cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Women’s Concerns about Abnormal Papanicolaou Test Results

Because of the increase in and potential severity of abnormal Papanicolaou (Pap) tests, women's concerns and methods of coping with abnormal Pap results are of clinical importance. Through this study, the researchers sought to describe women's questions and identify their reactions to abnormal Pap results. The study included 118 women whose Pap tests suggested precancer. Interviews were conducted with the participants after they received the news of their Pap tests and at follow-up. Upon hearing the results of their Pap tests, the participants asked questions reflecting their concerns about follow-up, causes, and implications. The participants' reactions at follow-up reflected their concerns about serious diseases, worry, and uncertainty about the meaning of Pap tests.
An HPLC/mass spectrometry platform for the development of multimodality contrast agents and targeted therapeutics: prostate-specific membrane antigen small molecule derivatives.

The production of disease-targeted agents requires the covalent conjugation of a targeting molecule with a contrast agent or therapeutic, followed by purification of the product to homogeneity. Typical targeting molecules, such as small molecules and peptides, often have high charge-to-mass ratios and/or hydrophobicity. Contrast agents and therapeutics themselves are also diverse, and include lanthanide chelates for MRI, 99mTc chelates for SPECT, 90Y chelates for radiotherapy, 18F derivatives for PET, and heptamethine indocyanines for near-infrared fluorescent optical imaging. We have constructed a general-purpose HPLC/mass spectrometry platform capable of purifying virtually any targeted agent for any modality. The analytical sub-system is composed of a single dual-head pump that directs mobile phase to either a hot cell for the purification of radioactive agents or to an ES-TOF MS for the purification of nonradioactive agents. Nonradioactive agents are also monitored during purification by ELSD, absorbance and fluorescence. The preparative sub-system is composed of columns and procedures that permit rapid scaling from the analytical system. To demonstrate the platform's utility, we describe the preparation of five small molecule derivatives specific for prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA): a gadolinium derivative for MRI, indium, rhenium and technetium derivatives for SPECT, and an yttrium derivative for radiotherapy. All five compounds are derived from a highly anionic targeting ligand engineered to have a single nucleophile for N-hydroxysuccinimide-based conjugation. We also describe optimized column/mobile phase combinations and mass spectrometry settings for each class of agent, and discuss strategies for purifying molecules with extreme charge and/or hydrophobicity. Taken together, our study should expedite the development of disease-targeted, multimodality diagnostic and therapeutic agents. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cost-effectiveness considerations in the use of computer assisted instruction for adult basic education ☆

Abstract What does it cost to provide adult basic education (ABE) with computer assisted instruction (CAI) and how do we know when we are “getting our money's worth” from such technology? This paper examines these issues in the context of data drawn from a community based adult literacy project employing extensive CAI in a Technology for Literacy Center (TLC). The study reported in this paper was undertaken as part of a larger formative and summative evaluation project of TLC. It illustrates an accounting framework for estimating costs in ABE, presents some benchmark cost data for making inter-project comparisons, and offers some preliminary observations on the cost-effectiveness of CAI in both TLC and ABE.
Calcifying Cystic Odontogenic Tumor

A 38 year old male presented with an 18 month history of an asymptomatic swelling in the anterior mandibular vestibule. The clinical exam revealed a firm and expansile lesion involving the buccal cortical plate. The lesion extended from tooth #23 to tooth # 27. No clinical evidence of caries or periodontal disease was detected and the patient denied history of trauma to the area. The radiographic exam revealed a lesion in the anterior mandible. Vitality tests were within normal limits.
Low-dimensional models for turbulent plane Couette flow in a minimal flow unit

We model turbulent plane Couette flow in the minimal flow unit (MFU) – a domain whose spanwise and streamwise extent is just sufficient to maintain turbulence – by expanding the velocity field as a sum of optimal modes calculated via proper orthogonal decomposition from numerical data. Ordinary differential equations are obtained by Galerkin projection of the Navier–Stokes equations onto these modes. We first consider a 6-mode (11-dimensional) model and study the effects of including losses to neglected modes. Ignoring these, the model reproduces turbulent statistics acceptably, but fails to reproduce dynamics; including them, we find a stable periodic orbit that captures the regeneration cycle dynamics and agrees well with direct numerical simulations. However, restriction to as few as six modes artificially constrains the relative magnitudes of streamwise vortices and streaks and so cannot reproduce stability of the laminar state or properly account for bifurcations to turbulence as Reynolds number increases. To address this issue, we develop a second class of models based on ‘uncoupled’ eigenfunctions that allow independence among streamwise and cross-stream velocity components. A 9-mode (31-dimensional) model produces bifurcation diagrams for steady and periodic states in qualitative agreement with numerical Navier–Stokes solutions, while preserving the regeneration cycle dynamics. Together, the models provide empirical evidence that the ‘backbone’ for MFU turbulence is a periodic orbit, and support the roll–streak–breakdown–roll reformation picture of shear-driven turbulence.
The Archaeology of Bear Trap Spring Rockshelter, Ulster County, New York:

The Bear Trap Spring Rockshelter (NYSM 9792) is a Multi-Component Pre-Contact Site in the Rondout drainage in the Town of Olive, situated along the eastern edge of the Catskills in New York's Mid-Hudson Valley. It was almost entirely excavated by avocational archaeologists from the New York State Archaeological Association's Mid-Hudson Chapter from c. 1959 to 1966. Occupations found in the rockshelter range from the Middle Archaic Neville Phase to those of the Late Woodland/Contact Period Esopus Indians. Comparisons with 8 other nearby rockshelters in the Ashokan Catskills, as well as 14 rockshelters within a 50 km radius, point to consistent peaks in occupation during the Late Archaic and the Late Woodland.
Elucidating Substrate Promiscuity in the Human Cytochrome 3A4

The human cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) are heme-protein monooxygenases, which catalyze oxidative reactions of a broad spectrum of substrates. Consequently, they play a critical role in the metabolism of xenobiotics, such as drugs and carcinogens, and the catabolism of endogenous lipophilic factors. Bioavailability and toxicity, both of which can be related to CYPs, continue to pose problems in the development of new drugs. The isoform which metabolizes over one-third of drugs, CYP 3A4, was investigated employing ensemble-docking experiments of a 195-substrate library with induced fit and GOLD docking algorithms and a number of scoring functions. Enzyme conformations included three currently available CYP 3A4 crystal structures. All docking experiments were performed in duplicates with and without inclusion of crystallographic waters. Resultant poses were assessed based on accuracy of site of metabolism prediction. Analyses of the docked solutions pertaining to ranking efficacy, ligand molecular properties, stabilizing residues in the ligand-enzyme complexes, and metabolic reactions are discussed. Our analyses suggest that certain residues make favorable interactions with the bound substrates. Employing multiple receptor conformations enhances the accuracy of catalytic prediction, while ligand size and flexibility impact docking performance. The presence of waters observed in crystal complexes does not necessarily lead to improved performance.
Disruption of the M2 Gene of Murine Gammaherpesvirus 68 Alters Splenic Latency following Intranasal, but Not Intraperitoneal, Inoculation

Infection of mice with murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (γHV68; also referred to as MHV68) provides a tractable small-animal model with which to address the requirements for the establishment and maintenance of gammaherpesvirus infection in vivo. The M2 gene of γHV68 is a latency-associated gene that encodes a protein lacking discernible homology to any known viral or cellular proteins. M2 gene transcripts have been detected in latently infected splenocytes (S. M. Husain, E. J. Usherwood, H. Dyson, C. Coleclough, M. A. Coppola, D. L. Woodland, M. A. Blackman, J. P. Stewart, and J. T. Sample, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96:7508-7513, 1999; H. W. Virgin IV, R. M. Presti, X. Y. Li, C. Liu, and S. H. Speck, J. Virol. 73:2321-2332, 1999) and peritoneal exudate cells (H. W. Virgin IV, R. M. Presti, X. Y. Li, C. Liu, and S. H. Speck, J. Virol. 73:2321-2332, 1999), as well as in a latently γHV68-infected B-lymphoma cell line (S. M. Husain, E. J. Usherwood, H. Dyson, C. Coleclough, M. A. Coppola, D. L. Woodland, M. A. Blackman, J. P. Stewart, and J. T. Sample, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96:7508-7513, 1999). Here we describe the generation of γHV68 mutants with disruptions in the M2 gene. Mutation of the M2 gene did not affect the ability of the virus to replicate in tissue culture, nor did it affect γHV68 virulence in B6.Rag1 deficient mice. However, we found that M2 was differentially required for acute replication in vivo. While mutation of M2 did not affect acute phase of virus replication in the lungs of mice following intranasal inoculation, acute-phase virus replication in the spleen was decreased compared to that of the wild-type and marker rescue viruses following intraperitoneal inoculation. Upon intranasal inoculation, M2 mutant viruses exhibited a significant decrease in the establishment of latency in the spleen on day 16 postinfection, as measured by the frequency of viral genome-positive cells. In addition, M2 mutant viral genome-positive cells reactivated from latency inefficiently compared to wild-type and marker rescue viruses. By day 42 after intranasal inoculation, the frequencies of M2 mutant and wild-type viral genome-positive cells were nearly equivalent and little reactivation was detected from either population. In sharp contrast to the results obtained following intranasal inoculation, after intraperitoneal inoculation, no significant defect was observed in the establishment or reactivation from latency with the M2 mutant viruses. These results indicate that the requirements for the establishment of latency are affected by the route of infection.
Theory of deuteron stripping: From surface integrals to a generalized R -matrix approach

There are two main reasons for the absence of a practical theory of stripping to resonance states that could be used by experimental groups: The numerical problem of the convergence of the distorted-wave Born approximation (DWBA) matrix element when the full transition operator is included and the ambiguity over what spectroscopic information can be extracted from the analysis of transfer reactions populating the resonance states. The purpose of this paper is to address both questions. The theory of the deuteron stripping is developed, which is based on the post continuum discretized coupled channels (CDCCs) formalism going beyond of the DWBA and surface integral formulation of the reaction theory [A. S. Kadyrov et al., Ann. Phys. 324, 1516 (2009)]. First, the formalism is developed for the DWBA and then it is extended to the CDCC formalism, which is the ultimate goal of this work. The CDCC wave function takes into account not only the initial elastic $d+A$ channel but also its coupling to the deuteron breakup channel $p+n+A$ missing in the DWBA. Stripping to both bound states and resonances is included. The convergence problem for stripping to resonance states is solved in the post CDCC formalism. The reaction amplitude is parametrized in terms of the reduced width amplitudes (asymptotic normalization coefficients), inverse level matrix, boundary condition, and channel radius, which are the same parameters used in the conventional $R$-matrix method. For stripping to resonance states, many-level and one- and two-channel cases are considered. The theory provides a consistent tool to analyze both binary resonant reactions and deuteron stripping in terms of the same parameters.
HLA-G transgenic mice: a model for studying expression and function at the maternal/fetal interface.

Experiments designed to identify all HLA class I genes led to the cloning of the HLA-G gene (Geraghty et al. 1987). Very low levels of HLA-G mRNA expression have been demonstrated in the eye, thymus, peripheral blood lymphocytes and in keratinocytes (Shukla et al. 1990, Ishitani & Geraghty 1992, Kirszenbaum et al. 1994, Ulbrecht et al. 1994). Higher levels of HLA-G expression were demonstrated in certain subpopulations of trophoblasts (Ellis et al. 1990, Kovats et al. 1990). Specifically, those subpopulations of trophoblasts in direct contact with decidua, i.e. the cytotrophoblasts of the cytotrophoblast shell and columns, invasive cytotrophoblasts, and cytotrophoblasts of the chorionic membrane, express HLA-G (Yelavarthi et al. 1991, Chumbley et al. 1993). HLA-G molecules on these cells are in a position to interact directly with the maternal immune system. HLA-G transgenic mice have been produced in an effort to produce a model in which antigen presentation by HLA-G can be studied. Studies utilizing these transgenic mice have led to the definition of a previously unknown regulatory region and have yielded some basic information about HLA-G's ability to function as a class I molecule (Schmidt et al., in press; manuscript in preparation). One of the HLA-G transgenic mouse lines produced, G.3.2, has been shown to have a cell-type specific extraembryonic HLA-G expression pattern paralleling that seen in human extraembryonic tissues (Schmidt et al, in press). In addition, the levels of HLA-G mRNA expression seen in the extraembryonic tissues from this transgenic mouse line are similar to the levels of HLA-G mRNA expression detectable in human extraembryonic tissues. As cells expressing HLA-G come in direct contact with decidual cells, these mice will serve as a model in which HLA-G's ability to present foreign antigens to the maternal immune system can be studied. The G.3.2 HLA-G transgenic mouse line also exhibits thymic HLA-G expression levels similar to those seen in human thymus (Schmidt et al., manuscript in preparation). HLA-G expression in the transgenic murine thymus is largely restricted to dendritic cells. It is possible that this thymic HLA-G mRNA expression is responsible for the tolerance to HLA-G which is seen in the HLA-G transgenic mice. Further studies will be necessary to determine whether the lymphocytic repertoire of the HLA-G transgenic mouse can recognize HLA-G molecules presenting foreign peptides.
Determination of the nicotine metabolite trans-3'-hydroxycotinine in urine of smokers using gas chromatography with nitrogen-selective detection or selected ion monitoring.

Abstract A gas chromatographic method for the determination of the nicotine metabolite trans-3′-hydroxycotinine is described. The method involves conversion of the metabolite to the tert.-butyldimethylsilyl derivative, chromatography on a fused-silica capillary column, and determination using nitrogen—phosphorus detection or electron ionization mass spectrometry with selected ion monitoring. A structural analogue, trans-3-hydroxy-1-methyl-5-(2-pyridyl)pyrrolidin-2-one (trans-3′-hydroxy-ortho-cotinine), was used as an internal standard. Using selected ion monitoring, good precision and accuracy were obtained for determination of trans-3′-hydroxycotinine in urine over the concentration range 10–10 000 ng/ml. There was a good correlation between concentrations determined by selected ion monitoring and by nitrogen—phosphorus detection in urine of smokers, although low concentrations determined using nitrogen—phosphorus detection tended to be somewhat higher, suggesting some interference from urinary constituents. Concentrations and 24-h excretion of trans-3′-hydroxycotinine in the urine of 22 cigarette smokers are reported and compared to concentrations and excretion of nicotine, cotinine, nicotine 1′-N-oxide, nornicotine, and cotinine N-oxide.
Campus Law Enforcement Use-of-Force and Conducted Energy Devices A National-Level Exploratory Study of Perceptions and Practices

Although many police departments throughout the nation have been quick to incorporate the use of conducted energy devices (CEDs) within their use-of-force policies, the use of these devices on college campuses has been relatively unexamined in the literature. This article addresses campus police agency decisions regarding CEDs as a less-than-lethal force alternative. This study utilized a stratified random sample of public 4-year universities and colleges throughout the United States. Respondents answered questions pertaining to multiple variables, such as political pressure, public opinion, officer safety, liability, and funding, as factors considered when deciding whether to acquire CEDs. The results suggest that a majority of the public institutions surveyed have not acquired CEDs due to public opinion. Furthermore, the results reveal that for institutions that have issued CEDs their acquisition can be attributed to the campus law enforcement agency's concern for officer safety. Suggestions for future research are discussed.
Measuring Welfare Benefits from Improvements in Storage Technology with an Application to Tunisian Potatoes

A multimarket model is used to explore equity and efficiency implications of improving crop storage technology. Two types of technical change are explored. Producers capture most of the benefits from new technology that reduces the cost of marketing inputs, whereas consumers gain more from technologies that reduce storage losses. In an application of the model to potatoes in Tunisia, improved pest control during storage is estimated to have significantly reduced seasonal variation in market prices and quantities during the 1980s. The rate of return to research on potato storage is estimated to lie between 44% and 74%.
Stability of magnetohydrodynamic stratified shear flows

A study is made of the stability of a stratified shear flow in a perfectly conducting fluid in the presence of an external magnetic field aligned with the flow. A semi-circle theorem for the present hydromagnetic case is proved. The magnetic field is found to have a stabilizing effect on the flow. The Rayleigh-Taylor instability problem in a stratified conducting fluid is discussed. Finally, a study is made of the absorption of wave energy by the mean flow in the hydromagnetic case by considering a shear flow with an anti-symmetric velocity profile given byU=tanhz. Unlike the hydrodynamic case, it is found that, in the critical layer atU=0, the transfer of the wave energy to the mean flow occurs for any value of the Richardson number. This result implies again the stabilizing effect of the magnetic field on the shear flow.
Noncommutative static strings from matrix models

We examine the noncommutative cylinder solution to a matrix model with a Minkowski background metric. It can be regarded as the noncommutative analogue of a static circular string. Perturbations about the solution yield a tachyonic scalar field (and an additional tachyonic fermion in the full supersymmetric version of the model) in the commutative limit. The tachyonic mode is attributed to the fact that the circular string is unstable under uniform adiabatic deformations. We obtain a stabilizing term which, when added to the matrix model, removes the tachyonic mass.
Traumatic event exposure and depression severity over time: results from a prospective cohort study in an urban area.

A substantial proportion of adults experience traumatic events each year, yet little is known about the effects of different types of traumatic events on depression severity over time. We prospectively assessed the effects of traumatic event exposure during a 1-year period on changes in depression severity during that period among a representative sample of adults living in Detroit, Michigan in the United States. We used data from 1,054 participants in the first two waves of the Detroit Neighborhood Health Study (2008–2010). Depression severity was measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Negative binomial regression was used to estimate the effect of traumatic event exposure on depression severity at Wave 2, adjusting for Wave 1 PHQ-9 score and potential confounders. The mean depression severity score at Wave 2 among those exposed to at least one traumatic event during follow-up was 1.71 times higher than among those with no traumatic event exposure [95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.27–2.29]. Also positively associated with depression severity at Wave 2 (vs. no traumatic events) were assaultive violence (mean ratio 2.49, 95 % CI 1.41–4.38), injuries and other directly experienced shocking events (mean ratio 2.59, 95 % CI 1.62–3.82), and three or more traumatic events (mean ratio 2.58, 95 % CI 1.62–4.09). Violence, injuries, and other directly experienced traumatic events increase depression severity and may be useful targets for interventions to alleviate the burden of depression in urban areas.
Effect of surfactants on carbon monoxide fermentations by Butyribacterium methylotrophicum.

Butyribacterium methylotrophicum has been grown on carbon monoxide as its carbon and energy source in the presence of various surfactants that are capable of forming microbubble dispersions for the screening of surfactants for use in microbubble-sparged synthesis gas fermentations. In the range of 0–3 times the critical micelle concentration, the presence of Tween surfactants was not significantly inhibitory to growth, final cell density, and fermentation stoichiometry, although some of the Brij surfactants caused significant inhibition. As the batch fermentations entered the stationary phase both the pH and the ratio of acetate to butyrate decreased.
Suppression of adenosine 2a receptor (A2aR)-mediated adenosine signaling improves disease phenotypes in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressing neurodegenerative disease in which the majority of upper and lower motor neurons are degenerated. Despite intensive efforts to identify drug targets and develop neuroprotective strategies, effective therapeutics for ALS remains unavailable. The identification and characterization of novel targets and pathways remain crucial in the development of ALS therapeutics. Adenosine is a major neuromodulator that actively regulates synaptic transmission. Interestingly, adenosine levels are significantly elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of progressing human ALS patients. In the current study, we showed that adenosine 2a receptor (A2aR), but not adenosine 1 receptor (A1R), is highly enriched in spinal (motor) neurons. A2aR expression is also selectively increased at the symptomatic onset in the spinal cords of SOD1G93A mice and end-stage human ALS spinal cords. Interestingly, we found that direct adenosine treatment is sufficient to induce embryonic stem cell-derived motor neuron (ESMN) cell death in cultures. Subsequent pharmacological inhibition and partial genetic ablation of A2aR (A2aR(+/-)) significantly protect ESMN from SOD1G93A(+) astrocyte-induced cell death and delay disease progression of SOD1G93A mice. Taken together, our results provide compelling novel evidence that A2aR-mediated adenosine signaling contributes to the selective spinal motor neuron degeneration observed in the SOD1G93A mouse model of ALS.
Temperature and Microtopography Interact to Control Carbon Cycling in a High Arctic Fen

High arctic wetlands hold large stores of soil carbon (C). The fate of these C stores in a changing climate is uncertain, as rising air temperatures may differentially affect photosynthesis and ecosystem respiration (ER). In this study, open-top warming chambers were used to increase air and soil temperatures in contrasting microtopographic positions of a high arctic fen in NW Greenland. CO2 exchange between the ecosystem and the atmosphere was measured on 28 dates over a 3-year period. Measurements of the normalized difference vegetation index, leaf and stem growth, leaf-level gas exchange, leaf nitrogen, leaf δ13C, and fine root production were made to investigate the mechanisms and consequences of observed changes in CO2 exchange. Gross ecosystem photosynthesis (GEP) increased with chamber warming in hollows, which are characterized by standing water, and in hummocks, which extend above the water table. ER, however, increased only in hummocks, such that net ecosystem exchange (NEE) increased in hollows, but did not change in hummocks with chamber warming. Complementary measurements of plant growth revealed that increases in GEP corresponded with increases in C allocation to aboveground biomass in hummocks and belowground biomass in hollows. Our results and those of several recent studies clearly demonstrate that effects of climate change on the C balance of northern wetlands will depend upon microtopography which, in turn, may be sensitive to climate change.
A Markov random field-based Bayesian model to identify genes with differential methylation

The rapid development of biotechnology makes it possible to explore genome-wide DNA methylation mapping which has been demonstrated to be related to diseases including cancer. However, it also posts substantial challenges in identifying biologically meaningful methylation pattern changes. Several algorithms have been proposed to detect differential methylation events, such as differentially methylated CpG sites and differentially methylated regions. However, the intrinsic dependency of the CpG sites in a neighboring area has not yet been fully considered. In this paper, we propose a novel method for the identification of differentially methylated genes in a Markov random field-based Bayesian framework. Specifically, we use Markov random field to model the dependency of the neighboring CpG sites, and then estimate the differential methylation score of the CpG sites in a Bayesian framework through a sampling scheme. Finally, the differential methylation statuses of the genes are determined by the estimated scores of the involved CpG sites. In addition, significance test is conducted to assess the significance of the identified differentially methylated genes. Experimental results on both synthetic data and real data demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in identifying genes with differential methylation patterns under different conditions.
Rock characterization of Fayetteville shale gas plays

Abstract Multiple techniques were used to characterize the petrophysical properties of the rock samples from the Fayetteville shale gas play, including clay mineralogy, wettability, organic matter and their maturation, submicron pore structure, and 3-D pore structure. X-ray diffraction (XRD) mineralogy analysis showed high quartz and low clay content in the Fayetteville shale. Wettability tests revealed that the shale surface is originally intermediate-wet and the additives used in hydraulic fracturing fluids can alter shale gas surfaces toward water-wet conditions. The kerogen analysis suggested kerogen type IV and a high level of maturation in the tested samples. Three types of pores were observed through SEM images and the majority of the pores in organic matters were submicron sized (5–100 nm). A three-dimensional pore structure model was reconstructed from 200 two-dimensional SEM/FIB images, and the rock petrophysical properties, including porosity, permeability, and tortuosity, were calculated from the model. In addition, a good agreement was found between the total organic carbon (TOC) computed from SEM images and the TOC measured in the laboratory.
CIVILIZING HAWAII: ISABELLA BIRD BISHOP IN THE SANDWICH ISLANDS

Nineteenth-century male European travel writers sometimes romanticize their destinations and dream they have arrived in untouched lands. The Hawaii Isabella Bird visited, however, was not an idyllic land, forgotten by time. Early in the nineteenth century, steamships crossed the Pacific, carrying goods and people from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, China, and Japan. The trade in sandalwood and fur brought many foreign steamships into Hawaii (Kuykendall 15). It was not uncommon for American missionaries to arrive in Hawaii via whaling ships that stopped in Hawaii (Kuykendall 16, 41). Hawaii, with its position between mainland America and Asia, was a valuable and strategic piece of property. Isabella Bird Bishop's 1875 travel memoir The Hawaiian Archipelago: Six months Among the Palm Groves, Coral Reefs, and Volcanoes of the Sandwich Islands comments on the political situation the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) faced in the nineteenth century.
A continuous chromatographic reactor

Abstract Reaction chromatography has been done on a continuous basis in a reactor configuration consisting of a packed cylindrical annulus with a rotating feed port. Chromatographic action causes spatial separation of product streams emerging from the annular exit. This has been demonstrated by an experimental study of the acid catalysed hydrolysis of aqueous methyl formate. Furthermore, separation of the products, formic acid and methanol, suppresses the reverse reaction causing conversions to be significantly greater than equilibrium conversions. A mathematical model of the reactor has been developed and used for numerical simulation of reactor behavior. Dispersion characteristics of the bed, adsorption isotherms and reaction kinetics were all determined in independent experiments, and used as input data for the model. Comparisons of numerically simulated reactor performance with experimental results showed good agreement. 1. 1 A continuous chromatographic reactor has been designed and constructed for the aqueous, acid catalysed hydrolysis of methylformate. The reaction products, methanol and formic acid, gave reasonably well defined chromatographic peaks. No reactant peak was detected, indicating that larger than equilibrium conversion was obtained. 2. 2 An ideal chromatographic model, modified by simulating small dispersion effects, is capable of giving excellent prediction of the experimental results. 3. 3 In the numerical simulation the Freundlich adsorption isotherm was used. Binary component adsorption isotherm data are capable of giving good agreement between the simulation results and the experimental data. This seems to be due to the quick disappearance of the high concentration of methylformate a short distance from the reactor inlet and almost no competitive adsorption between methanol and formic acid. 4. 4 To reduce the scatter of data points in the rotating sampling scheme it may be necessary to improve or develop a more effective packing technology.
Who becomes cannabis dependent soon after onset of use? Epidemiological evidence from the United States: 2000–2001

In this paper we estimate the risk of becoming cannabis dependent within 24 months after first use of cannabis and examine subgroup variation in this risk. The study estimates are based on the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse conducted during 2000-2001, with a representative sample of U.S. residents ages 12 and older (n=114,241). A total of 3352 respondents were found to have used cannabis for the first time within a span of up to 24 months prior to assessment. An estimated 3.9% of these recent-onset users developed a cannabis dependence syndrome during the interval since first use (median interval duration approximately 12 months). Excess risk of cannabis dependence was found for those with cannabis onset before late-adolescence, those with family income less than US dollars 20,000, and those who had used three or more drugs before the first use of cannabis (i.e., tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs). While these findings generally support previous study results, this study's focus on recent-onset users more closely approximates prospective and longitudinal research on the incidence (risk) of becoming cannabis dependent soon after onset of cannabis use, removing the influence of users with long-sustained or persistent cannabis dependence developed years ago.
The dynamic history of plastid genomes in the Campanulaceae sensu lato is unique among angiosperms

Why have some plants lost the organizational stability in plastid genomes (plastomes) that evolved in their algal ancestors? During the endosymbiotic transformation of a cyanobacterium into the eukaryotic plastid, most cyanobacterial genes were transferred to the nucleus or otherwise lost from the plastome, and the resulting plastome architecture in land plants confers organizational stability, as evidenced by the conserved gene order among bryophytes and lycophytes, whereas ferns, gymnosperms, and angiosperms share a single, 30-kb inversion. Although some additional gene losses have occurred, gene additions to angiosperm plastomes were previously unknown. Plastomes in the Campanulaceae sensu lato have incorporated dozens of large ORFs (putative protein-coding genes). These insertions apparently caused many of the 125+ large inversions now known in this small eudicot clade. This phylogenetically restricted phenomenon is not biogeographically localized, which indicates that these ORFs came from the nucleus or (less likely) a cryptic endosymbiont.
Practicing Physical Anthropology in the Pediatric Nutrition Industry

The idea of physical anthropologists working in private industry may be new to many academicians who have either been trained or hold positions in traditional anthropology departments. Historically, new anthropology Ph.D.s have been encouraged by their mentors to compete for the few available teaching/research positions at colleges and universities. A job in the ivory tower is perceived by academicians to be the ideal or only desirable career path for anthropologists. However, according to the National Academy of Sciences, the percentage of Ph.D. behavioral scientists (including anthropologists) employed in private industry more than doubled from 1977 to 1991. Undoubtedly, this trend will continue. Based on the present status of academic employment, particularly for anthropologists, careers in private industry are becoming viable and rewarding alternatives.
Phase stability in nanoscale material systems: extension from bulk phase diagrams

Phase diagrams of multi-component systems are critical for the development and engineering of material alloys for all technological applications. At nano dimensions, surfaces (and interfaces) play a significant role in changing equilibrium thermodynamics and phase stability. In this work, it is shown that these surfaces at small dimensions affect the relative equilibrium thermodynamics of the different phases. The CALPHAD approach for material surfaces (also termed “nano-CALPHAD”) is employed to investigate these changes in three binary systems by calculating their phase diagrams at nano dimensions and comparing them with their bulk counterparts. The surface energy contribution, which is the dominant factor in causing these changes, is evaluated using the spherical particle approximation. It is first validated with the Au–Si system for which experimental data on phase stability of spherical nano-sized particles is available, and then extended to calculate phase diagrams of similarly sized particles of Ge–Si and Al–Cu. Additionally, the surface energies of the associated compounds are calculated using DFT, and integrated into the thermodynamic model of the respective binary systems. In this work we found changes in miscibilities, reaction compositions of about 5 at%, and solubility temperatures ranging from 100–200 K for particles of sizes 5 nm, indicating the importance of phase equilibrium analysis at nano dimensions.
Beta Blocker Therapy in African American Patients with Heart Failure

Data from a number of clinical trials of beta blocker therapy in heart failure, although limited in the size of African American patients included, suggest that they achieve a similar benefit as Caucasians. African Americans were usually at higher risk when enrolled in all of these studies with a higher incidence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus. The only exception is the Beta Blocker Evaluaition of Survival Trial (BEST) that studied the efficacy of Bucindolol in heart filaure. In that study there appeared to be a unique differential effect in Afrcian Americans compared to Caucasians which may have been inpart related to the severity of the disease.
First-principles perturbative computation of phonon properties of insulators in finite electric fields

We present a perturbative method for calculating phonon properties of an insulator in the presence of a finite electric field. The starting point is a variational total-energy functional with a field-coupling term that represents the effect of the electric field. This total-energy functional is expanded in small atomic displacements within the framework of density-functional perturbation theory. The linear response of field-polarized Bloch functions to atomic displacements is obtained by minimizing the second-order derivatives of the total-energy functional. In the general case of nonzero phonon wavevector, there is a subtle interplay between the couplings between neighboring k-points introduced by the presence of the electric field in the reference state, and further-neighbor k-point couplings determined by the wavevector of the phonon perturbation. As a result, terms arise in the perturbation expansion that take the form of four-sided loops in k-space. We implement the method in the {\tt ABINIT} code and perform illustrative calculations of the field-dependent phonon frequencies for III-V semiconductors.
Fabrication of Ultra Thick Ferromagnetic Structures in Silicon

A novel fabrication process is presented to create ultra thick ferromagnetic structures in silicon. The structures are fabricated by electroforming NiFe into silicon templates patterned with deep reactive ion etching (DRIE). Thin films are deposited into photoresist molds for characterization of an electroplating cell. Results show that electroplated films with a saturation magnetization above 1.6 tesla and compositions of approximately 50/50 NiFe can be obtained through agitation of the electrolyte. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images show that NiFe structures embedded in a 500 μm thick silicon wafer are realized and the roughening of the mold sidewalls during the DRIE aids in adhesion of the NiFe to the silicon.© 2004 ASME
Death trajectories of emergency department patients and palliative care service utilization

Study objectives: Although the emergency department (ED) is recognized as a common portal of hospital entry for dying patients, early recognition of dying trajectories may improve care by fostering timely initiation of end-of-life planning and palliative service discussions. We compare documented palliative care among ED patients on known dying trajectories versus those who die of sudden acute illness. Methods: A list of all ED patients who died after hospital admission in 2002 was generated for a large, Midwestern, suburban teaching hospital. A simple random sample of 48 patients who were older than 55 years and who survived more than 48 hours from ED presentation were selected for medical record review. Patients were classified either as a sudden unexpected death (SUDDEN) or on a known previous dying trajectory (KNOWN). The dying trajectories were (1) cancer (solid organ tumor with evidence of distant metastases); (2) frailty (bed-bound with incontinence and cognitive impairment); (3) organ failure (≥2 hospitalizations in past 12 months for cirrhosis of the liver, congestive heart failure, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on home oxygen); or (4) other. SUDDEN patients were compared with KNOWN patients using χ2 analysis, Fisher's exact test, and Wilcoxon rank sum tests, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) are reported for proportions. Results: Seven hundred forty-two patients met eligibility, of which 48 records were reviewed. Dying trajectories were noted as follows: KNOWN: cancer 25.0% (95% CI 14.1% to 39.9%); frailty 18.8% (95% CI 9.4% to 33.1%); organ failure 4.2% (95% CI 0.7% to 15.4%); and other 12.5% (95% CI 5.2% to 25.9%); and SUDDEN 39.6% (95% CI 26.1% to 54.7%). KNOWN and SUDDEN patients were similar in respect to age (78.9 versus 76.3 years), presence of an advance directive (14.3% versus 16.7%), and documented goals of care discussions (89.7% versus 89.5%). KNOWN patients tended to make more pain declarations (65.5% versus 42.1%; P=.11), and fewer reports of depression (0% versus 25.9%; P=.03). KNOWN patients were identified as dying and made do-not-resuscitate (DNR) status earlier in their hospital stay (median 2.5 days versus 8.1; P=.07). KNOWN patients were less likely to die on withdrawal of life support (35.7% versus 55.6%; P=.185) and died less quickly after DNR order (median 3.9 days versus 1.0; P=.04). Conclusion: Most patients who are admitted from the ED and die inhospital do not have unexpected deaths but are on known dying trajectories, and this was recognized by the timing of the DNR order. Patients on a dying trajectory were more commonly in pain, but depression seems to be underreported in KNOWN patients and is not an insignificant problem in the SUDDEN group.
The Chosen Few: Nightline and the Politics of Public Affairs Television:

Much research has been done on the culture and politics of print and broadcast news media to better understand why the U.S. news media has failed in its democratic mission of keeping the citizenry adequately informed. However, relatively little work has focused on television public affairs programs as a forum for political discussion. We explore this genre of program by examining the guest list of 865 editions of ABC News Nightline (1/1/85 to 4/30/88). It is argued that by limiting the range of guests and issues on the program, Nightline is able to legitimize certain political positions, narrow the range of discourse, and certify elite spokes-people. This results in the portrayal of a climate of domestic political consensus and the promotion of an agenda paralleling that of the U.S. government.
Magnetoreflection Studies in Bismuth

Detailed magnetoreflection studies on the binary and bisectrix faces of bismuth are made to look for the fine structure predicted by the Baraff generalization of the Lax two-band model. This generalization is required to explain certain structure in the de Haas-van Alphen data. No fine structure is found experimentally in the magnetoreflection spectra for these optical faces. Magnetoreflection data were also taken for $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{H}}$ in the trigonal direction to look for expected departures from the Lax model. No such departures were found. By assuming a particularly simple form for the Baraff Hamiltonian, it is possible to explain both the magnetoreflection and de Haas-van Alphen data, which had previously been thought to be inconsistent.
Kalman filter algorithms for a multi-sensor system

The purpose of this paper is to examine several Kalman filter algorithms that can be used for state estimation with a multiple sensor system. In a synchronous data collection system, the statistically independent data blocks can be processed in parallel or sequentially, or similar data can be compressed before processing; in the linear case these three filter types are optimum and their results are identical. When measurements from each sensor are statistically independent, the data compression method is shown to be computationally most efficient, followed by the sequential processing; the parallel processing is least efficient.
The Application of Lyapunov Methods to the Computation of Transient Stability Regions for Multimachine Power Systems

This paper outlines a method for computing a stability region for a multimachine power system. It is shown that the dynamic equations describing this system are of the type for which some rather elegant stability criteria are known, of which the Popov criterion is the most useful. It can be proved by means of a Lyapunov function which will, together with a method for computing the domain of attraction of an equilibrium point of a dynamic system, lead to a systematic procedure for obtaining an estimate of the region of stability for a multimachine power system. The procedure is very well suited for automatic computation and can take into consideration the effects of damping and of fast governors.
Effect of a parasitic mode on the characteristics of a cylindrical waveguide mode converter with harmonically varying radius

A cylindrical waveguide with harmonically varying radiius can be used to convert selectively the TEmqmode to the TEmpmode. The characteristics of this waveguide mode converter in the presence of the parasitic TEmr mode are treated, and a modified design for the improvement of the performance of this mode converter is presented.
A multiscale preconditioner for stochastic mortar mixed finite elements

The aim of this paper is to introduce a new approach to efficiently solve sequences of problems that typically arise when modeling flow in stochastic porous media. The governing equations are based on Darcy’s law with a stochastic permeability field. Starting from a specified covariance relationship, the log permeability is decomposed using a truncated Karhunen–Loeve expansion. Multiscale mortar mixed finite element approximations are used in the spatial domain and a nonintrusive sampling method is used in the stochastic dimensions. A multiscale mortar flux basis is computed for a single permeability, called a training permeability, that captures the main characteristics of the porous media, and is used as a preconditioner for each stochastic realization. We prove that the condition number of the preconditioned interface operator is independent of the subdomain mesh size and the mortar mesh size. Computational results confirm that our approach provides an efficient means to quantify the uncertainty for stochastic flow in porous media.