release are increased and free fatty acids (FFA) clearance is reduced. Restoration of normoglycemia by exogenous insulin replacement normalizes overall glucose release and plasma FFA concentrations. However, it is unclear to what extent normalization of overall glucose release is due to suppression of hepatic (HGR) and renal glucose release (RGR) and whether the abnormal FFA clearance is improved. We therefore determined overall, renal, and hepatic glucose release, as well as systemic FFA release and clearance by tracer techniques in type 2 diabetic subjects with (DM+) and without (DM[minus ]) physiologic overnight insulin infusion and in nondiabetic volunteers (NV). Insulin infusion normalized plasma glucose (5.3 [plusmn] 0.1 v 5.2 [plusmn] 0.1 mmol/L in NV) and overall glucose release (10.1 [plusmn] 0.7 v 10.6 [plusmn] 0.4 [mu ]mol [middot] kg[minus ]1 [middot] min[minus ]1 in NV), (both P [gt ] .9). Values in DM[minus ] were 9.1 [plusmn] 0.6 mmol/L and 14.6 [plusmn] 0.8 [mu ]mol [middot] kg[minus ]1 [middot] min[minus ]1, respectively (both P [lt ] .001 v DM+ and NV). The correction of overall glucose release in DM+ was due to suppression of HGR to rates below normal (6.11 [plusmn] 0.53 v 8.67 [plusmn] 0.44 [mu ]mol [middot] kg[minus ]1 [middot] min[minus ]1 in NV, P [lt ] .03). RGR remained increased (3.91 [plusmn] 0.38 v 1.90 [plusmn] 0.28 [mu ]mol [middot] kg[minus ]1 [middot] min[minus ]1 in NV, P [lt ] .002) and was similar to DM[minus ] (3.97 [plusmn] 0.33 [mu ]mol [middot] kg[minus ]1 [middot] min[minus ]1, P [gt ] .9). Insulin infusion also normalized plasma FFA levels (450 [plusmn] 45 v 476 [plusmn] 42 in NV, P [gt ] .9 and v613 [plusmn] 33 [mu ]mol/L in DM[minus ], P [lt ] .04). This was due to suppression of FFA release to below normal (4.04 [plusmn] 0.45 v 5.25 [plusmn] 0.25 [mu ]mol [middot] kg[minus ]1 [middot] min[minus ]1 in NV, P [lt ] .04). Plasma FFA clearance remained reduced (7.2 [plusmn] 1.0 v 11.4 [plusmn] 1.2 mL [middot] kg[minus ]1 [middot] min[minus ]1 in NV, P [lt ] .04) and was similar to DM[minus ] (7.3 [plusmn] 0.5 mL [middot] kg[minus ]1 [middot] min[minus ]1, P [gt ] .9). We conclude that in contrast to the excessive HGR, excessive RGR and impaired FFA clearance are not corrected by acute exogenous insulin replacement.
White matter damage in frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease measured by diffusion MRI

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Alzheimer's disease are sometimes difficult to differentiate clinically because of overlapping symptoms. Using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measurements of fractional anisotropy (FA) can be useful in distinguishing the different patterns of white matter degradation between the two dementias. In this study, we performed MRI scans in a 4 Tesla MRI machine including T1-weighted structural images and diffusion tensor images in 18 patients with FTD, 18 patients with Alzheimer's disease and 19 cognitively normal (CN) controls. FA was measured selectively in specific fibre tracts (including corpus callosum, cingulum, uncinate and corticospinal tracts) as well as globally in a voxel-by-voxel analysis. Patients with FTD were associated with reductions of FA in frontal and temporal regions including the anterior corpus callosum (P < 0.001), bilateral anterior (left P < 0.001; right P = 0.005), descending (left P < 0.001; right P = 0.003) cingulum tracts, and uncinate tracts (left P < 0.001; right P = 0.005), compared to controls. Patients with Alzheimer's disease were associated with reductions of FA in parietal, temporal and frontal regions including the left anterior (P = 0.003) and posterior (P = 0.002) cingulum tracts, bilateral descending cingulum tracts (P < 0.001) and left uncinate tracts (P < 0.001) compared to controls. When compared with Alzheimer's disease, FTD was associated with greater reductions of FA in frontal brain regions, whereas no region in Alzheimer's disease showed greater reductions of FA when compared to FTD. In conclusion, the regional patterns of anisotropy reduction in FTD and Alzheimer's disease compared to controls suggest a characteristic distribution of white matter degradation in each disease. Moreover, the white matter degradation seems to be more prominent in FTD than in Alzheimer's disease. Taken together, the results suggest that white matter degradation measured with DTI may improve the diagnostic differentiation between FTD and Alzheimer's disease.
Common-cause failures in repairable systems

Eight models are presented for performing reliability analysis of repairable and nonrepairable redundant systems with common-cause failures. The systems studied are redundant configurations such as parallel, k-out-of-n units, and standby. Repairable systems reliability, mean-time-to-failure, and variance of time to failure formulas are developed. In addition, the reliability analysis of a redundant system composed of three state devices with common-cause failures is presented. Specific plots are developed to demonstrate the effect of common-cause failures on redundant system reliability and mean time of failure. >
Pediatric Psychology Training: An Analysis of Graduate, Internship, and Postdoctoral Programs

The field of pediatric psychology is in the early stages of formulating its own identity relative to other areas, such as clinical child and health psychology. This paper complements other recent efforts to delineate training practices and guidelines. Questionnaires regarding doctoral, internship, and postdoctoral training experiences were obtained from 89% of the membership of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. From this information, rankings of the most commonly attended programs at each training level were derived. Some overlap was apparent between doctoral programs that were conducive to training in pediatric and clinical child psychology; however, differences between programs in these areas also were noted. The most commonly attended internship and postdoctoral settings were those in major medical centers or children's hospitals. Suggestions for investigating the current status of predoctoral, internship, and postdoctoral programs that may be facilitative of training in pediatric psychology are discussed.
XCTK2: A Kinesin-related Protein That Promotes Mitotic Spindle Assembly in Xenopus laevis Egg Extracts

We used a peptide antibody to a conserved sequence in the motor domain of kinesins to screen a Xenopus ovary cDNA expression library. Among the clones isolated were two that encoded a protein we named XCTK2 for Xenopus COOH-terminal kinesin 2. XCTK2 contains an NH2-terminal globular domain, a central α-helical stalk, and a COOH-terminal motor domain. XCTK2 is similar to CTKs in other organisms and is most homologous to CHO2. Antibodies raised against XCTK2 recognize a 75-kD protein in Xenopus egg extracts that cosediments with microtubules. In Xenopus tissue culture cells, the anti-XCTK2 antibodies stain mitotic spindles as well as a subset of interphase nuclei. To probe the function of XCTK2, we have used an in vitro assay for spindle assembly in Xenopus egg extracts. Addition of antibodies to cytostatic factor- arrested extracts causes a 70% reduction in the percentage of bipolar spindles formed. XCTK2 is not required for maintenance of bipolar spindles, as antibody addition to preformed spindles has no effect. To further evaluate the function of XCTK2, we expressed XCTK2 in insect Sf-9 cells using the baculovirus expression system. When purified (recombinant XCTK2 is added to Xenopus egg extracts at a fivefold excess over endogenous levels) there is a stimulation in both the rate and extent of bipolar spindle formation. XCTK2 exists in a large complex in extracts and can be coimmunoprecipitated with two other proteins from extracts. XCTK2 likely plays an important role in the establishment and structural integrity of mitotic spindles.
Assertiveness deficits and hostility in domestically violent men.

Two types of assertiveness, the ability to refuse a demand or request and the ability to initiate a request or affirmatively express a need, were examined in a clinical sample of domestically violent men (N = 78) in contrast to a nonviolent comparison group (N = 29). No significant difference was found between the groups on refusal behavior. However, a significant difference was found on initiating/request behavior, the violent men evidencing lower scores than their nonviolent counterparts. Significant differences in anger and hostility were also apparent between groups. There was a significant and positive correlation between refusal behavior and overt anger/hostility. A significant and negative correlation was observed between initiating/request behavior and covert anger/hostility. The results support the presence of social skill deficits, which appear to be significantly related to anger and hostility in domestically violent men. The findings also suggest that domestically violent men have a more specific profile of assertiveness deficits than has been previously discussed in the literature. Language: en
SANDY BEACH FAUNA OF MEDITERRANEAN AND RED SEA COASTLINES OF ISRAEL AND THE SINAI PENINSULA

ABSTRACT The intertidal fauna of three Mediterranean beaches and nine Red Sea beaches along the coasts of Israel and Sinai were examined during the summer of 1979. Marine invertebrate infaunal community structure was studied in terms of species composition, density, diversity (H') and evenness (J'). The eastern Mediterranean intertidal sand beaches were depauperate in numbers of species and low in density; only 7 species were collected and intertidal density averaged 153/m2. No Lessepsian migrants were found. The Red Sea sandy beaches were rich in species (149 species collected) and had the highest diversity indices (H') reported worldwide for intertidal sand beach communities. Contributing factors to this high diversity include greater environmental stability, greater specialization among species and the large species pool of the Indo-Pacific province. The average density of infaunal species in these beaches was 1347/m2. Density of Red Sea infaunal organisms showed a significant negative correlation with...
Toward a Complete Database of Drug Repurposing Candidates Extracted from Social Media, Biomedical Literature, and Genetic Data

New drug development costs between 500 million and 2 billion dollars and takes 10-15 years, with a success rate of less than 10%. Drug repurposing is the process of discovering new indications for existing drugs and is becoming an important component of drug development as success rates for novel drugs in clinical trials decrease and costs increase. In the period 2007-2009, drug repurposing led to the launching of 30-40% of new drugs. Typically, a new indication for an available drug is identified by accident. However, new technologies and a huge amount of available resources enable us to develop systematic approaches to identify and validate drug repurposing candidates with significantly lower cost. A variety of resources have been utilized to identify novel drug repurposing candidates such as biomedical literature, clinical notes, and genetic data. In this study, we plan to 1) assess the usability and usefulness of new resources, specifically social media and phenome-wise association studies in drug repurposing, and 2) improve some previous proposed approaches, by investigating more accurate methods to prioritize and rank the generated drug repurposing candidates by literature-based discovery.
Optical properties of transiently-excited semiconductor hyperbolic metamaterials

Ultrafast optical excitation of photocarriers has the potential to transform undoped semiconductor superlattices into semiconductor hyperbolic metamaterials (SHMs). In this paper, we investigate the optical properties associated with such ultrafast topological transitions. We first show reflectance, transmittance, and absorption under TE and TM plane wave incidence. In the unpumped state, the superlattice exhibits a frequency region with high reflectance (>80%) and a region with low reflectance (<1%) for both TE and TM polarizations over a wide range of incidence angles. In contrast, in the photopumped state, the reflectance for both frequencies and polarizations is very low (<1%) for a similar range of angles. Interestingly, this system can function as an all-optical reflection switch on ultrafast timescales. Furthermore, for TM incidence and close to the epsilon-near-zero point of the longitudinal permittivity, directional perfect absorption on ultrafast timescales may also be achieved. Finally, we discuss the onset of negative refraction in the photopumped state.
A technique for the treatment of oral–antral fistulas resulting from medication-related osteonecrosis of the maxilla: the combined buccal fat pad flap and radical sinusotomy

Objective Bisphosphonates and monoclonal antibodies directed at osteoclastic function are frequently used to treat postmenopausal and corticosteroid-induced osteoporosis. They are also used in the treatment of certain metastatic malignancies. However, osteonecrosis of the jaw has been reported after intravenous, subcutaneous, or oral use of these agents. More than 12 million Americans and another 20 million worldwide are thought to be taking a bisphosphonate. Exposed bone with oral–antral fistulas has been known to occur increasingly as a specific presentation of what is now termed medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (MRONJ) with a specific International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) code. Oral–antral communications caused by bisphosphonate concomitant with secondary sinusitis represent a unique treatment challenge for the oral and maxillofacial surgeon. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate a simple but effective technique to treat oral–antral communications caused by MRONJ. Study Design With the review and approval of the University of Miami Internal Review Board, we identified 23 patients who had undergone this surgical procedure. Results We report a 100% resolution of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) and sinusitis with repneumatization. Conclusions The buccal fat pad and radical sinustomy can be used as an effective and predictable technique for the resolution of oral–antral fistulas caused by MRONJ.
Control Strategies for Distributed Real-Time Control With Time Delays and Packets Losses

Investigation on using network for distributed systems is an important topic in the motion control industry. This paper presents solutions to time-delay and packet-loss problems encountered in distributed real-time operation of an open-loop unstable magnetic levitation (maglev) test bed via an Ethernet. A novel model predictive control strategy with optimal controller design is developed to overcome the adverse influences of time delays and packet losses. By using the prediction of system states and the event-driven and time-driven smart actuator simultaneously, the plant receives the current control signal in every sampling interval even at the presence of time delays and packet losses. Thus we can compensate the time-delay and packet-loss in a uniform way. The simulation and experimental results demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of this control algorithm for NCSs with long stochastic time delays and successive packet losses.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
The GRAMSTAINER®: A Two-Year Evaluation

An automated, commercial Gram stainer, which operates by sequentially dipping a basket of 1 to 25 slides into static reagent vats, has been in continuous operation for 28 months in the authors' clinical microbiology laboratory. Advantages resulting from daily use have included a 50% reduction in expenditures for Gram stain reagents, elimination of person-toperson variations, and an improvement in the quality of unsupervised, “offhours” Gram stains. No contamination or carryover problems have been encountered, but heavy smears tend to be underdecolorized in thick areas. Intangible benefits have included a boost in morale through the elimination of a tedious and messy manual task. Laboratory and medical personnel both have been uniformly enthusiastic in their acceptance of the instrument.
Time Course of Changes in Plasma Concentrations of the Growth Related Hormones during Protein Restriction in the Domestic Fowl (Gallus domesticus)

Experiments were conducted to evaluate the possible role of circulating growth hormones triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and insulin-like growth factor I (somatomedin-C; IGF-I) in the elevation of plasma growth hormone (GH) which occurs in protein-restricted chickens. Plasma hormone changes were determined over a 2-week period of protein depletion by feeding a 5% protein diet as well as a similar period of protein repletion with a 20% protein diet. The rise in plasma GH was observed in two separate studies. Plasma concentrations of T4, T3, and IGF-I were all depressed in protein-restricted chicks prior to or concurrent with the GH elevation. In the protein repletion time course study, T4 and T3 concentrations were normalized prior to or concurrent with plasma GH normalization. However, IGF-I concentrations in repleted chicks did not return to control levels until after normal levels of GH were observed. These data suggest that thyroid hormones may play a greater role in the regulation of GH secretion during periods of malnourishment than IGF-I; the latter being currently thought to be a peripherally circulating inhibitor of GH release in animals.
Good Behavior: The Abuse and Demise of a Preventative Justice Tool

The bond for good behavior underwent a tumultuous history in New York, moving from a hybrid preventative/punishment tool to a largely punitive measure free of preventative uses over the course of the nineteenth century. In this paper, I document and attempt to explain the bond’s history from 1800-1910. I end by exploring the bond’s current, largely vestigial existence. This history aims to identify and explain these chapters in the bond’s history: the decline in its more traditional use in assault cases, and its rise and fall as a measure to detain defendants in cases of “disorder” en masse summarily.By 1880, police courts issued ten percent of arrestees a bond for good behavior. Of these, ninety-three percent went to jail in default of the bond, without a trial for the offense committed. By the nineteen-teens, the bond was essentially defunct. My principal findings were as follows:1. From the colonial era through the time of the Civil War, New York judges and magistrates regularly issued bonds for good behavior, often after conviction for assault at the request of the victim.2. New York City court records show a steep drop in the use of the behavior bond in the beginning of the nineteenth century as part of sentencing for assault.3. By mid-century, judges issued the bond to thousands of defendants charged with crimes of disorder, largely victimless offenses, sending them behind bars without a trial for default of that bond.4. The bond then fell into disuse, and by the first decade of the twentieth century, it had become an object of curiosity or scorn.
Differential release of tumor necrosis factor and IL-6 from adrenal zona glomerulosa cells in vitro

In previous studies, rat adrenal zona glomerulosa (ZG) cells were demonstrated to release interleukin-6 (IL-6). In the current study, cultures of ZG cells and bioassays for tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and IL-6 were used to determine if ZG cells release TNF and to define more fully the factors that regulate ZG IL-6 release. ZG cells released IL-6 and TNF, and this release was stimulated by lipopolysaccharide, interleukin-1 alpha, interleukin-1 beta, a protein kinase C activator, and a calcium ionophore without affecting intracellular adenosine 3', 5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) content. In contrast, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) increased the intracellular cAMP content, increased basal and secretagogue-stimulated IL-6 release but decreased basal and secretagogue-stimulated TNF release. The effects of ACTH on IL-6 and TNF release may be mediated by increases in intracellular cAMP because ACTH and dibutyryl cAMP modified IL-6 and TNF release in an identical manner. Therefore, IL-6 and TNF release from ZG cells can be differentially regulated. Because IL-6 and TNF modify adrenal steroid release, the adrenal production of these cytokines may have a role in the stress response.
PET tumor volume assessment with different CT patient positions in lung cancer

1751 Objectives: The purpose of this study is to accurately estimate PET metabolic tumor volumes (MTV) using a deformable image registration, by investigating the effects of different patient positions on PET and CT image registration in lung cancer. FDG-PET imaging has been used to delineate target volume including functional information in CT–based radiation treatment planning for lung cancer. For that purpose using hybrid PET/CT system is desirable. However, when PET and CT images are obtained from stand alone modalities, the patient arm positions and phases of respiration are usually different. For diagnostic chest CT, the patient takes a deep inspiration breath-hold (DIBH), enlarging the thorax and lungs and lowering the diaphragm, whereas for CT simulation in radiation therapy either a DIBH or a free breathing (FB) method can be used. In PET imaging the patient breathes normally, so the thorax and lungs are smaller and the diaphragm is usually higher up compared to the DIBH method. Methods: PET and CT images were acquired for a total of 17 patients with a mean age of 73, including 13 lung cancer patients. Both arms were placed at sides for PET imaging, but arms were up for CT imaging. The images were registered using an iterative non-rigid algorithm (REVEAL-MVS) based on voxel intensities. The displacements after the deformable image registration were measured for four to six points in the lung boundaries of the central axial, coronal and sagittal planes. The MTV and its mean standard uptake value (SUV) in the PET images were measured before and after the image registration for lung cancer cases. Results: The mean displacements in the lung boundaries and diaphragm ranged from 1.42 to 2.57 cm for coronal, 1.57 to 1.83 cm for axial and 1.81 to 2.40 cm for sagittal images. In 7 out of 14 cases the PET MTV became greater and the mean SUV became smaller after the deformable image registration. The PET MTVs after the deformable image registration resulted in volume differences of -5.1 to +29.3 cm3 whereas the original MTVs ranged from 0.6 to 120.2 cm3. Conclusions: Different PET tumor volumes, extent and locations were produced by different patient positions (arms-down for PET with normal breath; arms-up for CT with deep breath) using stand alone PET and CT imaging modalities. The non-rigid image registration should be used to obtain more accurately coregistered PET MTV with CT-adapted location and extent. Thus, the adapted PET MTV obtained using this method may be utilized for PET diagnosis with corrected location and extent, and for CT-based radiation treatment planning in lung cancer.
Degassing History of Earth

Mantle degassing is a critical differentiation process of Earth and played a major role in determining Earth's surface environment. This chapter reviews both the physical processes that lead to mantle degassing and the geochemical constraints on how different mantle reservoirs are degassed and the contribution of degassing to surface volatiles. The physical processes include volatile partitioning into the melt during mantle partial melting and gas oversaturation in the ascending magma leading to solubility-controlled degassing. The geochemical constraints include volatile elemental budget and isotopic ratios in mantle reservoirs and in surface reservoirs. The chapter reveals some previously unrecognized inconsistencies in mantle degassing and atmospheric evolution, which are referred to as paradoxes. It seems that Earth's surface volatiles are not exclusively due to mantle degassing but due to direct addition to the surface by asteroids and comets. It is time to develop new quantitative mantle degassing models using updated geochemical data.
Designing hydrogels as vitreous substitutes in ophthalmic surgery

In this chapter, the optimization of the design of vitreous substitutes will be discussed. First, a review will explain the structure and function of the vitreous humor and the need for a better vitreous substitute. The approach taken in this work will be to develop a biomimetic vitreous substitute. As a result, the next section will discuss the biomechanics of the natural vitreous humor and the development of an animal model for the ideal vitreous substitute. Mixture design is used to screen candidates rapidly for use as in situ-forming polymeric hydrogel vitreous substitutes. Statistical experimental design is used to determine the effects of the crosslinker content, hydrophobic substitution, and polymer concentration in the hydrogel on the optomechanical properties. In addition, the equilibrium swelling properties are characterized and the osmotic pressure exerted by the hydrogel is calculated to determine whether or not these hydrogels could tamponade the retina via exertion of a slight osmotic pressure as vitreous substitutes.
Fouling in direct contact membrane distillation of produced water from unconventional gas extraction

Abstract Hydraulic fracturing used for natural gas extraction from unconventional onshore resources generates large quantities of produced water that needs to be managed efficiently and economically to ensure sustainable development of this industry. Membrane distillation can serve as a cost effective method to treat produced water due to its low energy requirements, especially if waste heat is utilized for its operation. This study evaluated the performance of commercially available hydrophobic microfiltration membranes in a direct contact membrane distillation system for treating very high salinity (i.e., up to 300,000 mg/L total dissolved solids) produced water. Polypropylene and polytetrafluoroethylene membranes yielded the highest permeate flux with membrane distillation coefficient of 5.6 l/m2/hr/kPa (LMH/kPa). All membranes showed excellent rejection of dissolved ions, including naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM), which is a significant environmental concern with this high salinity wastewater. Analysis of membranes after extended testing with actual produced waters revealed unevenly distributed inorganic deposits with significant iron content. A key finding of this study is that the iron oxide fouling layer had negligible effect on membrane performance over extended period of time despite its thickness of up to 12 µm. The results of this study highlight the potential for employing membrane distillation to treat high salinity wastewaters from unconventional gas extraction.
Hospital Variation in Functional Recovery After Stroke

Background—Functional status is a key patient-centric outcome, but there are little data on whether functional recovery post-stroke varies among hospitals. This study examined the distribution of f...
Partnering to Improve Infant Immunizations:: The Arizona Partnership for Infant Immunization (TAPII)

Abstract The Arizona Partnership for Infant Immunization (TAPII) is a public-private partnership intended to achieve the year 2000 goal of 90% infant immunizations. Created in 1992 as a means to develop a statewide approach to improving infant immunization rates, TAPII is a broad-based partnership that includes public health departments, managed care plans, professional organizations, medical organizations, pharmaceutical companies, businesses, the faith community, the media, and many others. TAPII’s organizational structure includes a steering committee and five subcommittees: advocacy and policy, community awareness, provider awareness, survey and assessment, and strategic planning. A key accomplishment of TAPII has been the development of a statewide infant immunization registry known as the Arizona Statewide Immunization Information System (ASIIS). This registry will facilitate up-to-date immunizations of children and improve statewide immunization assessment capability. Since the advent of TAPII, infant immunization rates within private managed care plans have increased. However, significant improvement in statewide rates will require long-term strategic efforts in provider and community awareness and a fully operational statewide registry, ASIIS, which is set to begin in January 1998. TAPII has been a successful partnership for a number of reasons: private sector participation, a single and measurable goal, vision and leadership, a strong emphasis on assessment, a broad-based membership, community ownership, Governor’s Office participation, health plan involvement, and full-time project staffing. As resources to improve the health of communities diminish, public-private partnerships such as TAPII can effectively consolidate resources and expertise to improve the health of populations.
Study on underwater wireless power transfer via electric coupling with a submerged electrode

Wireless power transfer (WPT) is studied for battery charging in the IoT world. WPT via electric coupling is studied for apparatuses in water using the effect of large dielectric constant of water. One electrode is isolated from water and another electrode is exposed in water for underwater WPT. The power transfer efficiency is over 75%.
Insect Control on Nursery and Landscape Plants with Entomopathogens

Over 2,500 species of insects and mites are destructive to nursery crops in the United States (Johnson and Lyon, 1991). Likewise, there is a large and diverse number of species of nursery plants used in different landscape settings and geographic regions. Nursery and landscape plants represent a complex challenge for insect control products because of the large number of plant species, insect pests, growing conditions, potting media, and production techniques (Martin, 1997). In addition, feeding injury on many ornamental plants directly affects plant marketability or aesthetic value, and the threshold for damage is relatively low. The use of entomopathogens on nursery plants is an effective alternative to chemical control because of the problems associated with the use of pesticides, such as homeowner concerns, worker safety, toxicity, and potential for resistance.
Managerial Commitment and the Relationship between Controversy and Environmental Practice Adoption

The adoption of environmental management practices (EMP) intended to reduce a firm’s environmental footprint has increased steadily over the years. Given that EMP adoption is positively associated ...
Landscape-scale distribution of tree roosts of the northern long-eared bat in Mammoth Cave National Park, USA

The roosting habits of many temperate zone bats are well documented at microhabitat scales, but fewer studies have included multi-scale assessments of landscape patterns in bat roost site selection. To identify and assess at the landscape-scale the location of spring and early season maternity roosts of female northern long-eared bats (Myotis septentrionalis) from 2015 to 2016 at Mammoth Cave National Park (MACA), Kentucky, USA. We used mist-nets and radiotelemetry to catch and track bats to roost trees across the landscape of MACA. Data on roosting sites were evaluated using spatial point pattern analysis to examine distributional trends of roosts. A variety of spatial covariates were used to model the effect of landscape pattern, including: forest type, elevation, and proximity to hibernacula, water, and road corridors. Data indicate that roost locations of female northern long-eared bats in MACA were typically situated within 2000 m of known winter hibernacula, occurring more often at higher elevations in mesic upland deciduous forests, and in close proximity to water sources and roads. We present hypotheses to account for the patterns observed in relation to landscape features and habitat resources in the Park. Our data indicate that a more comprehensive understanding of habitat requirements which includes empirically-based, landscape-scale patterns, and not solely considerations at stand or local levels, could lead to better informed management policies targeting conservation of maternity habitat of forest-dwelling bats, including the northern long-eared bat, a species in decline throughout much of its distribution in North America.
NONLINEAR OPTIMIZATION AND EQUILIBRIA IN POLICY FORMATION GAMES WITH RANDOM VOTING

Publisher Summary This chapter describes nonlinear optimization and equilibria in policy formation games with random voting. Random voting has been analyzed in spatial models of electoral competition. The existence of a pure condidate equilibrium has been shown when strong assumptions of concavity and convexity are made on individual probability functions. The general conclusion, however, is that the introduction of indeterminancy in voter behavior has rendered the median voter results of deterministic models to the status of artifacts. When individual probability functions satisfy a weak symmetry condition, there exists a median voter result under the same conditions that yielded this result in the earlier models. The chapter presents an extension of the Davis–Hinich models to include probabilistic voting. The structure for voting behavior follows the assumptions explored in Hinich (1977). The results are derived for elections with abstentions because of pure indifference and, hence, include the full participation model of Hinich as a special case.
Eating Disorders: The Feminist Challenge to the Concept of Pathology

In the clinical literature on eating disorders, the description, classification, and elaboration of “pathology” has been the motor of virtually all research. In the leading journals, attempts to link eating disorders to one or another specific pathogenic situation (biological, psychological, familial) proliferate, along with studies purporting to demonstrate that eating disorders are members of some already established category of disorder (depressive, affective, perceptual, hypothalamic, etc.). Anorexia and bulimia increasingly are appearing in diverse populations of women, making the possibility of describing a distinctive profile for each less and less likely [11, 21, 30, 39, 66]. Yet the search for common “underlying” pathologies still fuels much research [24, 49]. As each proposed model is de-stabilized by the actual diversity of the phenomena, more and more effort is put into precise classification of distinctive “subtypes”, and new “multidimensional” categories emerge (e.g., bulimia as “biopsychosocial” illness [36]), which satisfy fantasies of precision and unification of phenomena that have become less and less amenable to scientific clarity and distinctness.
Pathogenesis of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Derived from Inflammatory, Autoimmune or Immunologic Disorders

The risk of lymphoproliferative disorders has been reported to be increased in autoimmune rheumatic disease and chronic inflammatory diseases. The autoimmune rheumatic diseases, also called autoimmune disorders, that frequently are associated with lymphomas are namely rheumatoid arthritis, Sjorgen syndrome, systemic lupus erythematous, celiac disease, Crohn disease, and Hashimoto thyroiditis (Dias and Isenberg 2011; Tvarůzkova et al. 2011; Maverakis et al. 2011; Mellemkjaer et al. 2008).
3.4 Intermediates in Protein Folding

This chapter discusses various types of intermediates observed in equilibrium and kinetic protein folding studies. The equilibrium intermediates include examples of residual structure in a largely unfolded protein, molten globules and other collapsed states, as well as the folding of subdomains. Examples of kinetic intermediates span those that form on the sub-millisecond timescale such as the denatured state under physiological conditions and molten globule species to more slowly formed intermediates that reflect the folding and assembly of subdomain structures. For both equilibrium and kinetic intermediates, the additional complexities of forming quaternary structure are also considered.
Oil Extraction and Analysis: Critical Issues and Competitive Studies

This book contains papers from the symposium "Critical Issues, Current and Emerging Technologies for Determination of Crude Fat Content in Food, Feed and Seeds," held in 2003 at the AOCS Annual Meeting in Kansas City, Missouri. The topics covered give a broad perspective of the challenges and issues of the value-added enhanced products. This book will be of interest to biotechnology professionals, processors, scientists, nutritionists, economists, new product development and business professionals, official agencies, and others actively engaged in the development and marketing of value-added products.
Spatial Structuring of Cellulase Gene Abundance and Activity in Soil

Microbial mechanisms controlling cellulose degradation in soil habitats remains a critical knowledge gap in understanding and modeling terrestrial carbon-cycling. We investigated land management and soil micro-habitat influences on soil bacterial communities and distribution of cellulose-degrading enzyme genes in three bioenergy cropping systems (corn, prairie, and fertilized prairie). Within the soil, aggregates have been examined as potential micro- habitats with specific characteristics influencing resource partitioning and regulation and consequently studied soil aggregate fractions from the fertilized prairie system. Soil bacterial communities and carbon-cycling gene presence varied across land management and soil microhabitats. Examination of genes specifically involved in cellulose-degradation pathways showed high levels of redundancy across the bioenergy cropping systems, but medium macroaggregates (1000-2000 um) supported greater cellulose-degrading enzyme gene abundance than other aggregate fractions and whole soil. Despite similar bacterial diversity among fertilized prairie aggregates, functional potential within the medium aggregates were predominantly associated with Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria. These findings represent gentic potential only, and our previous work on the same samples found elevated cellulase exo-enzyme activity in microaggregates. These contrasting results emphasize the importance of measuring community, functional genes, and metabolic potentials in a coordinated manner. Together, these data indicate that location within the soil matrix matters. Overall, our results indicate that soil aggregate environments are hot-spots that select for organisms with functional attributes like cellulose degradation, and future work should further explore micro-environmental factors that affect realized C-cycling processes.
Monte Carlo investigation of the effect of skin tissue optical properties on detected Cherenkov emission

In this study, we use Monte Carlo modelling to investigate the effect of tissue optical properties on Cherenkov emission detected from tissue surface. MC simulations are performed for wavelength between 400-1000nm and the values of absorption coefficient at each wavelength are determined based on the molar extinction coefficients of oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin, with varying total haemoglobin concentration and tissue oxygen saturation of 70%. Tissue reduced scattering coefficient is approximated using μs (λ) = Aλ-0.838. A range of clinically relevant tissue optical properties was investigated, with absorption coefficient between 0.1 and 1 cm-1 and reduced scattering coefficient between 5 and 40 cm-1 at 665nm. The angular distribution, depth of origins and the effect of tissue optical properties on Cherenkov emission on tissue surface are evaluated.
Initial Coin Offering to Finance Venture Capital: A Behavioral Perspective

An initial coin offering (ICO) is the procedure whereby ventures raise capital by selling tokens to investors. Compared with traditional financing methods, ICOs are new and less understood by both the industry and academia. For example, the literature is not clear about which factors determine the success rate or the amount raised in an ICO. Existing literature (Fisch 2019) shows that the signals of the private information of an ICO’s high quality determine the amount of funding in the ICO. This article is the first in the literature that provides evidence that investor sentiment and investor awareness are determinants of the amounts raised in an ICO. Moreover, it provides evidence confirming the signaling hypothesis. Specifically, ICOs with a pre-ICO and with a higher rating are more likely to raise more funds. This article is the only one in the literature that uses the entire market of 4,367 ICOs to confirm its findings. The results extend the understanding of the dynamics of an ICO to the behavioral field and enable investors and practitioners to understand the crucial determinants of both ICO success rates and the amounts raised. TOPICS:Private equity, currency, in markets, statistical methods