cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Remote Plasma Treatment of Bacteria using Non-Equilibrium Atmospheric Pressure Air Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD)

Summary form only given. Atmospheric pressure air dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) was used for remote treatment of bacteria. The DBD system consists of two water-cooled Al electrodes (75 mm in diameter), attached to dielectric (Al2O3) plates 115 mm times 115 mm times 1 mm with a thermal conducting paste. Operating frequency was fixed to 3.4 kHz, and the interelectrode gap was set to 3.6 mm. The biological sample was located in a separate compartment 5 cm away from the plasma region, and the air activated by the discharge was passing through that chamber at different flow rates. At this long distance from the discharge and at high pressure no charge particles could reach the bacterial sample. The temperature of the sample was kept below 320 K. At these operating conditions, the major reason for the fast bacterial deactivation is the generation of chemically active long-lived species (O3, NOx, etc.). We found that the killing rate of bacteria in this experimental setup is strongly dependent on the air flow rate: at low gas flow rate (1 l/min) the killing was not pronounced, while at higher flow rate (10 l/min) reduction of at least 5 orders of magnitude was observed after 180 sec. of remote plasma treatment. Furthermore, changes in the metabolic behavior of bacteria due to exposure to radicals generated by plasma were studied, using Biolog's GN2 plate, a 96-well microtiter plate containing 95 different carbon substrates, the composition of which is dominated by amino acids, carbohydrates, and carboxylic acids. Comparison between the sole-carbon-source-utilization profiles of the original bacteria (controls) and profiles of bacteria that survived and grew following exposure to the radicals will be presented
The Importance of Strategic Fit Between Host–Home Country Similarity and Exploration Exploitation Strategies on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises' Performance: A Contingency Perspective

Abstract The impact of host–home country similarity on firm performance has long been debated in the international marketing literature with inconclusive, if not contradictory, findings. Taking a contingency perspective, this study proposes that a small or medium-sized enterprise's (SME's) global market performance depends on the strategic fit between its exploration and exploitation strategies and its host country choice. The results of a survey of chief executive officers and senior international marketing managers of SMEs in the United States show that the impact of host–home country similarity on SMEs' international performance is moderated by their choice of exploration and exploitation strategies. Specifically, host–home country similarity has a positive impact on an SME's international performance when the firm adopts an exploitation strategy. Conversely, host–home country similarity has a negative impact on an SME's international performance when it adopts an exploration strategy. Directly address...
Psychiatric symptomatology among Mexican American farmworkers.

Abstract The paper presents findings from an epidemiologic field survey of 500 Mexican American farmworkers conducted in central California. The survey was intended as a health needs assessment of this population and the Health Opinion Survey was used to establish normative psychiatric symptom distributions. Analyses of the data by gender, age and income revealed that these socio-demographic variables were not important predictors of symptom levels, although the highest mean scores were reported in the 40–59 age group. Income levels were modest and fairly uniform, which contributed to the lack of mean score variation. Symptom distributions were analyzed for the variables age and sex using the HOS criteria of caseness and it was found that approx. 20% of the sample reached the criteria of caseness. A comparison of HOS mean scores with a national sample of surveys indicated that Mexican American farmworkers had symptom levels which resemble those of other low income socio-economic groups, such as southern blacks. Another analysis was conducted which reported a striking correspondence between self perception of health with psychiatric symptoms. A conclusion reached from the survey is that the Mexican Ametican farmworkers in this sample appear to be experiencing psychiatric symptom levels which place them at extraordinary risk. Stresses associated with this group, i.e. limited social mobility, transience, poverty, discrimination and a high rate of traumatic life events were identified as possible contributors to this risk proneness.
Developmental changes in rabbit juxtamedullary proximal convoluted tubule bicarbonate permeability

The bicarbonate transport rate in neonatal rabbit juxtamedullary proximal convoluted tubules (JMPCT) is lower than that in adults. The reduced rate of transport could be due to a decrease in active bicarbonate transport or an increase in the passive permeability of the tubule to bicarbonate. The present in vitro microperfusion study directly measured the bicarbonate permeability of neonatal and adult JMPCT. Bicarbonate permeability was measured at both slow and fast perfusion rates to simulate the neonatal and adult proximal tubule flow rates, respectively. At 38 degrees C in tubules perfused at 3 nL/min, bicarbonate permeability was 0.29 +/- 0.11 x 10(-5) cm/s in neonates and 1.70 +/- 0.49 x 10(-5) cm/s in adult PCT (p less than 0.05). At a perfusion rate of 10 nL/min, bicarbonate permeability was 0.11 +/- 0.27 x 10(-5) cm/s in neonatal PCT and 2.31 +/- 0.15 x 10(-5) cm/s in adult PCT (p less than 0.05). These results demonstrate that bicarbonate permeability in neonatal JMPCT is significantly lower than that in adult JMPCT. Thus, the lower rate of bicarbonate transport in neonatal PCT is entirely due to a lower rate of active bicarbonate transport.
Fabrication and Preliminary Evaluation of Metal Matrix Microencapsulated Fuels

Abstract The metal matrix microencapsulated (M3) fuel concept for light water reactors (LWRs), consisting of coated fuel particles dispersed in a zirconium metal matrix, is introduced. Fabrication of M3 fuels by hot pressing, hot isostatic pressing, or extrusion methodologies has been demonstrated over the temperature range 800–1050 °C. Various types of coated fuel particles with outermost layers of pyrocarbon, SiC, ZrC, and TiN have been incorporated into the zirconium metal matrix. Mechanical particle–particle and chemical particle–matrix interactions have been observed during the preliminary characterization of as-fabricated M3 specimens. Irradiation of three M3 rodlets with surrogate coated fuel particles was carried out at mean rod temperature of 400 °C to 4.6 dpa in the zirconium metal matrix. Due to absence of texture in the metal matrix no irradiation growth strain (
Ambient temperature and protein level in the ration of growing pigs.

Feed intake and body weight of 48 pigs in four trials were measured for 28- or 35-day periods under conditions including either constant optimal temperature or a temperature 10°C higher and at three levels of crude protein (CP) in the feed (12%, 14%, or 16%). The effect of CP level was significantly related (P<0.01) to average daily weight gain and feed utilization. The interaction between CP level and temperature for gain approached significance at the 5% level. Comparison of CP levels at each temperature revealed that increasing little or no effect. Temperature stress lowered weight gain and feed consumption in this study, which confirms many previous studies.
Evolutionary change in the repetition frequency of sea urchin DNA sequences

The frequency of occurrence of particular repetitive sequence families has been estimated in the DNA of the three sea urchin species Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, Strongylocentrotus franciscanus and Lytechinus pictus using individual cloned S. purpuratus repetitive sequence elements. Cloned repetitive sequence elements as described by Scheller et al. (1977a) were prepared by reassociation of S. purpuratus DNA fragments to repetitive Cot, digestion with single-strand-specific nuclease S1 and ligation of synthetic restriction sites to their ends. The sequences were cloned by insertion at the Eco RI site of plasmid RSF2124, labeled, strand-separated and reassociated with 800–900 nucleotide long unlabeled DNA. Both kinetic (genomic DNA excess) and saturation (cloned DNA excess) estimates of frequencies were made. For nine cloned fragments, the ratio of the repetition frequency in S. purpuratus DNA to that in S. franciscanus DNA ranges from about 20 to about 1. In the four cases examined, only a few copies were detected in the DNA of L. pictus. Estimates have also been made of frequency changes in many repetitive families by measuring the reassociation of labeled repetitive DNA fractions of each species with total DNA from other species. In each reciprocal comparison, the labeled repetitive sequences reassociate more slowly with DNA of other species than with DNA of the species from which they were prepared. Thus it appears that the dominant repetitive sequence families in the DNA of each species are present at lower frequencies in the DNA of closely related species. Measurements of thermal stability have been made of S. purpuratus cloned repetitive sequences reassociated with S. franciscanus DNA or S. purpuratus DNA. Most families have changed both in frequency and sequence, although some have changed little in sequence but show great changes in frequency.
Minimal numerical-radius extensions of operators

In this paper we characterize minimal numerical-radius extensions of operators from finite-dimensional subspaces and compare them with minimal operator-norm extensions. We note that in the cases L P , p = 1,∞, and in the case of self-adjoint extensions in L 2 , the two extensions and their norms are equal. We also show that, in the case of L P , 1 < p < ∞, and more generally in the case of the dual space being strictly convex, if the minimal projections with respect to the operator norm and with respect to the numerical radius have equal norms, then the operator norm is 1. An analogous result is also true for an arbitrary extension. Finally, we provide an example of a projection from l p 3 onto a two-dimensional subspace which is minimal with respect to norm but not with respect to the numerical radius for p ≠ 1, 2, ∞, and we determine the minimal numerical-radius projection in this same situation.
Excitatory α1-Adrenergic Receptors Predominate Over Inhibitory β-Receptors in Rabbit Dorsal Detrusor

ABSTRACTPurpose: We mapped the regional distribution of α1 and β-adrenergic receptors (ARs) in rabbit ventral and dorsal bladder, and characterized the α1-AR subtypes responsible for norepinephrine induced contraction of rabbit dorsal detrusor smooth muscle.Materials and Methods: Responses to norepinephrine in the absence and presence of adrenergic antagonists were measured in strips taken from clearly defined regions of male rabbit ventral and dorsal bladder.Results: In the absence of antagonists ventral strips from the bladder body relaxed in response to norepinephrine, while those from the ventral base contracted. Dorsal strips from the bladder dome also relaxed in response to norepinephrine but dorsal strips from the mid and lower body, and the base contracted. All contractile responses were antagonized by incubation with prazosin. Characterization of the α-AR subtypes present in dorsal strips from the mid and lower bladder body using BMY 7378 (8-[2-[4 to 2(-methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinyl]ethyl]-8-azasp...
Synthesis and Properties of Lead Selenide Nanocrystal Solids

We present results of our investigation of the synthesis, structural properties and electrical transport properties of lead selenide (PbSe) nanoparticle-derived solids. Stable colloidal solutions containing crystalline PbSe particles with sizes on the order of 5–10 nm were synthesized using an organometallic lyothermal growth method in high-temperature organic solvents (100∼200 ◦ C). The nanoparticle powders have been characterized by X-ray scattering (WAXS/SAXS), electron microscopy and optical absorption. Thin films were formed by controlled precipitation of the nanoparticles from solution onto insulating substrates. Electrical resistance (R) and Seebeck coefficient (S) for conductive PbSe films from different annealing conditions were studied and compared. We were able to obtain conductive PbSe films from colloids by low temperature annealing which did not disturb the nanoparticle self-assembly.
Effects of cold dark matter decoupling and pair annihilation on cosmological perturbations

Weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) are part of the lepton-photon plasma in the early universe until kinetic decoupling, after which time the particles behave like a collisionless gas with nonzero temperature. The Boltzmann equation for WIMP-lepton collisions is reduced to a Fokker-Planck equation for the evolution of the WIMP distribution including scalar density perturbations. This equation and the Einstein and fluid equations for the plasma are solved numerically including the acoustic oscillations of the plasma before and during kinetic decoupling, the frictional damping occurring during kinetic decoupling, and the free-streaming damping occurring afterwards and throughout the radiation-dominated era. An excellent approximation reduces the solution to quadratures for the cold dark matter density and velocity perturbations. The subsequent evolution is followed through electron pair annihilation and the radiation-matter transition; analytic solutions are provided for both large and small scales. For a 100 GeV WIMP with bino-type interactions, kinetic decoupling occurs at a temperature ${T}_{d}=23\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MeV}$. The transfer function in the matter-dominated era leads to an abundance of small cold dark matter halos; with a smooth window function the Press-Schechter mass distribution is $dn/d\mathrm{ln}﻿M\ensuremath{\propto}{M}^{\ensuremath{-}1/3}$ for $Ml{10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}({T}_{d}/10\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MeV}{)}^{\ensuremath{-}3}{\mathrm{M}}_{\ensuremath{\bigodot}}$.
Regulatory volume decrease in human esophageal epithelial cells.

In vivo human esophageal epithelial cells are regularly exposed to hyposmolal stress. This stress, however, only becomes destructive when the surface epithelial cell (barrier) layers are breached a...
A Splicing-Independent Function of SF2/ASF in MicroRNA Processing

Both splicing factors and microRNAs are important regulatory molecules that play key roles in posttranscriptional gene regulation. By miRNA deep sequencing, we identified 40 miRNAs that are differentially expressed upon ectopic overexpression of the splicing factor SF2/ASF. Here we show that SF2/ASF and one of its upregulated microRNAs (miR-7) can form a negative feedback loop: SF2/ASF promotes miR-7 maturation, and mature miR-7 in turn targets the 3'UTR of SF2/ASF to repress its translation. Enhanced microRNA expression is mediated by direct interaction between SF2/ASF and the primary miR-7 transcript to facilitate Drosha cleavage and is independent of SF2/ASF's function in splicing. Other miRNAs, including miR-221 and miR-222, may also be regulated by SF2/ASF through a similar mechanism. These results underscore a function of SF2/ASF in pri-miRNA processing and highlight the potential coordination between splicing control and miRNA-mediated gene repression in gene regulatory networks.
Biotransformation of methyl parathion by glutathione S-transferases

tion activities of the ten human liver cytosolic samples. We also measured MeP O-dealkylation activities of several purified recombinant GSTs belonging to the alpha (human GSTs A1-1 and A2-2, mouse GSTA3-3, rat GSTA5-5), mu (human GSTs M1a-1a, M2-2, M3-3, M4-4), pi (human GSTP1-1, mouse GSTs P1-1, P2-2), and theta (human GSTT1-1) classes. At 1 mM glutathione and 300 M MeP concentrations, hGSTT1-1 and hGSTA1-1 exhibited the highest O-dealkylation activities: 545.8 and 65.0 nmol/min/mg, respectively. When expression level and enzymatic activity are considered, we estimate that hGSTA1-1 is responsible for the majority of MeP O-dealkylation in human hepatic cytosol. In target organs such as brain and skeletal muscle, where hGSTT1-1 is expressed, hGSTT1-1-mediated biotransformation of MeP may be important.
Recent Population Status of the American White Pelican: A Continental Perspective

Abstract Breeding bird surveys were conducted at most American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) colonies in North America from 1979-81 and the number of American White Pelicans was estimated at >109,000 breeding individuals in 55 colonies. Although many pelican colonies have not been surveyed since the early 1980s, we present the most current survey numbers available for North American colonies. Using available data (1998-2001) and the North American Continental Divide to delineate eastern from western metapopulations, 27 colonies and 48,240 nests in the East and 15 colonies and 18,790 nests in the West were documented, giving a total of about 134,000 breeding pelicans in North America. The nest numbers of 20 eastern and western colonies that were surveyed during 1979-81 and again in 1998-2001 were also compared to determine if pelican numbers are changing. The number of AWPE nests in those colonies has more than doubled since the 1979-81 surveys. Because current data for colonies in part of the ...
Modeling of a One-Sided Bonded and Rigid Constraint Using Beam Theory

In beam theory, constraints can be classified as fixed/pinned depending on whether the rotational stiffness of the support is much greater/less than the rotational stiffness of the freestanding portion. For intermediate values of the rotational stiffness of the support, the boundary conditions must account for the finite rotational stiffness of the constraint. In many applications, particularly in microelectromechanical systems and nanomechanics, the constraints exist only on one side of the beam. In such cases, it may appear at first that the same conditions on the constraint stiffness hold. However, it is the purpose of this paper to demonstrate that even if the beam is perfectly bonded on one side only to a completely rigid constraining surface, the proper model for the boundary conditions for the beam still needs to account for beam deformation in the bonded region. The use of a modified beam theory, which accounts for bending, shear, and extensional deformation in the bonded region, is required in order to model this behavior. Examples are given for cantilever, bridge, and guided structures subjected to either transverse loads or residual stresses. The results show significant differences from the ideal bond case. Comparisons made to a three-dimensional finite element analysis show a good agreement.
Training an asymmetric signal perceptron through reinforcement in an artificial chemistry

State-of-the-art biochemical systems for medical applications and chemical computing are application-specific and cannot be reprogrammed or trained once fabricated. The implementation of adaptive biochemical systems that would offer flexibility through programmability and autonomous adaptation faces major challenges because of the large number of required chemical species as well as the timing-sensitive feedback loops required for learning. In this paper, we begin addressing these challenges with a novel chemical perceptron that can solve all 14 linearly separable logic functions. The system performs asymmetric chemical arithmetic, learns through reinforcement and supports both Michaelis–Menten as well as mass-action kinetics. To enable cascading of the chemical perceptrons, we introduce thresholds that amplify the outputs. The simplicity of our model makes an actual wet implementation, in particular by DNA-strand displacement, possible.
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SOFTWARE FOR PHYSIOLOGICALLY BASED PHARMACOKINETIC MODELING: SIMULATION, OPTIMIZATION, AND SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS

Historically, a number of different software packages running on a variety of hardware platforms have been used for model simulation. SimuSolv found wide use because of its broad capabilities, including optimization, statistical analysis, and formalized sensitivity analysis as well as the capacity to incorporate user-supplied subroutines. However, in the early 1990s, SimuSolv development ceased and a final version was released in 1993. Thus SimuSolv will not be developed for newer platforms and operating systems. In this article, we compare and contrast the use of SimuSolv and Matlab (The MathWorks, Natick, MA) for physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model implementation with respect to parameter estimation (optimization) and sensitivity analysis using a PBPK model for trichloroethylene (TCE). In both packages, it is possible to code PBPK models, run simulations, estimate parameters, and do sensitivity analysis.The key difference is the additional programming required in Matlab. Since Matlab does...
Coding for the Gaussian Multiple-Access Channel: An Algebraic Approach

Given any group G, the G-adder channel is the channel with T inputs taking values in G and output equal to the sum (over G) of the inputs. An F-adder channel is a G-adder channel where G is the additive group of a finite field F. Similarly, the R-adder channel is the one corresponding to the usual field R of real numbers. The Gaussian multiple-access channel is the cascade of the R-adder channel with the (single-user) additive white Gaussian noise channel. Multiple-access multiple-rate codes for F-adder channels are defined and two constructions for such codes are given. In order to use such codes on the Gaussian multiple-access channel, the latter is decomposed into a number, say l, of F-adder channels. This is done via a construction involving a lattice with sufficient coding gain to reduce the error-probability to a negligible value and sublattices of it by means of which we form a suitable chain of finite quotient groups. The multiple-access codes described are well suited for use with random-access protocols with multiple reception.
Does Thermal Annealing Affect the Mechanical Properties of Silkworm ( Bombyx mori ) Cocoon Silk

It has been reported [1] that microwave radiation can enhance many of the mechanical properties of Bombyx mori silkworm cocoon silk, as measured in constant strain rate tensile tests to failure and in stress relaxation tests. The consequences of microwave radiation will affect decisions about the use of silk in settings subjected to significant microwave exposure–for example, as a reinforcing fiber in an epoxy matrix composite that may be microwave cured, or as a component in aircraft radomes. There are two possible mechanisms by which microwave radiation may affect a material [2]: (i) the radiation may enable chemical and/or microstructural changes–and therefore property changes–in the same way that conventional heating would, or (ii) the high heating rates that are achievable by microwaving may selectively favor changes that would be masked under conventional conditions, where heating rates are low enough to give preference to changes that have a lower activation energy. Here we explore the former possibility for silk. We characterized several mechanical properties of degummed and subsequently annealed B. mori silk, and compared them to the corresponding properties of degummed B. mori silk that was not annealed. The annealing treatment was carried out at 140 °C for 7 hours (conditions that optimally increased crystal size in an unrelated study of B. mori silk [3]), and then the fibers were allowed to cool gradually to room temperature over the course of an hour. Comparison of mechanical properties revealed no differences between the materials that we tested. Thus, for annealed silk, we do not observe the enhancements that can be achieved by microwaving. We conclude that in cases where microwaving affects the properties of silk, those changes are not a simple consequence of annealing by the microwaves.
Developments in antiplatelet therapy for acute coronary syndromes and considerations for long-term management.

ABSTRACTObjective: This article reviews the currently available antiplatelet therapies and emerging investigational drugs in the treatment of acutecoronary syndrome (ACS), and considerations for primary and secondary prevention in the long-term management of ACS patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).Research design and methods: Primary studies and reviews in the peer-reviewed, English-language literature were identified through searches of MEDLINE (1966–2008) using the terms ‘acute coronary syndrome’, ‘antiplatelet’, ‘aspirin’, ‘long-term management’, ‘P2Y12 receptor’, and ‘thienopyridine’. Additional references were obtained by searching the reference lists of the identified articles. Articles were included if they were recently published and pertinent, patient-focused, and authors were recognized as leaders in the field. Current review is limited by literature search on single database.Results: Platelets play a major role in atherogenesis and the formation of thrombi, the main eve...
Season-long elevation of ozone concentration to projected 2050 levels under fully open-air conditions substantially decreases the growth and production of soybean.

Summary • Mean surface ozone concentration is predicted to increase 23% by 2050. Previous chamber studies of crops report large yield losses caused by elevation of tropospheric ozone, and have been the basis for projecting economic loss. • This is the first study with a food crop (soybean, Glycine max) using free-air gas concentration enrichment (FACE) technology for ozone fumigation. A 23% increase in ozone concentration from an average daytime ambient 56 p.p.b. to a treatment 69 p.p.b. over two growing seasons decreased seed yield by 20%. • Total above-ground net primary production decreased by 17% without altering dry mass allocation among shoot organs, except seed. Fewer live leaves and decreased photosynthesis in late grain filling appear to drive the ozone-induced losses in production and yield. • These results validate previous chamber studies suggesting that soybean yields will decrease under increasing ozone exposure. In fact, these results suggest that when treated under open-air conditions yield losses may be even greater than the large losses already reported in earlier chamber studies. Yield losses with elevated ozone were greater in the second year following a severe hailstorm, suggesting that losses caused by ozone might be exacerbated by extreme climatic events.
Isoform-dependent interaction of voltage-gated sodium channels with protons.

Protons are potent physiological modifiers of voltage-gated Na+ channels, shifting the voltage range of channel gating and reducing current magnitude (pKa∼6). We recently showed that proton block of the skeletal muscle isoform (NaV1.4) resulted from protonation of the four superficial carboxylates in the outer vestibule of the channel. We concluded that the large local negative electrostatic field shifted the outer vestibule carboxylate pKa into the physiological range. However, block was not complete; the best-fit titration curves yielded an acid pH asymptote of 10–15%, suggesting that the selectivity filter carboxylates may not be protonated. Using HEK 293 cells stably expressing different isoforms, each with varying channel density, we demonstrate that a pH-independent current is found in NaV1.4, but not in the cardiac isoform (NaV1.5). Mutational studies showed that absence of the pH-independent current in NaV1.5 could be ascribed to the cysteine in domain I, just above the selectivity filter aspartate (Cys373). We suggest that this cysteine can be protonated in acid solution to produce a positive charge that blocks the pore. Competition between protons and Na+ did not exist for Na+ concentrations between 1 and 140 mm. The residual current in acid solution, when the cysteine is absent, confirms that over the range of pH values that can be achieved physiologically, the selectivity filter carboxylates are not protonated. The pH-independent current helps to protect activation of skeletal muscle during the acidosis that occurs during exercise.
Occurrence of hemoglobin in the nitrogen‐fixing root nodules of Alnus glutinosa

A true hemoglobin (Hb) was shown to be present in the root nodules of Alnus glutinosa L. After purification by gel filtration and ion exchange, the Hb formed a stable complex with oxygen. This oxygen complex could then be converted to carboxyhemoglobin by treatment with CO. Optical absorption spectra typical of Hb were observed. The molecular weight was estimated to be 15 100 by gel filtration, and 18 300 by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The Hb was largely insoluble when the initial homogenization was done in the absence of a detergent. Under these conditions much of the Hb appears to be associated with clusters of Frankia, the nitrogen-fixing actinomycete that infects plant cells within the nodules. The exact localization of the Hb in vivo is uncertain. The relatively low average concentration of Hb in Alnus nodules suggests that it is either confined to a relatively small fraction of total nodule volume, or has a function other than facilitation of O 2 transport.
A touch of cooling may help

Schortgen F, Clabault K, Katsahian S, Devaquet J, Mercat A, Deye N, Dellamonica J, Bouadma L, Cook F, Beji O, Brun-Buisson C, Lemaire F, Brochard L: Multicenter randomized controlled clinical trial of fever control by external cooling to diminish vasopressor requirements in septic shock. Assistance Publique-Hopitaux de Paris, France. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2012, 185: 1088-1095. Fever control may improve vascular tone and decrease oxygen consumption; however, fever may help combat infection. To determine whether fever control by external cooling diminishes vasopressor requirements in septic shock. A multicenter randomized controlled trial. Seven ICUs in France. Febrile patients with septic shock requiring vasopressors, mechanical ventilation, and sedation. Patients were randomly allocated to external cooling to achieve normothermia (36.5 to 37.8°C) for 48 hours. The primary outcome was the number of patients with a 50% decrease in baseline vasopressor dose after 48 hours. Secondary outcomes were the numbers of patients with a 50% baseline vasopressor dose decrease after 2, 12, 24, and 36 hours, the percentage of patients requiring a vasopressor dose increase within 48 hours of baseline, the percentage of patients with shock reversal in the ICU, the change in Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score (ΔSOFA) versus baseline, and all-cause mortality on day 14 and at ICU and hospital discharge. There were 200 patients randomized, 101 to the cooling group and 99 to the no-cooling group. The percentage of patients with a 50% vasopressor dose decrease versus baseline was not significantly different at 48 hours of treatment (72% vs. 61%; absolute difference, 11%; 95% confidence interval (CI), -23 to 2; P = 0.4), although it was at 12 hours (54% vs. 20%; absolute difference, 34%; 95% CI, -46 to -21; P < 0.001). External cooling significantly reduced the number of patients needing a vasopressor dose increase (34% vs. 52%; absolute difference, -18%; 95% CI, -4 to -31%; P = 0.011) and significantly increased the shock reversal during the study period (86% vs. 73%; absolute difference, 13%; 95% CI, 2 to 25%; P = 0.021). Day 14 mortality was significantly lower in the cooling group (19% vs. 34%; absolute difference, -16%; 95% CI, -28 to -4; P = 0.013), but mortality was not different at ICU and hospital discharge. Fever control using external cooling was safe, and decreased vasopressor requirements and early mortality in septic shock.
Alterations in the rat renal glycosaminoglycans in streptozotocin-induced diabetes

The effect of streptozotocin-induced diabetes on the glycosaminoglycan composition of rat renal cortical tissue was evaluated. Glycosaminoglycans were isolated and purified from the kidney cortex of control and diabetic rats by means of digestion with collagenase, pronase and ethanol precipitation. Subsequent fractionation was performed by ion exchange chromatography on Dowex 1-X2 Cl using various concentrations of sodium chloride solution. The glycosaminoglycan in each fraction was characterized by digestion with hyaluronidase, chondroitinase AC and ABC. The undigested glycosaminoglycans were separated after each enzyme digestion and quantitated. The glycosaminoglycan composition of each fraction was computed from the enzyme digestion profile. The results indicate that in renal cortex of streptozotocin induced diabetic rats there was a significant reduction in the levels of dermatan sulfate, heparan sulfate and hyaluronic acid, while the chondroitin sulfate remained unaffected. In light of this finding, the significance of these anionic polysaccharides in renal functions is discussed.
Digital documents: a product architecture perspective

The paper presents a case study describing the use of Lotus Notes to automate the publishing process of a large subscription based industry research firm. The case is described and analyzed using a framework that builds on concepts used in designing physical product architectures. These concepts were applied by treating the document as an information product. The product and process platforms of both the traditional and Notes based approaches to producing the product were compared. Notes, in addition to providing a new distribution channel, enabled the firm to move from a traditional document based publishing paradigm to one more akin to an information refinery based on the storage and integration of modular information units. That move had significant impact on the way in which documents were written, edited, and marketed. It was shown that digitizing documents by itself is not sufficient to create a flexible platform from which multiple versions of a document may be derived. Rather, the entire structure of the document must be reconceived in terms of more primitive information units which can be digitized, indexed, and linked for retrieval in a variety of ways.
Videokeratoscope-line-of-sight misalignment and its effect on measurements of corneal and internal ocular aberrations.

A growing number of research laboratories are using the new technologies of videokeratoscopy and Shack–Hartmann aberrometry, in combination, to study the optical structure of the human eye. A potential source of error arises, however, because the two instruments are designed to measure the human eye along different reference axes. The Shack–Hartmann aberrometer is usually aligned coaxially with the line of sight, but videokeratoscopes usually are not. Thus far, corneal optics research has not adequately addressed the problem of videokeratoscope–line-of-sight misalignment and its effect on the computation of corneal and internal ocular aberrations. We measured corneal, ocular, and internal aberrations for three normal human eyes, developed a method to compensate for videokeratoscope–line-of-sight misalignment, and analyzed the importance of compensating for the misalignment. Our results show that when the value of angle lambda (the angle between the line of sight and the pupillary axis) is larger than 2°–3°, the misalignment, if ignored, can lead to incorrect estimates of corneal and internal aberrations as well as the corneal/internal aberration balance.
The slow violence of state organized race crime

The politicization of crime challenges theoretical and empirical criminology, while drawing the discipline into politics of criminal social control. This complication and complicity is considered in the case of state organized race crime, and especially its “slow violence”, where victimization is attritional, dispersed, and hidden. Criminology is not merely compromised here—or limited in theoretical and empirical reach—but complicit, contributing to under-regulated racial violence rationalized in large part by the criminalization of race. The discipline might contribute to increased understanding of state organized race crime, and lessen its role therein, with greater commitments to critical race research and teaching.
Orem's Self-Care Deficit Theory: Research with Pregnant Women:

A causal model of relationships among self-care agency, basic prenatal care actions, foundations for dependent-care agency, and selected pregnancy outcomes was investigated. This cross-sectional correlation study was conducted on a random sample of 127 women at least 30 weeks pregnant. Path analysis was used to analyze the data. Self-care agency was significantly and directly related to basic prenatal care actions and foundations for dependent-care agency, which in turn were directly related to infant birth weight. Findings lend support to Orem's theory and offer implications for maternity nursing practice and research.
Reflex human papillomavirus DNA testing on residual liquid-based (TPPT) cervical samples: focus on age-stratified clinical performance.

BACKGROUND Liquid-based ThinPrep technology has made reflex human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing possible. In the current study, the clinical performance of reflex HPV testing as an adjunct to routine ThinPrep testing (TPPT) and the impact of age on various test parameters in a predominantly high-risk, minority population were evaluated retrospectively. METHODS Reflex HPV testing was performed in 2114 women with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) cytology, using probes for low-risk (LR) and high-risk (HR) HPV types. Six hundred thirty women underwent subsequent biopsies with which HPV testing results were correlated. RESULTS Approximately 86% of the patients were Hispanic and African-American and 12% were white. Of the younger women (ages 14–29 years), 81% were positive for HR types versus 50% in the older women (ages 30–77 years) (P < 0.0001). In women with ASCUS, 47% were found to be positive for HR types versus 78% of women with LSIL. The percentage of histologic high-grade lesions was 24% in younger patients versus 17% in older patients. Overall, 91% of high-grade lesions were positive for HPV DNA (HR-positive = 89% and LR-positive = 2%), and 9% were negative for both types. The sensitivities and specificities in “younger” versus “older” women were 92% (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 89–95%) and 22%% (95% CI, 17–26%), respectively, versus 84% (95% CI, 77–90%) and 59% (95% CI, 53–65%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS The results of the current study demonstrate that reflex HPV testing performed in a routine clinical practice helps to identify the majority of women with high-grade disease. However, testing may be more beneficial in older women (age ≥ 30 years) with ASCUS. Strategy using out-of-vial reflex testing is more cost-effective and sensitive than referring all women for colposcopies. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2003;99:149–55. © 2003 American Cancer Society.
A toolkit-based approach to indoor localization

Location is one of the most important contexts used in the applications in the pervasive computing environments. It helps the application do the right thing at the right place. On the other hand, location is the most difficult context to acquire and process. Location information cannot be obtained using a single sensing system. It has to be abstracted to application-specific meanings before an application can understand it and utilize it. Since 802.11 networks are used widely, we use its RF signal strength to derive a client's location. To facilitate the indoor location determination system development, we build a location toolkit, which includes several utility programs. The toolkit not only performs some common functionalities used in various location determination approaches, but also provides a straightforward visual interface to researchers and users. This paper presents our approach to developing an indoor location determination system based on the toolkit, and some research results we have obtained.
Solubilization and characterization of the rat brain cholesterol ester hydrolase localized in the myelin sheath.

— The cholesterol ester hydrolase of rat brain, localized almost exclusively in the myelin sheath, has been solubilized from the acidic high-molecular-weight protein fraction of purified myelin. Solubilization required both high ionic strength and an amphoteric detergent, Miranol H2M. Solubilized preparations with apparent purification factors of 300–500 fold over the starting homogenate still contained approx 25% lipid but were retarded on the Sephadex G-200 column. The enzyme was reversibly precipitated when the concentration of either Miranol H2M or KCI was lowered below certain critical levels. The soluble enzyme was characterized for the pH optimum, linearity against incubation time and enzyme protein, and apparent Km. Activity was dependent on the presence of exogenously added lipid. Phosphatidylserine at optimum concentrations stimulated the hydrolytic activity 25-Fold. Effects of other lipids, bile salts, cations, heating and potential inhibitors were examined. β-Naphthyl oleate was a competitive inhibitor but both β-naphthyl acetate and cholesteryl butyrate were non-competitive inhibitors. These results suggested a heterogenous nature of the rat myelin cholesterol ester hydrolase, possibly with different specificities with respect to the chain length of the acyl group of substrates.
Spectral and chemical analysis of tropical forests: Scaling from leaf to canopy levels

article Variation in the foliar chemistry of humid tropical forests is poorly understood, and airborne imaging spectroscopy could provide useful information at leaf and canopy scales. However, variation in canopy structure affects our ability to estimate foliar properties from airborne spectrometer data, yet these structural affects remain poorly quantified. Using leaf spectral (400-2500 nm) and chemical data collected from 162 Australian tropical forest species, along with partial least squares (PLS) analysis and canopy radiative transfer modeling, we determined the strength of the relationship between canopy reflectance and foliar properties under conditions of varying canopy structure. At the leaf level, chlorophylls, carotenoids and specific leaf area (SLA) were highly correlated with leaf spectral reflectance (r=0.90-0.91). Foliar nutrients and water were also well represented by the leaf spectra (r=0.79-0.85). When the leaf spectra were incorporated into the canopy radiative transfer simulations with an idealistic leaf area index (LAI)=5.0, correlations between canopy reflectance spectra and leaf properties increased in strength by 4-18%. The effects of random LAI (=3.0-6.5) variation on the retrieval of leaf properties remained minimal, particularly for pigments and SLA (r=0.92-0.93). In contrast, correlations between leaf nitrogen (N) and canopy reflectance estimates decreased from r=0.87 at constant LAI=5 to r=0.65 with randomly varying LAI=3.0-6.5. Progressive increases in the structural variability among simulated tree crowns had relatively little effect on pigment, SLA and water predictions. However, N and phosphorus (P) were more sensitive to canopy structural variability. Our modeling results suggest that multiple leaf chemicals and SLA can be estimated from leaf and canopy reflectance spectroscopy, and that the high-LAI canopies found in tropical forests enhance the signal via multiple scattering. Finally, the two factors we found to most negatively impact leaf chemical predictions from canopy reflectance were variation in LAI
A Two-Dimensional Model for Steel Corrosion under a Disbonded Coating Due to Oxygen with or without Cathodic Protection—Part 2: Model Simplification for Practical Application

Abstract The complex two-dimensional (2D) model developed in Part 1 to predict pipeline steel corrosion rate under a disbonded coating with or without cathodic protection (CP) has been simplified i...
Production of renewable aviation fuel range alkanes from algae oil

Jet fuels produced from sources other than petroleum are receiving considerable attention since they offer the potential to diversify energy supplies while mitigating the net environmental impact of aviation. Here we report a novel single-step catalytic process for the production of jet fuel range alkanes from a renewable oil source, algae oil. The catalyst materials were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, surface area and pore size measurements. The feedstock and the product hydrocarbons were characterized using gas chromatography. We discuss the effect of temperature, pressure, time, catalyst type and quantity on feedstock cracking quality and selectivity. The results show that Ce exchanged zeolite β shows higher selectivity towards C10–C14 hydrocarbons at elevated temperatures and pressures. A high liquid product mass conversion of 98% was obtained at a temperature and reaction pressure of 400 °C and 400 psi, respectively. Selectivity was 85% for cracking algae oil on 4% Ce exchanged zeolite β and thus the catalyst shows promise for the synthesis of aviation range hydrocarbons for future large scale bio-jet fuel production.
Retaliatory Discharge and the Ethical Rules Governing Attorneys

In Garcetti v. Ceballos, the Supreme Court held that a deputy district attorney who, as part of his job duties, raised concerns with his superiors about possibly unlawful activity and was allegedly fired in response had no First Amendment retaliation claim. In support of its conclusion, the Court suggested that adequate checks already existed at the state and federal level to curb the behavior of employers who engage in unlawful activity and to protect the employees who seek to prevent or expose such activity. In addition to state and federal whistleblower statutes, the Court singled out the rules of professional conduct governing attorneys as providing additional safeguards for attorneys in situations similar to the plaintiff in Garcetti. This begs an important question: to what extent do the rules governing the practice of law actually provide attorneys with protection from employer retaliation? Based on the case law to date, the answer is decidedly unclear.Numerous cases attest to the fact that attorneys who report the misconduct of their employers or other attorneys - either internally or externally - face the real possibility of retaliatory discharge. It is not only the act of blowing the whistle that potentially exposes an attorney to retaliation. In numerous cases, attorneys have charged that their employers have taken action against them for otherwise complying with their ethical obligations or acting in furtherance of the policies underlying the rules of professional conduct. Courts have taken a variety of approaches to such cases, with some refusing to recognize any kind of breach of contract or retaliatory discharge claim on the part of an attorney and others recognizing such claims, but under limited circumstances. This Article attempts to resolve some of the confusion by offering a comprehensive approach to claims of retaliatory discharge brought by attorneys. The approach that best balances the competing interests in such cases borrows from Title VII retaliation caselaw and draws a distinction between participating in the lawyer disciplinary process and opposing unlawful or unethical conduct, with greater protection being given to conduct in the former category.