cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Don't Test, Do Sell: Legal Implications of Inclusion and exclusion of Women in Clinical Drug Trials

This article explores the historic underpinnings of the exclusion of women from clinical drug trials, identifies recent developments, and examines legal implications for women with epilepsy and for others. Distinguishing stakeholders and their interests may lead to policies that better serve all. Past and present statutory, regulatory, and judicial frameworks were reviewed, as well as legal, medical, and historical commentary. Traditionally, researchers and manufacturers have not tested particular drugs on women. Physicians and pharmacists routinely prescribe and sell these same medications regardless of gender. Only since 1993 have females been more likely to be included in clinical drug trial subject pools. The impact of past and future practices on health care provision and legal liability remains unknown. A policy of "Don't test, do sell" will not protect women with epilepsy or would-be defendants. At this time the most effective shields will involve procurement of informed consent as well as testing of both women and men. In the long run, tort, health care, and regulatory reform will best serve all interested persons. Inclusion of women in clinical drug trials has become a how question, not an if one.
Assessing educational effectiveness: The focus group interview as a technique for data collection 1

This essay describes the focus group interview (FGI) as a technique for data collection for researchers interested in a variety of educational issues. The technique was originally used by communication researchers interested in responses to mass media messages. Its three decade history, primarily in market research studies, is summarized. The technique is explained, its underlying assumptions examined, and its advantages and limitations discussed. A series of steps for implementation of the focus group interview technique is described and discussed.
Distribution of heavy metals in road dust along an urban-rural gradient in Massachusetts

Human exposures to particulate matter emitted from on-road motor vehicles include complex mixtures of metals from tires, brakes, parts wear and resuspended road dust. The aim of this study was to assess road dust for metals associated with motor vehicle traffic, particularly those metals coming from brake and tire wears. We hypothesized that the road dust would show significant difference in both composition and concentration by traffic type, road class and by location. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyses of 115 parked car tires showed Zn and Ca were likely associated with tire wear dust. XRF results of three used brake pads indicated high concentrations of Fe, Ti, Cu, Ba, Mo and Zr. To assess heavy metal exposures associated with tires and brake wear adjacent to roads of varying traffic and functional classes, 85 samples of road dust were collected from road surfaces adjacent to the curb and analyzed by XRF. Median concentrations for Fe, Ca and K were greater than Ti (1619 ppm), with concentration ratios of Fe: Ca: K: Ti [16:5:3:1]. Cumulative frequency distribution graphs showed distribution of Fe, Ba, Cu, and Mo were similar regardless of road traffic rating. However, Zn, Ti, and Zr varied significantly (p moderate > low traffic). Fe, Ba, Cu, and Mo also had similar distributions regardless of road class while composition of Zn, Ti, and Zr varied significantly across road class (p Minor roads > highway). In comparing urban road dust to rural road dust, we observed Fe, Ca, K, and Ti were significantly greater in urban road dust (p < 0.05). In urban road dust the Fe: Ca: K: Ti relationship with median Ti of 2216 ppm was 12: 6: 3.5: 1. These results indicate that roadway dust may be important sources of metals for runoff water and localized resuspended particulate matter.
K-edge connected neighborhood graph for geodesic distance estimation and nonlinear data projection

Nonlinear data projection based on geodesic distances requires the construction of a neighborhood graph that spans all data points so that the geodesic distance between any pair of data points could be estimated by the graph distance between the pair. This paper proposes an approach for constructing a k-edge connected neighborhood graph. The approach works by repeatedly extracting minimum spanning trees from the complete Euclidean graph of all data points. The constructed neighborhood graph has the following properties: (1) it is k-connected; (2) each point connects to its k-nearest neighbors; (3) if the graph is cut into two partitions, the cut edges contain k-shortest edges between the two partitions. Experiments show that the presented approach works well for clustered data and outperforms the nearest neighbor approaches used in Isomap for evenly distributed data.
Phonon dispersion in mixed alkali halide crystal KCl0.5Br0.5

Abstract In the present paper we have calculated the phonon dispersion curves of the mixed crystal KCl0.5Br0.5 using the modified three-body force shell model. The modified force shell model consists of long-range three-body interactions and short-range overlap repulsion effective up to second neighbour ions. The repulsive parameters are determined from the expressions for elastic constants derived for NaCl structure solids. The results on phonon dispersion curves in symmetry directions (q, 0, 0), (q, q, 0) and (q, q, q) are found to be in good agreement with the experimental curves of Beg and Kobbelt [Phys.Rev.B26, 1893 (1982); Ref. (l)].
Calculating length of gestation from the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology Clinic Outcome Reporting System (SART CORS) database versus vital records may alter reported rates of prematurity

Objective To compare length of gestation after assisted reproductive technology (ART) as calculated by three methods from the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology Clinic Outcome Reporting System (SART CORS) and vital records (birth and fetal death) in the Massachusetts Pregnancy to Early Life Longitudinal Data System (PELL). Design Historical cohort study. Setting Database linkage analysis. Patient(s) Live or stillborn deliveries. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) ART deliveries were linked to live birth or fetal death certificates. Length of gestation in 7,171 deliveries from fresh autologous ART cycles (2004–2008) was calculated and compared with that of SART CORS with the use of methods: M1 = outcome date − cycle start date; M2 = outcome date − transfer date + 17 days; and M3 = outcome date − transfer date + 14days + day of transfer. Generalized estimating equation models were used to compare methods. Result(s) Singleton and multiple deliveries were included. Overall prematurity (delivery 45% of deliveries and by more than 1 week in >22% of deliveries. Each method differed from each other. Conclusion(s) Estimates of preterm birth in ART vary depending on source of data and method of calculation. Some estimates may overestimate preterm birth rates for ART conceptions.
An analysis of alveolar macrophage mobility kinetics at dust overloading of the lungs

On the basis of a compartmental model, an analysis is presented to describe the alveolar clearance of insoluble particles from the rat lungs at excessive lung burdens. Expressions for the transport rate of the model are derived in terms of the alveolar macrophage mobility kinetics. It is shown that the reduction of alveolar clearance from the lungs at excessive burdens is caused by a reduction of macrophage mobility at high particle burdens and increasing number of deposited particles entering the interstitial space. On the basis of these hypotheses, and the results of other studies, calculations show that a macrophage maintains its mobility up to a certain particle burden and beyond this burden the mobility is dramatically reduced.
The elementary theory of the recursively enumerable degrees is not N0-categorical

On produit un nombre infini de treillis non isomorphes partiels finis engendres par 3 elements et on montre qu'ils donnent naissance a une infinite de 3 types distincts sur la theorie de tout ensemble partiellement ordonne dans lequel ils peuvent etre plonges
Triplet repeat DNA structures and human genetic disease: dynamic mutations from dynamic DNA.

Fourteen genetic neurodegenerative diseases and three fragile sites have been associated with the expansion of (CTG)n•(CAG)n, (CGG)n•(CCG)n, or (GAA)n•(TTC)n repeat tracts. Different models have been proposed for the expansion of triplet repeats, most of which presume the formation of alternative DNA structures in repeat tracts. One of the most likely structures, slipped strand DNA, may stably and reproducibly form within triplet repeat sequences. The propensity to form slipped strand DNA is proportional to the length and homogeneity of the repeat tract. The remarkable stability of slipped strand DNA may, in part, be due to loop-loop interactions facilitated by the sequence complementarity of the loops and the dynamic structure of three-way junctions formed at the loop-outs.
Fundamental studies on cationic polymerizations: Molecular weights and molecular weight distributions of polyisobutylenes produced by γ-irradiation (free ions) and chemical catalysis (ion pairs)

The molecular weights (Mn, Mv, and Mw) and molecular weight distributions of polyisobutylenes synthesized by γ-irradiation in the range 29 to −78°C have been determined. The plots of log Mn, log Mv, and log Mw versus 1/T are linear and parallel (EM = −6.36 ± 0.5), and Mw/Mn ≈ 3.0 ± 0.5 over this temperature range. The viscosity-average molecular weights of polyisobutylenes obtained by γ-irradiation were compared with those of polymers prepared by BF3, EtAlCl2, and AlCl3. It is found that, at the same polymerization temperature, the Mv of radiation-induced polyisobutylenes, which propagate by free carbonium ions, is significantly higher than those synthesized by the Lewis acids, which probably propagate via ion pairs. The implications of these findings are discussed, and it is concluded that the counterion in the proximity of the growing cation impedes propagation to a greater extent than it does the competing process of chain transfer to monomer.
Mitigating Climate Change in the American Southwest: New Mexico Climate Change Ecology and Adaptation Workshop; Albuquerque, New Mexico, 22 October 2007

Climate change has had greater impacts on the American Southwest than perhaps anywhere else in the contiguous United States. The future likely holds even more dramatic impacts for the region's ecosystems. Managers of deserts, forests, grasslands, rivers, and streams in this vast and scenic region are under pressure to respond to the unprecedented wildfires, forest dieback, and insect outbreaks that have resulted from years of record warm temperatures and drought. Already faced with urban encroachment and water shortages, managers need to better understand the regional implications of global climate change in order to take informed action to build the adaptive capacity of the landscapes that provide ecosystem services to our communities and habitat for a great diversity of species.
Universality in nontrivial continuum limits: A model calculation

We study numerically the continuum limit corresponding to the nontrivial fixed point of Dyson's hierarchical model. We discuss the possibility of using the critical amplitudes as input parameters. We determine numerically the leading and subleading critical amplitudes of the zero-momentum connected $2l$-point functions in the symmetric phase up to the 20-point function for randomly chosen local measures. Using these amplitudes, we construct quantities which are expected to be universal in the limit where very small log-periodic corrections are neglected: the ${U}^{(2l)\ensuremath{\star}}$ (proportional to the connected $2l$-point functions) and the ${r}_{2l}$ (proportional to one-particle irreducible functions). We show that these quantities are independent of the local measure with at least five significant digits. We provide clear evidence for the asymptotic behavior ${U}^{(2l)\ensuremath{\star}}\ensuremath{\propto}(2l)$ and reasonable evidence for ${r}_{2l}\ensuremath{\propto}(2l).$ These results signal a finite radius of convergence for the generating functions. We provide numerical evidence for a linear growth for universal ratios of subleading amplitudes. We compare our ${r}_{2l}$ with existing estimates for other models.
Room-Temperature Operation of MOCVD-Grown GaInAs/InP Strahed-Layer Multiquantum Well Lasers in the 1.8/spl mu/m Range

Summary form only given. The authors report the first successful room-temperature pulsed operation of InGaAs strained-layer multiquantum-well (SL-MQW) injection lasers grown by MOVPE (metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy) on InP substrates in the 1.8- mu m range. The threshold current density and external differential quantum efficiency of 10- mu m-wide ridge waveguide lasers were 2.5 kA/cm/sup 2/ and 5% for 1-mm and 400- mu m-long cavities, respectively. The laser structure consists of four 35-AA-wide In/sub 0.75/Ga/sub 0.25/As SL-QWs separated by 65-AA-wide barrier layers of lattice-matched InGaAs. The MQW is further sandwiched between 150 nm of InGaAsP ( lambda =1.3 mu m) and 2 mu m of InP on both sides. >
In Vitro Metronidazole and Tinidazole Activities against Metronidazole- Resistant Strains of Trichomonas vaginalis

The in vitro activities of tinidazole and metronidazole against Trichomonas vaginalis isolates clinically resistant to metronidazole were compared. Minimal lethal concentrations (MLCs) of tinidazole were significantly lower than MLCs of metronidazole. Increased metronidazole resistance correlated with increased tinidazole resistance. These data support a role for tinidazole in the treatment of trichomoniasis.
The use of normative energy calculation beyond building performance rating

Standardized building performance assessment is best expressed with a so-called normative calculation method, such as defined in the Committee for Standardization/International Organization for Standardization (CEN/ISO) calculation standards. The normative calculation method has advantages of simplicity, transparency, robustness and reproducibility. For systematic energy performance assessment at various scales, i.e. at the unit of analysis of one building up to a large-scale collection of buildings, the authors' group developed the Energy Performance Standard Calculation Toolkit (EPSCT). This toolkit calculates objective indicators of energy performance using either the monthly or hourly calculation method as specified in the CEN/ISO standard for building energy calculation. The toolkit is the foundation for numerous single, medium-scale and large-scale building energy management applications. At the largest level, applications should be able to manage hundreds or thousands of buildings. The paper introd...
ModNet: a modular approach to network stack extension

The existing interfaces between the network stack and the operating system are less than ideal for certain important classes of network traffic, such as video and mobile communication. While TCP has become the de facto transport protocol for much of this traffic, the opacity of some of the current network abstractions prevents demanding applications from controlling TCP to the fullest extent possible. At the same time, non-TCP protocols face an uphill battle as the network management and control infrastructure around TCP grows and improves. In this paper, we introduce ModNet, a lightweight kernel mechanism that allows demanding applications better customization of the TCP stack, while preserving existing network interfaces for unmodified applications. We demonstrate ModNet's utility by implementing a range of network server enhancements for demanding environments, including adaptive bitrate video, mobile content adaptation, dynamic data and image compression, and flash crowd resource management. These enhancements operate as untrusted user-level modules, enabling easy deployment, but can still operate at scale, often providing gigabits per second of throughput with low performance overheads.
Evaluating the Perceptual and Pathophysiological Consequences of Auditory Deprivation in Early Postnatal Life: A Comparison of Basic and Clinical Studies

Decades of clinical and basic research in visual system development have shown that degraded or imbalanced visual inputs can induce a long-lasting visual impairment called amblyopia. In the auditory domain, it is well established that inducing a conductive hearing loss (CHL) in young laboratory animals is associated with a panoply of central auditory system irregularities, ranging from cellular morphology to behavior. Human auditory deprivation, in the form of otitis media (OM), is tremendously common in young children, yet the evidence linking a history of OM to long-lasting auditory processing impairments has been equivocal for decades. Here, we review the apparent discrepancies in the clinical and basic auditory literature and provide a meta-analysis to show that the evidence for human amblyaudia, the auditory analog of amblyopia, is considerably more compelling than is generally believed. We argue that a major cause for this discrepancy is the fact that most clinical studies attempt to link central auditory deficits to a history of middle ear pathology, when the primary risk factor for brain-based developmental impairments such as amblyopia and amblyaudia is whether the afferent sensory signal is degraded during critical periods of brain development. Accordingly, clinical studies that target the subset of children with a history of OM that is also accompanied by elevated hearing thresholds consistently identify perceptual and physiological deficits that can endure for years after peripheral hearing is audiometrically normal, in keeping with the animal studies on CHL. These studies suggest that infants with OM severe enough to cause degraded afferent signal transmission (e.g., CHL) are particularly at risk to develop lasting central auditory impairments. We propose some practical guidelines to identify at-risk infants and test for the positive expression of amblyaudia in older children.
The annual cycles of phytoplankton biomass

Terrestrial plants are powerful climate sentinels because their annual cycles of growth, reproduction and senescence are finely tuned to the annual climate cycle having a period of one year. Consistency in the seasonal phasing of terrestrial plant activity provides a relatively low-noise background from which phenological shifts can be detected and attributed to climate change. Here, we ask whether phytoplankton biomass also fluctuates over a consistent annual cycle in lake, estuarine–coastal and ocean ecosystems and whether there is a characteristic phenology of phytoplankton as a consistent phase and amplitude of variability. We compiled 125 time series of phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll a concentration) from temperate and subtropical zones and used wavelet analysis to extract their dominant periods of variability and the recurrence strength at those periods. Fewer than half (48%) of the series had a dominant 12-month period of variability, commonly expressed as the canonical spring-bloom pattern. About 20 per cent had a dominant six-month period of variability, commonly expressed as the spring and autumn or winter and summer blooms of temperate lakes and oceans. These annual patterns varied in recurrence strength across sites, and did not persist over the full series duration at some sites. About a third of the series had no component of variability at either the six- or 12-month period, reflecting a series of irregular pulses of biomass. These findings show that there is high variability of annual phytoplankton cycles across ecosystems, and that climate-driven annual cycles can be obscured by other drivers of population variability, including human disturbance, aperiodic weather events and strong trophic coupling between phytoplankton and their consumers. Regulation of phytoplankton biomass by multiple processes operating at multiple time scales adds complexity to the challenge of detecting climate-driven trends in aquatic ecosystems where the noise to signal ratio is high.
A chip-level electrothermal simulator for temperature profile estimation of CMOS VLSI chips

In this paper, we present a chip-level electrothermal simulator, ILLIADS-T. It aims at finding the steady-state CMOS VLSI chip temperature profile and the corresponding circuit performance. With this tool, temperature-related reliability problems of VLSI chips can be accurately predicted to guide the module placement, packaging, as well as the timing verification.
The Sestina: An Exploration of the Dynamics of Poetic Structure

THE sestina has been condemned by modern critics as a sterile and artificial form, for being, as De Sanctis so devastatingly comments, "in tanta povert'a e servilitai cosi affettata e pretensiosa."' Yet the form enjoyed undoubted prestige in the Renaissance, largely because its "pretensions" were taken seriously by Dante and Petrarch. Perhaps, in the light of its early literary fortunes, the sestina should now be examined from a more sympathetic point of view in an attempt to rediscover operative formal and/or symbolic principles that can make its former stature comprehensible to modern readers. If such an attempt is successful, it may prove to be a fruitful starting point for the reconsideration of certain other Renaissance poetic forms, especially the enigmatic "squared" poems, which are usually regarded as trivial exercises in technical virtuosity rather than as symbolic forms whose particular aesthetic effects emerge from a coherent poetic vision. It is useful to approach the sestina historically in this endeavor, since the key that opens up the significance inherent in the form itself can be discovered in the practice of the foremost writers in the genre: Arnaut Daniel, Dante, and Petrarch. Arnaut's Loferm voler, the first and definitive example of the sestina, had, as Maria Picchio Simonelli notes, "grande fortuna e diffusione sia in Provenza che in Italia. . . . Quando Dante la imitava, essa era dunque gi'a considerata un testo-modello e gia accennava a prender la forma di un genere letterario a parte."2 The technical intricacy and obscurity of the form identified it as a prominent example of the much-admired Proven(;al poetics of "entrebescar los motz"3 associated with the trobar clus and the trobar ric, a poetics usually epitomized in the paradoxical and enigmatic lines of Arnaut himself:
The Deep-Plane Approach to Neck Rejuvenation

This article provides the facial plastic surgeon with anatomic and embryologic evidence to support the use of the deep-plane rhytidectomy for optimal treatment of the aging neck. An anatomic basis is established that demonstrates this technique's ability to maximize neck rejuvenation through its direct relationship to midface soft-tissue mobilization. A detailed description of the procedure, aimed at providing safe and consistent results, is presented with insights into anatomic landmarks, technical nuances, and alternative approaches to facial variations.
Epigenetics, oxidative stress, and Alzheimer disease.

article i nfo Alzheimer disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder whose clinical manifestations appear in old age. The sporadic nature of 90% of AD cases, the differential susceptibility to and course of the illness, as well as the late age onset of the disease suggest that epigenetic and environmental components play a role in the etiology of late-onset AD. Animal exposure studies demonstrated that AD may begin early in life and may involve an interplay between the environment, epigenetics, and oxidative stress. Early life exposure of rodents and primates to the xenobiotic metal lead (Pb) enhanced the expression of genes associated with AD, repressed the expression of others, and increased the burden of oxidative DNA damage in the aged brain. Epigenetic mechanisms that control gene expression and promote the accumulation of oxidative DNA damage are mediated through alterations in the methylation or oxidation of CpG dinucleotides. We found that environmental influences occurring during brain development inhibit DNA-methyltransferases, thus hypomethylating promoters of genes associated with AD such as the β-amyloid precursor protein (APP). This early life imprint was sustained and triggered later in life to increase the levels of APP and amyloid-β (Aβ). Increased Aβ levels promoted the production of reactive oxygen species, which damage DNA and accelerate neurodegenerative events. Whereas AD-associated genes were overexpressed late in life, others were repressed, suggesting that these early life perturbations result in hypomethylation as well as hypermethyla- tion of genes. The hypermethylated genes are rendered susceptible to Aβ-enhanced oxidative DNA damage because methylcytosines restrict repair of adjacent hydroxyguanosines. Although the conditions leading to early life hypo- or hypermethylation of specific genes are not known, these changes can have an impact on gene expression and imprint susceptibility to oxidative DNA damage in the aged brain.
Infection-Induced Stones: Status of Clinic Trials with Urostat™ (Acetohydroxamic Acid)

The cause and effect relationship between urinary infection and urinary stones has been since antiquity. Bladder stones that we now perceive as infection induced have been found in Egyptian mummies dating back to 5,000 B.C. Hippocrates recognized that putrifying loin abscesses were commonly associated with renal stones. Marcet (1817) suggested that the evolution of ammonia during putrification alkalinized urine and that such alkalinization was “unavoidably attended by the precipitation of phosphates contained in urine.” Recent experimental and clinical investigations from a number of investigators have validated these historical concepts.
Semiempirical computational assessment of porphyrins as building blocks for molecule‐based magnets: spin–spin coupling in radical‐substituted metalloporphyrins

Semiempirical PM3-RHF-CI calculations were used to probe structure–exchange coupling relationships in radical-substituted Zn(II) porphyrins. The results support a number of important design elements for creating high-spin molecules from metalloporphyrins and the corresponding pi-cation radicals. The calculations showed that inactive porphyrin–active phenoxy union mode provides stronger exchange coupling than active porphyrin–inactive phenoxy union mode. Connecting radicals to the metalloporphyrin core via an ethynyl linkage eliminates severe torsion, permitting a coplanar alignment of the two pi systems. Metalloporphyrins could be excellent redox-activated exchange couplers: porphyrin radical cation exchange couples attached radicals more effectively than the neutral porphyrin. Finally, the magnitude of exchange coupling between a metalloporphyrin pi-cation radical depends on the nature of the attached radical. The results of the calculations were explained using a coupler spin analysis. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Integrating preventive maintenance planning and production scheduling for a single machine

Preventive maintenance planning, and production scheduling are two activities that are inter-dependent but most often performed independently. Considering that preventive maintenance, and repair affect both available production time, and the probability of machine failure, we are surprised that this inter-dependency seems to be overlooked in the literature. We propose an integrated model that coordinates preventive maintenance planning decisions with single-machine scheduling decisions so that the total expected weighted completion time of jobs is minimized. Note that the machine of interest is subject to minimal repair upon failure, and can be renewed by preventive maintenance. We investigate the value of integrating production scheduling with preventive maintenance planning by conducting an extensive experimental study using small scheduling problems. We compare the performance of the integrated solution with the solutions obtained from solving the preventive maintenance planning, and job scheduling problems independently. For the problems studied, integrating the two decision-making processes resulted in an average improvement of approximately 2% and occasional improvements of as much as 20%. Depending on the nature of the manufacturing system, an average savings of 2% may be significant. Certainly, savings in this range indicate that integrated preventive maintenance planning, and production scheduling should be focused on critical (bottleneck) machines. Because we use total enumeration to solve the integrated model for small problems, we propose a heuristic approach for solving larger problems. Our analysis is based on minimizing total weighted completion time; thus, both the scheduling, and maintenance problems favor processing shorter jobs in the beginning of the schedule. Given that due-date-based objectives, such as minimizing total weighted job tardiness, present more apparent trade-offs & conflicts between preventive maintenance planning, and job scheduling, we believe that integrated preventive maintenance planning & production scheduling is a worthwhile area of study.
Competition for Foreign Direct Investment: the Role of Technology and Market Structure

We analyze the location choice of a multinational corporation (MNC) between two host countries connected via international trade. We do so when the host governments are passive as well as when they compete with each other for the MNC. In particular, we examine the role of relative production eciencies of domestic rms, and of market structure, in the host countries, in the MNC’s locational choice. We consider two scenarios: domestic rms export and they do not. Our
Understanding Policy Change in Developing Countries: The Spheres of Influence Framework

National policy reform is a prerequisite for improved stewardship of the global environment and figures prominently among the goals of international environmental diplomacy and transnational advocacy campaigns. Yet research on global environmental politics has proceeded absent models of policy change in developing countries, where most of the planet's people, land, and biological diversity are found. In this article I present a theoretical framework to explain the domestic responses of developing countries to global environmental concerns. Drawing on research in Costa Rica and Bolivia, I situate the impact of global environmentalism in the context of complex, decades-long domestic struggles to create effective institutions. When international outcomes depend on protracted reforms in nations that are sovereign yet poor, policy change is driven by actors who successfully pair international resources (technical, financial, and ideational) with the domestic political resources needed to see through major poli...
The effect of volume exclusion on the formation of DNA minicircle networks: implications to kinetoplast DNA

Kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) is the mitochondrial of DNA of disease causing organisms such as Trypanosoma Brucei (T. Brucei) and Trypanosoma Cruzi (T. Cruzi). In most organisms, KDNA is made of thousands of small circular DNA molecules that are highly condensed and topologically linked forming a gigantic planar network. In our previous work we have developed mathematical and computational models to test the confinement hypothesis, that is that the formation of kDNA minicircle networks is a product of the high DNA condensation achieved in the mitochondrion of these organisms. In these studies we studied three parameters that characterize the growth of the network topology upon confinement: the critical percolation density, the mean saturation density and the mean valence (i.e. the number of mini circles topologically linked to any chosen minicircle). Experimental results on insect-infecting organisms showed that the mean valence is equal to three, forming a structure similar to those found in medieval chain-mails. These same studies hypothesized that this value of the mean valence was driven by the DNA excluded volume. Here we extend our previous work on kDNA by characterizing the effects of DNA excluded volume on the three descriptive parameters. Using computer simulations of polymer swelling we found that (1) in agreement with previous studies the linking probability of two minicircles does not decrease linearly with the distance between the two minicircles, (2) the mean valence grows linearly with the density of minicircles and decreases with the thickness of the excluded volume, (3) the critical percolation and mean saturation densities grow linearly with the thickness of the excluded volume. Our results therefore suggest that the swelling of the DNA molecule, due to electrostatic interactions, has relatively mild implications on the overall topology of the network. Our results also validate our topological descriptors since they appear to reflect the changes in the physical properties of the polymeric chains and at the same time remain faithful to their description of kDNA.
Application of In Situ Raman Spectroscopy To Facilitate Use of Hydrogen Peroxide on Kilogram Scale

The safe implementation of a hydrogen-peroxide-mediated oxidation of a poorly reactive sulfide to the corresponding sulfone is described. A three-tiered approach incorporating process understanding, safety studies, and real time PAT (in situ Raman spectroscopy) was leveraged to ensure safe operation. Further investigation of an in situ Raman spectroscopy model for the reaction and its use for in-process control and end-point determination is discussed.
Pubectomy in Urological Surgery

AbstractPubectomy has been useful, particularly for the treatment of traumatic disruption of the deep urethra after a preliminary cystostomy. This procedure provides unparalleled exposure for mobilization of the apex of the prostate and distal urethral segment, and the accomplishment of an end-to-end anastomosis. Results have been good.Pubectomy has been helpful in selected cases of chronic osteitis pubis. Experience with the technique was helpful during radical pubectomy in 2 patients with chondrosarcoma of the pubis.
Salamander abundance in regenerating forest stands on the Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia

We compared the abundance of salamanders in 18 hardwood stands treated with two-age management 15 yr after harvest, clearcutting 15 yr after harvest, and mature second-growth stands in the Monongahela National Forest of West Virginia during the summers of 1995 and 1996. Salamanders were captured with pitfall traps. We sampled 47,083 trap days and captured eight species of salamanders. Abundance of salamanders, expressed as number captured per 100 trap days, was higher (P= 0.06) in the mature second-growth than two-age treatment (two-age = 0.96 ± 0.11; clearcut = 1.46 ± 0.23; mature second-growth = 2.40 ± 0.57). Abundance of redback salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) also was higher (P = 0.09) in the mature second-growth than two-age treatment (two-age = 0.76 ± 0.14; clearcut = 1.48 ± 0.34; mature second-growth = 1.84 ± 0.51). These data indicate that 15 yr after harvest, harvested stands in the Monongahela National Forest may be less favorable than mature hardwood forests for some forest salamanders.
Legacies of Scholars, Scholarship, and Praxis from the International Association for Conflict Management: Celebrating a Lifetime of Achievements

This special issue of Negotiation and Conflict Management Research celebrates the scholarship and intellectual contributions of four recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association for Conflict Management (IACM). The IACM Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes important contributions over the span of a career, particularly to those colleagues who have spanned disciplinary boundaries in their scholarship. Each article in this special issue highlights the scholarly impact of a recipient, offers insights for building an academic career, and identifies directions for future research in negotiation and conflict management.
HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase and RNase H (Ribonuclease H) Active Sites Work Simultaneously and Independently

HIV reverse transcriptase plays a central role in viral replication and requires coordination of both polymerase and RNase H activities. Although this coordination is crucial in viral replication, whether a DNA/RNA hybrid can simultaneously engage both active sites has yet to be determined as structural and kinetic analyses have provided contradictory results. Single nucleotide incorporation and RNase H cleavage were examined using presteady-state kinetics with global data analysis. The results revealed three interconverting reverse transcriptase-DNA/RNA species; 43% were active for both sites simultaneously, 27% showed only polymerase activity, and the remaining 30% were nonproductive. Our data clearly demonstrated that the DNA/RNA hybrid could contact both active sites simultaneously, although the single nucleotide incorporation (105 s−1) was ∼5-fold faster than the cleavage (23 s−1). By using a series of primers with different lengths, we found that a string of at least 4–6 nucleotides downstream of the cleaving site was required for efficient RNA cleavage. This was corroborated by our observations that during processive nucleotide incorporation, sequential rounds of RNA cleavage occurred each time after ∼6 nucleotides were incorporated. More importantly, during processive primer extension, pyrophosphate (PPi) release was rate-limiting so that the average rate of nucleotide incorporation (∼28 s−1) was comparable with that of net RNA cleavage (∼27 nucleotides(s)). Although polymerization is efficient and processive, RNase H is inefficient and periodic. This combination allows the two catalytic centers of HIVRT to work simultaneously at similar speeds without being tightly coupled.
Information glut and conspicuous silence in Lauren Beukes’s Zoo City

In recent years, mass media representations of inner-city lives in South Africa have tended to focus on poverty and crime in ways that flatten out the subjectivity of residents. In response, a growing corpus of fiction and scholarship has sought to give voice to the complexities of life in contemporary South African cityscapes. Lauren Beukes’s 2010 thriller Zoo City takes up this task, challenging a glut of media images that spectacularize poverty in Hillbrow, Johannesburg. This article argues that while Zoo City seemingly strives to give voice to complex subjectivities amid precarious socio-economic circumstances, it simultaneously carries out a very different project. Beukes explores the stakes of the novelist’s own appropriation of suffering in a way that is markedly rare for thrillers. Through conspicuous silences, Zoo City calls attention to the invisibility of many forms of precarity and efforts to claim autonomy in Hillbrow. The novel simultaneously offers and destabilizes a sense of privil...
Dynamic system model for ultrasonic lubrication in perpendicular configuration

Ultrasonic lubrication can be achieved by superimposing ultrasonic vibrations onto the relative sliding velocity between two surfaces. Ultrasonic vibrations are typically generated by a piezoelectric actuator. Relative to the macroscopic velocity, the vibrations can be longitudinal, transverse, or perpendicular. Often considered as a purely interfacial effect, ultrasonic lubrication is in fact a system phenomenon incorporating the dynamics of the actuator, sliding surfaces, and surrounding structure. This article presents a dynamic system model for ultrasonic lubrication configured in perpendicular mode, as experimentally measured with a modified pin-on-disc tribometer. The framework includes a lumped-parameter, dynamic model for the tribometer, an electromechanical model for the piezoelectric transducer used to generated the ultrasonic vibrations in the tribometer, and a "cube" model for the contact mechanics between asperities. Electrical impedance, system vibrations, and friction reduction are examined. Results show a strong match between experiments and simulations with errors lower than 10%. A parametric study is conducted to investigate the influence of driving voltage, macroscopic velocity, driving frequency, and signal waveform on ultrasonic friction reduction.
Quantum hydrodynamic approximations to the finite temperature trapped Bose gases

Abstract For the quantum kinetic system modeling the Bose–Einstein Condensate that accounts for interactions between condensate and excited atoms, we use the Chapman–Enskog expansion to derive its hydrodynamic approximations, include both Euler and Navier–Stokes approximations. The hydrodynamic approximations describe not only the macroscopic behavior of the BEC but also its coupling with the non-condensates, which agrees with the Landau two-fluid theory.
Metabolic and Hereditary Factors: Are You Stone Prone?

Does the adage, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” apply to kidney stones falling from the kidney? It does, but the reason for this actually has much more to do with environmental than genetic factors. After all, children in families share a home environment with their parents, and they tend to eat and drink the foods and fluids that their parents have available. This is particularly important because dehydration is the most common cause of urinary tract stones. Fluid consumption (or the lack thereof) is the main determinant in stone-forming tendencies. Some innate genetic factors do influence metabolism to make stone formation more likely. These include, in order of decreasing prevalence: excess calcium in the urine (hypercalciuria, 62 %), deficient urinary citrate (hypocitraturia, 41 %), excess urinary urate (hyperuricosuria, 35 %), excess urinary oxalate (hyperoxaluria, 8 %), decreased urinary magnesium (hypomagnesiuria, 1 %), and increased urine levels of the amino acid cystine (cystinuria, 1 %). If it looks like the math doesn’t add up, that is because these conditions can and do coexist in stone-formers. In this chapter, the metabolic conditions and hereditary factors contributing to stone formation are discussed in detail.
Doubly nonlocal Cahn–Hilliard equations

Abstract We consider a doubly nonlocal nonlinear parabolic equation which describes phase-segregation of a two-component material in a bounded domain. This model is a more general version than the recent nonlocal Cahn–Hilliard equation proposed by Giacomin and Lebowitz [26] , such that it reduces to the latter under certain conditions. We establish well-posedness results along with regularity and long-time results in the case when the interaction between the two levels of nonlocality is strong-to-weak.
Coke Versus Pepsi, 2001

Set in December 2000, immediately following the merger announcement between PepsiCo Inc. and the Quaker Oats Company, this case asks students to examine the implications of the merger for the rivalry between Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo, and for value creation by each firm. Because the merger would allow PepsiCo to control Gatorade, which held an 83% share in the sports drink market, PepsiCo would further strengthen its already-wide lead over Coca-Cola Co. in the noncarbonated drinks segment. Would Coca-Cola's historically stellar performance in terms of value creation be threatened by the merger? The case asks students to estimate EVA TM (Economic Value Added) from 2001 to 2003, and provides income statement and balance sheet forecasts to aid in this task. Students also need to determine each company's weighted average cost of capital (WACC) in order to estimate EVA. The primary objective of this case is to introduce students to the concepts and calculation of WACC and EVA. Excerpt UVA-F-1340 Rev. Feb. 14, 2014 Coke vERSUS Pepsi, 2001 On December 4, 2000, PepsiCo, Inc., and the Quaker Oats Company issued a joint press release announcing their merger. The terms of the merger stated that PepsiCo would acquire Quaker Oats in a stock-for-stock deal valuing Quaker at around $ 14 billion. Merger Announcement Given PEP's [PepsiCo's] #1 rank in the faster-growth segment and its improving competitive position in CSDs [carbonated soft drinks], we believe PEP could, over the long term, threaten Coca-Cola's lead in the domestic beverage category in all channels except fountain.” . . .
High-Resolution Microwave Breast Imaging Using a 3-D Inverse Scattering Algorithm With a Variable-Strength Spatial Prior Constraint

Microwave inverse scattering is an exploratory imaging modality with potential for several clinical breast imaging applications, including density evaluation, cancer detection, and treatment monitoring. However, conventional regularization techniques used to solve the ill-posed inverse problem typically result in blurred boundaries between tissue structures exhibiting dielectric contrast, thereby limiting the effective resolution. We present a method to improve microwave breast imaging resolution that incorporates a priori information about the boundaries between different tissues in the breast into the inverse scattering algorithm. This spatial prior information can be derived from another imaging modality, such as magnetic resonance imaging. Our method exploits the fact that the dielectric properties within a tissue type exhibit low to moderate variability by favoring solutions to the inverse scattering problem, which have small variations in dielectric properties within each tissue region. The amount of variation tolerated in each regions is controlled by a spatial prior constraint parameter. We demonstrate the feasibility of the method by imaging detailed, anatomically inspired numerical 3-D breast phantoms. The performance in the presence of different levels of noise and for different choices of the constraint parameter is evaluated. We also demonstrate the robustness of the algorithm with respect to errors in the spatial prior information.
O-23 Ibuprofen in infants younger than 6 months: what is the efficacy and safety profile?

Background Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflam-matory drug frequently administered to children of var-ious ages for relief of fever and pain and is approved as over-the-counter medication in many countries world-wide. Although there is extensive data on its efficacy and safety in children and adults, there are divergent dosing recommendations for analgesia and treatment of fever in infants, especially in the age group between 3 and 6 months of age. The purpose of this analysis was to assess the safety and efficacy profile of ibuprofen in this age group in an attempt to optimise pain and fever manage-ment. Methods A comprehensive PubMed search was con-ducted in order to identify publications concerning the use of ibuprofen in infants younger than 6 months of age. Identified studies were reviewed so that only those pre-senting original clinical data regarding the pharmacoki-netics, safety or efficacy of ibuprofen in infants younger than 6 months would be included. Results The literature search identified 5 pharmacoki-netic and 10 efficacy and safety studies which met the re-view inclusion criteria. Eligible PK studies presented data of 243 children, which included at least 18 infants under the age of 6 months. Eligible efficacy and safety studies contained data of 39 234 children including minimum 207 children younger than 6 months. The most common underlying pathological condition was fever. The most common clinical setting was outpatient care. Conclusion Based on the current evidence, short-term use of ibuprofen is considered safe in infants older than 3 months of age having a body weight of more than 5–6 kg when special attention is given to the patient’s hydration. Ibuprofen should be prescribed based on body weight using a dose of 5–10 mg/kg. This dose can be adminis-tered 3–4 times a day resulting in a total daily dose of max-imally 30–40 mg/kg. The rectal route has been shown to be less reliable because of erratic absorption, especially in young infants. Since most efficacy and safety data have been derived from paediatric trials in infants with fever, future studies should focus on the efficacy of ibuprofen in young infants with pain.