cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Marine 87Sr/86Sr and δ18O Records, Himalayan Alkalinity Fluxes, and Cenozoic Climate Models

Oxygen isotope records of deep-sea paleotemperature indicate that the Cenozoic is a period of dramatic climatic change. Deep-ocean temperatures were highest 55 million years ago, and have declined by 12 to 15°C to the present.1–2 The Earth’s climate appears to have changed as dramatically during the past 55 million years as it has over any similar period in the last 500 million years.
The Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study: study design, methods, and baseline characteristics of enrolled patients.

Abstract Objective The Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS) is a randomized, controlled clinical trial designed to determine whether patients with newly diagnosed open-angle glaucoma (primary, pigmentary, or pseudoexfoliative) are better treated by initial treatment with medications or by immediate filtration surgery. Design Randomized, controlled clinical trial. Participants A total of 607 patients with open-angle glaucoma were enrolled. Intervention Patients randomized to initial medications (n=307) received a stepped regimen of medications to lower intraocular pressure. Those randomized to initial surgery (n=300) underwent trabeculectomy to lower intraocular pressure. Main outcome measures Progression in visual field loss constitutes the study's primary outcome variable. Secondary outcomes include health-related quality of life, visual acuity, and intraocular pressure. Results Randomized assignment resulted in a balanced distribution between treatment groups for most demographic and clinical measures assessed at enrollment. More males than females were enrolled (55% were males), and a substantial percentage (38.1%) of enrollees were blacks. Most enrollees (90.6%) were diagnosed with primary open-angle glaucoma; the remainder had either pseudoexfoliative (4.8%) or pigmentary (4.6%) forms of open-angle glaucoma. Conclusions Follow-up of this well-characterized group of patients should provide well-rounded guidance, based on both traditional ophthalmic measures and patients' perspectives on their health-related quality of life, on how best to initially treat open-angle glaucoma.
Logistical Concerns for Prehospital Blood Product Use by Air Medical Services

Over the past few decades, reports have described favorable results from transfusion of blood products in helicopter EMS (HEMS). Nevertheless, the initiation of a HEMS transfusion program requires consideration of many factors, some unique to each clinical site. This paper describes our experience developing a HEMS transfusion program in an urban non-hospital based HEMS program with a history of long transport times. When considering blood use away from the hospital, major consideration must be given to safe storage and monitoring of blood products both on the ground and while in flight. PRBCs have been shown to generally be resilient to helicopter transit and have a prolonged storage duration. Transfusion of other blood products, such as plasma, involves additional challenges but has been achieved by some HEMS sites. Flight protocols should be developed addressing when and how many blood products should be transported, potentially considering patient factors, scene factors, and the regional availability of blood products during interfacility transport. Quality assurance and documentation protocols must also be developed for blood product use in flight. In our center's experience, we have so far transfused a limited number of patients with generally good results. Patient outcomes are described as below.
EEG-Based Brain-Computer Interfaces.

Abstract Brain–Computer Interfaces (BCIs) are real-time computer-based systems that translate brain signals into useful commands. To date most applications have been demonstrations of proof-of-principle; widespread use by people who could benefit from this technology requires further development. Improvements in current EEG recording technology are needed. Better sensors would be easier to apply, more confortable for the user, and produce higher quality and more stable signals. Although considerable effort has been devoted to evaluating classifiers using public datasets, more attention to real-time signal processing issues and to optimizing the mutually adaptive interaction between the brain and the BCI are essential for improving BCI performance. Further development of applications is also needed, particularly applications of BCI technology to rehabilitation. The design of rehabilitation applications hinges on the nature of BCI control and how it might be used to induce and guide beneficial plasticity in the brain.
Media Coverage of Mass Killers: Content, Consequences, and Solutions:

In recent years, major media organizations have wondered if their coverage of mass shooters actually increases the risk of future attacks, and have asked how their reporting could be improved. In r...
Theoretical and Practical Reasoning in Chemistry

Traditional philosophy of science regards theoretical reasoning, based on the example of Euclidian geometry, as the hallmark of a mature science. There is, however, a parallel tradition of practical reasoning based on specific cases that goes back to Aristotle. In this paper I argue that practical reasoning is an essential part of the practice of chemistry and should be understood and appreciated on its own merits rather than regarded as a symbol of the immaturity and inferiority of chemistry as a science.
The Use and Effectiveness of Systematic Desensitization and Study Skills Methods in a Test Anxiety Reduction Program.

(1977). The Use and Effectiveness of Systematic Desensitization and Study Skills Methods in a Test Anxiety Reduction Program. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Western College Reading Association: Vol. 10, Proceedings of the Tenth Annual Conference of the WCRA. Personalizing Learning Systems: Ecologies and Strategies, pp. 11-18.
Capturing the VirA/VirG TCS of Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Two-component systems (TCS) regulate pathogenic commitment in many interactions and provide an opportunity for unique therapeutic intervention. The VirA/VirG TCS of Agrobacterium tummefaciens mediates inter-kingdom gene transfer in the development of host tumors and sets in motion the events that underlie the great success of this multi-host plant pathogen. Significant proof for the feasibility of interventions has now emerged with the discovery of a natural product that effectively “blinds” the pathogen to the host via inhibition of VirA/VirG signal transduction. Moreover, the emerging studies on the mechanism of signal perception have revealed general sites suitable for intervention of TCS signaling. Given the extensive functional homology, it should now be possible to transfer the models discovered for VirA/VirG broadly to other pathogenic interactions.
Probabilistic Evaluation of Hardware Security Vulnerabilities

Various design techniques can be applied to implement the finite state machine (FSM) functions in order to optimize timing, performance, power, and to reduce overhead. Recently, malicious attacks to hardware systems have emerged as a critical problem. Fault injection attacks, in particular, alter the function or reveal the critical information of a hardware system through precisely controlled fault injection processes. Attackers can utilize the loopholes and vulnerabilities of FSM functions to access the states that are under protection. A probabilistic model is developed in this article to evaluate the potential vulnerabilities of FSM circuits at the design stage. Analysis based on the statistical behaviors of FSM also shows that the induced circuit errors can be exploited to access the protected states. An effective solution based on state re-encoding is proposed to minimize the risk of unauthorized transitions. Simulation results demonstrate that vulnerable transition paths can be protected with small hardware overheads.
Intensive Campaigns Supported by Air Quality Forecasting Capability to Identify Chemical and Atmospheric Regimes Susceptible to Standard Violations

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has started a series of regional scale multiple platform field measurement intensives between 2011 and 2014. These measurement campaigns are collectively called the Deriving Information on Surface Conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality (DISCOVER-AQ) project. The emphasis of spatial collocation of multiple space-, air- and ground-based measurements facilitate the characterization of the vertical distribution of various air pollutants. During the January 16 to February 8, 2013 DISCOVER-AQ campaign over the San Joaquin Valley (SJV), California, one of the frontier science questions addressed concerned the frequent wintertime Particulate Matter (PM) standard violation over SJV and its vicinities. This study represents our contribution of real-time air quality forecasting to support flight-planning during the campaign as well as post analysis and model evaluation for some of the air pollutants. Two sets of real-time forecasts based on a coupled National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) North American Model (NAM) and the U.S. EPA Community Multi-scale Air Quality Model (CMAQ) are included in the study: (1) a 12 km horizontal resolution domain over the Conterminous U.S., and (2) a 4 km resolutiondomain over the SJV and its adjacent areas nested-in from (1) as its parent. During the campaign there were several episodes of high surface PM concentration in the lowest hundreds of meters over SJV. We performed post-analyses of meteorological parameters such as the planetary boundary height and of chemical characteristics such as verification of modeled concentration of PM components at surface levels. Comparisons of the performance of the two forecasts will shed insight on horizontal resolution requirement to capture the meteorology and chemistry characteristics in SJV air quality modeling. These analyses will aid policy and regulatory relevant decisions as well as assist in improving the model for future applications.
Estimating County-Level Mortality Rates Using Highly Censored Data From CDC WONDER

Introduction CDC WONDER is a system developed to promote information-driven decision making and provide access to detailed public health information to the general public. Although CDC WONDER contains a wealth of data, any counts fewer than 10 are suppressed for confidentiality reasons, resulting in left-censored data. The objective of this analysis was to describe methods for the analysis of highly censored data. Methods A substitution approach was compared with 1) a simple, nonspatial Bayesian model that smooths rates toward their statewide averages and 2) a more complex Bayesian model that accounts for spatial and between-age sources of dependence. Age group-specific county-level data on heart disease mortality were used for the comparisons. Results Although the substitution and nonspatial approach provided age-standardized rate estimates that were more highly correlated with the true rate estimates, the estimates from the spatial Bayesian model provided a superior compromise between goodness-of-fit and model complexity, as measured by the deviance information criterion. In addition, the spatial Bayesian model provided rate estimates with greater precision than the nonspatial approach; in contrast, the substitution approach did not provide estimates of uncertainty. Conclusion Because of the ability to account for multiple sources of dependence and the flexibility to include covariate information, the use of spatial Bayesian models should be considered when analyzing highly censored data from CDC WONDER.
Nonaccidental trauma: guidance for nurses in the pediatric intensive care unit

Each year thousands of children are hospitalized for traumatic injuries associated with physical abuse. Nurses in the pediatric intensive care unit must be knowledgeable and skilled in caring for the physical, psychological, emotional, social, and developmental needs of such children and their families. This article provides direction for pediatric nurses working in the critical care setting. Specifically, it describes the nursing care of children in a pediatric intensive care unit where the mechanism of nonaccidental injury is blunt force to the head, abdomen, or musculoskeletal system, based on standards put forth by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.
Association of bone mineral density with incidental renal stone in long-term survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

9527 Background: With 5-year survival of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) now exceeding 90%, long term morbidities are of growing concern. Both low bone mineral density (BMD) and renal ...
Neuroinflammatory Gene Expression Alterations in Anterior Cingulate Cortical White and Gray Matter of Males With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Evidence for putative pathophysiological mechanisms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including peripheral inflammation, blood-brain barrier disruption, white matter alterations, and abnormal synaptic overgrowth, indicate a possible involvement of neuroinflammation in the disorder. Neuroinflammation plays a role in the development and maintenance of the dendritic spines involved in glutamatergic and GABAergic neurotransmission, and also influences blood-brain permeability. Cytokines released from microglia can impact the length, location or organization of dendritic spines on excitatory and inhibitory cells as well as recruit and impact glial cell function around the neurons. In this study, gene expression levels of anti- and pro-inflammatory signaling molecules, as well as oligodendrocyte and astrocyte marker proteins, were measured in both gray and white matter tissue in the anterior cingulate cortex from ASD and age-matched typically developing (TD) control brain donors, ranging from ages 4 to 37 years. Expression levels of the pro-inflammatory gene, HLA-DR, were significantly reduced in gray matter and expression levels of the anti-inflammatory gene MRC1 were significantly elevated in white matter from ASD donors as compared to TD donors, but neither retained statistical significance after correction for multiple comparisons. Modest trends toward differences in expression levels were also observed for the pro-inflammatory (CD68, IL1β) and anti-inflammatory genes (IGF1, IGF1R) comparing ASD donors to TD donors. The direction of gene expression changes comparing ASD to TD donors did not reveal consistent findings implicating an elevated pro- or anti-inflammatory state in ASD. However, altered expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory gene expression indicates some involvement of neuroinflammation in ASD. Autism Res 2020, 13: 870-884. © 2020 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: The anterior cingulate cortex is an integral brain region in modulating social behaviors including nonverbal communication. The study found that inflammatory gene expression levels were altered in this brain region. We hypothesize that the inflammatory changes in this area could impact neuronal function. The finding has future implications in using these molecular markers to identify potential environmental exposures and distinct cell differences in autism.
Embryonic atrazine exposure and later in life behavioral and brain transcriptomic, epigenetic, and pathological alterations in adult male zebrafish.

Atrazine (ATZ), a commonly used pesticide linked to endocrine disruption, cancer, and altered neurochemistry, frequently contaminates water sources at levels above the US Environmental Protection Agency’s 3 parts per billion (ppb; μg/L) maximum contaminant level. Adult male zebrafish behavior, brain transcriptome, brain methylation status, and neuropathology were examined to test the hypothesis that embryonic ATZ exposure causes delayed neurotoxicity, according to the developmental origins of health and disease paradigm. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos were exposed to 0 ppb, 0.3 ppb, 3 ppb, or 30 ppb ATZ during embryogenesis (1–72 h post fertilization (hpf)), then rinsed and raised to maturity. At 9 months post fertilization (mpf), males had decreased locomotor parameters during a battery of behavioral tests. Transcriptomic analysis identified altered gene expression in organismal development, cancer, and nervous and reproductive system development and function pathways and networks. The brain was evaluated histopathologically for morphometric differences, and decreased numbers of cells were identified in raphe populations. Global methylation levels were evaluated at 12 mpf, and the body length, body weight, and brain weight were measured at 14 mpf to evaluate effects of ATZ on mature brain size. No significant difference in genome methylation or brain size was observed. The results demonstrate that developmental exposure to ATZ does affect neurodevelopment and neural function in adult male zebrafish and raises concern for possible health effects in humans due to ATZ’s environmental presence and persistence.
Early and reliable estimation of shale deliverability and spatial drainage parameters from stimulated exploration vertical wells: Case study on Eagle Ford

Abstract Industry needs techniques for expediting understanding on shale reservoir deliverability and spatial drainage. Horizontal wells are currently the option of choice for these investigations but their early adoption is costly and time consuming. Stimulated and flow-tested vertical exploration wells could address this challenge. Multi-domain data from one of the initial Eagle Ford shale stimulated vertical wells in DeWitt County, Texas was used to illustrate the viability of this approach. Completion and short-duration flow data were used for interpreting reservoir flow regimes, predicting hydraulic fracture geometry and incorporating natural fractures. Solving analytical relations for the former provided an estimate of system and matrix permeabilities of which the latter was in picodarcy (pD) range after inclusion of natural fractures and other pre-existing discontinuities through a discrete fracture network (DFN). All aforementioned results were used to build reservoir deliverability and drainage models whose subsequent scaling matched the performance and inferred spatial drainage of offset horizontal wells. For verification, the systematic scaling of forecasted flow from an early vertical well matched the long-term performance of offset multi-stage fractured horizontal wells. A modified scaled-profile for a single horizontal well also matched the total production from DeWitt County which had almost two thousand wells at the time of this study. The modification accounted for cross-well interference-driven productivity loss as a result of suboptimal well spacing. The derived picodarcy matrix permeability, estimated from data for both vertical and horizontal wells, was validated through geological timescale overpressure preservation and correcting core plug experimental permeability for in situ stress estimated after using a representative Biot coefficient. For optimal recovery, a set of theoretical optimal stimulations (TOSs) with their associated recoveries and spatial drainages were derived for field trials in the Eagle Ford and its analogues. Contrary to the current philosophy, exploration phase data including stimulation and flow metrics of a vertical well provided reliable predictions of parameters critical for field development. It was posited that costly, time-consuming, and trial and error shale derisking approaches can be optimized.
Impact of polymer structure and confinement on the kinetics of Zdol 4000 bonding to amorphous‐hydrogenated carbon

The bonding of molecularly‐thin (10 A) Zdol 4000 films to amorphous, hydrogenated carbon (CHx) was investigated as a function of the Zdol structure, i.e., the ratio of the perfluoromethylene oxide (C1) to perfluoroethylene oxide (C2) monomer units in the backbone. The influence of the C1/C2 ratio on the intrinsic mobility of the Zdol polymer was also investigated by computing the energetic barriers to internal rotation about the C–O and C–C bonds in model compounds by both ab initio and molecular mechanics methods. The calculations indicate that increasing the C1/C2 ratio increases the relative flexibility of the Zdol polymer. The kinetic results demonstrate that the rate at which submonolayer Zdol films bond to CHx is non‐classical (time‐dependent) regardless of the Zdol chain stiffness. The Zdol bonding rate can best be described by a kinetic equation of the form, dB/dt=k(t)A, where the rate coefficient, k(t) can be expressed as a power function in time: k(t)= kB t -h. The values of the initial bonding rate constant, k B, and the functional form of the time dependence, t -h, are both strongly dependent on the Zdol backbone flexibility. The magnitude of the initial bonding rate constants generally increase with increasing Zdol chain mobility. A discontinuous change in both the magnitude of k B and the functional form of the time dependence is, however, observed at 64°C when the C1/C2 ratio is increased from 0.97 to 1.08. The bonding rate coefficient scales as t -0.5 for the relatively rigid Zdol backbone structures with C1/C2 < 1, while a t -1.0 time‐dependent bonding rate is observed for the more flexible Zdol backbones with C1/C2 < 1. The initial rate constant, k B, also changes abruptly near C1/C2 ≈ 1, with k B of the flexible Zdol chains (samples with C1/C2) being approximately an order of magnitude greater than the more rigid chains (C1/C2 < 1). These results indicate that the physical state of the confined Zdol film can be either liquidlike or solidlike depending upon the molecular stiffness of the backbone employed. The t -0.5 time‐dependent bonding rate is shown to be consistent with a one‐dimensional, diffusion‐limited reaction from a solidlike Zdol structure, whereas the t -1.0 bonding rate results when bonding occurs from a liquidlike Zdol film structure. The temperature dependence of the Zdol 4000 bonding rate coefficient for the Zdol backbone characterized by C1/C2 = 0.97 (solidlike at T = 64°C) was found to undergo a transition from a t -0.5 time dependence for T < 150°C, to a t -1.0 time dependence at T > 180. This transition occurs over relatively narrow temperature range (150 < T < 180°C) and is attributed to a 2D melting of the confined Zdol film.
Epidemiology of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in San Francisco children

Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) in children is increasing worldwide, yet limited prospective studies have assessed epidemiologic risk factors for CA-MRSA infection in children. Our aim is to describe the clinical and microbiological characteristics of and potential epidemiologic risk factors for pediatric CA-MRSA infection in San Francisco. S. aureus isolate information from subjects 0-18 years old were prospectively collected over 6 months. Demographics and clinical details were gathered for subjects by chart review. Patients and/or guardians were interviewed about underlying conditions and potential risk factors for CA-MRSA such as a) previous MRSA/skin or soft tissue infection (SSTI) in patient or household; b) direct or indirect exposure to healthcare setting (recent antibiotics, emergency room visits, chronic disease or healthcare worker in household); c) community exposures (daycare, team sports, history of homelessness/group home, injection drug use or incarceration). Among S. aureus isolates from 216 subjects, 180 isolates from 170 subjects had community-acquired SA, 85 (50%) of whom had CA-MRSA. 91% of CA-MRSA patients had a SSTI. CA-MRSA resistance to clindamycin and ciprofloxacin were 7.8% and 50% respectively. Compared to community-associated methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MSSA) patients, a significantly higher proportion of CA-MRSA patients were African-American, a smaller proportion were Asian/Pacific Islander, and a larger proportion were hospitalized. Among deep SSTI, 60/62 (97%) were MRSA. Over 50% of CA-MRSA patients were < 4 years old. 97% of interviewed MRSA patients had at least one potential risk factor; 85% of whom had an exposure to healthcare setting, 47% had or lived with someone who had previous MRSA or SSTI; and 60% had a potential community exposure. Fifty percent had an underlying atopic condition. This pediatric population had a high prevalence of potential epidemiologic risk factors for CA-MRSA and underlying conditions. Future studies comparing exposures of patients with CA-MRSA to those with CA-MSSA are needed to determine if these exposures are unique to subjects with CA-MRSA in this population.
Measuring Elaboration and Evaluating Its Influence on Behavioral Intentions

The focus of this study is on developing a scale that measures elaboration as originally conceptualized by Vezeau et al. (2015), and then tests whether the elaboration scale is able to predict a va...
Pathways for Improved Asthma Care in the Pediatric Inpatient Setting

Introduction: Asthma is one of the leading causes of pediatric hospitalization and affects nearly 10% of American children. Significant efforts have gone into improving asthma care by enhancing the use of evidence-based guidelines. Despite these guidelines, significant practice variation and overuse of resources still exist. As part of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) Value in Inpatient Pediatrics (VIP) Network Pathway for Improving Pediatric Asthma Care (PIPA), a multidisciplinary team developed interventions to decrease inpatient variations in asthma care. Specific project goals included timely metered-dose inhaler (MDI) transition (goal = …
NDC1 is necessary for the stable assembly of the nuclear pore scaffold to establish nuclear transport in early C. elegans embryos

Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are large protein assemblies that facilitate transport of macromolecules across the nuclear envelope (NE) [1, 2]. How thousands of NPCs rapidly assemble after open mitosis to form a functional NE is not known. Recruitment of the Nup107-160 outer ring scaffold to chromatin initiates NPC assembly. The Nup53/93 complex bridges the outer ring to the central channel to form a functional pore [3-6]. Nup53 interacts with the conserved transmembrane nucleoporin Ndc1; however, how Ndc1 contributes to post-mitotic NPC assembly is unclear [7-9]. Here, we use C. elegans embryos to show that the timely formation of a functional NE after mitosis depends on Ndc1. Endogenously tagged Ndc1 is recruited early to the reforming NE and is highly mobile in the nuclear rim. 3D analysis of post-mitotic NE formation revealed a decreased NPC density in NEs of ndc1 deleted embryos - continuous nuclear membranes contained few holes where assembling NPCs are normally located. Nup160 is highly mobile in NEs depleted of Ndc1 and outer ring scaffold components are less enriched at the rim. When both ndc1 and nup53 are absent, nuclear assembly fails. Together, these data show that Ndc1 dynamically associates with the NE and promotes stable association of the outer ring scaffold in the NE to facilitate NPC assembly after open mitosis. Furthermore, Ndc1 and Nup53 function in parallel to drive nuclear assembly. We propose that Ndc1 is a dynamic membrane adaptor that helps recruit and promote the self-assembly of the nuclear pore scaffold to drive post-mitotic NPC assembly.
Minimalism, voluntary simplicity, and well-being: A systematic review of the empirical literature

Research has accumulated over the years to support the adage that ‘money can’t buy happiness.’ As an alternative to the high-consumption lifestyle often found in Western cultures, voluntary simplic...
New dosimetric guidelines for linear Boltzmann transport equations through comparative evaluation of stereotactic body radiation therapy for lung treatment planning

Purpose To propose guidelines for lung stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) when using Acuros XB (AXB) equivalent to the existing ones developed for convolution algorithms such as analytic anisotropic algorithm (AAA), considering the difference between the algorithms. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on 30 lung patients previously treated with SBRT. The original AAA plans, which were developed using dynamic conformal arcs, were recalculated and then renormalized for planning target volume (PTV) coverage using AXB. The recalculated and renormalized plans were compared to the original plans based on V100% and V90% PTV coverage, as well as V105%, conformality index, D2cm , Rx/Dmax , R50, and Dmin . These metrics were analyzed nominally and on variations according to RTOG and NRG guidelines. Based on the relative difference between each metric in the AAA and AXB plans, new guidelines were developed. The relative differences in our cohort were compared to previously documented AAA to AXB comparisons found in the literature. Results AAA plans recalculated in AXB had a significant reduction in most dosimetric metrics. The most notable changes were in V100% (4%) and the conformality index (7.5%). To achieve equal PTV coverage, AXB required an average of 1.8% more monitor units (MU). This fits well with previously published data. Applying the new guidelines to the AXB plans significantly increased the number of minor violations with no change in major violations, making them comparable to those of the original AAA plans. Conclusion The relative difference found between AAA and AXB for SBRT lung plans has been shown to be consistent with previous works. Based on these findings, new guidelines for lung SBRT are recommended when planning with AXB.
Calcium feedback mechanisms regulate oscillatory activity of a TRP‐like Ca2+ conductance in C. elegans intestinal cells

Inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3)-dependent Ca2+ oscillations in Caenorhabditis elegans intestinal epithelial cells regulate the nematode defecation cycle. The role of plasma membrane ion channels in intestinal cell oscillatory Ca2+ signalling is unknown. We have shown previously that cultured intestinal cells express a Ca2+-selective conductance, IORCa, that is biophysically similar to TRPM7 currents. IORCa activates slowly and stabilizes when cells are patch clamped with pipette solutions containing 10 mm BAPTA and free Ca2+ concentrations of ∼17 nm. However, when BAPTA concentration is lowered to 1 mm, IORCa oscillates. Oscillations in channel activity induced simultaneous oscillations in cytoplasmic Ca2+ levels. Removal of extracellular Ca2+ inhibited IORCa oscillations, whereas readdition of Ca2+ to the bath caused a rapid and transient reactivation of the current. Experimental manoeuvres that elevated intracellular Ca2+ blocked current oscillations. Elevation of intracellular Ca2+ in the presence of 10 mm BAPTA to block IORCa oscillations led to a dose-dependent increase in the rate of current activation. At intracellular Ca2+ concentrations of 250 nm, current activation was transient. Patch pipette solutions buffered with 1–4 mm of either BAPTA or EGTA gave rise to similar patterns of IORCa oscillations. We conclude that changes in Ca2+ concentration close to the intracellular opening of the channel pore regulate channel activity. Low concentrations of Ca2+ activate the channel. As Ca2+ enters and accumulates near the pore mouth, channel activity is inhibited. Oscillating plasma membrane Ca2+ entry may play a role in generating intracellular Ca2+ oscillations that regulate the C. elegans defecation rhythm.
The isolation and purification of rapidly labeled polysome-bound ribonucleic acid on polythymidylate cellulose.

Abstract The polyadenylate (poly(A)) sequences of about 150 nucleotides found among all size classes of the pulse-labeled RNA bound to HeLa polysomes which is thought to be messenger RNA (mRNA) provide a basis for the purification of such RNA by hybridization to polythymidylate (poly(T)) cellulose. Poly(A) sequences comprised 15% of the RNA from polysomes which was bound to poly(T) cellulose. This RNA when released from the cellulose sedimented in sucrose gradients as a heterogeneous population with sedimentation velocities ranging from 6 S to more than 30 S with a maximum of about 18 S. A similar population of RNA molecules was also purified on poly(T) cellulose from cytoplasmic components sedimenting more slowly than polyribosomes.
Standardization of laser in situ keratomileusis surgical technique evaluated by comparison of procedure time between 2 experienced surgeons.

Purpose To evaluate the concordance of surgical step pacing between 2 experienced surgeons following a standardized surgical protocol for bilateral laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). Setting London Vision Clinic, London, United Kingdom. Design Retrospective comparative case series. Method This was a video review comprising an equal number of consecutive bilateral LASIK patients for 2 surgeons following a standardized surgical protocol using the Visumax femtosecond laser and MEL 80 excimer laser. Timestamps were recorded for flap creation, flap lift, excimer laser ablation, and flap replacement. Total surgery time was defined with the endpoints of speculum insertion and removal. Results Each surgeon performed bilateral LASIK on 30 patients. The mean total surgery time was 11 minutes 17 seconds ± 1 minute 46 seconds (SD) for surgeon 1 and 12 minutes 13 seconds ± 1 minute 37 seconds for surgeon 2. The mean bilateral flap creation time was 3 minutes 5 seconds ± 24 seconds and 3 minutes 42 seconds ± 25 seconds, respectively. The mean suction time for an individual eye was 26 seconds ± 4 seconds for surgeon 1 and 23 seconds ± 1 second for surgeon 2. The difference in timing was accounted for by differences in the length of surgeon conversation with patients rather than by physical surgical steps. Conclusions Bilateral LASIK procedure time was highly concordant within and between surgeons using a standardized surgical protocol. Use of a standardized surgical protocol can optimize the efficiency of corneal suction time as well as total surgical time while providing the expected equivalency in visual outcomes between surgeons. Financial Disclosure Dr. Reinstein is a consultant to Carl Zeiss Meditec AG and has a proprietary interest in the Artemis technology (Arcscan, Inc.) through patents administered by the Center for Technology Licensing at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA. No other author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
Edit Cost Index as a Measure of Performance of Graphics Recognition Systems

In this paper, we propose EditCost Index as a goal driven metric to evaluate the performance of graphics recognition systems. We present the motivation for this metric and show how plots of EditCost Index can be used to compare systems.
HIV therapeutics: past, present, and future.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the antiretroviral therapy in three parts: (1) individual drugs and their pharmacology, including the mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, major adverse effects, and significant drug interactions, (2) major clinical trials of antiHIV-1 compounds in adults, and (3) current role of these drugs in the management of HIV-1 infection of adults. The number of drug types or classes has simultaneously increased from one to three. With this explosion in pharmaceutical armamentarium, potent antiHIV-1 combination therapies became possible. While the initial hypothesis, regarding the eradication of HIV-1, has proved to be wrong, many patients can now achieve indefinite suppression of HIV-1 replication, using combination therapy. To date, antiHIV-1 drugs have targeted reverse transcriptase and the viral protease. Three classes of antiHIV-1 drugs in use today are nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), and protease inhibitors (PIs). A series of drugs has been discussed in the chapter, with description of drugs, using pharmacokinetics, adverse effects, and drug interactions. Several therapies of past, present, and future have been discussed to cover the use of various drugs described here. After Zidovudine (ZDV), Didanosine (ddI) was the second drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of HIV-1 infection. This approval was based primarily on the following three studies.
An electron microscope study of normal human non-keratinizing oral mucosa.

In a recent study of human epidermis (1, 2) it became apparent that the use of a new polyester (Vestopal W) as an embedding medium resulted in excellent rendering of cellular detail in epidermal cells. Using this medium the fine structure of non-keratinizing human oral mucosa (3-5) was studied as part of an investigation concerned with keratinization.
Extensions of Estimation and Control by Covariance Assignment

Four extensions of the state and estimation error covariance assignment algorithms are presented in this work.
New Measurement Techniques Using Tracers within Laser-Produced Plasmas.

The use of locally embedded tracers within laser-irradiated solid targets has led to a new class of diagnostic methods for laser-produced plasmas. Demonstrated uses of tracers include the first visualizations of hydrodynamic flow of laser-ablated material and improved spectroscopic measurements of plasma density and temperature profiles; comparisons with a two-dimensional hydrodynamics computer code are shown. Proposed future uses of tracers include the first measurements of fluid velocity profiles, improved determinations of mass ablation rates, and measurements of plasma opacity, emissivity, and gain. A wide variety of physics issues relevant to inertial confinement fusion may be addressed using these techniques.
CONFORMALLY HOMOGENEOUS MODEL UNIVERSES. I.

Intrinsically inhomogeneous cosmological models are investigated that have the same «free gravitational fields» and the same conformal motions as the classical, spatially homogeneous, isotropic models. The present models are conformally equivalent to the classical ones and allow the physical interpretations of the classical models to be utilized. Exact equations are obtained which relate the salient physical parameters and which are equivalent to the Einstein field equations. The velocity vector (of energy transport) is shown to be the sum of a multiple of the velocity vector of the corresponding homogeneous model and a dispersion vector (relative to the homogeneous model). Exact solutions for the dispersion vector are obtained. If squares of the derivatives of the conformal coefficient, ψ, are neglected, explicit expressions for the density and pressure are obtained. The conformal factor is shown to satisfy a diffusion equation—\( - \nabla ^2 \psi = 3R^2 (\dot RR^{ - 1} \partial _t \psi + \Lambda )\) —when ‵ϱ/ϱ =e−ψ (‵ϱ denotes the density of the present models). For Friedman models withk=+1, unique spatial scales of inhomogeneity are obtained. Each scale of inhomogeneity decays with time with the relaxation time increasing with the scale, and the dispersion vector vanishes only at points where ‵ϱ has a spatial maximum or minimum. Exact and approximate expressions are obtained for the expansion parameter.
Inspection of Laser-Written Reticles for the 90 nm Node

High quality reticles are critical to the success of the 90 nm wafer node. Even though many wafer fabs are planning to use 193nm exposure tools, the k 1 factor (minimum feature size x NA/λ) will be pushed to very low levels. With low k 1 lithography, very small mask errors propagate to the wafer. This is especially true for contact and via layers. New generation mask writing tools have been developed to meet these needs. 50 kV electron beam tools can produce high quality masks , but their high costs and low throughputs result in high mask costs. On the other hand, DUV laser writers, with inherently high throughput, can produce high quality masks at a significantly lower cost than e-beam writers. The fundamental technical distinction between laser and e-beam mask writers is resolution, manifest primarily as a corner rounding difference. While corner rounding has essentially no impact in wafer lithography (low NA at the mask renders wafer lithography a low pass filter), it cannot be ignored in mask pattern inspection, which uses high NA optics. In this study, it is demonstrated that reticles patterned on laser and e-beam tools can be inspected in database mode with full sensitivity at design rules beyond 130 nm. Further, a new energy measurement algorithm is used to evaluate contact patterns on both e-beam and laser-written masks, and it is shown that currently available laser mask writers should be extensible to the 90 nm node, even for these high MEEF features.
Gauging e-government: A report on implementing services among American cities

Abstract Municipalities face a dilemma as they pursue technologically enabled modes of providing traditional services. The planning stages of e-government amount to triage: which specific municipal functions and services can a municipality afford to implement (or which services can they afford not to implement) given the costs of technology and technological capability? Little in the way of defining the leading edge of innovation among cities exists. To date, the literature on e-government “best practices” tends to stress creating standards for evaluating web-enabled services rather than for benchmarking the actual status of e-government implementation. In other words, a well-developed literature is emerging around standards by which municipal websites can be evaluated such as navigability and content standards. These standards do not give us insight, however, into the specific functions and services as they emerge on municipality websites. As a means toward addressing this lacuna, the authors created a rubric for benchmarking implementation among cities nationwide using a broad range of functional dimensions and assigning municipalities “e-scores.” In this paper, the authors describe these efforts, their approach and their findings.
Decreased Insulin Binding of Human Erythrocytes After Dexamethasone or Prednisone Ingestion

We have investigated changes in insulin binding in erythrocytes in response to overnight ingestion of 1 mg dexamethasone or 10 mg of prednisone in two groups of eight lean, healthy subjects. Dexamethasone administration reduced insulin binding from 9.6 to 6.8% (P < 0.001) with concomitant increase in basal plasma insulin from 10.5 to 14.1 microU/ml (P < 0.05). Prednisone ingestion reduced insulin binding from 9.9 to 7.9% (P < 0.01), but the increase in basal insulin from 16.9 to 20.6 microU/ml was not significantly different. The decrease in insulin binding with both dexamethasone and prednisone was associated with decreased affinity of erythrocyte for insulin at low occupancy and the increase in the dose of unlabeled insulin resulted in 50% inhibition of specific binding without changes in the number of receptors. The earliest decrease in insulin binding was noted within 2 h after ingestion of 1 mg of dexamethasone. These data suggest that acute alteration of insulin receptor function could occur in erythrocytes by small amounts of dexamethasone or prednisone through a mechanism consistent with a decrease in receptor affinity rather than a decrease in the number of receptors.
Properties of electrochemically generated poly(p-phenylene)

Abstract Poly( p -phenylene) (PPP) electrodes formed by anodic oxidation of biphenyl in acetonitrile solutions were examined. As a cell, we observe generally high discharge current densities and rapid discharge rates. PPP electrochemistry and cell performance were found to depend significantly on the nature of the supporting electrolyte present during electrosynthesis and doping. These electrodes were also found to catalyse O 2 reduction. Raman and scanning electron microscopic results are also presented.
PROCESSING APPROACHES TO IMPROVE FUNCTIONALITY AND VALUE OF SOYBEAN PRODUCTS

Abstract. Soybeans have high concentrations of proteins, amino acids and unsaturated lipids. Various soybean products, such as soybean meal, soy protein concentrate, and soy protein isolate are available and have been studied, due to their abundant nutrient contents. They are acceptable substitutes for meat for vegetarians and vegans, due to their high nutritional value. Soy products have been extensively utilized in the animal feed industry as a protein source as well. Unfortunately, there are challenges associated with soybeans and soy products. Soybeans cannot be consumed without being processed. The main problem is the presence of Anti Nutritional Factors (ANFs), which are a major cause of poor protein digestibility. With respect to animal feeds, other problems include morphological and pathological changes, such as abnormalities in the digestive systems in non-ruminant animals. Hence, the objective of this study was to review various methods of processing soybeans, which can reduce anti-nutritional factors, increase nutrient availability, and effectively utilize the nutritional value of soybeans.
Respirator Usage and Effectiveness in Bituminous Coal Mining Operations

The results of an in-the-field survey on the use of respirators in coal mines are presented and discussed. An effective protection factor (EPF) for respirators was determined under use conditions by relating dust concentrations in the ambient air and in the filtered air inside the facepiece of the respirator. Data are given for the EPF distributions in the four mines studied.
Effect of Epinephrine on Insulin Release in Man induced by Secretin

SEVERAL observations taken together support the suggestion that the pancreatic β-cell responds in different ways to an oral glucose meal and to an intravenous infusion of glucose. (1) Oral glucose produces a greater rise in concentrations of plasma insulin than does an identical intravenous load1,2; (2) oral glucose provokes a response in plasma insulin four or five times greater than that achieved by infusing glucose intravenously to comparable concentrations of blood glucose3; (3) epinephrine blunts the release of insulin usually encountered after intravenous infusion of glucose4, but fails to suppress the rise in concentrations of plasma insulin which follows an oral glucose meal5.
Effects of Turbine Blade Tip Clearance on Turbocharger Performance: An Experimental Investigation

Rising fuel costs and increasingly stringent emission standards push engineers to develop more efficient turbo-machinery. Reducing turbocharger turbine tip clearance is one method of improving turbine performance, thereby improving overall engine operation. By using tip seals or abradable seals, reduction of this clearance is possible. Metco 314 NS material was applied to an Elliot-H type turbocharger turbine shroud to reduce the cold clearance from 0.762 mm (0.030 inch) to 0.457mm (0.018 inch). Two separate yet virtually identical performance tests were conducted at speeds of 13,000 rpm, 15,000 rpm, and 17,000 rpm on the turbocharger. The first test established the efficiency condition of the turbocharger with the tip seal installed. The second was to quantify a decrease in efficiency, if present, after the tip seal was removed. Both tests were conducted as identically as possible. The average amount of available energy not utilized with the tip seal removed was 30.26 kW at 13,000 rpm, 51.42 kW at 15,000 rpm and 45.71 kW at 17,000 rpm.Copyright © 2003 by ASME