cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mass transfer across a sheared, wavy air-water interface

Abstract The influence of surface motion on liquid phase controlled mass transfer is reviewed. The influence of surface waves and water drift current on air-water exchange was explored theoretically and experimentally, in a laboratory wind-wave facility. The results were analyzed by a surface renewal model. It was found that capillary waves contributed significantly to the enhancement of mass transfer rates at low water friction velocities (forUw* ≲ 1.5 cm s-1). At higher friction velocities, the rather spectacular increase in mass transfer was associated primarily with the turbulent water drift current. A convenient correlation is proposed for the liquid phase mass transfer coefficient with the water side friction velocity as the only hydrodynamic parameter. This correlation describes both laboratory and in situ data satisfactorily.
Cytochemical observations on the transport of horseradish peroxidase in different segments of the nephron.

Kidney slices from rats injected with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) 5–10 min before sacrifice were fixed with formaldehyde vapour for 4 hr at 37°C and compared with tissue fixed by perfusion or by immersion. Much more of the injected protein was retained in extracellular and vascular spaces of the nephron in vapour-fixed than in perfusion-fixed or immersion-fixed tissue. The extracellular localization of HRP in the lateral intercellular spaces and in the infoldings of the basal cell membranes showed characteristic differences in different segments of the nephron. The high concentration of HRP in the lateral intercellular spaces of the collecting tubules, as well as the early location of small phagosomes containing HRP in the apical, lateral, and basal cell regions suggested that HRP was reabsorbed through the cytoplasm into the intercellular spaces or excreted in the opposite direction. The intercellular spaces in the terminal segments of the proximal tubules also showed high concentrations of HRP which suggests participation of these spaces in protein transport between the lumen and the peritubular capillaries. The extracellular concentration of HRP early after injection was found, by colorimetric assays of homogenates, to be several times higher in the papilla than in the cortex.
Differential phosphorylation of pp120 by insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 receptors: role for the C-terminal domain of the beta-subunit.

pp 120, a plasma membrane glycoprotein expressed by hepatocytes, is a substrate of the insulin receptor tyrosine kinase. Since insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and insulin receptors are structurally homologous, we investigated whether pp120 is also a substrate of the IGF-1 receptor tyrosine kinase. IGF-1 receptor failed to phosphorylate pp120 in response to IGF-1 in stably transfected NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. However, replacement of the C-terminal domain of the beta-subunit of the IGF-1 receptor with the corresponding fragment in the insulin receptor restored ligand-stimulated pp120 phosphorylation, suggesting that this domain plays a regulatory role in pp120 phosphorylation. Since pp120 is the first identified substrate specific for the insulin vis-a-vis the IGF-1 receptor tyrosine kinase, the pp120 signaling pathway may constitute a novel mechanism for the distinct cellular effects of insulin and IGF-1, the former being principally involved in metabolism, and the latter in mitogenesis.
Performance modeling of unmanned aerial vehicles with on-board energy harvesting

The concept of energy harvesting in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has received much attention in recent years. Solar powered flight of small aircraft dates back to the 1970s when the first fully solar flight of an unmanned aircraft took place. Currently, research has begun to investigate harvesting ambient vibration energy during the flight of UAVs. The authors have recently developed multifunctional piezoelectric self-charging structures in which piezoelectric devices are combined with thin-film lithium batteries and a substrate layer in order to simultaneously harvest energy, store energy, and carry structural load. When integrated into mass and volume critical applications, such as unmanned aircraft, multifunctional devices can provide great benefit over conventional harvesting systems. A critical aspect of integrating any energy harvesting system into a UAV, however, is the potential effect that the additional system has on the performance of the aircraft. Added mass and increased drag can significantly degrade the flight performance of an aircraft, therefore, it is important to ensure that the addition of an energy harvesting system does not adversely affect the efficiency of a host aircraft. In this work, a system level approach is taken to examine the effects of adding both solar and piezoelectric vibration harvesting to a UAV test platform. A formulation recently presented in the literature is applied to describe the changes to the flight endurance of a UAV based on the power available from added harvesters and the mass of the harvesters. Details of the derivation of the flight endurance model are reviewed and the formulation is applied to an EasyGlider remote control foam hobbyist airplane, which is selected as the test platform for this study. A theoretical study is performed in which the normalized change in flight endurance is calculated based on the addition of flexible thin-film solar panels to the upper surface of the wings, as well as the addition of flexible piezoelectric patches to the root of the wing spar. Experimental testing is also performed in which the wing spar of the EasyGlider aircraft is modified to include both Macro Fiber Composite and Piezoelectric Fiber Composite piezoelectric patches near the root of the wing and two thin-film solar panels are installed onto the upper wing surface to harvest vibration and solar energy during flight. Testing is performed in which the power output of the various harvesters is measured during flight. Results of the flight testing are used to update the model with accurate measures of the power available from the energy harvesting systems. Finally, the model is used to predict the potential benefits of adding multifunctional self-charging structures to the wing spar of the aircraft in order to harvest vibration energy during flight and provide a local power source for low-power sensors.
Spectral Transformation of Exelfs Data and a Structural Examination of Nitrogen on Cu(100) and Cu(110) Surfaces

EXtended Electron Energy Loss Fine Structure (EXELFS) spectra have been obtained above the K-edge of nitrogen atoms adsorbed on Cu. The radial distribution functions obtained from the fine structure indicate N-Cu bond lengths of 1.84(±.03) A and 1.81(±.03) A for nitrogen on the Cu(100) and Cu(110) surfaces respectively. As in previous EXELFS measurements, the actual measurements made are of N"(E) rather than direct measurement of N(E), the electron energy loss distribution. The EXELFS spectra from these two surfaces are used to illustrate the influence of this collection scheme on the radial distribution function obtained by Fourier transformation of the raw data. To obtain the direct analog of the radial distribution function found from the EXAFS experiment one must either resort to spectral integration or appropriate scaling of the distribution function found in the EXELFS experiment.
Total synthesis of (+)-sorangicin A.

The final synthetic challenges associated with (+)-sorangicin A have been overcome, thus leading to the first total synthesis of this complex macrolide antibiotic. Highlights of the highly convergent synthesis include two Julia−Kocienski olefinations to unite three advanced fragments with high E-stereoselectivity. Critical to the final-stage success was the use of a carefully defined Stille coupling and a Mukaiyama macrolactonization as well as Lewis and protic acid-promoted deprotections carefully designed to suppress E/Z isomerization and/or destruction of the delicate (Z,Z,E)-trienoate linkage.
Diagnosing social anxiety disorder in the presence of obesity: implications for a proposed change in DSM‐5

Background: The proposed draft of the DSM-5 from the Anxiety Disorder Workgroup recommends allowing the diagnosis of social anxiety disorder (SAD) in individuals with medical conditions, if the anxiety is considered to be excessive. Although prior research has examined diagnosing SAD in individuals with stuttering, such research has not yet been conducted in obese individuals. Methods: This study compared demographic and clinical characteristics of obese individuals diagnosed with DSM-IV SAD (n = 135), modified SAD (clinically significant social anxiety related to weight only; n = 40), and a group of obese individuals with no history of psychiatric disorders (n = 616). All participants were seeking psychiatric clearance for bariatric surgery and completed a comprehensive diagnostic interview. Results: The two social anxiety groups differed from the no disorder group on adolescent and past 5 years social functioning, and overall current functioning. Individuals with modified SAD had a later onset of their social anxiety, yet reported greater impairment in social life and distress about their social anxiety compared to the DSM-IV SAD group. Conclusions: Although both of the social anxiety groups differed from the no disorder group on social and overall functioning, there were few differences between those with DSM-IV SAD and modified SAD. This suggests that obese individuals with social anxiety related to weight only may experience comparable severity of anxiety to those with DSM-IV SAD, and supports adoption of the DSM-5 Workgroup's recommendation to change criterion H. Depression and Anxiety, 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Phagosomal membrane lipids of LM fibroblasts.

Murine fibroblasts, LM cells, were cultured in suspension or monolayer in a chemically defined medium without serum and exposed to polystyrene beads. The LM cells endocytized the beads in direct proportion to the bead/cell ratio and the bead surface area. However, equal volumes of beads irrespective of size or surface area were internalized. The lipid composition of the phagosome membrane differed significantly from the parent primary membrane in having higher contents of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, and sterol but lower contents of sphingomyelin and lysophosphatidylcholine. When phagosomes isolated from suspension-cultured LM fibroblasts were exposed to trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid at 4°C, 55±1.6% of the phagosomal membrane phosphatidylethanolamine was trinitrophenylated. The asymmetric distribution of phosphatidylethanolamine across the phagosomal membrane was not affected by the bead/cell ratio, bead diameter, or exposure time of LM fibroblasts to the beads. When cells were reacted with trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid at 4°C prior to phagocytosis, the amount of trinitrophenylphosphatidylethanolamine was greater in the isolated phagosomes than in the parent primary plasma membrane. Culturing LM fibroblasts in suspension or monolayer had no effect on the asymmetric distribution of phosphatidylethanolamine across primary plasma membrane bilayers. The data are consistent with the observation that LM fibroblasts grown either in suspension or monolayer internalize polystyrene beads at selective sites in the surface membrane.
Outcomes of Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy in Esophageal Cancer After Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy

Background Minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) is accepted for resection of early esophageal cancers. The optimal surgical approach for more advanced disease is unknown. An evaluation of MIE in patients with advanced tumors having undergone neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) is presented. Methods A retrospective review of patients with esophageal cancer who underwent MIE from November 2006 to November 2011 was performed Results In total, 96 consecutive patients underwent MIE for malignancy. Median age was 65 years (range 26 to 88), and 86% were male. Adenocarcinoma represented 87% of patients. Eighty-three percent of patients were staged IIa or higher and 62 (65%) patients received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Four (6%) patients additionally received intraoperative electron beam radiotherapy. Twenty-six (27%) patients received postoperative adjuvant therapy with 22 (85%) of these having also received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. All cases were completed thoraco-laparoscopically except for 2 conversions to mini-laparotomy. Twelve (12%) cervical anastomoses and 84 (88%) thoracic anastomoses were performed. Median operative time was 326 minutes (range 193 to 567) and did not differ significantly between those with and without nCRT. Complete pathologic response was seen in 21 (34%) of the 62 patients receiving neoadjuvant treatment. Major and minor morbidities were experienced in 28% and 38.5% of patients. There were 2 (2%) in-hospital mortalities; 1 each having received or not received neoadjuvant therapy. At median follow-up 24 months (range 3 to 70 months), overall survival was 58% and 55 (57%) patients were alive without recurrence. Conclusions Minimally invasive esophagectomy is an acceptable surgical therapy for advanced-stage esophageal malignancies after nCRT without evidence for increased morbidity or mortality.
Positively invariant closed sets for systems of delay differential equations

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the positive invariance of closed sets for systems of delay-differential equations. It presents an assumption where {X,〈,〉} is a complete real inner produce space and R is the real line. CB denotes the set of functions continuous and bounded on (−∞, 0] to X, and for φ ∈ CB, the chapter presents a definition of ∥ φ ∥ = sup{φ(s) | s ≤ 0}. Then, {CB, ∥ ∥} is a Banach space over the reals. f(t,φ) denotes a function on R × CB to X, x(t) being a function continuous on (−∞, T) to X where T ≤ ∞. For fixed t t denotes the function x(t + s), s ≤ 0. If t 0 t ). The chapter also discusses the outer normal.
Partial group delay and time-lagged relationships among multiple time series

Relationships among the components of a multiple time series are shown to simplify in the frequency domain to elementary, linear time-lagged relationships. The result provides a time-lag interpretation for the partial group delay between two components of a multiple time series.
Pharmacy Technicians and Medication Therapy Management

Background:Although cognitive services have become more widely accepted among pharmacists since Medicare Part D provided a benefit to allow for billing of services, not all pharmacists have incorporated services into their practices.Objective:To identify opportunities for pharmacy technicians to aid pharmacists in medication therapy management (MTM).Methods:Articles were identified through searches of MEDLINE/PubMed (1950–July 2008) and review of MTM resources from the American Pharmacists Association. Articles describing medication therapy management and pharmacy technicians were included.Results:As the pharmacy profession embraces extensive patient counseling in the form of MTM, many aspects of the practice of pharmacy need to evolve to ensure MTM program success. Time constraints limit the ability of pharmacists to handle administrative tasks and represent a major barrier to MTM program implementation. Technicians can do some of the work to reduce this barrier. With proper training, technicians can ass...
Bus rapid transit institutional issues: The route from research to experience

The institutional aspects of bus rapid transit (BRT) are investigated through a macroscopic examination and a survey of members of FTA's BRT Consortium and several Canadian transit properties. The macroscopic examination resulted from a literature review, project team brain-storming meetings, and input from FTA's BRT staff. Several dozen issues were identified and grouped into nine categories that formed the basis of the survey—intergovernmental and interorganizational; intratransit property; political; public relations and marketing; funding and finance; labor; safety and liability; planning and land use; and the physical environment. Specific issues were identified that, overall, are both the most important and most difficult to resolve—local and business community opposition to the removal of, or restrictions on, parking spaces for use; availability and acquisition of right-of-way or physical space; integration of multiple priorities, objectives, and agendas; concerns over longterm funding commitments ...
Stabilization of planar switched linear systems using polar coordinates

Analysis of stability and stabilizability of switched linear systems is a well-researched topic. This article pursues a polar coordinate approach which offers a convenient framework to analyze second-order continuous time switched linear systems. We elaborate on the analytic utility of polar coordinates and present necessary and sufficient conditions under which a stabilizing switched control law can be constructed. Implications of polar coordinate analysis for switched linear systems include sensitivity analysis of switching control laws and the design of oscillators.
Production of Major Extracellular Enzymes during Lignocellulose Degradation by Two Streptomycetes in Agitated Submerged Culture.

Abstract Streptomyces viridosporus T7A and S. badius 252 were grown in 1 to 2% (wt/vol) slurry cultures with mineral salts solution containing 0.6% yeast extract and 100/200 mesh ground and extracted corn lignocellulose at 37°C. Enzyme activities rapidly increased in the first 3 to 4 days and then declined and remained at a relatively constant level. Concentrations of endoglucanase and xylanase produced by S. badius were lower than those produced by S. viridosporus. However, the lignin-peroxidase peak concentration was threefold higher than with S. viridosporus and was obtained at 9 to 10 days of incubation. By polyacrylamide gel analysis, it was determined that peroxidases from both species consisted of four enzymes, with only one, the lignin peroxidase, having high activity. A culture pH of 8.5 was preferable for lignocellulose degradation by S. badius.
Technical and economic assessment of photovoltaic-driven desalination systems

Abstract Solar desalination systems are approaching technical and cost viability for producing fresh-water, a commodity of equal importance to energy in many arid and coastal regions worldwide. Solar photovoltaics (PV) represent an ideal, clean alternative to fossil fuels, especially for remote communities such as grid-limited villages or isolated islands. These applications for water production in remote areas are the first to be nearing cost-competitiveness due to decreasing PV prices and increasing fossil fuel prices over the last five years. The electricity produced from PV systems for desalination applications can be used for electro-mechanical devices such as pumps or in direct-current (DC) devices. Reverse osmosis (RO) and electrodialysis (ED) desalination units are the most favorable alternatives to be coupled with PV systems. RO usually operates on alternating current (AC) for the pumps, thus requiring a DC/AC inverter. In contrast, electrodialysis uses DC for the electrodes at the cell stack, and hence, it can use the energy supplied from the PV panels with some minor power conditioning. Energy storage is critical and batteries are required for sustained operation. In this paper, we discuss the operational features and system designs of typical PV-RO and PV-ED systems in terms of their suitability and optimization for PV operation. For PV-RO and PV-ED systems, we evaluate their electricity need, capital and operational costs, and fresh-water production costs. We cover ongoing and projected research and development activities, with estimates of their potential economics. We discuss the feasibility of future solar desalination based on expected (or predicted) improvements in technology of the desalination and PV systems. Examples are provided for Middle East and other parts of the World.
Prescription Drug Abuse: Epidemiology, Regulatory Issues, Chronic Pain Management with Narcotic Analgesics

The epidemic of prescription drug abuse has reached a critical level, which has received national attention. This article provides insight into the epidemiology of prescription drug abuse, explains regulatory issues, and provides guidelines for the assessment and management of pain, particularly with long-term opioid therapy. Using informed consent forms, treatment agreements, and risk documentation tools and regularly monitoring the 4 A's help to educate patients and guide management based on treatment goals. By using universal precautions, and being aware of aberrant behaviors, physicians may feel more confident in identifying and addressing problematic behaviors.
Influence of Subgrid Variability on Surface Hydrology

A 6.25-km resolution dataset of meteorology, vegetation type, and soil type for a domain covering a typical global climate model grid cell is used to drive a land surface physics model for a period of 6 months. Additional simulations are performed driving the land surface physics model by spatially averaged meteorology, spatially averaged vegetation characteristics, spatially averaged soil properties, and spatially averaged meteorology, vegetation characteristics, and soil properties. By comparing the simulated water balance for the whole domain for each simulation, the relative influence of subgrid variability in meteorology, vegetation, and soil are assessed. Subgrid variability in summertime precipitation is found to have the largest effect on the surface hydrology, with a nearly twofold increase on surface runoff and a 15% increase in evapotranspiration. Subgrid variations in vegetation and soil properties also increase surface runoff and reduce evapotranspiration, so that surface runoff is 2.75 times as great with subgrid variability than without and evapotranspiration is 19% higher with subgrid variability than without.
Interaction of GCAP1 with retinal guanylyl cyclase and calcium: sensitivity to fatty acylation

Guanylyl cyclase activating proteins (GCAP)1 are calcium/magnesium binding proteins within neuronal calcium sensor proteins group (NCS) of the EF-hand proteins superfamily. GCAPs activate retinal guanylyl cyclase (RetGC) in vertebrate photoreceptors in response to light-dependent fall of the intracellular free Ca2+ concentrations. GCAPs consist of four EF-hand domains and contain N-terminal fatty acylated glycine, which in GCAP1 is required for the normal activation of RetGC. We analyzed the effects of a substitution prohibiting N-myristoylation (Gly2 → Ala) on the ability of the recombinant GCAP1 to co-localize with its target enzyme when heterologously expressed in HEK293 cells. We also compared Ca2+ binding and RetGC-activating properties of the purified non-acylated G2A mutant and C14:0 acylated GCAP1 in vitro. The G2A GCAP1 expressed with a C-terminal GFP tag was able to co-localize with the cyclase, albeit less efficiently than the wild type, but much less effectively stimulated cyclase activity in vitro. Ca2+ binding isotherm of the G2A GCAP1 was slightly shifted toward higher free Ca2+ concentrations and so was Ca2+ sensitivity of RetGC reconstituted with the non-acylated mutant. At the same time, myristoylation had little effect on the high-affinity Ca2+-binding in the EF-hand that is proximal to the myristoyl residue in the three-dimensional GCAP1 structure. These data indicate that the N-terminal fatty acyl group may alter the activity of EF-hands in the distal portion of the GCAP1 molecule via presently unknown intramolecular mechanism.
Muscle Relaxants 2006: a clinical and basic science update and commentary

As muscle relaxants remain a mainstay of modern anesthesia practice, it behooves the anesthesiologists to keep themselves up-to-date on the theory and clinical practice of neuromuscular pharmacology. Progress continues to be made in the basic and clinical aspects of neuromuscular pharmacology, including mechanism of action, blocking drugs, and reversal agent. The new mechanism of action is based on the molecular shape of the relaxants. Although the so-called “ideal relaxant” is still not in sight, and may never be, the new relaxant AV430A and the new reversal agent Org 25969 hold potential to significantly improve patient care. AV430 has superior clinical profile, although it is still considerably slower and longer in action than succinylcholine. The fast onset of rocuronium combined with its complete and immediate reversibility with Org 25969 may match succinylcholine in onset and offset. Both drugs are undergoing clinical trials.
Fragmentation characteristics of bn (n = 2–15) ions from protonated peptides

The fragmentation reactions of protonated oligoalanines (trialanine, tetraalanine and pentaalanine) and the fragments present in the electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrum of polyalanine have been studied by collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) mass spectrometry (MS(2) and MS(3) experiments). The MS(n) experiments provided strong evidence that the m/z 71n+1 ion series in the ESI mass spectrum of polyalanine is a b(n) series. These ions are formed via the b(n) -y(m) pathway of amide bond cleavage, which results in the formation of a proton-bound complex of an oxazolone and a peptide/amino acid. Also, the MS(2) spectra of the b(n) series from polyalanine revealed that the chain length of b(n) ions influences significantly the dissociations taking place. For example, b(n) ions start losing H(2)O at n ≥5 and the losses of CO and CO+NH(3) decrease in intensity from b(2) to b(15). The elimination of H(2)O+NH(3) and the elimination of 61 mass (HN=C=O+H(2)O) commence with b(6); their abundances initially increase up to ~ b(8)-b(9) and then gradually decrease until b(15) (largest fragment studied). The tandem mass spectrometry experiments help to elucidate the dissociation mechanisms of the observed structures of biopolymer fragments.
Thermodynamic behavior of reactive azeotropes

During process design of reactive distillation systems, there is often uncertainty in the value of the reaction equilibrium constant (Keq), whether it is determined experimentally or calculated from thermochemical data. The effect of the reaction equilibrium constant on the existence and location of reactive azeotropes (constant boiling reactive mixtures) is explored for chemical equilibrium systems with a single chemical reaction. With a known set of starting points, arc-length continuation was used to track solutions of the equations for reactive azeotropy as a function of the reaction equilibrium constant. The results, portrayed in bifurcation diagrams, reveal that azeotropes may appear or disappear as the equilibrium constant is varied. Results for the esterification of acetic acid with ethanol indicate three distinct regions of phase behavior. The first regime (Keq < 0.449) contains a quaternary saddle reactive azeotrope. At intermediate values of the reaction equilibrium constant (0.449 < Keq <12.5), there are no reactive azeotropes in the system. In the third regime (Keq < 12.5), a minimum-boiling quaternary reactive azeotrope appears. In addition, for three reported literature values of the reaction equilibrium constant, each one lies in a different regime. Other examples also illustrate the broad taxonomy of reactive azeotropic systems.
Fracture toughness, diametrical strength, and fractography of amalgam and of amalgam to amalgam bonds

Chevron-notch fracture toughness, diametrical tensile strength and fractography were evaluated for bulk amalgams and for bonds formed between new and 1-day-old amalgams of the same type. Three types of bonded specimens were prepared: 1) by mechanically roughening the 1-day-old amalgam with 600-grit paper; 2) using a new mercury-rich amalgam; and 3) using a bonding resin, either 4-META or a phosphate ester monomer. Similar values in bond properties were obtained with all bonding techniques for two commercial dispersed-phase bonded amalgams, one of which contained palladium; however, bulk fracture toughness of the palladium-containing amalgam was significantly less than for the palladium-free amalgam. This result reveals that the bonding of amalgam to amalgam, at least for these two amalgams, is a surface-related phenomenon, and thus, the traditional reporting of bonding properties as a percentage of bulk properties loses meaning. Short-rod geometry was more representative of the interfacial bond properties since these samples fractured within the interfacial bonds, while diametrical strength samples often fractured slightly away from the interface. The use of bonding resins did not improve bond fracture toughness for either amalgam, while the diametrical strength improved for one of the amalgams. The use of mercury-rich amalgam significantly improved the fracture toughness over all other techniques for one amalgam while proving to be similar to a 600-grit preparation for the second amalgam.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Can Radiosensitivity Associated with Defects in DNA Repair be Overcome by Mitochondrial-Targeted Antioxidant Radioprotectors

Radiation oncologists have observed variation in normal tissue responses between patients in many instances with no apparent explanation. The association of clinical tissue radiosensitivity with specific genetic repair defects (Wegner’s syndrome, Ataxia telangiectasia, Bloom’s syndrome, and Fanconi anemia) has been well established, but there are unexplained differences between patients in the general population with respect to the intensity and rapidity of appearance of normal tissue toxicity including radiation dermatitis, oral cavity mucositis, esophagitis, as well as differences in response of normal tissues to standard analgesic or other palliative measures. Strategies for the use of clinical radioprotectors have included modalities designed to either prevent and/or palliate the consequences of radiosensitivity. Most prominently, modification of total dose, fraction size, or total time of treatment delivery has been necessary in many patients, but such modifications may reduce the likelihood of local control and/or radiocurability. As a model system in which to study potential radioprotection by mitochondrial-targeted antioxidant small molecules, we have studied cell lines and tissues from Fanconi anemia (Fancd2−/−) mice of two background strains (C57BL/6NHsd and FVB/N). Both were shown to be radiosensitive with respect to clonogenic survival curves of bone marrow stromal cells in culture and severity of oral cavity mucositis during single fraction or fractionated radiotherapy. Oral administration of the antioxidant GS-nitroxide, JP4-039, provided significant radioprotection, and also ameliorated distant bone marrow suppression (abscopal effect of irradiation) in Fancd2−/− mice. These data suggest that radiation protection by targeting the mitochondria may be of therapeutic benefit even in the setting of defects in the DNA repair process for irradiation-induced DNA double strand breaks.
Ridge Extraction from Isosurfaces of Volumetric Data Using Implicit B-Splines

Ridges are extremal curves of principal curvatures on a surface that indicate salient intrinsic features of its shape. This paper presents a novel approach for extracting ridges of improved quality from isosurfaces of volumetric scalar-valued grids by converting them to implicit trivariate B-spline representations. A robust tracing approach demonstrated to extract ridges accurately from parametric B-spline surfaces is extended to extract ridges directly from the implicit representations resulting in accurate and hence smoother, connected ridge curves as compared to approaches that extract ridges directly from discrete representations. This approach can also be used to extract ridges directly from smooth representations such as isosurfaces of volumetric B-Spline CAD models and algebraic functions, and extended to extract ridges from polygonal meshes, as demonstrated in the paper. Most of the existing approaches for ridge extraction address only crests, a certain subset of the ridges on a surface. The approach presented in this paper enables extraction of all types of generic ridges on a surface thereby presenting a complete solution.
Rag GTPases mediate amino acid–dependent recruitment of TFEB and MITF to lysosomes

The mTORC1 complex supports cell growth and proliferation in response to energy levels, growth factors, and nutrients. The Rag guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases) activate mTORC1 in response to amino acids by promoting its redistribution to lysosomes. In this paper, we identify a novel role for Rags in controlling activation of transcription factor EB (TFEB), a master regulator of autophagic and lysosomal gene expression. Interaction of TFEB with active Rag heterodimers promoted recruitment of TFEB to lysosomes, leading to mTORC1-dependent phosphorylation and inhibition of TFEB. The interaction of TFEB with Rags required the first 30 residues of TFEB and the switch regions of the Rags G domain. Depletion or inactivation of Rags prevented recruitment of TFEB to lysosomes, whereas expression of active Rags induced association of TFEB with lysosomal membranes. Finally, Rag GTPases bound and regulated activation of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor, suggesting a broader role for Rags in the control of gene expression. Our work provides new insight into the molecular mechanisms that link nutrient availability and TFEB localization and activation.
Cationic oligo-p-phenylene ethynylenes form complexes with surfactants for long-term light-activated biocidal applications

Cationic oligo-p-phenylene ethynylenes are highly effective light-activated biocides that deal broad-spectrum damage to a variety of pathogens, including bacteria. A potential problem arising in the long-term usage of these compounds is photochemical breakdown, which nullifies their biocidal activity. Recent work has shown that these molecules complex with oppositely-charged surfactants, and that the resulting complexes are protected from photodegradation. In this manuscript, we determine the biocidal activity of an oligomer and a complex formed between it and sodium dodecyl sulfate. The complexes are able to withstand prolonged periods of irradiation, continuing to effectively kill both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, while the oligomer by itself loses its biocidal effectiveness quickly in the presence of light. In addition, damage and stress responses induced by these biocides in both E. coli and S. aureus are discussed. This work shows that complexation with surfactants is a viable method for long-term light-activated biocidal applications.
Formate transport, growth inhibition and the membrane protonmotive force in two methylotrophs (T15 and L3)

Formate transport and the effect of formate on growth and the membrane protonmotive force were studied in two ribulose-monophosphate-type obligate methylotrophs (bacterial strains T15 and L3). Formate was accumulated very fast by the membrane ΔpH according to the general transport mechanism of short-chain organic acids. Formate accumulation was reduced or abolished by a number of factors (protonophores, high extracellular pH, cell-starvation conditions) that reduced or abolished the ΔpH. Formate transport was accompanied by removal of protons from the medium by the cells. Since protons are released by the cells upon substrate oxidation, the stoichiometry of proton uptake upon formate transport could not be directly determined, although data suggest that formate is cotransported with one proton. The net rate of proton removal from the medium by the cells due to formate transport and oxidation increased with increasing formate concentrations or decreasing medium-pH values. The membrane protonmotive force of strain T15 was also studied as a function of the pH. High formate concentrations (of 100 to 400 mM) reduced the membrane ΔpH by ca. 20 to 60% and the growth rate by ca. 20 to 100% for both strains but to a different extent. For example, 400 mM formate inhibited growth by ca. 60% in strain T15 and by 100% in strain L3. The nature of growth inhibition by formate is discussed in some detail.
Liver metastases in Wilms' tumour

Fifty patients with Wilms' tumour have been reviewed to evaluate the incidence of liver metastasis in order to identify the optimum time and frequency for radiological investigation. Liver involvement occurred in 12% of our cases. The most rewarding periods for the diagnosis of liver metastasis are the first few months of the illness, the period immediately after stopping chemotherapy, or any time that lung metastases are identified. Liver scintigraphy is recommended as the initial investigation, and abnormal cases should proceed to ultrasound or computed tomography.
Diffusion and Sorption of Nitroplasticizers in Vinyl Copolymer Elastomer and Its Composites

To study the aging behavior of cured vinyl copolymer elastomer (VCE) under thermal and nitroplasticizer (NP) environ- ment, we investigated the sorption and diffusion of NP in VCE and its composites. The sorption kinetics of NP into VCE and its composites with respect to filler concentration (0-80%) and temperature (18-70 � C) were investigated by conventional gravimetric method. The NP sorption process is endothermic. Kinetic studies show that Fickian diffusion can describe the NP sorption in the VCE polymer. The samples with a high filler concentration show more complicated behavior at low temperature than that at high temperature. The present article discusses the dependences of diffusion coefficient and other related parameters on the polymer con- centration and morphological structures of the samples. V C 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40729.
On a General Existence Theorem for Marginal Cost Pricing Equilibria

Abstract We report a generalization of recent results on the existence of marginal cost pricing equilibria (MCPE) in economies with an increasing returns to scale industry. Our result makes no ad hoc assumptions which force the equilibrium to be on the efficiency frontier of the aggregate production possibility set. We also present an additional condition under which our MCPE are productively efficient in the aggregate.
Relation Between Higher Physical Activity and Public Transit Use

Objectives. We isolated physical activity attributable to transit use to examine issues of substitution between types of physical activity and potential confounding of transit-related walking with other walking.Methods. Physical activity and transit use data were collected in 2008 to 2009 from 693 Travel Assessment and Community study participants from King County, Washington, equipped with an accelerometer, a portable Global Positioning System, and a 7-day travel log. Physical activity was classified into transit- and non–transit-related walking and nonwalking time. Analyses compared physical activity by type between transit users and nonusers, between less and more frequent transit users, and between transit and nontransit days for transit users.Results. Transit users had more daily overall physical activity and more total walking than did nontransit users but did not differ on either non–transit-related walking or nonwalking physical activity. Most frequent transit users had more walking time than leas...
Schema-driven construction of future autobiographical traumatic events: The future is much more troubling than the past

Research on future episodic thought has produced compelling theories and results in cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and clinical psychology. In experiments aimed to integrate these with basic concepts and methods from autobiographical memory research, 76 undergraduates remembered past and imagined future positive and negative events that had or would have a major impact on them. Correlations of the online ratings of visual and auditory imagery, emotion, and other measures demonstrated that individuals used the same processes to the same extent to remember past and construct future events. These measures predicted the theoretically important metacognitive judgment of past reliving and future "preliving" in similar ways. On standardized tests of reactions to traumatic events, scores for future negative events were much higher than scores for past negative events. The scores for future negative events were in the range that would qualify for a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); the test was replicated (n = 52) to check for order effects. Consistent with earlier work, future events had less sensory vividness. Thus, the imagined symptoms of future events were unlikely to be caused by sensory vividness. In a second experiment, to confirm this, 63 undergraduates produced numerous added details between 2 constructions of the same negative future events; deficits in rated vividness were removed with no increase in the standardized tests of reactions to traumatic events. Neuroticism predicted individuals' reactions to negative past events but did not predict imagined reactions to future events. This set of novel methods and findings is interpreted in the contexts of the literatures of episodic future thought, autobiographical memory, PTSD, and classic schema theory.
What to do when an investment goes awry

The deal for the fictitious Warren Inn is about to come apart before the hotel is even completed. A microcosm of many hotel deals gone bad, this project suffers from an overbuilt market, unrealistic pro formas, dismal economic prospects, and an overextended developer. The case examines six workout scenarios from the money partner's perspective: enforce the terms of the loan, restructure the loan and keep the client, choose one of three courses after removing the developer (sell immediately, complete and sell, or complete, operate, and sell), or consider conversion to another use. This article makes the case for conversion by running hypothetical analyses of return and cash flow and by examining tax benefits that accrue to real estate used for affordable housing.
Empirical estimation of the normative blood pressure in infants <28 weeks gestation using a massive data approach.

Empirical estimation of the normative blood pressure in infants <28 weeks gestation using a massive data approach
Drug Delivery Systems: Design Criteria

In the context of the current state of the art, a controlled release drug delivery system is a combination of drug and excipient, commonly a polymeric material, arranged to allow delivery of the drug to the target at controlled rates over a specified time. The polymeric material may be either biodegradable or nonbiodegradable, and the drug may be released by diffusion of the drug through the encapsulating polymer matrix, by erosion of the polymer matrix, by a combination of diffusion and erosion, or by an alternative physical phenomenon such as capillary flow through wicks of fluid-filled devices and displacement by physiological fluids. The physical forms of the controlled release doses can vary considerably and currently include macrocapsules or pellets that are implanted via incision or trocar, microcapsules or micro-particles that are injected via a syringe; envelopes, films, or laminates that are placed in the cul-de-sac of the eye or in the oral cavity, or are implanted subcutaneously; various ring- and T-shaped intravaginal and intrauterine devices; and bandages for topical and transdermal delivery.
The Dynamics of Passive Wing-Pitching in Hovering Flight of Flapping Micro Air Vehicles Using Three-Dimensional Aerodynamic Simulations

We present a study of the dynamics of passive wing-pitching in flapping hovering flight, employing a computational simulation approach. Here, we describe the motion of a perfectly rigid wing using Lagrangian dynamics, where the external generalized moment acting on the system is the total aerodynamic moment produced by the interaction of the moving wing with the air. The passive rotating mechanism (hinge) is modeled using elastic beam theory and the total aerodynamic moment is computed by numerically solving the threedimensional Navier-Stokes equations for the low Reynolds number case, using an overset grid method. The proposed approach leads to the formulation of a fluid-structure interaction problem, which is solved using an alternating time marching procedure, where the solution to the rigid-body dynamics of the wing at time tn+1 is updated using the total aerodynamic moment computed at time tn. Then, the updated rigid-body wing dynamics information is used to find the boundary conditions required to solve the Navier-Stokes equations at time tn+1, allowing one to update the aerodynamic moment required to continue with the procedure. The proposed method for simulating the fluid-structure interaction phenomenon is validated using experimental data available in the technical literature. Future generalizations of the method discussed here have the potential to significantly impact the way flapping-wing micro air vehicles (MAVs) are designed and controlled.
Behavior of Human Gall-Bladder During Fasting and in Response to Food.

In a recent paper by the author,1 roentgenological evidence from patients and experimental animals was presented in support of the following conclusions: (1) the mammalian gall bladder, at least in man and in cats, is able to expel all its fluid contents by the contraction of its musculature; (2) after meals this contraction is so timed as to meet the first requirements of digestion—in contrast to hepatic secretion which is designed to meet later needs; (3) in cats the gall bladder responds to such changes in the circulation as are produced by blood transfusions and to such superficial lesions as are caused by shaving and by cutaneous incisions; (4) adrenalin (with its implication of the sympathetic nervous system) is the most powerful excitant of gall bladder contraction yet found.One of the methods employed was the making of long series of human cholecystograms at 15-minute intervals after meals. In such series it was found that the first X-rays after food showed changes in shape of the human gall bladd...
Toxicity of 2,4-D to Millipeds (Polydesmidae: Diplopoda): Food Contamination and Residue Distribution as Factors

Adult millipeds, Scytonotus simplex Chamberlin (polydesmidae: Diplopoda), suffered greatest mortality on fully treated substrates; mortality was less when they were exposed only to contaminated food and least when they were exposed to a substrate half of which was treated with twice the dosage of the fully treated substrate. In contrast to controls, mortality of those on fully treated substrate began on the first day and surpassed 50% by day 7. The implications of these results for laboratory biossay and field experiments are discussed.
Bio-Mimetic Composites

The properties of bone, as a polymer reinforced with nanometer-sized ribbon-shaped crystals of mineral, are compared with the properties of synthetic polymer composites. Bone does show some superiority to existing composites. The improvements can be attributed to the microstructure. Methods for reproducing this structure in a synthetic material are discussed.
Modeling of Condensation in Injection of Supercritical Fuels

Simulations of the injection of ethylene and ethylene / methane mixtures at supercritical conditions are performed using a numerical model that accounts for finite-rate nucleation and growth of a condensed droplet phase. The Peng-Robinson equation of state, extended to binary mixtures, is used to model the thermodynamics of both the liquid and vapor phases. Predictions are compared with experimental shadowgraph and direct-lighting imaging data and with pressure measurements obtained along the centerline of the injector. Selected predictions are also compared with results obtained using a homogeneous equilibrium model. The effects of interfacial tension and species diffusion coefficient are examined, as are the effects of modifying the binary interaction parameter in the Peng Robinson equation. Results obtained for pure ethylene injection are in good agreement with available experimental data, but results obtained for the injection of methane/ethylene mixtures consistently underpredict the location of condensation onset in the injector nozzle.
A Note on Gambling Systems and Birth Statistics

(1952). A Note on Gambling Systems and Birth Statistics. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 59, No. 10, pp. 685-686.