cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genes, stress and the heart

Effects of stress and its relationship to coronary morbidity and mortality are modified by genetic variation between people. We do not uniformly react to stress, nor do we create equally stressful living environments. The underlying causes of such individual variation are, in part, heritable. Two possible mechanisms through which genetic variation modulates the link between stress and coronary disease are cardiovascular stress reactivity and coronary-prone personality. Both possess characteristics of genetic markers: they are stable, familial, and heritable; they associate with the disease and are prospectively predictive of it. Twin-family data on cardiovascular stress reactivity and coronary-prone personality provide instructive illustrations of the interrelationship of genes, stress, and the heart.
Do Indole Markers Predict Carcinoid Heart Disease

Deficiency of tryptophan with elevated serum serotonin and liver dysfunction are the prerequisites for the experimental production of cardiac lesions in the guinea pig model of carcinoid syndrome. To apply the above principles in human subjects with carcinoid disease, various indole markers were compared in patients with or without heart involvement, to a group of normal subjects. In the present study, plasma tryptophan (T), serotonin (5HT), and urinary 5 hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5HIAA) measurements were made in 18 (group 1) patients with carcinoid syndrome and 24 normal individuals (group 2). Of the 18 patients, seven (group 1A) had valvular involvement and 11 (group 1B) had none, as determined by clinical, roentgenographic, and echocardiographic (M-mode and 2-D) techniques. Analysis of the above data shows that unlike animal models, there is no difference in serum tryptophan, serum serotonin, and urinary 5 hydroxyindoleacetic acid levels, in patients with carcinoid syndrome with or without cardiac involvement (p >0.05). Furthermore, the data confirm that serum tryptophan, a substrate in carcinoid syndrome, is decreased and in serum serotonin and urinary 5 hydroxyindoleacetic acid, the metabolites are elevated.
Computing at the Crossroads (And What Does it Mean to Verification and Test

Today, we are interpreting computation as the execution of complex algorithms that are executed in sequential fashion and are bound to deliver deterministic answers. A number of factors are conspiring to fundamentally change that model. First, with scaling of technology to the nanoscale dimensions, it is quite certain that the underlying hardware platform will be all but deterministic (given effects such as variability and error susceptibility). Second, the emergence of distributed computation impacts the type of algorithms that are favored. Finally, many of the interesting problems to be tackled lay in the domain of perception and cognition, and most of these challenges tend to be statistical in nature. It is hence quite plausible that the nature of computation and the underlying hardware platforms will become statistical. These trends will have a profound effect on the way we verify and test designs. It is paramount that we start to explore what all of this means today if we want to be prepared for what tomorrow will bring.
Geomorphology and natural hazards

Abstract Natural hazards research was initiated in the 1960's by Gilbert White and his students who promulgated a research paradigm that involved assessing risk from a natural event, identifying adjustments to cope with the hazard, determining people's perception of the event, defining the process by which people choose adjustments, and estimating the effects of public policy on the choice process. Studies of the physical system played an important role in early research, but criticismsof the paradigm resulted in a shift to a prominence of social science. Geomorphologists are working to fill gaps in knowledge of the physical aspects of individual hazards, but use of the information by social scientists will only occur if information is presented in a format that is useful to them. One format involves identifying the hazard according to seven physical parameters established by White and his colleagues: magnitude, frequency, duration, areal extent, speed of onset, spatial dispersion, and temporal spacing. Geomorphic hazards are regarded as related to landscape changes that affect human systems. The processes that produce the changes are rarely geomorphic in nature, but are better regarded as atmospheric or hydrologic. An examination of geomorphic hazards in four fields — soil erosion, mass movement, coastal erosion and fluvial erosion — demonstrates that advances in those fields may be evaluated in terms of the seven parameters. Geomorphologists have contributed to hazard research by focusing on the dynamics of the landforms. The prediction of occurence, the determination of spatial and temporal characteristics, the impact of physical characteristics on people's perception, and the impact of physical characteristics on adjustment formulation. Opportunities for geomorphologists to improve our understanding of geomorphic hazards include research into the characteristics of the events particularly with respect to predicting the occurence, and increased evaluation of the impact of human activities on natural systems.
Negative-U Properties for Point Defects in Silicon*

A defect has negative-U properties if it can trap two electrons (or holes) with the second bound more strongly than the first. It is as if there were a net attraction between the two carriers (negative Hubbard correlation energy U) at the defect, and the defect energy levels in the gap are therefore inverted from their normal order. Experimental evidence is presented that interstitial boron and the lattice vacancy, both common simple point defects produced by electron irradiation of silicon, have this unusual property. These defects represent the first and only concrete examples of negative-U centers in any material and serve as models for an understanding of the phenomenon.
Human cerebral neuropathology of Type 2 diabetes mellitus

The cerebral neuropathology of Type 2 diabetes (CNDM2) has not been positively defined. This review includes a description of CNDM2 research from before the 'Pubmed Era'. Recent neuroimaging studies have focused on cerebrovascular and white matter pathology. These and prior studies about cerebrovascular histopathology in diabetes are reviewed. Evidence is also described for and against the link between CNDM2 and Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis. To study this matter directly, we evaluated data from University of Kentucky Alzheimer's Disease Center (UK ADC) patients recruited while non-demented and followed longitudinally. Of patients who had come to autopsy (N = 234), 139 met inclusion criteria. These patients provided the basis for comparing the prevalence of pathological and clinical indices between well-characterized cases with (N = 50) or without (N = 89) the premortem diagnosis of diabetes. In diabetics, cerebrovascular pathology was more frequent and Alzheimer-type pathology was less frequent than in non-diabetics. Finally, a series of photomicrographs demonstrates histopathological features (including clinical-radiographical correlation) observed in brains of persons that died after a history of diabetes. These preliminary, correlative, and descriptive studies may help develop new hypotheses about CNDM2. We conclude that more work should be performed on human material in the context of CNDM2.
Perchloric acid titrations with a commercially available electrode

The combination electrode1 is a suitable electrode for potentiometric titrations in water miscible and immiscible, nonaqueous solvents with perchloric acid in glacial acetic acid or dioxane as a titrant. The construction of the electrode is such that high resistance solvents and mercuric acetate contamination should not limit its usefulness. When prolonged exposure of the electrode to glacial acetic acid is anticipated, an alternate electrolyte should be considered.
Route guidance and information systems

AbstractThis paper reviews key aspects of route guidance and information systems (RGISs), which disseminate to drivers messages with information and recommendations intended to assist their route choice decisions. It first summarizes the major features that characterize and distinguish different RGIS designs. An important distinction exists between non-predictive and predictive systems. In the former, guidance messages are based on measurements or estimates of prevailing network conditions, while, in the latter, messages are derived from forecasts of future conditions. For predictive systems, the key issue is consistency: ensuring that drivers’ reactions to guidance derived from forecasts do not invalidate those forecasts. It is shown that the determination of consistent guidance must be model based and can be formulated as a fixed-point problem. The modelling of driver response to guidance is a relatively new subject; the paper surveys the main issues, and relates these to the user-and system-level evalu...
Analogical learning in a turn-based strategy game

A key problem in playing strategy games is learning how to allocate resources effectively. This can be a difficult task for machine learning when the connections between actions and goal outputs are indirect and complex. We show how a combination of structural analogy, experimentation, and qualitative modeling can be used to improve performance in optimizing food production in a strategy game. Experimentation bootstraps a case library and drives variation, while analogical reasoning supports retrieval and transfer. A qualitative model serves as a partial domain theory to support adaptation and credit assignment. Together, these techniques can enable a system to learn the effects of its actions, the ranges of quantities, and to apply training in one city to other, structurally different cities. We describe experiments demonstrating this transfer of learning.
Dual Chamber Pacemakers: Upper Rate Behavior

Upper rate management of a dual chamber pacemaker requires sensing of the atrium and limitation of ventricular response to desired levels. Limitation of ventricular rate response is accomplished by setting atrial channel refractoriness which consists of two separate and continuous intervals, the atrioventricular interval (AV interval) and the atrial refractory interval, after the ventricular pace or sense event (AR interval). A P-wave that falls within the total atrial refractory interval (TARI) remains unsensed and one that falls beyond the TARI is sensed. If the upper rate limit interval (URI) is programmed to equal the TARI, the upper rate limit will occur by development of sudden AV block. If the URI is of greater duration (lower allowed rate) than the TARI, the difference in interval between the two is the Wenckebach interval (WI) and is the duration of a response plateau, when the atrial coupling interval is less than the upper rate interval. All dual chamber timing cycles can be interpreted in terms of atrial refractoriness and upper rate limitation with consideration of the lower rate interval, and the ventricular refractory and blanking intervals.
Adolescent Family Counseling: Some Different Perspectives:

Recent wvritings in the family counseling literature question traditional notions of adolescence as being a time of "storm and stress" characterized by family conflict where peers replace family members as significant others. Several of these alternative perspectives are offered for family counselors to consider.
Small signal stability and centralized control design of modern distribution systems

This paper investigates small signal stability and designing advanced centralized control to enhance robustness and dynamic performance of a modern distribution system with high penetration of distributed generators (DG). The paper mainly concerns comparison of classical, H 2 and H ∞ control strategies on system stability. The target performance is to satisfy stability of the system and improve nominal performance of DGs. Therefore, first we design a base controller for the system using classic control. Then, H 2 and H ∞ control systems are designed in order to warrant both nominal stability and dynamic performance of the system. Finally, the results of three control strategies are compared and the general findings of the paper are discussed.
Viewing Chemokines as a Third Major System of Communication in the Brain

There is irrefutable proof that opioids and other classes of centrally acting drugs have profound effects on the immune system. Evidence is mounting that products of the immune system, such as chemokines, can reciprocally alter the actions of these drugs and the endogenous ligands for their receptors. Chemokines are a family of small (8 to 12 kDa) proteins involved in cellular migration and intercellular communication. With a few exceptions, they act on more than one receptor. Although the chemokines and their G protein-coupled receptors are located in both glia and neurons throughout the brain, they are not uniformly distributed. They are found in such brain areas as the hypothalamus, nucleus accumbens, limbic system, hippocampus, thalamus, cortex, and cerebellum. Among the chemokines differentially localized in brain neurons and glia are CCL2/MCP-1, CXCL12/SDF-1α, CX3CL1/fractalkine, CXCL10/IP 10, CCL3/MIP-1α, and CCL5/RANTES. Functional roles for the chemokine system, composed of the chemokine ligands and their receptors, have been suggested in brain development and heterologous desensitization. The system can alter the actions of neuronally active pharmacological agents such as opioids and cannabinoids and interact with neurotransmitter systems. In this review, we propose that the endogenous chemokine system in the brain acts in concert with the neurotransmitter and neuropeptide systems to govern brain function. It can thus be thought of as the third major system in the brain.
On Leaving Home and the Flight From Trauma

This paper is both autobiographical and clinical—a psychoanalyst's reflections about important transitional moments in his life. Examples of such moments are the cultural blind spot regarding the affect of the Holocaust experience on the hundreds of thousands of survivors who immigrated to Israel after World War II and his own professional disavowal of that experience and his eventual finding of “shared home” in listening to the trauma discourse of Holocaust survivors and to that of other severely traumatized patients. This paper also highlights the importance for the immigrant analyst of presenting the cultural perspective stemming from his own tradition and background, and the one acquired in his new home, side by side and in dialogue with each other. Finally, the author examines how being a trauma survivor and an immigrant informs his work as a psychoanalyst.
Family perspectives on end-of-life care experiences in nursing homes

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to expand knowledge regarding end-of-life care received in nursing homes through the use of narrative interviews with family members close to the decedents. Design and Methods: We conducted follow-up qualitative interviews with 54 respondents who had participated in an earlier national survey of 1,578 informants. Interviews were taped and transcribed and then coded by a five-member, multidisciplinary team to identify overarching themes. Results: Respondents report that the needs of dying patients are often insufficiently addressed by health care professionals. Their low expectations of nursing homes and their experiences cause many to become vigilant advocates. Respondents report that physicians are often ‘‘missing in action,’’ and they desire more and better trained staff. They indicate that regulations reinforce task-focused rather than person-centered care and add to patient and family burden. Although hospice services are reported to enhance end-of-life care, respondents also report late referrals and occasional misunderstandings about the role and scope of hospice. Implications: Sustained efforts on many fronts are needed to improve end-of-life care in nursing homes. Policy recommendations are suggested.
Documentation of Body Mass Index and Control of Associated Risk Factors in a Large Primary Care Network

Body mass index (BMI) will be a reportable health measure in the United States (US) through implementation of Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) guidelines. We evaluated current documentation of BMI, and documentation and control of associated risk factors by BMI category, based on electronic health records from a 12-clinic primary care network. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 79,947 active network patients greater than 18 years of age seen between 7/05 - 12/06. We defined BMI category as normal weight (NW, 18-24.9 kg/m2), overweight (OW, 25-29.9), and obese (OB, ≥ 30). We measured documentation (yes/no) and control (above/below) of the following three risk factors: blood pressure (BP) ≤130/≤85 mmHg, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) ≤130 mg/dL (3.367 mmol/L), and fasting glucose <100 mg/dL (5.55 mmol/L) or casual glucose <200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L). BMI was documented in 48,376 patients (61%, range 34-94%), distributed as 30% OB, 34% OW, and 36% NW. Documentation of all three risk factors was higher in obesity (OB = 58%, OW = 54%, NW = 41%, p for trend <0.0001), but control of all three was lower (OB = 44%, OW = 49%, NW = 62%, p = 0.0001). The presence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) or diabetes modified some associations with obesity, and OB patients with CVD or diabetes had low rates of control of all three risk factors (CVD: OB = 49%, OW = 50%, NW = 56%; diabetes: OB = 42%, OW = 47%, NW = 48%, p < 0.0001 for adiposity-CVD or diabetes interaction). In a large primary care network BMI documentation has been incomplete and for patients with BMI measured, risk factor control has been poorer in obese patients compared with NW, even in those with obesity and CVD or diabetes. Better knowledge of BMI could provide an opportunity for improved quality in obesity care.
Two New Species of Nosema (Microsporida: Nosematidae) from the Mexican Bean Beetle Epilachna varivestis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae),

Two new species of the genus Nosema (Microsporida: Nosematidae) are described from the Mexican bean beetle, Epilachna varivestis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and their life cycle stages studied by light and electron microscopy. Both species are monomorphic and disporous: they develop in direct contact with the cytoplasm of host cells and the nuclei of all stages are diplokaryotic. The more virulent species produces systemic infections most extensively in the adipose tissue, muscles, and Malpighian tubules of larvae and also invades the reproductive tissues of adult beetles. During merogonic development, it forms chains of diplokaryotic meronts. The fine structure of the sporoblast nuclei shows clumped material in the pole of each nucleus opposite their common plane of apposition. Spores are straight to slightly curved and ovocylindrical in shape and they measure 5.3 ± 0.13 × 2.1 ± 0.03 μm. The less virulent species also invades most host tissues but does not develop in the midgut epithelium; the Malpighian tubules are the principal site of its development and it also invades the ovaries and testes of adult beetles. Merogony occurs exclusively as the result of binary fission of diplokaryotic meronts. The plasmalemma of the meronts is covered with a thin deposit of exospore material upon which are located closely packed tubules that encircle the body transversely. A thickened deposit of exospore material on the surface of the diplokaryotic sporonts later obscures these tubules. Other tubules occur free in the host cell cytoplasm or attached to the plasmalemma of meronts and sporonts. Secretory granules also occur free or in chains in the host cytoplasm and are probably produced from the surface of the sporoblasts. Sporoblasts also contain an unusual cup-shaped organelle associated with a dense body, which is apparently involved in the formation of the polar tube and its associated organelles in the anterior part of the spore. Spores are ellipsoidal to slightly pyriform and measure 4.7 ± 0.06 × 2.6 ± 0.03 μm.
Tangible User Interfaces Compensate for Low Spatial Cognition

This research investigates how interacting with tangible user interfaces (TUIs) affects spatial cognition. To study the impact of TUIs, a between subjects study was conducted (n=60) in which students learned about the operation of an anesthesia machine. A TUI was compared to two other interfaces commonly used in anesthesia education: (1) a Graphical User Interface (a 2D abstract simulation model of an anesthesia machine) and (2) a Physical User Interface (a real world anesthesia machine). Overall, the TUI was found to significantly compensate for low user spatial cognition in the domain of anesthesia machine training.
Studies on Digitalis XIV: Influence of Cardiac Norepinephrine Stores on the Response of Isolated Heart Muscle to Digitalis

On the basis of studies on cardiac tissue removed from animals treated with antiadrenergic drugs, a number of investigators have suggested that the positive inotropic response to digitalis requires norepinephrine in the cardiac muscle. In the present study the action of strophanthidin was studied in isolated papillary muscles obtained from normal cat hearts, from chronic, totally cardiac-denervated, norepinephrine-depleted hearts, and from reserpine-treated, norepinephrine-depleted cats. Complete force-velocity and length-tension curves were recorded. Following the addition of strophanthidin (1.0µg/ml) to the bath, maximum isometric tension rose by averages of 2.17 ± 0.32 g/mm 2 in the normal muscles and 2.65 ± 0.50 g/mm 2 in the muscles from the denervated cats, but increased significantly less ( P 2 ). In addition to these changes in isometric tension, strophanthidin increased the maximum velocity of contraction (V max ) to a comparable extent in normal and denervated muscles, with a smaller elevation of V max in reserpine-treated muscles. Strophanthidin reduced the absolute refractory period to an equal extent in all three groups of muscles. From a comparison of the inotropic responses of the muscles from normal and cardiac-denervated cats it is concluded that cardiac norepinephrine stores and neural integrity are not essential for the positive inotropic effect of strophanthidin or for its effects on the duration of the absolute refractory period. However, it appears that prior reserpine treatment may interfere with the inotropic response to digitalis by a mechanism other than norepinephrine depletion.
Magnetic flux compression Generators

Magnetic flux compression generators offer the largest pulsed power output per unit size or weight when compared with other more conventional systems. They have found widespread use as pulsed power sources for hydrodynamics programs and high magnetic field research at national laboratories or in commercial applications, including exploration for oil and minerals and mine detection. Also, due to their nature as a true one-time-use device with superior energy density, a large portion of applications is defense related. A variety of basic magnetic flux compression generator designs have been developed and tested during the past four decades. All of them rely on the explosive-driven deformation of a system of conductors having an initial, preferably large, inductance. The most successful basic design is the helical flux compression generator, which is capable of producing a high-energy output into large impedance loads, just as it is needed for a practical pulsed power source. This paper will review the advances and state of the art of primarily helical magnetic flux compression generators mainly developed as pulsed power sources and will offer new insights gained as a result of a recently completed five-year AFOSR/DoD Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative program that studied the basic physics and engineering aspects of helical flux compression generators.
A quinidine transformation product isolated from quinidine injection

A substance found in quinidine gluconate injection containing α-thioglycerol as a stabilizer has been identified as α-(6 – methoxy – 4 – quinolyl) – 5 – (5,6 – dihydroxy – 3 – thia – n -hexyl)-2-quinuclidine methanol. It is a product of anti-Markowni-koff addition of thioglycerol to the vinyl group of quinidine.
Chemopreventive and anti-angiogenic effects of dietary phenethyl isothiocyanate in an N-methyl nitrosourea-induced breast cancer animal model

The effect of phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), a component of cruciferous vegetables, on the initiation and progression of cancer was investigated in a chemically induced estrogen-dependent breast cancer model. Breast cancer was induced in female Sprague Dawley rats (8 weeks old) by the administration of N-methyl nitrosourea (NMU). Animals were administered 50 or 150 µmol/kg oral PEITC and monitored for tumor appearance for 18 weeks. The PEITC treatment prolonged the tumor-free survival time and decreased the tumor incidence and multiplicity. The time to the first palpable tumor was prolonged from 69 days in the control, to 84 and 88 days in the 50 and 150 µmol/kg PEITC-treated groups. The tumor incidence in the control, 50 µmol/kg, and 150 µmol/kg PEITC-treated groups was 56.6%, 25.0% and 17.2%, while the tumor multiplicity was 1.03, 0.25 and 0.21, respectively. Differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05) from the control, but there were no significant differences between the two dose levels. The intratumoral capillary density decreased from 4.21 ± 0.30 vessels per field in the controls to 2.46 ± 0.25 in the 50 µmol/kg and 2.36 ± 0.23 in the 150 µmol/kg PEITC-treated animals. These studies indicate that supplementation with PEITC prolongs the tumor-free survival, reduces tumor incidence and burden, and is chemoprotective in NMU-induced estrogen-dependent breast cancer in rats. For the first time, it is reported that PEITC has anti-angiogenic effects in a chemically induced breast cancer animal model, representing a potentially significant mechanism contributing to its chemopreventive activity.
Biology and host specificity of Spurgia capitigena (Bremi) (Dipt., Cecidomyiidae), for the biological control of Euphorbia esula L. in North America

:Spurgia capitigena (Bremi) was evaluated as a potential biological control agent of leafy spurge, Euphorbia esula L. (species complex) in North America. To ascertain the host specificity of this gall midge, tests were conducted in the field at Cavaillon, France, and at laboratories located in Rome, Italy and Bozeman, Montana, USA, in 1994 and 1995. Twenty-nine plant species, including eight native North American euphorbias and biotypes of E. esula, were evaluated. In the laboratory, the gall-midge was able to induce galls on seven species of spurges (all belonging to the subgenus Esula) and the three accessions of leafy spurge. In field tests, S. capitigena infested only E. esula. The biology and host specificity of S. capitigena from France appears to be similar to that observed for Spurgia esulae Gagne from Italy (=Bayeria capitigena Bremi). In France, this gall-midge was commonly observed from early May until October in habitats of very heavy and moist soils located along water channels, roadsides and in fruit orchards. Galls were induced on meristematic tissues, and thereby prevented flowering.
Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) block FSH-induced proteolysis of IGF-binding protein-5 (BP-5) in cultured rat granulosa cells.

Rat granulosa cells (GC), in vitro, express IGFBPs under the influence of both FSH and IGF-I. The major IGFBP produced by GC is a 28-29 K IGFBP, presumed to be IGFBP-5. When GC-conditioned medium (GC-CM) was assessed by Western Ligand Blotting (WLB), FSH appeared to decrease IGFBP-5, whereas IGF-I appeared to increase IGFBP-5 and to partially block the effects of FSH treatment. When GC-CM from FSH-treated cells was incubated with pure IGFBP-4 and IGFBP-5, the amount of IGFBP-5 (measurable by WLB) was decreased. Similarly, when GC-CM from FSH-treated cells was incubated with iodinated IGFBP-4 and IGFBP-5, IGFBP-5 (but not IGFBP-4) was proteolyzed into fragments of approximately 18 and 14 K. The ability of FSH-treated GC-CM to proteolyze IGFBP-5 was reduced by the addition of IGF-I to the reaction mixture. When the IGFBPs in GC-CM were evaluated by affinity crosslinking, GC-CM from control cultures contained one band with an apparent M(r) of approximately 34 K, whereas GC-CM from FSH-treated cultures displa...
A domain-specific cell based ASIC design methodology for digital signal processing applications

This paper proposes an innovative domain-specific cell based ASIC design flow to narrow the performance gap between the full custom ASIC design method and conventional standard-cell based ASIC design method. The flow can improve the design performance and still preserve the efficiency of the standard ASIC design flow. Targeting on digital signal processing applications, a domain-specific cell library is provided to augment of standard cell libraries. Experimental results of designing macros such as FFT, FIR etc. are shown in the paper. Based on this methodology a 64-tap FFT can achieve up to 24X performance improvement, with the power/spl times/delay/spl times/area (PDA) criteria, over the conventional designed ASICs.
Dynamics of power MOSFET switching under unclamped inductive loading conditions

The parasitic bipolar transistor inherent in a vertical power DMOSFET structure can have a significant impact on its reliability. Unclamped Inductive Switching (UIS) tests were used to examine the reliability of DMOSFET's in extremely harsh switching conditions. The reliability of a power DMOSFET under UIS conditions is directly related to the amount of avalanche energy the device can survive. A number of DMOSFET structures were critically examined under UIS conditions to determine the impact of bipolar transistor parameters on device reliability. The UIS dynamics were studied based on the results obtained from an advanced mixed device and circuit simulator in which the internal carrier dynamics were evaluated under boundary conditions imposed by the circuit operation. It is shown that premature open base bipolar transistor breakdown can occur when the p-base sheet resistance is high. A device structure with a shallow self-aligned p/sup +/ region is shown to prevent the parasitic bipolar turn-on and avoid premature UIS breakdown without compromising the power-switching efficiency. The simulation results are shown to be in excellent agreement with the measured data under a wide range of inductive loading conditions.
The Emergence of Carcinogens During the Evolution of Living Systems

A correlation is explored between the appearance of chemical carcinogens throughout the evolution of living systems and a plausible chronology for the emergence of cancer cells. A model of malignancy in the form of a prebiotic neoplastic cell may have existed before the occurrence of normal cells. It is more likely, however, that malignant cells arose by the interaction of chemical agents with normal cells. In the early stages of Biochemical Evolution, the presence of certain molecules, ranging from inorganic substances to polycyclic hydrocarbons, may have constituted the first abiotic carcinogens (protocarcinogens). A variety of carcinogenic alkylating agents which exist in certain plants (actinomycetales, fungi) as secondary products of their metabolism, may have emerged during the early period of Biological Evolution. Favorable conditions for the first interaction between these substances (paleocarcinogens) and primitive metazoans probably occurred in the early Paleozoic. This probability of interaction reached a maximum in the Mesozoic where the abundance of plants containing toxic and potent carcinogenic substances (ferns, cycads) might have caused poisoning and malignant tumor formation of pandemic proportions in animals. In contrast, there exists only an insignificant proportion of present day angiosperms containing carcinogens of low potency. A parallel is drawn between the possible effect of plant carcinogens in the geological past, and the threat posed by substances of technological origin which abound and proliferate in today’s environment.
Laboratory Measures as Proxies for Primary Care Encounters: Implications for Quantifying Clinical Retention Among HIV-Infected Adults in North America

Because of limitations in the availability of data on primary care encounters, patient retention in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care is often estimated using laboratory measurement dates as proxies for clinical encounters, leading to possible outcome misclassification. This study included 83,041 HIV-infected adults from 14 clinical cohorts in the North American AIDS Cohort Collaboration on Research and Design (NA-ACCORD) who had ≥1 HIV primary care encounters during 2000-2010, contributing 468,816 person-years of follow-up. Encounter-based retention (REB) was defined as ≥2 encounters in a calendar year, ≥90 days apart. Laboratory-based retention (RLB) was defined similarly, using the dates of CD4-positive cell counts or HIV-1 RNA measurements. Percentage of agreement and the κ statistic were used to characterize agreement between RLB and REB. Logistic regression with generalized estimating equations and stabilized inverse-probability-of-selection weights was used to elucidate temporal trends and the discriminatory power of RLB as a predictor of REB, accounting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, primary HIV risk factor, and cohort site as potential confounders. Both REB and RLB increased from 2000 to 2010 (from 67% to 78% and from 65% to 77%, respectively), though REB was higher than RLB throughout (P < 0.01). RLB agreed well with REB (80%-86% agreement; κ = 0.55-0.62, P < 0.01) and had a strong, imperfect ability to discriminate between persons retained and not retained in care by REB (C statistic: C = 0.81, P < 0.05). As a proxy for REB, RLB had a sensitivity and specificity of 84% and 77%, respectively, with misclassification error of 18%.
Post-Arms Race Clean-up Effort in the United States of America

During the 20th Century, the discovery of nuclear energy changed world history irrevocably. The legacy of atomic energy’s development, both for nuclear power and nuclear weapons, includes unique radiation hazards, unprecedented volumes of contaminated water and soil, and a vast number of contaminated structures ranging from reactors to chemical plants for the extraction of nuclear material to evaporation ponds. This widespread contamination has given rise to the United States Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Environmental Management (EM) programme. The United States is now engaged in refocusing the commitment, which built the most powerful weapons ever conceived, to an environmental stewardship ethic that will focus the world’s talents on framing the future. This paper describes the present state of DOE’s EM programme.
Effects of a School-Based Social–Emotional and Character Development Program on Health Behaviors: A Matched-Pair, Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial

There is considerable research that suggests that school-based social–emotional programs can foster improved mental health and reduce problem behaviors for participating youth; in contrast, much less is known about the impact of these programs on physical health, even though some of these programs also include at least limited direct attention to promoting physical health behaviors. We examined the effects of one such program, Positive Action (PA), on physical health behaviors and body mass index (BMI), and tested for mediation of program effects through a measure of social–emotional and character development (SECD). Participating schools in the matched-pair, cluster-randomized trial were 14 low-performing K-8 Chicago Public Schools. We followed a cohort of students in each school from grades 3 to 8 (eight waves of data collection; 1170 total students). Student self-reports of health behaviors served as the basis for measures of healthy eating and exercise, unhealthy eating, personal hygiene, consistent bedtime, and SECD. We collected height and weight measurements at endpoint to calculate age- and gender-adjusted BMI z-scores. Longitudinal multilevel modeling analyses revealed evidence of favorable program effects on personal hygiene [effect size (ES) = 0.48], healthy eating and exercise (ES = 0.21), and unhealthy eating (ES = −0.19); in addition, BMI z-scores were lower among students in PA schools at endpoint (ES = −0.21). Program effects were not moderated by either gender or student mobility. Longitudinal structural equation modeling demonstrated mediation through SECD for healthy eating and exercise, unhealthy eating, and personal hygiene. Findings suggest that a SECD program without a primary focus on health behavior promotion can have a modest impact on outcomes in this domain during the childhood to adolescence transition.
Examining social capital within a local food system

In this article, we examine the role that social capital plays in sustainable local food networks and community development. Through a qualitative study, we explored the current local food system in the Midwest in the United States, and we began to describe the role that social capital can play in developing this community. We asked the research questions: How can local food systems contribute to the development of social capital in a community and how does the social capital contribute to the development of the local food system? We used grounded theory methods to explore and understand how to support and expand the food system for locally produced foods, including production, distribution, marketing, and promotion. The informants were local foods participants from a community who had roles as growers, producers, educators, and advocates. We found that social capital among the participants, while present and contributing to the system, is weakened by a lack of trust and divided goals. We theorize that social capital expands in a community as a consequence of the connections and reciprocity that emerge with the development of a locally grown food system when facilitated by trust and unified goals among the participants.
TRPV4 channels regulate tumor angiogenesis via modulation of Rho/Rho kinase pathway

Targeting angiogenesis is considered a promising therapy for cancer. Besides curtailing soluble factor mediated tumor angiogenesis, understanding the unexplored regulation of angiogenesis by mechanical cues may lead to the identification of novel therapeutic targets. We have recently shown that expression and activity of mechanosensitive ion channel transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) is suppressed in tumor endothelial cells and restoring TRPV4 expression or activation induces vascular normalization and improves cancer therapy. However, the molecular mechanism(s) by which TRPV4 modulates angiogenesis are still in their infancy. To explore how TRPV4 regulates angiogenesis, we have employed TRPV4 null endothelial cells (TRPV4KO EC) and TRPV4KO mice. We found that absence of TRPV4 (TRPV4KO EC) resulted in a significant increase in proliferation, migration, and abnormal tube formation in vitro when compared to WT EC. Concomitantly, sprouting angiogenesis ex vivo and vascular growth in vivo was enhanced in TRPV4KO mice. Mechanistically, we observed that loss of TRPV4 leads to a significant increase in basal Rho activity in TRPV4KO EC that corresponded to their aberrant mechanosensitivity on varying stiffness ECM gels. Importantly, pharmacological inhibition of the Rho/Rho kinase pathway by Y-27632 normalized abnormal mechanosensitivity and angiogenesis exhibited by TRPV4KO EC in vitro. Finally, Y-27632 treatment increased pericyte coverage and in conjunction with Cisplatin, significantly reduced tumor growth in TRPV4KO mice. Taken together, these data suggest that TRPV4 regulates angiogenesis endogenously via modulation of EC mechanosensitivity through the Rho/Rho kinase pathway and can serve as a potential therapeutic target for cancer therapy.
Variability in orthostatic tolerance during heat stress: cerebrovascular reactivity to arterial carbon dioxide.

Introduction A high degree of interindividual variability exists in the magnitude of heat stress (HS)-induced reductions in orthostatic tolerance relative to normothermia (NT). This variability may be associated with HS-mediated reductions in cerebral perfusion (indexed as middle cerebral artery blood velocity; MCAV(mean)) and altered cerebrovascular regulation. Methods We tested the hypothesis that cerebrovascular reactivity to hypocapnia would be positively correlated with differences in tolerance to lower body negative pressure (LBNP) [assessed with a cumulative stress index (CSI)] between HS and NT (CSI(diff)). Subjects (N = 13) underwent LBNP twice (NT and HS) separated by > 72 h to assess CSI. On a third day, cerebrovascular reactivity [changes in cerebral vascular conductance (CVCi) during hyperventilation-induced hypocapnia (indexed by end tidal carbon dioxide; P(ET)CO2)] was assessed during NT, HS, and HS+LBNP (-20 mmHg; HS(LBNP)). Results Tolerance to LBNP was reduced after a 1.5 +/- 0.1 degrees C increase in internal temperature and a high degree of variability was observed for CSI(diff) (range: 122 to 1826 mmHg x min(-1)). The magnitude of reduction in CVCi during voluntary hyperventilation-induced hypocapnia (-16 +/- 5 Torr) was attenuated during HS and HS(LBNP) VS. NT (NT: -0.20 +/- 0.09 cm x s(-1) x mmHg(-1); HS: -0.12 +/- 0.09 cm x s(-1) x mmHg(-1); HS(LBNP): -0.11 +/- 0.11 cm x s(-1). mmHg(-1)); however, no relationship existed between deltaCVCi/ P(ET)CO2 and CSI(diff) in any condition. Conclusions Cerebrovascular reactivity to hyperventilation-induced hypocapnia is attenuated when internal temperature is elevated, perhaps as a protective mechanism to protect against further reductions in the already diminished cerebral perfusion in this thermal state. However, individual differences in these responses do not appear to predict orthostatic tolerance during HS.
Commercialization as a recommended approach to hospital restructuring. Case study of Łańcut Medical Center

Our society is on the brink of health care system reorganization and implementation of new medical technology. Hospitals have to be a core component of the medical revolution so they have to be prepared for the upcoming leap in their development. If Poland wants to be a pioneer in providing new medical solutions, the current ineffective system has to be changed. The necessary action should be taken to deal with the financial problems Polish hospitals have faced for over 20 years. The current structure of hospitals - SPZOZ, is old-fashioned and cannot adapt to a turbulent social and economic environment. The hospitals should be commercialized and restructured. Being capitalized companies will give incentives and new tools to deal with financial problems. The article presents an example of the commercialized hospital in £ancut. We make the observations that commercialization increases: a hospital’s profitability, its employment productivity, its capital investment spending and leverage. The case proves that the transformation of hospitals to capital companies proposed by the Ministry of Health may be an appropriate approach and it does work once a reasonable management board is in charge. However, the legal structure alteration should be treated as the first step in the overall restructuring process. The article highlights the problem of managers of Polish hospitals who do not only struggle with financial shortages, but barely know which business model they should follow after commercialization to successfully run the restructuring process. Having examined the LMC the authors are crafting a prelude to the overall research on already commercialized hospitals to find an appropriate business model.
ANALYSIS OF VOLCANIC FACIES OF YINGCHENG FORMATION IN XUJAWEIZI FAULTING DEPRESSION,SONGLIAO BASIN NORTHEAST CHINA

Based on synthesize analysis of core observation,thin sections identification and integration of well log and 3D seismic data,we conducted a detailed divided in Yingcheng Formation in Xujiaweizi Faulting.This area mainly develop lava、athrogenic rock and sedimentary athrogenic rock 3 kinds of volcanic rock,four kinds of volcanic lithofacies and eight kinds of intrafacies are identified in this area.Different volcanic lithology and lithofacies develop different reservoir,so the analysis of volcanic lithofacies is very important for oil and gas exploration.
The defending effect analysis of anti-flashover insulation sheath for the bird's dropping flashover

As a new protection methord of bird's dropping flashover in the overhead power transmission line,The anti-flashover insulation sheath takes effect by reducing the bearing voltage of the insulator.It is feasible theoretically,but the practical effects are not verified yet.So by analyzing the course of the bird's droppings flashover and establishing the simulation model and testing platform for bird's dropping flashover of the overhead power transmission line,verifies the protective effect of the anti-flashover insulation sheath for the bird's dropping flashover.The result shows that when its thickness is enough,the insulation sheath can prevent the bird's droppings flashover the overhead power transmission line effectively.
Diagnostic value of fiberobronchoscopy in endobronchial tuberculosis

Objective To assess the value of fiberobronchoscopy in the diagnosis of endobronchial tuberculosis. Methods A total of 67 children suspected of endobronchial tuberculosis in our ward from March 2010 to December 2012 had been tested by chest CT and fiberobronchoscopy, mycobacteria culture, liquid-based interlayer vessel technique and FQ-PCR from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and biopsy. Results 50 patients were clinically diagnosed as endobronchial tuberculosis. The positive rate of FQ-PCR(60%) and liquid-based interlayer vessel technique(42%) are higher than that of mycobacteria culture(20%), which showed no significant difference with biopsy. The positive rate of the combined detection(FQ-PCR and liquid-based interlayer vessel technique) is significantly higher than that of mycobacteria culture and biopsy. Conclusions Fiberobronchoscopy is effective for the diagnosis of endobronchial tuberculosis.
Spatial autocorrelation of individual tree characteristics in loblolly pine stands

Mathematical methods of assessing the levels of spatial autocorrelation in forest stands were identified. These methods were used to investigate spatial autocorrelation associated with tree characteristics such as product, defect, species class, and basal area. With the exception of the species classification, significant levels of spatial autocorrelation were not associated with any discrete variable. For individual tree basal area, the levels of spatial autocorrelation tended to be positive for low levels of competition, negative at intermediate levels of competition, and positive again at high levels of competition. Using measures of spatial autocorrelation, characteristics were assigned to individual trees in computer generated stands. These methods, applicable for discrete or continuous characteristics, assign the characteristics to individual trees depending on the spatial location of the individual tree and characteristics of its neighbors. FOREST SCl. 31:5 7 5-5 8 7. ADDITIONAL